A Far Better Thing, H. G. Parry’s version of Charles Dickens’s A Tale of Two Cities, is everything I could have asked for, and then some. Parry takes on the job of retelling Dickens’s French revolution story while simultaneously building her own new story, full of supernatural secrets, around it. We get to know Dickens's unlikely but much-loved hero Sydney Carton in a whole new way; we're privy to his carefully hidden thoughts and feelings and to a parallel world that keeps him captive even while he tries to thwart it. Parry shows deep respect for the original story while putting her own spin on it, and the result is complicated, intricate, and (no pun intended) spellbinding.

Full review coming closer to publication date at my Substack.

This book was beautiful. The story was so well written and it was truly everything I couldn’t put it down! Was a top read of the year for me!

I must begin by thanking both NetGalley as well as the publisher for my eARC in exchange for my honest review.
Magic though it does exist is never kind. It takes; it never gives. This wonderful tale of revolution and magic, a different telling of a Tale of Two Cities is uniquely magical.

H.G. Parry's A Far Better Thing is a clever novel retelling of A Tale of Two Cities crossed with the world of the fae. Parry's characters are steeped in the French Revolution and the fairy trickery adds some interesting dimensions to the story providing context for the angry, bitter characters and the actions of the main character, Sydney Carton.

The fae seem more indifferently yet calculatedly ruthless in this story and the backdrop of the forever dropping guillotine up the stakes and tension in a palpable way.

Those who enjoy a good British retelling of a classic story--and what reader doesn't??--will enjoy this story.

I received an ARC from NetGalley, and this is my honest review.

Thank you to NetGalley and Tor Publishing Group - Tor Books for my arc in exchange for my unbiased opinion.

I love H.G. Parry's last book, "The Scholar and the Last Faerie Door," and it was one of my favorite reads last year and this book did not disappoint! While it was a bit slower of a pace than I like (the only reason I docked a star, to be honest), it was still written beautifully. In a fun reference to the Dickens' "A Tale of Two Cities," we've got the Faerie world and well, our world. While I haven't read the Dickens in a decade, it was fun to see the ways that Parry cleverly updates it for a faerie-based story. This book really reminds me of classic British literature: lush details, overly verbose paragraphs, and nostalgia for a time I did not live in. I do think if you're not a fan of classic Brit. lit. and/or Dickens, this can be a bit of an exhausting read, especially with the pace, and the fantasy elements may not be enough to tempt a reader.

That said, I really enjoyed this book and would recommend it. I finished it during the early period of my semester and it served as a reminder of why I love literature so I can't find myself to be that upset about the pacing, haha.

My favorite thing is how it entwines fae and magic with historical fiction. It's a slow read but compelling and will please the readers who love classics. If you never read A Tale of Two Cities you may enjoy this one for what it is without comparisons. If you read it, you'll read it with another level of curiosity.

Thank you to Net Galley for an ARC of A Far Better Thing in exchange for an honest review! This is my first time reading H.G. Parry, and I went in mostly unfamiliar with the Dickens source material. Overall, I think this is an interesting world based on an old classic. As someone who reads a considerable amount of fantasy, I particularly liked the addition of fairies and changelings, although I do think this could be taken further in terms of world building.. I also think Sydney's character, who seems unlikable, is actually extremely likeable and nuanced. I learned a lot of history through this book, and was intrigued by the premise. I do think it was a bit slow up front, and it took me a while to get into the writing, which felt overly descriptive.

I think this book will land well with audiences who like H.G. Parry, and also enjoy fantastical elements added to old stories.

I think fans of faithful retellings will greatly enjoy this novel, H.G Parry has certainly done her "A Tale of Two Cities" research and adding in many fantasy elements to tempt people into the story. That said, I just couldn't get into this novel for a few key reasons. I did enjoy the many nods to Dickens throughout the novel, but I found Parry's interpretation of the characters to be somewhat flat. You really only got a sense of Sydney Carton as a dimensional character, and it can be very difficult to relate to his misery and self-obsessed nature. I wasn't interested in any of the characters, so it was difficult for me to care about them or what was going to occur to them throughout the book.

I found the plot to be a little too slow as well, and combined with the lack of character development it made it very difficult to read. Dickens tends to be a very wordy author, as that was the expected writing style of the time; but we've largely moved on from that in our modern day. I found the long, drawn-out expositions between the major action points to be too much for me to continue to be invested in the plot.

I was also somewhat disappointed by the lack of world building or development in the faeries and their realm. I realize this was bound to be a bit of a problem since "A Tale of Two Cities" only took place in England and Paris originally, but I was disappointed, nonetheless. If you're going to include a fantasy element, it's always worth your while to develop it in a meaningful and intriguing way.

That said, I think this book will appeal to the reader who enjoys faithful retellings, historical fiction, and Dickens-style writing and plot development. If you're in it for the fantasy, you may be somewhat disappointed, as I was.

This was unexpectedly gripping. I could not put it down,and I loved every single twist and turn. A great reimagining of a classic tale!

I’m reeling. This may have fairies, but it’s truly about suffering, sacrifice, and the tension between seeking revenge at all costs or protecting an ideal no matter the price. The concept is haunting—we’ve all heard of changelings, but what does it really mean to take a child? To choose to be a fairy? Or to remain human, but in servitude?

The magic in this book isn’t overbearing or indulgent; it’s lightly woven into a story steeped in human tragedy. The main character is impossible not to feel for, even as he stumbles through life—drunk, self-loathing, and convincing everyone around him that he’s irredeemable. His transformation is both painful and compelling, and where it ultimately leads him feels heartbreakingly inevitable.

By the end, I found myself exclaiming aloud. It was an ending that made sense, but it still left me wishing for another way.

Damn if reading this wasn't as being wrapped in a warm blanket on an autumn evening. Odd for such a cold, bloody thing, but it was a comfort for all that.

I absolutely loved Parry’s depiction of Sydney Carton and was brought to tears multiple times by this fantastical retelling of A Tale of Two Cities. Will absolutely be purchasing this for our store and will talk the ear off of anyone who asks about it. A wonderful read.

I just finished A Far Better Thing by H.G. Parry. I received an eARC from Netgalley.

It was the best of time, it was the worst of time... but with Faries. What if Dicken's classic A Tale of Two Cities was actually the story of Faries interfering in our world? What if Sydney Carton and Charles Darnay were actually the same... one stolen as a child and one sent to replace him? This is the premise of A Far Better Thing. If you've read A Tale of Two Cities you'll recognize the characters and the major plot points, what you might not recognize are the Unseen pulling strings behind the scenes. If you've never read A Tale of Two Cities, you may just be surprised at the end.

I love Charles Dickens; so this was an interesting read for me. I don't know how much influence I was expecting, but it ended up being a pretty fun book. Sydney is an interesting character, and as any book like this (Pride and Prejudice and Zombies anyone?) the major storylines are known to a contemporary audience. While the expected French Revolution takes up the main plot of the novel, there is a concurrent plot happening in there Fairy World that jas ri0ples across the two. I'm not entirely sure I think this book needed to be written, but it was a fun read. As a personal aside, I appreciate that Parry was way more generous to the French than Dickens was.

Do you crave a historical fantasy about the French Revolution, English law, changelings, magicians, absolutely no goopy romance, and fairies who really don't care about you AT ALL? This is the book for you!

The hero is a law clerk - and a mortal servant to terrifying fairies - who learns exactly what it means to have human concerns when he is one day called to build a court defense for the Changeling who replaced him. Fairy politics, terrible deals, bad decision-making, and Madame Defarge. What could be better?

This was such a heartbreaking story. I love the way H. G. Parry brings this time period to life, as well as breathing new life into classic stories. I've always been a big fan of A Tale of Two Cities, and I'm well aware of the major plot points and the ending, which didn't stop me from being absolutely devastated. I really like the way that Parry depicts the fae, drawing from actual legends about them, their behavior, and lack of humanity. Her portrayals are often a nice break from the way that faeries are often characterized in popular romantasy novels.

This was an audacious idea that I felt worked better as its own story than as a take on A Tale of Two Cities. it didn't seem to deepen any part of what Dickens had already done and instead grew its own world off to the side. Sydney didn't feel much deeper than the original and Darney was even slighter than his already basic personality in the original. the depth came from the fae world, which didn't feel fully blended with either Two Cities or actual history enough for me.

As an aside of personal taste, I do tend to struggle with real people in fantasy unless it is exceptionally well done, and there were elements of addressing actual revolutionary French history in here that felt unpleasant to me.

H.G. Parry is a consistently solid writer and there were multiple characters I grew to enjoy and care about, so I'm disappointed in this one but not at all dissuaded from reading more by this author in the future.