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In Stone: A Grotesque Faerie Tale

by Jeremy Jordan King (Goodreads Author)

4.31 of 5 stars 4.31 · rating details · 13 ratings · 7 reviews

Jeremy is stuck, like most young New Yorkers, in a world between adolescence and adulthood. Just when he thought that he was an average, blend-in-with-the-crowd gay kid, he becomes the victim of a terrible act of homophobia. Thankfully, a mysterious something comes to his aid. Garth is a gargoyle, trapped in stone and cursed to live an immortal life. Human and monster must...more

Paperback, 264 pages

Published November 13th 2012 by Bold Strokes Books (first published November 1st 2012)

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Oct 29, 2012 Jennifer Lavoie rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: adventure, ebooks, fairy-tale, fantasy, gay, lgbt, person-library, romance, vampires, urban-fantasy

I've always loved Faerie Tales (Fairy Tales, however you want to spell it) whether they were the original Grimm stories are watered down Disney versions. I’ve also been on a kick recently with buying retellings of fairy tales for my classroom, as there seems to be a surgence in popularity with them. There is one particular series of books that features amazing stories that takes tales like Sleeping Beauty or The Frog Prince and twists them into other stories.

In Stone: A Grotesque Faerie Tale is...more I've always loved Faerie Tales (Fairy Tales, however you want to spell it) whether they were the original Grimm stories are watered down Disney versions. I’ve also been on a kick recently with buying retellings of fairy tales for my classroom, as there seems to be a surgence in popularity with them. There is one particular series of books that features amazing stories that takes tales like Sleeping Beauty or The Frog Prince and twists them into other stories.

In Stone: A Grotesque Faerie Tale is not a retelling. It is the authors own story, and he has done a marvelous job. Throughout the novel, readers are given two stories – that of Jeremy, the narrator, from his perspective, and that of Garth from the beginning of his existence, told as if he is telling it to Jeremy.

I will admit, the first time I read the synopsis I was intrigued but upset at the same time. My reason? The narrator’s name is the same as the author’s name. To me it spoke of self-insertion and reminded me of my fanfic days and reading Mary Sue and Gary Stu stories. However, before everyone bristles, let me tell you this: it WORKS. Especially when you read to the end. Like me, you may end up wanting to harass the author to find out if this is true, and he has really experienced all of these things because… well it’s that well written.

From the Bold Strokes Books website:

Jeremy is stuck, like most young New Yorkers, in a world between adolescence and adulthood. Just when he thought that he was an average, blend-in-with-the-crowd gay kid, he becomes the victim of a terrible act of homophobia. Thankfully, a mysterious something comes to his aid. Garth is a gargoyle, trapped in stone and cursed to live an immortal life. Human and monster must become friends and confront the mysterious and magical events of the past that have brought them together.

I loved the story. Jeremy’s tale is a unique one that blends the modern world with that of faerie tales and makes them feel real, as if they are happening around us. It also speaks of a love that traverses time and multiple forms of existence. Each character brings something fantastic to the story. Jeremy is very much your modern young adult living in New York with the same fears about job security as the rest of us. Then you have Garth, who takes his job very seriously and is willing to sacrifice it all for those he cares the most about. And Bryant. I want more of him. I was torn throughout the story between wanting Jeremy to end up with Garth or Bryant, and then when Robbie mentions loving multiple people, I was like yes! That! Awesome!

I really hope that this is not the last story by author Jeremy Jordan King set in this world of his. I want to know more. What happens to Garth, Jeremy and Bryant? What other Immortals are around, and what are their stories? Is the evil cousin truly gone?
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Dec 13, 2012 Experiment BL626 rated it 2 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: netgalley, mm-paranormal, mm-fiction, reviewed

The story started off slowly despite a hate crime scene which thankfully was quick to end and not graphic. It didn’t feel like a faerie tale (of the Grimm’s kind) till one-third of the book. The plot alternated between Jeremy’s perilous present (someone wants to kill him) and Garth’s tragic past (how he came to be cursed and lost his loved ones).

I hate it when the plot is not linear and half of it is in flashback, but the story managed to keep my attention which is a big compliment from me. The...more

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Jan 12, 2013 Sean Miller rated it 4 of 5 stars

After reading In Stone, I had to take a few days to really digest the story and think about what kind of experience it provided for me as a reader. Being that I live in New York City, which is were the story takes place, I was naturally pleased by the references to life as a gay twenty-something living in NYC. I found King's portrayal of this to be totally spot on, which allowed for me to really immerse myself into the parts of the story which took place there.

Early on in the book King splits i...more After reading In Stone, I had to take a few days to really digest the story and think about what kind of experience it provided for me as a reader. Being that I live in New York City, which is were the story takes place, I was naturally pleased by the references to life as a gay twenty-something living in NYC. I found King's portrayal of this to be totally spot on, which allowed for me to really immerse myself into the parts of the story which took place there.

Early on in the book King splits into two story lines which are interconnected by the character of Garth, an immortal being made of stone called a "grotesque." The second storyline takes back to the origin of Garth, and it is in this part of the story that had me stumbling at the beginning. While our main character, Jeremy, lives in the very real, tangible world of New York City, the character of Garth comes from a vague place in time, possibly medieval, where there is a village ruled by a tyrannical, divine and magical King. The underdevelopment of the setting of this part of the story proved troublesome for me. I am the kind of reader who will constantly ask myself questions about the story as I go along, and I tend to rate the book by whether or not I am able to answer those questions when I'm done. The disconnect between the real world NYC and this past world of monarchy and magic left me with some unanswered questions. However, this is not to say that I did not enjoy the plot of this part of the book, which was much more fantastical and fairy-tale like. The fact that story of Garth's history is set in an unknown magical land allows for this part of the book to be truly driven by its magical aspects, which I found to be quite enjoyable. Immersing myself into this part of the story took a little more time, but it was well worth it.

Coming back to the story of Jeremy living in modern day NYC, I found this story quite admirable on several different levels. First of all, King is able to create and develop characters that are so utterly human, flaws and all, even the magical/immortal ones (this also applies to Garth's story). When it comes to King's use of New York City almost as a character in itself, he is able to really make it work for him as an great asset to his magical tale. Also, I admired King's ability to really incorporate his main character's identity into the story, and show what it's like to a gay man living in New York, the kind of people we come across, the issues we face, and the ways we deal with them (or not).

While King's story certainly has dark overtones, they are broken up and diffused by King's cunning sense of humor and his ability to blend magic with reality. I truly found In Stone to be a compelling fantasy with strong characters, a magical story, and a great message.

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Jan 05, 2013 Valen rated it 5 of 5 stars

A neatly constructed fairy tale in the lieu of the Grimms themselves. Dark and passionate and rather bittersweet, In Stone was a novel I knew I needed to have and read and I am glad I did. Filled with a beautiful story of what it means to be good and to love, set in a world of parralleling magic and reality, I could not get enough of the story. I adored this novel and will miss Garth and cannot wait to read more about Jeremy. This book was so amazing and I hope everyone who loves a good story wi...more

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Dec 03, 2012 Megan rated it 5 of 5 stars

Here's how I can tell when I've truly fallen for a book: throughout the next day I will find my mind drifting to the characters, as if I'm wondering what they're doing right now like they're real people. And this book has characters that stick with you like that. Compared to some other series and especially considering the length of the book there are a surprising number of people/creatures to get invested in! You'll want to compare it to other series and that's fine. But just know that this sto...more

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Jan 13, 2013 Misty Dawn rated it 4 of 5 stars

This book is so original. I love all the fantasy involved in the story and the fact that you never knew what was going to happen next all the way to the end. The imagery in this book is amazing. When the author tells of the demon's lair and describes him you can actually feel the hair on your neck stand up and this feeling of dread and doom. It's incredible. I can't wait for the next book. This one was so incredible.

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Feb 19, 2013 Kellie rated it 5 of 5 stars

Lovely.

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About Jeremy Jordan King

Jeremy grew up in South Jersey, where his primary life goal was to become a mermaid. When that proved impossible, he decided the next best thing would be to move to New York City and study theater at Marymount Manhattan College. He lived an actor’s life for several years before he realized he’d be more satisfied as a writer.

And he was.

Besides fiction, he dabbles in essays, screenwriting, and illus...more

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