Starred Review, Publishers Weekly, July 8, 2013:
“McNeal weaves in fantastical fairy-tale details into this inventive and deeply poignant narrative, creating a world that hovers between realism and enchantment.“
Starred Review, The Horn Book, July/August 2013:
“McNeal superbly and elegantly enfolds those stories’ essence and depth into plot, setting, and characters; archetypal figures and situations glimmer through McNeal’s small-town American cast like tantalizing clues in a novel that becomes ever darker even as it sparkles with the dignified, affectionate voice of its ghostly narrator.”
Starred Review, The Bulletin, June 2013:
“Enchanting, romantic, and tinged with terror, this modern story subtly weaves the haunting essentials of the fairy-tale tradition into a fascinating and beautifully written homage to its source material.”
Starred Review, School Library Journal, June 2013:
“Whether readers connect more deeply with the suspense, the magical elements, or the gloriously improbable love story, they will come away with a lingering taste of enchantment.“
Starred Review, Booklist, June 1, 2013:
“Reminiscent of Hansel and Gretel, and rife with allusions to Grimm Brothers’ tales, this is a masterful story of outcasts, the power of faith, and the triumph of good over evil.”
Review, Wall Street Journal:
“Stunning. [A] beguiling, horrifying and gracefully written novel.”
Review, The Atlantic Wire:
“McNeal weaves his modern tale in the fairy-tale tradition, and it will haunt and delight.”
Review, BookPage:
“Far Far Away is an incredibly imaginative modern fairy tale told through the first-person narration of the ghost of Jacob Grimm . . . Suspenseful with a sinister villain, Far Far Away is equally heartwarming as it is scary.”
Review, Shelf-Awareness:
“McNeal structures the novel like a fairy tale, and the overwhelming sense of danger surrounding the village like a deep forest will keep readers glued to the edges of their seats.”
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