
(Pretty cover is pretty…)
Title: The Stroke of Eleven
Author: Kyle Robert Shultz
- Date read: December 3, 2017
- Rating: 5 stars
- Genre: Fairytale retelling (Cinderella / Beauty and the Beast / Alice in Wonderland / etc.)
- Age: YA
- Year pub: 2017
- Pages: 255 (Kindle)
- Series: Beaumont & Beasley, #3
- Fave character: DONβT MAKE ME PICK. (*ignores fact that Iβm the one who asks myself these questions*)
- Source: The author
- Notes: I received a free e-copy of this book from the author (thanks!); these opinions are entirely my own.
- Links: Goodreads β’ Amazon β’ Author’s Website


I HAVE NO IDEA HOW TO REVIEW THIS, HALP.
So much of this story is mind-boggling twists, and itβs basically a walking spoiler, so HOW I am even going to BEGIN to talk about this is just…
*takes deep breath*
This will be a spoiler-free review, and I will attempt coherency, but basically: everyone needs to read this so that I can talk about it, because if the whole world has read it, then nothing will be a spoiler anymore, right? Right. Problem solved!
Anyway. Reviewing.
MEEP. <β[My entire reaction to the entire book.]
I HAVE FEELS, OKAY. I HAVE MANY FEELS.
NO I WILL NOT BE CALM.
*calms self*
I havenβt quite figured out how I feel about a few of the things. Because wow, things GO DOWN in this and nothing will be the same.
It was honestly exhausting to read. So, good news for all you people who love feelsy books: this one is for you. XD
I… ahem… do NOT always love feelsy books, so like I said, Iβm kind of on the fence on some things… BUT once I got over it, I think I figured out that Iβm mostly worried about what will happen in future books, and not AS much about what actually happened in this one (or did it?), so since thatβs kind of a silly thing to worry about, Iβll just say: this was a good book. An excellently written one, in fact. And itβs brilliant/genius/mindboggling, and as long as I donβt worry about what future books will hold for my precious character friends, or about some of the sort-of things that kind of maybe happened (or not? Time travel is confusing, guys.), I can say: I LOVED IT! π
Itβs a fairytale retelling/reworking/mashup/THING, featuring Cinderella, dashes of Alice in Wonderland, continuations of Beauty and the Beast and The Little Mermaid (because of the first two books) and TIMEY-WIMEY STUFF. How cool is that? VERY cool.
And I canβt say much about the plot because SPOILERS. (So. many.) But Iβll do what I can.
Nick and Cordelia continue to be one of my favorite thingsβseriously, I love their relationship and banter SO MUCH. And just them as characters. THEY ARE THE BEST. β€ Crispin kind of isnβt in it as much, since he and Molly are kind of… out of the way near the beginning, but I didnβt actually mind as much as I thought I might. Because the explosion of plot twists, and Nick and Cordelia being adorable, kind of distracted me. XD (ButIloveCrispinokayarewegoodyesCrispinCrispinCrispin.) The Mythfits are back, being quirky as ever. π MALCOLM returnsβI was kind of unsure about him in Tomb of the Sea Witch, but gaaahh, I love him now. So much. We also meet exciting NEW characters!
And I quite liked the Cinderella and prince characters. They were great! π The Cinderella story was fascinating in this! (Any story that is very involved with a clock/midnight is a prime candidate for a time-travel story. ;)) And yay for dashes of steampunk!
There are SO many new developments, and time-travel-y thiiings (some of which are frankly terrifying, but you know). And DID I MENTION TWISTS? There are twists, people. o.o TWIIISTS. O____O And I guessed a couple of them and they happened and Iβm in shock but wow, and I donβt know how I feel, but ALL THE THINGS. Also the White Rabbit. Yes. Wow.
AND THERE WERE BEAUTY AND THE BEAST THINGS. I know itβs silly, because the Disney cartoon isnβt even an original thing, and I only saw it once, but I was ridiculously happy about a little moment or two in this that was B&B-ish. XD (And there was a thrown roll. Just sayinβ.)
Anyway, Nick and Cordelia and Crispin are some of my favorite EVER characters. Iβm immensely attached to them. Plus I adore the Afterverse, and fairytales in general, and time travel hurts my brain, and what I mean to say is this book was excellent. Exhausting and hard for me to decide if Iβm okay with a thing or two, but excellent. XD
And did I mention itβs still hilarious? No? Because ITβS STILL HILARIOUS. I donβt know HOW Kyle Shultz does all of thisβhilarious, fairytale, timey-wimey, plot twist, epic, fun adventure, with all the feels, and my favorite characters. IβM KIND OF EMOTIONALLY INVESTED. If you canβt tell. Ahem.
SO, I LIED. This wasnβt a coherent review. Oh well.
Now you know what I think (kind of… as much as I know… which isnβt very much…), so you can dash off and read the book yourself so that we can discuss spoilery things… And if you canβt yet, because you havenβt read The Beast of Talesend, well WHAT ARE YOU WAITING FOR, YOU POOR SOUL. *shoos you off to go read that one because youβre missing out*
If you need me, Iβll just be over here in the corner, emotionally worn out and confused and waiting for another Beaumont and Beasley adventure. Send help. Or, no, send tea and cakes and the next book, and a safe where I can keep the characters protected from all the MEEPery. (Itβs a word, shush.)
(This is why I donβt write reviews at one a.m.)
Some Favorite Quotes
Soβ¦ parachutes. Not fun. Iβve never liked heights. I like them even less when Iβm falling from them.
***
βLookβ¦ we come in peace.β
βNo, we donβt!β cried Cordelia. βWe donβt come in peace! We go in abject terror!β
***
Getting eaten by evil pumpkins was very low on my list of preferred ways to die.
***
βMy name is Gervase,β he informed us.
βMy condolences.β
***
Malcolm stopped me with a gesture before I could speak to him. βPlease, donβt say anything. Whatever it is, Iβve already heard it.β He started doing a very poor imitation of my voice and accent. βMalcolm! Crikey! Youβre so young! Whatβs going on here? Whoβs that girl? Iβm so confused! Oi!β
βI do /not/ sound like that,β I growled.
Melody smacked him on the back of the head. βDonβt be rude, grumpy-scales.β
***
βThe White Rabbit Society is now assembled.β Kaninβs tone was solemn and ceremonial. βMay the clock strike twelve.β
βMay the clock strike twelve,β echoed everyone, including Cordelia.
I looked from one to the other in bewilderment. βRight. That wasnβt weird at all.β
***
β…but a scheme this brazen could get us all killed. Repeatedly.β
***
Melody moved over to a table laden with refreshments. She picked up some sandwiches and began gleefully throwing them at random people.
βShe reminds me of you,β I said to Cordelia.
βOh, really? I canβt imagine why.β
***
βShut up and be magical.β
***
That was cheating, of course. But I was perfectly willing to cheat time, death, and any other inexorable force of nature for Crispinβs sakeβ¦ regardless of what the consequences might be.
***
βCinderella and Prince Charming.β
They both gave me displeased looks.
βWhat?β I shrugged. βThatβs who you are, isnβt it?β
Cinderella rubbed her eyes. βI do wish people didnβt remember me by that ridiculous nickname my stepsisters made up.β
βAnd I have an actual name,β said Matteo. βWhy do they never remember the princesβ actual names? Plus the fact that they made me out to be a complete idiot. How insane would you have to be to try finding a girl based on her shoe size?β
***
βChin up, Gareth!β said Malcolm, with a sort of crazed cheerfulness. βWhy worry? Weβre Beaumont and Beasley! We live for danger!β
βTechnically, only Cordelia, Crispin, Molly, and I are Beaumont and Beasley,β I reminded him.
βAt this point, Iβd say weβre all honorary members by virtue of shared insanity.β
~ ~ ~
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Talk to me, fellow page dreamers! Have you read The Stroke of Eleven, or either of the first two Beaumont and Beasley books?
Thanks for reading! π
Dream away in those pages . . .
~ The Page Dreamer / Deborah O’Carroll