Fayard knows he’s young, too young to have all the answers, but he reckons life has already taught him a thing or two. Having returned from boarding school, he intends to while away many long, leisurely days in his hometown before setting off for university. He certainly doesn’t foresee any drastic upheavals looming on the horizon. However, life has other plans in store, with new stories to tell and secrets to share, starting with those he believes he knows best.
Size: 356 KB (65,609 words)
Genre: Erotica
Sex Contents: Some Sex
Tags: Ma/Fa, Fa/Fa, Mult, Teenagers, Consensual, Romantic, Fiction, School, Incest, Group Sex, Cream Pie, First
Review by norefund [other reviews by norefund]
Reviewed: - (Review Updated: )
First things first, let me begin with a disclosure: Kajakie and I started chatting online a while back and quickly discovered we shared similar tastes and gripes about adult literature. Later, when he shared the germ of an idea for a story with me, I became both an agitator and an early cheerleader for "At the Woodchopper's Ball," especially during the initial stages of its creation. I also served as a sounding board for ideas and concepts.
That said, I wasn't an editor or even a beta reader; life got in the way during the months Kajakie was writing this book, and I couldn't contribute as much as I had hoped.
Now, onto the review.
The basic premise of "At the Woodchopper's Ball" (ATWB) is deceptively simple: a young man returns from boarding school to spend time with his family and is hit with a serious crush on the girl he grew up with that spins his world around.
While this might sound like the plots of many other stories, that's where the similarities end. For starters, the setting is wholly unique from most things I've read. Fantasy settings are a dime a dozen in erotica, replete with swords, wizards and all that jazz. But this story? Well, it's got a fantasy setting too, but forget about magic spells or sci-fi gadgets - or for that matter, middle-aged men transported to their youth so they can bed down with a bunch of high school cheerleaders.
And here's the kicker: the author doesn't bog you down with a truckload of dense exposition and world-building.
The story is written as if it is meant for its own contemporary audience. By this, I mean that the story is written to be read by someone from the world of ATWB itself. This may sound weird but it’s no different than reading something like Arthur Conan Doyle’s original Sherlock Holmes stories today. Those stories were written in a style contemporary to the late 19th century and for readers in the 21st century, they may as well be set in a fantastical world.
I had my reservations about this "fantasy" backdrop but am now glad Kajakie ignored my advice. The setting draws you in and has a kind of inviting, polished charisma, somehow both glossy and grounded.
Kajakie also hits the nail right on the head when it comes to writing in a style appropriate for the world of the story. And although it isn’t perfect and the author occasionally stumbles, overall, I think it’s a triumph. I don't think there are any chapters which don’t contain one or two memorable turns of phrase.
Things only start sizzling, sex-wise, toward the end of the book. Most of the early chapters are all about the 'will they, won't they' dance. Remember, we're on book one here, and if the last few chapters are anything to go by, anyone who pegged this refined story as tame will need to brace themselves in the sequels.
In short, it's a stunner. Go read it - you won't regret it.
