Review of Liam McPhee and The Thief of Laughter

[Shillah Andeso]

[Following is an official OnlineBookClub.org review of "Liam McPhee and The Thief of Laughter" by M.Evangeline.]

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3 out of 5 stars

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There was nothing out of the ordinary in Scruncheon Road. This is where Liam, Izzy, Mhairi, and Sally lived. Their day involved going to the shore, playing, and later a story-reading session at old Willow Willoughby's before heading home in the evening. All this changes one day when the children discover an iron foundry on the shore. This is where they meet Drudge for the first time. Due to their belief in fairies, the children follow the ragpicker since they do not believe that he is involved with the fairies. They are unaware of Glaistig's plans to steal all the laughter in Scotland. This is a plan that is made after Drudge, who despises laughter, puts in a request to eliminate laughter. What does Scotland without laughter look like? How are the children, the fairies, and the laughter connected?

Liam McPhee and The Thief of Laughter by M. Evangeline is a Scottish tale that details the fairies' activities. I love how the author vividly describes the characters, from how the children go about their day to the appearance of the ragpicker. The Scottish accent used by every character in the book was an aspect that brought life to the tale's location. The accent brought me one step closer to all the characters in the book. The author provided a detailed introduction to the children before reaching the climax. I love how Sally was portrayed as a curious child. There was also a good distinction between the dark and the light fairies. The revelations in this book were not expected. It was hard to guess what would happen next. This unpredictability is what makes this book worth reading.

Many aspects discussed in this book make it worth reading. I, however, noted a few negative ones. The way the author transitioned was slow. It took some time to realize that an event vital to the plot was happening. It was only when the plan was in progress that I knew what was happening. I suggest a dramatic turn of events to capture the reader's interest. Second, even though Liam's parents played a vital role in the plot, their presence was not explored in detail. I believe that these negative aspects can be resolved.

I rate Liam McPhee and The Thief of Laughter 3 out of 5 stars. I've removed one star due to the negative aspects mentioned above and another due to the book's editing. I found more than ten errors while reading. This is an indicator that the book was poorly edited. I also realized the author tended to capitalize words. I doubt that this is a matter of style, but I decided to give this the benefit of the doubt. Examples of these words are laughter and laugh. Despite this, I cannot award the book a lower rating due to the stunning faery world created. M. Evangeline shows the consequences of a world deprived of laughter.

I recommend this book to all those interested in faeries. It may be children or even adults. I believe there is a pleasure that comes from how the spriggans carry out their activities and the role of parents in a child's life. This is a book that will serve all needs of a faery enthusiast. This book will, however, prove tiresome for all those who have a phobia for big faery books.

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Liam McPhee and The Thief of Laughter
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[Ivy_reads]

The title of the book is definitely intriguing. Also, anything with fairies, count me in. Thanks for the great review!