Hello Readers,

It’s time for another book review!

Today I’m sharing my review of Fangboy by Jeff Strand.

This time I decided to catch up on my backlog of KU items, so it wasn’t hard to pick this one out. I’ve read The Haunted Forest Tour and An Apocalypse of Our Own, and have become quite the Strand fan.

So, how did this one end up? Let’s find out!

Blurb

Nathan Pepper seemed like an ordinary baby…except for a mouth full of scary sharp teeth. Because his life began with his grandmother strongly recommending that he be destroyed as soon as possible, it’s safe to say that Nathan was not destined for a typical existence.

He hated the nickname “Fangboy,” but nobody could deny that he was the most frightening little boy in town. And he would have adventures of every sort. Tragic adventures, like what happened to his parents. Dangerous adventures, like his encounter with the sinister Professor Mongrel. Thrilling adventures, like the part where he’s on an out-of-control horse and he can’t make it stop running and you think “Well, he should just jump off,” but he CAN’T because it’s going too fast and he could break a leg. And, yes, one particularly gruesome adventure, though it is not described in great detail.

Will things end happily for Nathan? Will he bite somebody? Gather your family and your most deranged friends, make some chocolate chip cookies, and share the dark comedy treat of FANGBOY, a bizarre yet heartwarming yet rather tasteless saga that—all ego aside—will define a generation.

GoodReads

Amazon

***Brief disclosure***

I am an Amazon affiliate and earn a tiny commission for purchases made through the Amazon links in this post at no cost to you. It’s a great way to help me keep things running on my blog if you’re already intrigued enough to make a purchase. 

The Review

This book started off good, but ultimately went way off the rails for me.

In this tale, we follow a young boy Nathan who was born different. He’s got sharp fangs for teeth, and in an effort to protect him, his parents have sheltered him. But after a tragic accident, Nathan’s life is upended and he embarks on a fantastical journey.

Okay, so I liked the premise of this. A kid born with fangs and being misunderstood seemed like a recipe for success, and at first it was. This book is lighthearted and has a whimsical feel to it, which at first kind of reminded me of Edward Scissorhands. The situations felt real, and though events were exaggerated here and there, I was having a good time.

Sometime in the middle of the book, things changed drastically with the story. The narrator’s small stints of taking over and explaining things to the reader became more and more frequent and overly grandiose, and the plot became wild and confusing. Things that didn’t make any logical sense were happening left and right, and I’m not sure what happened for the author to take things in such a different direction.

Were they bored with the story? I’ll never know I guess, but it left me wanting a lot more by the end. I’m certainly going to read more books by this author because most of them have been amazing so far, but I don’t recommend this one.

That’s A Wrap!

Well that’s it for this book review. I hope you enjoyed it!

Have you read this book? Are there other similar books you’ve read that you simply have to gush about? Feel free to leave a comment. I’d love to start a conversation!

Have a great day!

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