King's County Tales
This Is Not a Fairy Tale
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Pub Date 29 Aug 2026 | Archive Date 26 Aug 2026
ARC provided by Victory Editing NetGalley Co-op | Goblin Market Press
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Description
All Willie Grimmerly ever wanted was to be a big-time reporter. But in a city under new and vicious rule, she may find that her own story is no fairy tale, and in King’s County, there are no happy endings.
Advance Praise
"A compelling fairy-tale allegory that interrogates political complacency with barbed storytelling." - Kirkus Review (starred)
“A new and necessary voice in the genre of magical realism, Gilham’s prose has an edge sharp enough to cut through the page. She’s crafted a striking universe that, while offering a brief respite from our reality, unflinchingly mirrors the conflicts at the heart of our society. Gilham’s talent is so rare, so unusual, that the story will linger long after the last page.”
— Hallie Elizabeth Newton, author of Agnes Lives!
“King’s County Tales is a grand adventure that dares to cast our hero as a witness, a voice for the stories of others. In a magical world that feels as real, lived-in, and deaf to injustice as our own, Willie is the bravest kind of protagonist: one with the courage to listen.”
— Dario Diofebi, author of Paradise, Nevada
"Hannah Gilham has crafted an enchanting yet deeply unsettling fantasy world in King's County Tales. Told from the perspective of a young woman pursuing a journalism career, the novel’s brilliant polyphonous structure acts as an oral history of a fracturing world. With its sharp wit and subversive social commentary, King's County Tales will delight fans of Wicked."
— Caitlin Barasch, author of Novel Obsession
Available Editions
| EDITION | Ebook |
| ISBN | 9798295617348 |
| PRICE | |
Links
Available on NetGalley
Average rating from 5 members
Featured Reviews
Amaris J, Reviewer
I went in expecting a whole different book, but was rewarded with something more.
The parallels to what is happening in the world today were executed well and her use of different races within a fantasy concept was clever. I loved the naivety of Willie and the privilege that came with that, and her slowly realizing how to use and wield it. While also coming to terms with that same privilege only protecting you when you stay inside the bounds. I loved the tales that were included it gave humanity to the people who were being stripped of it. I really wrestled with the all too honest feeling of helplessness. To step in, to act, to not act and the consequences of what we choose and the risk of nothing changing and dying for it anyway. I really enjoyed this book and all the insights it has to offer.
Thank you to Victory Editing NetGalley Co-Op for the digital advanced ebook (ARC) via NetGalley.
My reviews will be published on Fable, Goodreads and Barnes &Noble. All my reviews will be uploaded on 7/19/2026.
Emily B, Reviewer
This review will be shared via Goodreads and Storygraph. Plus being published on major retailers.
Thank you NetGalley for the Arc of this book.
What first drew me into this book was the cover. It is unique and eye catching, keeping an old art style with some future characteristics. I feel as those this cover really encompasses what the setting of this book will be.
King's County Tales is not your average fantasy tale. This the author states, "this is not a fairytale." This book follows Willie, a country girl trying to make it as a journalist in a big city, that is male dominated and really only wants her to marry and produce children. Willie wants to write about what is troubling her land but is constantly shut down, being told to write about womanly things and to not push the censors into coming after her.
The themes in this book push dangerously close to what we see in the world today. A woman who wants to push the boundaries, races who are being punished simply because they dont fit a made up mold, the weaponization of media and influence. This book was hard to digest and hard to put down simply because of the parallels and all of the hard truths being pushed at you.
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