Review for "My Sparkling Misfortune"

"My Sparkling Misfortune" is the first book in Laura Lond's 'Lakeland Knight" series.
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Two men stand in the foreground the first dark and foreboding, the other glittering brightly and slightly effeminate. A huge monstrous lizard sneaks up behind them looking very similar to a gigantic iguana. A white stone tower juts out of the background into a clear blue sky. The style of illustration puts me in mind of my youth back before digital manipulations became all the rage, a simply pen and ink coloring. It's charming and quaint, a perfect addition to the story itself.
Lord Arkus introduces himself as a villain and rightly proud of it. He's no stranger to battle, kidnapping, torture, and all the accoutrements that go right along with a life of villainy. He handles life and the occasional wanna be hero with a wry wit and the delightful humour to go along with it. But when he mistakenly captures a 'sparkling' ( a good spirit) instead of a 'gormack' (a bad spirit) his life is about to head in a whole nother direction.

What I liked:

• The introduction of Lord Arkus, *gasp* a villain, as our protagonist/hero is a novel and entertaining concept.
• Thankfully Arkus and the author don't take themselves too seriously so its easy to just sit back and enjoy the ride
• The dialogue flows nicely, even realistically most of the time.

What I disliked:

• For a self proclaimed villian, Arkus doesn't really do anything very dastardly. He's really more of an anti-hero in some ways, doing the right things for the wrong reasons and vice-versa in some cases. And his supposedly unlikely transformation into a hero never feels unlikely at all. 
• I could have done with a little more backstory into Jarvi. I think it might have made it more poignant, instead of about two little sparse lines into something that obviously was meant to shape Arkus's entire life, including his decision to choose villainy for a career. 

When I picked up this book I was whole heartedly expecting something like Piers Anthony. An action packed story line laced with bad, albiet hilarous, puns and various levels of wordplay and tom foolery. I didn't get quite what I expected but "My Sparkling Misfortune" did deliver a quick and entertaining jaunt. By quick I mean I finished it easily within a couple of hours. It's a perfect evening read when the world is just a little too dark and depressing for you. Lord Akrus and Jarvi/ Tulip(*snicker*) will leave you shaking your head from time to time at their antics and relationship. "My Sparkling Misfortune" is currently available for the kindle for $2.99. The next book in the series "My Royal Pain Quest" is also available at $3.95. You can find out more about the author, her other books, and the illustrator at http://laura-lond.tripod.com/.
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4 out of 5 smilies
Recommended for kids, young adults, and adults who don't take themselves or their heros too seriously.

Synopsis: "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."