• By Fairy Means or Foul

  • A Starfig Investigations Novel
  • By: Meghan Maslow
  • Narrated by: Greg Boudreaux
  • Length: 8 hrs and 16 mins
  • 4.7 out of 5 stars (746 ratings)

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By Fairy Means or Foul  By  cover art

By Fairy Means or Foul

By: Meghan Maslow
Narrated by: Greg Boudreaux
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Publisher's summary

The last thing half-dragon, half-fairy private investigator Twig Starfig wants to do is retrieve a stolen enchanted horn from a treacherous fae, but there's no denying the dazzlingly gorgeous unicorn who asks Twig to do just that. Literally, no denying, because compelling the reluctant detective is all part of a unicorn's seductive magic.

To add to his woes, Twig is saddled with the unicorn's cheeky indentured servant, Quinn Broomsparkle. Dragons are supposed to want to eat humans, but Twig's half-dragon side only wants to gobble up Quinn in a more personal way. Making matters worse, it's obvious the smokin' hot but untrustworthy sidekick is hiding something. Something big. And not what's in his trousers. In the PI business, that means trouble with a capital Q.

Throw in gads of zombies, a creepy ghost pirate ship, a malfunctioning magic carpet, and Twig's overbearing fairy father's demands to live up to the illustrious Starfig name. Naturally, an old but abiding enemy chooses this time to resurface, too. Those inconveniences Twig can handle. The realization he's falling for a human who isn't free to return his affections and whose life may hang on the success of his latest case?

Not so much.

©2017 Meghan Maslow (P)2022 Meghan Maslow

What listeners say about By Fairy Means or Foul

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  • Overall
    3 out of 5 stars
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    4 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    3 out of 5 stars

That was...weird. Fun, but weird.

This was...well, I already said weird, didn't I? I feel like the story can't really decide if it wants to be whimsical or serious. It was kind of like a children's book, except the characters had sex.

If you want a gritty urban fantasy detective story, this isn't the book for you. If you want a slightly surreal road trip with ghost parrots, tea drinking giants, zombie armies and tiny fairy politicians, then this is definitely the book you're looking for. It was an entertaining enough listen with a competent reader and a very satisfying end.

A word of warning: there are allusions to a character having been raped in the past, as well as the overhanging threat of him being raped again. There is also some sexual mind control happening.

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21 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    4 out of 5 stars
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    4 out of 5 stars
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    4 out of 5 stars

Whimsical, A Bit Too Fairy, But Fun

The 'rainbows and sparkles' and totally gay names were a bit over the top for me. Once I got passed that distraction, I enjoyed the story. It was creative, whimsical and fun.

Greg Boudreaux did a great job. All in all a good listen.

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9 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars

Excellent!

I loved the book, but the narration took this to another level! This is such a great story that I didn't think could get any better. Greg Tremblay proved me wrong. For me, he made it perfect. I loved every minute of listening (even going over parts). I believed in every character, and he managed to knock Twig from being my favourite- now Bill 😈is my favourite character. I really hope if this becomes a series Bill gets his own story, but NOT with the odious Bransome 😠
An excellent performance!

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6 people found this helpful

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    5 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars

I thoroughly enjoyed this book!!

After reading some of the reviews I had mixed feelings about the book. But knowing the narrator I was sure that I would enjoy it. I did very much. In another review someone said they thought that the names of the characters were a little strange. Well it is fantasy so you’re talking about fairies and dragons and wizards so it’s part of the charm of the book. This book made me laugh and made me a little sad and gave me a little hope for love. The adventures were great the storyline was great and as I said above I thoroughly enjoyed this book. I had a very long drive ahead of me today, so started about an hour in and as I climbed into my hotel bed, finished the book. 👍🏻👍🏻
I always Enjoy Greg’s narrations! He brings the characters to life!

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5 people found this helpful

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    5 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars

FUN !

This was a "funtastic" story, made even better by the narrator's brilliant and comedic portrayals.

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4 people found this helpful

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    5 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars

A pleasant surprise

I can confirm that this is an m/m story and despite the description making it sound like a dark-bdsm/slave romance (which kept me from getting it at first) it is actually the opposite; and even though there are a couple sex scenes, that is not the focus of the book.

This book can be summarized as: an m/m fantasy version of the Dresden Files (except, the main character is "Not" a wizard).

I LOVE IT.

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3 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars

Fun and exciting!

This book was very entertaining. I enjoyed all of the characters and the universe. It was easy to get sucked in and once I started I couldn't stop.

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3 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars

Fun, Amazing Story

Great story with many LOL moments and Greg provides a masterful narration. Can’t wait to listen to the next in this series!

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3 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    3 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars
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    3 out of 5 stars

Silly and Fun

I wasn't sure what to expect when I started listening to this one. I figured it'll be an urban fantasy/pnr of some sort. I didn't expect the over the top silliness. It's adventure-filled. There are a few cringe-worthy moments. I can see some triggering topics too like how Quinn was basically a s3x slave and had a lot of nonconsensual and forced sexual relations.
I'd say it's an enjoyable listen just because Greg Boudreaux is such an excellent narrator. The story itself was okay. I'm not sure if I'd want to use more credits for the next books in the series though. I'll probably just read it via KU.

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2 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    3 out of 5 stars
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    3 out of 5 stars
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    3 out of 5 stars

silly and cute

I did enjoy this book, and the silliness of it was part of what I liked, however I wish the romance was a bit more fleshed out. I didn't like how they were fighting over stuff that could have been easily resolved by talking. Narration excellent though, as always 👌

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2 people found this helpful