Books often give you the perspective of the hero. What would it be like to hear from the villain’s point of view? In the book, My Sparkling Misfortune by Laura Lond, the villain gets his say. Well, at least that’s what Lord Arkus calls himself at the beginning. In a twist of fate that makes this story so appealing, he is turned into a hero, in which he doesn’t really realize, not even at the end. This is the endearing quality to the tale that made this middle reader novel stand out among others.

Lord Arkus is a card holding villain. He’s established himself and attends the conventions. But when a turn of fate tosses him out of his castle and finds his army captured, he must take drastic action. Capturing a gormack, an evil spirit, to assist him will solve his problems and lead to the start of new plans. But by mistake, he captures a sparkling, a valiant and good spirit. Thus, begins the start of an adventure of a villain going down the wrong path towards righteousness.

I really enjoyed this new perspective into villainy. It kept my interest until the end, with twists and turns that are a great surprise as you watch Lord Arkus slowly turn into a hero. By the end, you are hoping for him to vanquish his former evil friends, the villains that take advantage of his new heroism. Though most of it seems to happen by chance, it is soon apparent that the sparkling, or good spirit, might have a hand in things. Overall, I think children will love this new take on good vs. evil, esp. since it’s such a good tongue and cheek adventure. Boys and girls will be cheering for Lord Arkus by the end, even if he doesn’t want it. This is a definite add onto any reading list.

5 stars rating: *****
Available in Paperback and Hardback Editions at Amazon.com. Ebook editions available as Kindle and Smashwords editions.

**For an interview with author Laura Lond on this blog site, please link here.
**Link to her second book’s review, My Royal Pain Quest.
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