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Saturday, August 1, 2015

REVIEW: Fairest, Vol. 5: The Clamour for Glamour

Disclaimer: I received an ARC from Netgalley in exchange for a review


Expected Publication: August 25, 2015

As the final volume of Fairest, I have to say that as a reader I was immensely disappointed.  Parts of this volume fit within the last issues of Fables; however, the bulk of the story feels irrelevant.  If the idea behind the Fairest series was to highlight the Fables women, then this is sorely lacking.  Part of what made the other volumes so interesting was the strong female characters.  I love reading about Cinderella and her various spy adventures. 

What readers find here instead are several prolonged and unnecessary stories.   Reynard the Fox is the envy of most Fables at the Farm although they despise his condescending attitude. These other Fables want the glamours promised to them by Prince Charming; however, such magic on a massive scale is not possible.  Therefore, five glamours will be made and a lottery held. Of course, nothing ever goes smoothly and chaos ensues.  

The primary story centers around Reynard. Having been given glamour to blend in with the mundy world, Reynard goes off, woos a young human woman and they have a child, Fair, who appears human with a fox tail. Reynard thinks he's saving her from her abusive family but everyone ends up living happily ever after or so we're led to believe. 

Since the majority of the series has been focused hiding the Fables from the human world, this story creates a bit of a problem with no clear solution. Perhaps the point is that separating the two is fruitless? Of this I remain unsure.

Overall, this volume was a bit lackluster; however, it still featured stellar illustrations and a commitment to detail and the series that I truly appreciate as a fan. It is sad to see it all come to an end but it was a pretty good ride.

Final rating: 3 out of 5 stars

#fairest #fables #billwillingham #graphicnovel #review #twistedfairytales #netgalley

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