C.M. Waggoner cheerily tips fairy tales on their heads in the clever, snicker-inducing comedic fantasy romp The Somewhat Wicked Witch of Brigandale.
Gretsella is not an obvious candidate for motherhood. Not only is she no longer young but she's also a cantankerous, solitary witch (known as the one "with the Reasonable Prices"). Then an unseen visitor leaves a crying baby on her doorstep alongside her milk delivery. Gretsella finds babies to be "like wolves and termites and fast-growing asymmetrical moles," in that "one only needed to be firm with them," so she has little compunction about raising the adorable foundling into a handsome hairdresser called Bradley. He turns out to have a tremendous destiny as the true heir to the kingdom's throne, but divine right goes hellishly wrong when, as the well-meaning but inept new monarch, he makes a series of disastrous decisions, including canceling all taxes. Gretsella must swoop in and advise her beloved yet bumbling son lest he bankrupt the realm or, given his relationship history, "fall into a sticky pit full of strong forearms and dubious motivations." With help from a motley crew including a cursed knight, a sensible stablemaster, and a jester with a tendency toward political activism, Gretsella sets out to lovingly depose Bradley before someone less amiable does.
Waggoner (The Village Library Demon-Hunting Society) conjures up pure escapist fun with boundless wit and humor, a no-nonsense protagonist, and sweet bonds of family and love. Fantasy readers seeking a breezy, heartwarming story with a distinctive narrative voice will fall under Waggoner's spell. --Jaclyn Fulwood, blogger at Infinite Reads