A tasty, if not always tasteful, tale of supernatural mayhem that fans of King and Crichton alike will enjoy. The Woodcutter, keeper of the peace between the Twelve Kingdoms of Man and the Realm of the Faerie, must find the maiden’s killer before others share her fate. Guided by the wind and aided by three charmed axes won from the River God, the Woodcutter begins his hunt, searching for clues in the whispering dominions of the enchanted unknown. Wolf Hadda's life has been a fairy tale. From his humble origins as a Cumbrian woodcutter's son, he has risen to become a hugely successful entrepreneur, happily married to the woman of his dreams. As someone that dabbles in story writing, when a storyline isn't super predictable, I like it a lot more. I also enjoy finding clues to upcoming plot twists within the dialogue and events of the show. This was the case for "Mama Fairy."

The CGIs are not bad but still they are not good, but for a low-budget drama like this, it was doable. And believe it or not, as I watched the drama further, I complain lesser about the CGI and I think it is kind of charming and just suitable for the light vibes the drama is trying to execute. And besides, as you watch the drama, you are not going to watch it for the CGI as they don't take over the whole show. Yes, it could have been better with good CGIs, but you don't need high budget CGIs to have a good show. Pepe the woodcutter's life in an idyllic Finnish village is torn apart over the course of a few days, but he seems fine with it all, as though he knows a profound truth about existence. There is so much of this book that I want to quote, but I don't want to give too much away. I can't resist these three though: When the Woodcutter dropped his ax in the river, I did not understand what was going on. The River God was strange and not well defined with purpose, then the three different axes didn't make any sense and I found it completely annoying but read on...

Hill knows how to create a complicated plot that doesn’t lose the reader’s interest. Even readers who figure out the mystery before the end will want to keep reading to see how all the seemingly disparate pieces fit together and how Wolf and Alva handle the answers they uncover. Until 1905, the canyon was known only to a few local woodcutters who descended into it on ropes to cut boxwood. Fated love, true love, love at first sight is important to the story - and make me a bad fit as a reviewer, because I find it so far removed from the way love works for normal humans that it disconcerts me in stories. The woodcutter and his wife seem to have a relationship based on avoiding talking to each other, including him omitting filling her in on some very important details before their marriage - but true love is true love and can't be threatened by such petty problems as poor communication skills. However the author does try to do some interesting things with the concept, including extending it beyond the romantic love of fairytales, to families, friendship - perhaps even communities. I'm still not sure if I liked this book or not. I liked it enough to read it in a couple of sittings. I liked it enough to want to know what was going to happen and to care about some of the characters. But ultimately I came away feeling a bit cheated; as if I'd been given an old pair of shoes in a sparkly box and for a second I'd actually believed they were new. You persuaded him! A boy, a naïve young man at the very most, in your employ, in your care, probably dependent upon you emotionally as well as economically! And you persuaded him to become a killer. I bet that called on all your Ciceronian skills!”

Ron Rash is renowned for his writing about Appalachia, but his latest book, The Caretaker, begins ... I really developed a fondness for Wolf Hadda. Not to say he was the nicest of men but he was a good soul who got a dirty deal from those he trusted. I enjoyed his humor and his relationship with his psychiatrist, Dr. Ozigbo. I loved the scene where she found him showering in the forest. Linnell's own marriage to Mary Ann Palmer (1796 – 1865) lasted until her death and resulted in nine children. His first child, Hannah, went on to marry the influential artist, Samuel Palmer, whose unique talent Linnell had helped nuture. A deeply religious man, Linnell was none-the-less critical of the hierarchical structures of the Christian church and questioned the accuracy of the authorised version of the Bible. For this reason he insisted that his own marriage was a civil ceremony, which, because this was not possible in England at the time, involved an arduous and expensive journey to Scotland. The Woodcutter brushed the dust from his beard and reflected on how sphinxes would live much longer if they just asked a different riddle. It’s possible that I would have liked The Woodcutter better in print than audio because I was irritated by Sarah Coomes’ narration. She reads it with a breathy sing-song voice that is regularly but indiscriminately passionate, almost groaning and straining in places (hear a sample). I think many readers will approve of Coomes’ interpretation, but I couldn’t seem to shake the feeling that I was supposed to be taking this story seriously and oh-so-tragically when I really felt like I was eating popcorn at Disney World and that the characters would soon be tossing me candy as they passed.Over the years, Wolf amasses fortunes, private jets, homes across the country, and reverence for his services in commerce. He marries the beautiful Imogen, and they conceive their beloved daughter, Ginny. Then one day, his world topples when the police arrive at his door and arrest him for financial crimes and child pornography. In one day, he loses his hard-earned possessions, including his family.