# Wicked Ugly Bad

By Cassandra Gannon · A Kinda Fairytale, book 1

Profile: https://hahafiction.com/books/wicked-ugly-bad-2e94858b/

Scarlett Riding and her sister are locked up while their stepsister Cinderella prepares to marry Prince Charming. Scarlett intends to escape and expose her. Her prospective accomplices come from a prison therapy group, where Marrok, the Big Bad Wolf, takes an interest in her that has little to do with rehabilitation.

## What makes it funny?

The therapist wants everyone to keep a feelings journal. A bridge ogre eats his. A deposed prince wants a more exclusive group of villains to sit with, while Marrok wins praise for spouting elaborate language about personal growth as he winds Scarlett up.

### The comedy at work

Gannon puts familiar storybook characters through the petty routines of a modern institution. Being born Good confers authority; being labeled Bad earns punishment. The group’s arguments and Marrok’s performance of therapeutic progress make the supposed villains much harder to sort into neat moral categories.

### Try this if…

For readers who enjoy adult fairytale romances with a noisy ensemble and plenty of teasing between the romantic leads. The prison escape gives Scarlett and the wolf a shared project alongside their attraction.

### Good to know

A self-contained romance that opens A Kinda Fairytale; the author recommends reading in order for the shared storylines. Contains sexual harassment, references to past sexual assault and exploitation, coercive institutionalization, suicide references, violence and degradation kink. Reviewers also note typos and an initially disorienting world.

## What to expect

- Genre: Fantasy · Romance
- On the shelf: Fairy-tale retelling · Paranormal romance · Romantic comedy
- Kind of humor: Banter · Parody
- The atmosphere: Irreverent
- Audience: Adult
- Format: Novel

## More in A Kinda Fairytale

- Book 3: The Kingpin of Camelot

## Sources & further reading

- Review: [Review and content notes](https://bookbruin.wordpress.com/2024/05/26/review-wicked-ugly-bad-by-cassandra-gannon)
- Reading sample: [Author reading excerpt](https://starturtlepublishing.wordpress.com/free-excerpt-of-wicked-ugly-bad)
- Author commentary: [Author series guide](https://starturtlepublishing.wordpress.com/discover-a-kinda-fairytale)
- Review: [Review](https://theliteraryinvertebrate.wordpress.com/2023/02/01/wicked-ugly-bad-a-kinda-fairytale-1-cassandra-gannon)
- Author commentary: [Author and publisher](https://starturtlepublishing.wordpress.com/wicked-ugly-bad)