“He was more of a fairy godparent than he liked to admit. There was still a single, determined spark of duty and loyalty inside of him that refused to be quenched by the rivers of distaste he felt toward humans.”
I’ve been back on a fairytale retelling kick lately, and I’m discovering that I’m a big fan of novellas when life is just a bit more busy than I’d care for! So I’ve got another novella recommendation for you today, and this one is the first in a series that I’m excited to continue reading.
The Reluctant Godfather by Allison Tebo is told from the perspective of a unique character in the Cinderella story: the fairy…godfather. But instead of showing up in her godchild’s hour of need out of the kindness of her heart, this godfather begrudgingly steps into the story when he’s threatened by the Fairy Council. He’d much rather be baking cakes in the palace kitchen instead. And as could be expected from a retelling with an already odd premise: the happy ending isn’t exactly what you’d expect.
Bundee is by far my favorite character, with his sarcasm and cynicism. He contrasts perfectly with the intelligent but incredibly frustrated prince and the soft-spoken and demure cinder girl. His hilarious attempts at match-making are well-written, and I absolutely adored how oblivious to his own motivations he turned out to be.
This series reminded me a lot of another novella series I read earlier this year (see my previous review of An Unnatural Beanstalk for another series with a comedically helpless godfather), and I’m definitely intrigued to see where Tebo takes it from here in the next few books! If you’re looking for some light hearted storytelling and comedy in a fairytale package, then I highly recommend The Reluctant Godfather.
Kathleen Bird 