Title: Sixty One Nails
Author: Mike Shevdon
Year of Publication: 2009
Series: Courts of the Feyre
Series #: 1
Goodreads Rating (Avg.): 3.80
Goodreads Rating (Mine): 3.5
Synopsis: Niall Peterson wasn’t expecting to have a heart attack on the subway and die, so he definitely wasn’t expecting to be revived by the enigmatic and beautiful Fey’ree who calls herself Blackbird. Being a middle-aged and fairly emotionally stunted dude, Niall doesn’t really appreciate being hustled into adventure and intrigue. Unfortunately for him, Blackbird reviving him awoke the dormant Feyre magic within him, and now he has no choice but to learn to control his powers, run from the sinister Feyre of the Seventh Court, research English history, and try and pretend that he’s not a massive creep.
Sorry, that’s unfair. Niall isn’t a creep, but the way he obsesses over Blackbird’s appearance makes him a firm purveyor of the male gaze if nothing else. His own throwaway thoughts about his divorce are even more revealing. Niall acknowledges to himself that he has been behaving pretty insecurely, that he’s been selfish in the way he conducted his relationship with his first wife. All of which tells me that if I were to run into Niall Peterson IRL, I’d be more inclined to smack him in the face than join him in his adventures.
The author also makes certain storytelling choices that feel somewhat disturbing, such as maternity and the importance of childbearing to women, and males of the Feyre being unable to have a say in who they ‘mate’ with. Poor Niall and his outrage is a paper shield against the rather unsubtle messaging behind these choices, and it all leaves quite a mixed taste at the back of my throat in the end.
Sixty One Nails has at its heart an interesting and intriguing storyline. Unfortunately, it takes way too long to get from point A to point B, and constantly subjects the reader to Niall’s mental monologues and Blackbird-objectification along the way. It’s also very exposition-heavy, with Blackbird telling Niall whatever the plot needs him to know at the moment (and no more.) As a result, there’s a lot of pressure on the plot to keep the reader hooked, and an easily distracted reader is likely to stop liking the story as soon as they’re no longer immersed in it.
Next: Transactional Analysis in Psychotherapy by Eric Berne
Next in this Series: Courts of the Feyre #2 – The Road to Bedlam
Feminist Quill 
Leave a comment