Anne's Reviews > Charming

3.5 stars

I've been in the mood for fun books lately, and this one certainly fit the bill.
But.
I feel the need to address this awful cover.



Now maybe you can't see it very well, so I've taken the liberty of blowing it up for you just a bit. Although, I have to say, even blowing it up to that size doesn't do it justice. The picture below actually looks much cooler than the book I'm staring at right now.
For one thing, when you're holding the book, it looks like the dude's eyes are crossed. I even went so far as to try and look up alternate editions online, to try and get the bad taste out of my mouth, but this is apparently the Cover of Choice.
*shudder*



Whyyyyyyy?!
I had the paperback version, so that visual was what greeted me every time I started to read. And, at first, I thought that maybe it was published 20 years ago or something...but, no!
2013!
It's like some straight guy who still listens to a lot of Bon Jovi on the weekend designed this.
Because in his mind, this is an attractive and/or badass look that would lure in the female readers. Ugh.
P.S. Jon said he wanted his jacket back when you're done, Charming.
(view spoiler)[
(hide spoiler)]

Well, whoever you are...Great Job!


Alright, fine. I'm a cover whore, and I'll admit I've spent too much time ranting about this one. But in my defense, the cover so ugly it made me slightly crazy(er).

And here's where the saying Don't Judge a Book By It's Cover comes into play.
The actual story wasn't anything incredibly new, but I loved the tone of the book. It's a fast-paced urban fantasy with an extremely likable lead character, and the dialogue had me smiling for the entire book.
And John Charming's inner monologue was surprisingly funny! Now I always hate it when reviewers rave about how funny a book was, and then when I read it, I feel totally betrayed.
As in:
How the fuck could someone think drunk chicks giggling over a dildo like 12 year old girls is all that funny?
Well, we all have different ideas about what makes something humorous, right? So in an effort to help others avoid making a mistake, I'll add in the first paragraph of the prelude below. Then you can decide for yourself if it makes you giggle.

There's a reason that we refer to being in love as being enchanted. Think back to the worst relationship you've ever been in: the one where your family and friends tried to warn you that the person you were with was cheating on you, or partying a little too much, or a control freak, or secretly gay, or whatever. Remember how you were convinced that no one but you could see the real person beneath that endearingly flawed surface? And then later, after the relationship reached that scorched-earth-policy stage where letters were being burned and photos were being cropped, did you find yourself looking back and being amazed at how obvious the truth had been all along? Did it feel as if you were waking up from some kind of spell?

Now, see, that paragraph made me do this:


But maybe you felt more like this:


Well, now the decision is in your hands!
My only recommendation is to either get the digital version, or perhaps tape brown paper over the cover of the book.
Bonus points if you have an especially crafty grandmother who like to crochet!