My Sparkling Misfortune

title: My Sparkling Misfortune
author: Laura Lond
series: The Lakeland Knight #1
published: 28 April 2010
publisher: self-published
genre(s): fantasy, folklore, humor
pages: 126
source: author
format: eBook
buy/shelve it: Amazon | B&N | Goodreads

rating: | series rating:

the blurb

Lord Arkus of Blackriver Castle readily admits that he is a villain and sees no reason why it should stop him from being the protagonist of this book. After all, Prince Kellemar, an aspiring hero, has defeated him in a rather questionable way. 

Bent on revenge, Arkus attempts to capture a powerful evil spirit who would make him nearly invincible, but a last-minute mistake leaves him with a Sparkling instead—“a goody-goody spirit that helps heroes, watches over little children, and messes up villains’ plans.”

Bound to Lord Arkus for five years of service and sworn to act in his best interests, the Sparkling is not easy to get rid of, and of course his understanding of “best interests” is quite different from what Lord Arkus has in mind.

my review

My Sparkling Misfortune is the first in the Lakeland Knight series, and is a refreshing take on the fantasy and magic genre.  Instead of being told as a hero’s tale, it is the tale of a would-be villain.  Despite his “villain” status, Lord Arkus is a likeable character around whom the story is told.  Without those villains, there would be no heroes and villains have stories, too.  There are always two sides to a story, and this is the villain’s.

There was a great deal of humor in this story, along with mystery, magic, intrigue, danger, and action.  The humor came in unexpected places, and it often served to change the reader’s perception of the characters and their roles within the “hero/villain” framework.

I will be definitely be picking up the next in the series, My Royal Pain Quest, due out in November.