Review'd: Stardust by Neil Gaiman

Book Review:

Title: Stardust

Author: Neil Gaiman

Published: July 1st 2001 by Harper Perennial
Rating: 3 Stars

Goodreads Summary:
Stardust is an utterly charming fairy tale in the tradition of The Princess Bride and The Neverending Story. Neil Gaiman, creator of the darkly elegant Sandman comics and author of The Day I Swapped My Dad for Two Goldfish, tells the story of young Tristran Thorn and his adventures in the land of Faerie. One fateful night, Tristran promises his beloved that he will retrieve a fallen star for her from beyond the Wall that stands between their rural English town (called, appropriately, Wall) and the Faerie realm. No one ever ventures beyond the Wall except to attend an enchanted flea market that is held every nine years (and during which, unbeknownst to him, Tristran was conceived). But Tristran bravely sets out to fetch the fallen star and thus win the hand of his love. His adventures in the magical land will keep you turning pages as fast as you can--he and the star escape evil old witches, deadly clutching trees, goblin press-gangs, and the scheming sons of the dead Lord of Stormhold. The story is by turns thrillingly scary and very funny. You'll love goofy, earnest Tristran and the talking animals, gnomes, magic trees, and other irresistible denizens of Faerie that he encounters in his travels. Stardust is a perfect read-aloud book, a brand-new fairy tale you'll want to share with a kid, or maybe hoard for yourself. (If you read it to kids, watch out for a couple of spicy sex bits and one epithet.) --Therese Littleton

DeLibrarie (Nichole) Review:
This book is like a fairy tale for our own time. The magic, action, and love stories within this book are brilliant and fresh and non-stop. The bad guys are really evil, the wit is humorous, and the setting is vivid. The writing style is the same as a traditional fairy tale would be. You get the traditional fairy tale charm but with modern wit and plot stories. The only downer to this story is that you have to be ready to read a full length novel written in this traditional fairy tale style. There is also a lot to this story that you have to follow so get ready to pay attention, too. Each part of this book adds a new element and makes this story as amazing as it is. If you want a good, charming, complex, fairy tale book then this is the one for you.