By Fairy Means or Foul cover art

By Fairy Means or Foul

A Starfig Investigations Novel

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By Fairy Means or Foul

By: Meghan Maslow
Narrated by: Greg Boudreaux
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About this listen

The last thing half-dragon, half-fairy private investigator Twig Starfig wants to do is retrieve a stolen enchanted horn from a treacherous fae, but there's no denying the dazzlingly gorgeous unicorn who asks Twig to do just that. Literally, no denying, because compelling the reluctant detective is all part of a unicorn's seductive magic.

To add to his woes, Twig is saddled with the unicorn's cheeky indentured servant, Quinn Broomsparkle. Dragons are supposed to want to eat humans, but Twig's half-dragon side only wants to gobble up Quinn in a more personal way. Making matters worse, it's obvious the smokin' hot but untrustworthy sidekick is hiding something. Something big. And not what's in his trousers. In the PI business, that means trouble with a capital Q.

Throw in gads of zombies, a creepy ghost pirate ship, a malfunctioning magic carpet, and Twig's overbearing fairy father's demands to live up to the illustrious Starfig name. Naturally, an old but abiding enemy chooses this time to resurface, too. Those inconveniences Twig can handle. The realization he's falling for a human who isn't free to return his affections and whose life may hang on the success of his latest case?

Not so much.

©2017 Meghan Maslow (P)2022 Meghan Maslow Fantasy Fiction Romance Detective Paranormal Magic Dragons Zombie
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I really enjoyed this light and easy to listen audio book. The story was entertaining and very well read (each character has its own voice).

Easy to Listen

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Who would ever have thought that unicorns could be narcissistic jerks?

Although I'd really like to use much stronger language to describe Brandsome (the unicorn), he truly was a cruel and ugly creature below the surface.

I'm definitely on a Meghan Maslow kick right now, I haven't yet read anything of hers that I haven't enjoyed, and when she teams up with Greg Boudreaux you know it's a sure fire winner!

I've been a fan of the fantasy genre in its many forms since I was a teen, and the style used in this series bridges the gap between high/epic and urban fantasy, combining elements of both. The result is a true escapist read that like high fantasy transports you completely to a world that is nothing like our reality, but has the lighter elements of snarky humour and romance that is common in urban styles. Regardless of any literary analysis, By Fairy Means or Foul is just plain fun to read/listen.

I didn't recognise many of the problems with Twig's character that have been identified elsewhere. Instead, I found him to be a complex character that as a result of his own experiences made a lot of incorrect assumptions about those he encountered. His own relationships made him quite cynical and it almost seemed like he had switched off, to a large degree, his capacity for empathy, and even his emotions as a whole. As the story progressed, Twig's emotional capacity grew as he started experiencing the world from another perspective, largely due to Quinn's persistence and innate goodness. That doesn't mean he didn't act like a total jerk at times, that was almost his default, but the fact that he recognised (even if after the fact) that he was acting that way was certainly emotional growth.

It's no secret that I'm a fan of Greg Boudreaux's narration work, and his voices and inflections gave an extra emotive element to the story, as well as an extra snap to the witty repartee between the characters, Plus there aren't many out there that could credibly voice a pirate parrot ghost!

By Fairy Means or Foul was an amazing experience to read and listen to (via Kindle's Whispersync); it ticked all my boxes, and I loved every moment.

So much fun!

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Really good read and story. Funny characters and just the right amount of ridiculous. Also love the character names

Great story and narration

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Twig Starfig is a PI with an inferiority complex, and boy is it complex! With a dragon mother and fairy father, he’s way too big to be a dainty fairy and too small to be a bona fide dragon - plus he can only half shift. When unicorn svengali Brandsome Nightwind asks Twig to retrieve his magical horn, the evil unicorn offers his unwilling but gorgeous servant, Quinn Broomsparkle, as collateral. Over the course of the assignment, Twig and Quinn grow close. Meghan Maslow has written an entertaining adult fairy tale with fun characters, thrilling adventure, and interesting world building. There’s tongue-in-cheek action and danger mixed with passion and humour. I didn’t immediately warm to the two leads, but they were completely overwhelmed by the evil unicorn from the start and they really grew on me over time as they sorted themselves out. Audio narrator Greg Boudreaux really went above and beyond with the characters and voices, especially the ghostly pirate’s parrot! I’m keen to listen to the other books in the series.

Adventure, romance and mayhem in the search for the unicorn’s horn!

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Perfect blend of fantasy, comedy and romance. Loved it.
Narrator was amazing; striking just the right tone for the unique blend.

perfect blend

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