Please Note:  I received an advance copy of this book from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.  This did not influence the opinions of my review in any way.

Synopsis (From Goodreads):
Once upon a time, in a faraway kingdom, a hero, the Chosen One, was born . . . and so begins every fairy tale ever told.

This is not that fairy tale.

There is a Chosen One, but he is unlike any One who has ever been Chosened.

And there is a faraway kingdom, but you have never been to a magical world quite like the land of Pell.

There, a plucky farm boy will find more than he's bargained for on his quest to awaken the sleeping princess in her cursed tower. First there's the Dark Lord who wishes for the boy's untimely death . . . and also very fine cheese. Then there's a bard without a song in her heart but with a very adorable and fuzzy tail, an assassin who fears not the night but is terrified of chickens, and a mighty fighter more frightened of her sword than of her chain-mail bikini. This journey will lead to sinister umlauts, a trash-talking goat, the Dread Necromancer Steve, and a strange and wondrous journey to the most peculiar "happily ever after" that ever once-upon-a-timed.

Review:
It's hard to categorize Kill The Farm Boy by Delilah S. Dawson and Kevin Hearne.  Is this a fantasy?  A tall tale?  I don't know the official genre, but I think I would call this novel a fairy-tale parody.  

This makes it tough for me to review.  I know it is meant to be a tongue in cheek sort of book.  There are puns-o-plenty, and lots of spoofs of various fairy tales.  But this also made it difficult for me to empathize with the characters.  And I wasn't sure about how "worthy" the quest (which was at the center of this novel) was.

Puns and parodies:
There were so many funny puns, and riffs from the names of the characters, such as the Sand Witch, to the chapter titles like, Under The Perilous Polar of Personal Problems.  This set the entire tone of the book.  

There were many funny bits that lampooned various fairy tales such as Rapunzel, and Sleeping Beauty, along with generous references to William Goldman's The Princess Bride.  All of these were very entertaining.

Characters:
While I had a hard time connecting to most of the characters, I did really enjoy Argabella, and Fia.  Argabella is a half rabbit, half woman, who has been stuck as the only awake person in a castle where everyone has fallen asleep.  She is shy, and anxious, rather like a rabbit (hmm).  Argabella also has daddy issues.  Fia is completely opposite.  She is a seven-foot tall warrior who is a confident killing machine.  But she is starting to develop a conscience, feeling bad about most of her killing ways.

I love how a relationship develops with these two.  I found it lovely that their personalities complimented each other.  I also appreciated that each character was fully-developed.  They weren't defined by just their sexuality.

Food:
I think the authors must have made a habit of writing on an empty stomach, because the descriptions of food are epic!  It helps that one of the characters seems to be a gourmand.   Every chance there is, the authors go out of their way to describe all the delectable dishes and delicacies.

Story:
While there were some fun characters, they kind  of meandered around.  They were on a quest of some kind, but there didn't seem to be a compelling goal to strive for.  The series of adventures the characters have don't seem to have much of a point, either.  They go somewhere, they get attacked by some colorful characters, and then they move on.  I wish there was more of a reason for the quest, for each of the characters.


Rating: 




Release Date:  July 24th, 2018

Author:  Delilah S. Dawson, and Kevin Hearne

Publisher:  Del Rey

Genre:  Fantasy

Page Length:  384 pages

Source:  NetGalley

Format:  E-Book 

Recommendation:
This is a fun, but very lighthearted, book.  I was hoping for a bit more gravitas.
 

What makes something a modern fairy tale?  I think of it as when a book has that quality of someone telling a bed time story.  What do Little Red Riding Hood, Hansel & Gretel, and Sleeping Beauty all have in common?  There is fantasy, strange doings, a child in danger, but also hope.  These three books, while not for children, offer fairy tales for teens and adults that might make you stay awake, rather than sleep.  But that is what makes them so much fun!

1.  Lips Touch, Three Times by Laini Taylor.

After finishing the Dreams of Gods and Monsters series by Laini Taylor,  I wanted to try another one of her books.  This unique book contains three unrelated short stories, the critical element of each being a kiss.  The reader is invited to guess the meaning of each story through a graphic novel-like opening.  The stunning illustrations do not have words, but that is part of the fun.  These stories read like twisted fairy tales!  The main characters all seem to be teenage girls, but the settings, time periods, and circumstances are all different.  With themes of coming of age, sacrifice, and destiny, each story is creative and whimsical.   I could easily have seen each short story becoming a full length novel.


2.  The Ocean at the End of the Lane by Neil Gaiman

Neil Gaiman has a talent for creating eerie settings that seem like a nightmare come to life.  In fact, I think I had a few nightmares over the period when I read it!  A man returns to his childhood home to attend a funeral and repressed memories come flooding back to greet him.   The nanny who seemed so kind to the parents, yet when Mom was not around was terrible to the kids.  The neighbors who appeared to be weird, yet were so kind when he really needed a safe haven.   Some of the man's recollections seem so unreal, he must be mixing up fantasy with reality.  Or did these things really happen?  Do we ever remember clearly what actually happened in our childhoods?  Or do we all create the version of recollections we need to be at peace with our past?


3.  A Monster Calls by patrick Ness

I read this after a fellow blogger, Chioma from Blue Books and Butterflies, said it was one of her favorites.  Well, you can add me to the list!  The main character, Conor, is a young teen taking care of his mother who has cancer.  If his mom dies, he will have to live with his cold, distant grandmother, or his geographically distant father.  Conor has a lot of anger and fear over the situation.  One night he is visited by a monster who says that Conor has called on him.  He begins a series of three stories that seem random and confusing to Conor.  After the stories end, the monster says it will be Conor's turn to tell his truth.  But can Conor face it?  Can he control his fear over the events looming in his future?  Could the monster possibly help him by curing his mother?  This a beautiful and heart wrenching story.  Some of the events touched me in a very personal way that left me bawling my eyes out.  But a good cry can actually be very therapeutic.  This story will stay with you for a long time.