Call: Pied Piper Retold

Call is book 21 in the Romance a Medieval Fairytale series and is the retelling of the Pied Piper. As always, Mrs. Carlton's re-imaginings make worn out stories both new and better fleshed out. Though it is part of a series, and some characters overlap, every book can be read on its own with nothing truly lost. My favorite thing about this story was how a perceived evil man is proven beyond doubt to be anything but. It is a fantastic dichotomy of what seems and what is that is present often in life, but overlooked far more than noticed. Zoticus is a lifelong assassin and son of an enchantress (his twin sister is also one). His life has certainly been storied and treacherous, but dancing rats out of a sleepy mountain town will turn out to be the greatest choice he could make. Sara, on the other hand, has lived a quiet small town life, though fraught with loss from a young age. Her dedication to her town and it's people is beyond admirable, moving into touching. The woman is strong and dedicated, and though she is not an enchantress like most of our heroines, she is truly a hero to her core. The relationship between the two was full of fire, but so tender it makes the heart ache. If you love fairytale retellings, magical adventures, a bit of steam, some amusing moments with goats, and a story of both heart-wrenching despair and uplifting joy, then you should definitely give this book a go. You'll never think of the Pied Piper the same way again! I received this book free for an honest review.

To be honest, given current events, I probably wouldn't have picked this book up and giving it a chance if I hadn't already been following the series and looking forward to more books. In general, I've been avoiding anything to do with isolation or widespread illness, so even with my attachment to the series, I wasn't sure if I would enjoy a story that deals with a plague. But this book has been just as awesome as the other books in the series. The major elements of the Pied Piper fairytale are all present, but they have some delightful twists in how they appear. Zoticus was an intriguing character in the previous books I've read that he was in and it was even more interesting to have him as a point of view character. Sara is someone I don't recall seeing in any of the other books, but I was happy to get to know her here. I love the magic and overall world, and the characters are each endearing in their own ways. I received a free advanced copy of this book from the author, but my opinions are my own. I fully intend to purchase it as well when I can.

I received an arc and the opinions and views are my own. Oh My! What an excellent retelling of the pied piper who is an assassin! Zoticus is an assassin and has been in two previous books. He has helped out Godfrey and his sister Melisende and now he is trying to right a wrong. The plague is going through the towns and he is trying to get rid of the rats and ships that started it. He also finds something he wasn’t looking for. I so enjoyed this book and would read it again. I would recommend this book to all.