This was a very interesting read. It is not your typical m/m romance novel. I was very surprised to see that most of the conflict in this novel revolved around self-discovery and overcoming character flaws. This book was a lot more introspective and deep than I was expecting but it was still a good book.The main character Miles starts out very self-centered and bitter but as the novel progresses he grows and matures. The ending is very satisfying and doesn't leave any loose strands. Overall a good and thought provoking read. I've been thinking of trying my hand at writing LGBT romantic fiction, but when I started reading this book, I found myself thinking meekly, "Okay, never mind, my idea isn't cool enough." I love faery lore, especially the dark, weird, dream-and-nightmare-like stories (which is what true faery tales are like), and this certainly delivers. If you're easily put off by a few graphic erotic scenes with some strange shape-shifting-type characters, or occasional gruesome injuries, you might not like it, but they didn't detract from the story for me. Miles is a central character we can relate to, if we've ever been in a grumpy "my life sucks" phase, and who hasn't? It's easy to see why he dives into the faery world when given the chance, and also easy to see why he gets utterly freaked out when it turns out to be not quite as he expected. Too late by then--he's been claimed by some otherworldly interested parties, who aren't about to let him go. And there's no Giles (loved the Buffy reference) to look the rules up for him and tell him how to fix it.In fact, the plotting was so full of interesting magical twists and turns that I wound up a bit confused about who had which curse put upon him and why, and by whom. But the ending satisfied me well enough all the same. Will be happy to read more of Cullinan's work!
What do You think about Miles & The Magic Flute (2014)?
It was a very good book... Thanks Mountie for recommanding it.
—Carla
