REVIEW OF LAND OF ICK AND ECK: HARLOT'S ENCOUNTERS BY MICAH GENEST

Date: 12 September 2019
By: Daily Madhu




Written in third person POV, 'The Land of Ick and Eck' by Micah Genest is a story of a young girl named Harlot and her adventures in a mysterious, fantasy land.

The blurb is as follows:

A dark fairy tale, full of nonsense, magic, and strange creatures.

Think Alice's Adventures in Wonderland, but more twisted. 
Think the Brothers Grimm Fairy Tales, but more bizarre. 
Think the Wizard of Oz, but wicked.

Harlot finds herself in an absurd land filled with wicked creatures of the carnal sort. With the help of a Ground Faerie, a Wood and Water Nymph, and a Butter-Maiden, the girl must find her way through the land of Ick and Eck, a place filled with death and peculiar situations. How will Harlot survive the goblins who want to eat her? the Nigwig who wants to beat her? or does the knight and his sword simply want to greet her?

An absurd children's book for adults full of nursery rhymes, hidden meanings, and play on words; this is an adventure that will make you think twice.



Review:


Alice in Wonderland is a classic, adored and loved by millions. I don't know why, but that book has been sitting on my shelf for ages now, but I still haven't gotten around to reading it. It's not for lack of trying. Trust me, I have made myself sit down multiple times and have attempted to read the book, but it seems like I can't even get past the first chapter.
The point why I am writing all this is that the blurb of 'The Land of Ick and Eck' says that it follows a very similar episodic theme of Alice in Wonderland. So, when I read the description, naturally it felt like this book might not hold my interest and would most probably go on my DNF List.
Boy, was I wrong. The book got me hooked right from the first sentence. I not only finished this book but also loved every single chapter of it.
The book starts with our main character being harassed and bullied by two boys. They embarrass her and she goes to sleep by making a resolution to get back at them the next day. But instead of getting her revenge, some strange things happen to her when she wakes up and she finds herself in a completely different world.

Though Harlot is innocent and naive, in no way is she stupid. She does have some strange encounters with creatures in this fantasy land who want to harm her, yet she survives and also makes some friends in the process.

'You won't appreciate the good, if you haven't experienced the bad.' This is exactly what the novel teaches us as it depicts both good as well as bad encounters of Harlot.

There were some images/pictures included that prevented the novel from becoming boring or dull. Also, there were a couple of songs that were really catchy.

I will end this review by saying that do give this book a try even if you are not a fan of classic because the book is definitely beyond anything that you might have imagined and you won't be disappointed. I am giving it FIVE STARS
⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐




About the Author:


Micah Genest has authored "The Land of Ick and Eck: Harlot's Encounters," (a children's fairy tale book for adults and children) "Three Stories About Children Who Die," (three strange stories about children for adults) and "Wonder: A Story About a Boy and His Loss" (a sad, morbid picture book).

Born in Québec, Canada, his works tend to use gallows humour, in the style of dark/bizarre fairy tales, using absurdism, innuendoes, and satire.

Inspiration for his stories derive from dark European and American fairy tales; episodic classic children novels, such as "The Wonderful Wizard of Oz" and its series, "Peter and Wendy," and "Alice's Adventure's in Wonderland," as well as medieval fabliaux, chivalric romances, and Georgian literature on sensibility.





Disclaimer: I received an advance review copy for free and I am leaving this review voluntarily.

The image used in the blog belongs to the author.