Deer Life

As you may have understood by now, I really love fairytales. I firmly believe that grown ups are able to grasp all the allegories and the underlying themes that children cannot (for the best, in my opinion). I love all kinds of fairytales, but dark stories and mysteries are right up my alley. I picked ‘'Deer Life'' because the synopsis promised darkness. Because the front cover was beautiful beyond description. Not to mention I love deer and I consider it a curse that I have yet to see any. Unfortunately, when I finished reading, my expectations were lying on the floor, thwarted like broken branches in the forest. (Negative reviews make me poetic...)

It's a pity because the story had every potential to be a blast. A young boy, living with his mother, makes a terrible mistake and awakens the rage of an alluring, dangerous woman who takes revenge in an old-fashioned but always effective manner. So far, so good, and I have to stress that the first 5-8 chapters were really good. However, once the major event took place, the story was transformed (failed pun intended) into an amateurish tale, unpolished, predictable and mediocre, at best.

The setting is a small countryside town. I got an English or Welsh or Irish vibe- since we're never actually told- and the descriptions of the place were beautiful. I could really picture it and feel its atmosphere and it drew me to the story immediately. The era must be inspired by the 40s or the 50s. Again we're not told, but I judge purely from the language used in the interactions. It was a fairly faithful depiction, even though the story wasn't probably meant to allude to any real place and time. Anyway, the cottages, the sleepiness and peace of the town provided an excellent setting which the author couldn't do justice to, in my opinion. At least, not fully.

It may seem as if I'm straining out a gnat, but I don't believe that just because a story is labeled as a ‘'fairy tale'', the reader should not be demanding. I'm willing to swallow the camel,if I have a good story and well-made dialogue in front of me. Here, the story was not original and was lacking in depth, in character and in motives. Nobody is evil ‘'just because'' anymore. We need a reason, an explanation. Also, the major factor that bothered me had to do with Maggie, the mother of our boy protagonist. I know that we are resilient and persistent in front of adversity and misfortune, but (-spoiler- I don't think that a widow whose only son is lost, presumably dead, would behave so calmly and care-free or form a relationship in a love-at-first-sight kind of way.) I mean, come on! Call me overacting, but this broke the whole deal for me and I am not narrow-minded or traditional at all. (I hope...)

I think that the author tried to pull off a Ransom Riggs kind of writing, especially regarding dialogue, but I don't believe it worked to his benefit. The villain is full of clichés and everything about her is predictable and irritating. Villains have so much potential. She could have been a fascinating, complex, mysterious character, but ended up wholly indifferent and shallow. Like the whole story. There was some potential and perhaps,in the hands of a more experienced and let's face it- able writer the result would have been better. As it is, even 2 stars for the effort seem quite generous to me.

Many thanks to Dundurn and NetGalley for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.