Review: Fairy Metal Thunder by J.L. Bryan

Title: Fairy Metal Thunder
Author: J.L. Bryan
Series:Songs of Magic #1
Pages: 187
Publisher: J.L. is self published!
Genre: Paranormal
Source: Won from the author!

Goodreads Description:
Jason, Erin, Mitch and Mildred (“Dred”) are the Assorted Zebras, a teenage garage band in Wisconsin with no fans and no gigs. Then Jason sneaks into the fairy world and steals four magic-fueled musical instruments, the kind fairies use to enchant and trick humans. The new instruments make the band a huge overnight success, on their way to rock stardom. But the band members aren’t exactly ready for fame, fortune, or the supernatural creatures sent by the fairies to track them down.

 My Review:
Jason has been having a tough time. He and his band have been struggling to get gigs. They are good, but no one seems to like them enough hire them, and now The Assorted Zebras will be breaking up as two of their members go off to college. Not to mention the fact that Jason is in love with the lead singer Erin. This would probably be a good thing if it wasn't for her perfect boyfriend getting in the way. He also has to deal with judgemental parents, and a crappy job at the local fast food restaurant. So understandably, dear Jace is pretty blue...that is until the night when he chases down the little man who steals his moms earrings and ends up crossing the boundary into Faerie. That little man? Yeah, he's a goblin...and now Jason is even more screwed because the Mad Queen does NOT allow humans in her realm. I think you can guess the punishment for those mortals who break a crazy queen's law...So Jason makes a break for it, after making a side trip and stealing 4 magical instruments of awesomeness. Now his band literally plays like magic and is gaining followers and fans at a terrifying pace...but that's not all the attention they are attracting, because sooner or later the instrument's rightful owners are going to want them back.

Fairy Metal Thunder is definitely not like anything else I've seen in the paranormal/fairy type genre. I'm not even sure what makes it so unique. There is just this totally refreshing essence to the book that just gives it something extra. You get to see the human perspective as well as two different fae perspectives and the point of view fluctuates between male and female so you get a really well rounded cast and sense of what's going on in the book. Also...Just look at that cover. I'm usually not much of a cover-lover, but I think this one really kicks ass. The only way it could be improved is with a real model, but I'm not sure if they could capture the fairy-ness that makes the cover so fantastic.

You know that feeling you got when you took your first trip down Diagon Alley with Harry and Hagrid? Well that was a little like how it felt to see Faerie for the first time. There was so much going on, and all sorts of new creatures to see and discover that I felt like I couldn't read it quickly enough. There's always a movie playing in my head when I'm reading, but the description of this new world was like an ultra-vivid, H-D, 3-D experience for the mind. I also really liked the imagery and extremely thorough descriptions of the instruments and how to play. I'm not sure, but I feel like J.L. Really did his research for the book. That, or he actually played in a band, which would be pretty bad ass. :) Regardless, the concerts, filming the videos, the music; all of it was really well written and fun to read. You could just jump right in and be part of the story. This was definitely a one sitting book for me! Omigosh...and the fight scene at the end??? Shape changing unicorn/dragons and fighting magic with music is a pretty fantastic sight to see. You'll seriously have to check it out.

I would have liked to have more of a feel for what the fairies do, see, and think. You kind of get a glimpse into their world from Aoide and Grizlemor's perspectives, but I didn't really connect with them or their story while they were narrating. Through Jason's eyes we get to see the vibrancy and life of the magical world. When the goblins, fairies, unicorns, etc come to the human world, there is no description from their perspective of what the differences are between the worlds. When they narrate, it world goes from vibrant to simply descriptive. I feel like their dialoge and descriptions would be so much better if they were as developed as Jason's.

I give Fairy Metal Thunder 4 out of 5 Keys! I had a great time reading it, and one of my only complaints was that it was too short. You all know about my hatred for books that don't tell a full story in one novel...so I won't blather about it. I will just state that it is my preference that books have a complete story arc in each novel, rather than seeming like chapters of one big book. Regardless, I really enjoyed reading it! I can't wait for the next book in the series to hear more about the Assorted Zebras :)