The Rules of Ever After

by Killian B. Brewer

Overview

The rules of royal life have governed the kingdoms of Clarameer for thousands of years, but Prince Phillip and Prince Daniel know that these rules don't provide for the happily ever after they seek. A fateful, sleepless night on top of a pea under twenty mattresses brings the two young men together and sends them on a quest out into the kingdoms. On their travels, they encounter meddlesome fairies, an ambitious stepmother, disgruntled princesses and vengeful kings as they learn about life, love, friendship and family. Most of all, the two young men must learn to know themselves and how to write their own rules of ever after.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781941530351
Publisher:	Novelstream dba Interlude Press
Publication date:	06/09/2015
Pages:	256
Product dimensions:	5.90(w) x 9.00(h) x 0.80(d)
Age Range:	13 - 17 Years

Editorial Reviews

06/01/2015
Gr 9 Up—Set in the fictional kingdoms of Clarameer, this book riffs on popular fairy tales to create a jumbled mess of damsels in distress, flirtatious minstrels, and confused princes. Prince Phillip is expected to soon wed a princess although he secretly fancies gentlemen over ladies. Only a princess who can feel a pea under a pile of mattresses can marry the forlorn royal. Much to his surprise, he finds a young man on the tower of mattresses one night. What follows is a series of tongue-in-cheek adventures with a cavalcade of archetypal fairy tale characters. Although this LGBTQ twist on "The Princess and the Pea" strikes a subversive cord, its true dissidence lies in the running theme, which suggests that one should save oneself rather than passively wait for a handsome prince to do so. Unfortunately, the writing falls flat. None of the characters have an original voice, the tone remains monotonous, and the pacing is unnecessarily slow. Readers looking for well-developed characters will be sadly disappointed. VERDICT Readers who love fractured fairy tales and fantastical rom-coms may enjoy this novel, although there are many others in the genre that outshine this one.—Jaclyn Anderson, Madison County Library System, MS

School Library Journal

2016-08-03
A young white man who doesn’t want to play by society’s rules finds his bliss in this frothy alternative fairy tale. Phillip’s manipulative, scheming stepmother is using the outdated pea-hidden-under-20-mattresses test to identify a genuinely royal bride. While quite clear that he does not want to marry a woman, Philip is a bit less sure of what he does want—that is, until he meets the darkly alluring Daniel and everything goes haywire. What follows is a mashup of fairy-tale tropes, including blessings and curses from fairies, brave quests to save loved ones from spells and dungeons, and the magical power of a kiss. The humorous, satirical tone is reminiscent of Jean Ferris and Gerald Morris, but the characters remain two-dimensional and difficult to differentiate, and magical elements appear conveniently when needed to resolve most problems. It is disappointing that a work intended to challenge homophobia unnecessarily demeans age and fatness (in a large cast of beautiful people, the evil stepmother has “wrinkles and lines, like an apple left on the windowsill too long”; and the lone fat princess’s appetite becomes a source of cheap humor). There is a remarkable lack of ethnic diversity, with even the few characters described as having dark complexions elsewhere appearing as “tan” or with “olive skin.” While the overarching message—“Your happiness shouldn’t deny another’s happiness. Don’t ever try to deny a person their happily ever after”—is commendable, the novel lacks heft. (Fantasy. 12-18)

Kirkus Review