At 480 pages, 'The Beast of Buckingham Palace' is a chunky read for middle graders, but it’s packed with so much action that the length barely registers. Walliams has this knack for balancing silly and spooky, and here, the Buckingham Palace backdrop adds this layer of grandeur to the chaos. I love how the book doesn’t talk down to kids—the vocabulary’s rich, the plot’s got twists, and the beast isn’t just some cookie-cutter monster. It’s the kind of story that makes you want to read under the covers with a flashlight, even if you’re technically too old for that. The illustrations are sprinkled throughout like little rewards, too.
Oh, 'The Beast of Buckingham Palace' is one of those books that looks longer than it reads—around 480 pages, but don’t let that scare you off. I’ve seen kids who usually groan at thick books tear through this one because Walliams keeps things moving fast. The chapters are short, the dialogue snaps, and there are enough surprises to make you forget you’re turning pages. I lent my copy to a friend’s 10-year-old, and they finished it over a weekend, then immediately started drawing their own versions of the beast. That’s the magic of Walliams’ writing: it feels like a marathon but reads like a sprint.
Compared to his other works, it’s on the meatier side, but not as dense as, say, 'Bad dad.' The palace setting gives it this gothic fairy-tale vibe that makes the length feel justified—you need those extra pages to explore all The Secret corridors and royal secrets. And hey, if you’re an adult reading it aloud to a kid? You’ll appreciate the witty asides that keep it fun for you too.
David Walliams' 'The Beast of Buckingham Palace' is a fantastic middle-grade adventure that runs about 480 pages in the Hardcover edition. I remember picking it up for my niece last Christmas, and she devoured it in two days—partly because the font is pretty large and kid-friendly, but also because the story’s so gripping! It’s got that classic Walliams mix of humor, heart, and a little bit of creepy fun, with the Buckingham Palace setting adding a cool twist. The length feels just right for its target audience; it doesn’t drag, but there’s enough room for the mystery to unfold properly. Plus, the illustrations by Tony Ross break up the text nicely.
If you’re comparing it to other Walliams books, it’s similar in length to 'Gangsta Granny' or 'demon Dentist.' It’s not as thick as 'The World’s Worst Children' series but has more substance than his picture books. Honestly, the page count might seem daunting to younger readers at first glance, but the pacing is so brisk that it flies by. My niece actually begged for a sequel, which says a lot!
2026-01-04 18:34:37
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Bride Of The Beast
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“Bride by day. Prey by night.”
To secure peace between humans and werewolves, Raven Dierna is forced into an impossible role: posing as a bride for Eilís Caravia, the feral wolf prince of Caravia.
If his true gender is discovered, Raven won’t just be exposed, he’ll be executed.
But surviving the marriage proves far more dangerous than the lie itself.
Eilís is no ordinary prince. Haunted by a violent dark half and bound by duty to a fragile kingdom, he is as lethal as he is irresistible. As court intrigues deepen and war looms, Raven finds himself trapped between political schemes, deadly secrets, and a forbidden attraction that could destroy them both.
Because in Caravia, loving the wolf prince may be deadlier than deceiving the court, and some secrets were never meant to survive the night.
"Let me go," She said, twisting her arm, trying to wriggle out of his brutal hold.
His proximity had her heart jackhammering in her ears as tears threatened to spill out.
The beast of a man roughly turned her around before grabbing her delicate throat in his big veiny hand as he yanked her to him. His tan skin contrasted against her snow one as his thumb stroked the soft flesh of her swan-like neck. Her toes were barely touching the ground as she stared petrified at the man hovering over her seemingly deranged. His hot breath caressed her face and had chills running down her spine.
He looked possessed.
"You're mine, f*cking MINE!" He seethed a low rumble as she flinched away. His amber rims were blazing pits as they gazed at her with an unadulterated ferocity.
Her chin wobbled and her plump lips trembled as the girl shook her head trying to get away from him and her struggles grew frantic. She was so scared.
His jaw clenched and his nose flared in rage. "So you won't listen, huh." He rasped in a low snarl before letting her go.
She took three steps away from him, clutching her hands on her chest. Her whole body trembled wildly as she saw him locking the door before he faced her while unbuttoning his shirt and her heart dropped down into the depths of utter terror, she shook her head involuntarily.
"Strip, little tigress. Strip for me." He gritted viciously causing her heart to lurch to her mouth.
I met evil when I was a teenager. It never left me after that, hovered over me like a dark cloud, followed me everywhere.
When I least expected, he barged into my life like he owned it.
Kidnapped and vulnerable, I am trapped on a stranded island with no way out. There's nowhere I can hide.
I am afraid. I fear his gentleness more than his cruelity. I don't know if I can survive this but I do know that one of us will be ruined by the time this ends.
Every princess dreams about meeting a prince charming. I don't get the prince, I get the King who wants to rule over everything.
He's a Beast but I am no Belle.
The Beauty changed the beast. The Beast fell in love with her. A beautiful fairytale it was.
The Beast doesn't love me, I can't tame him.
This isn't a love story. It's a story of obsession.
18+. Not your traditional Mafia Romance. Proceed with Caution.
In a kingdom like no other.
Rules seemed uncountable, yet they did not seem to exist.
Lives were to be played with.
Souls were to be killed.
Loyalty was to be bought.
And for what?
Power.
Prince Nathan also known as Alpha and his mate, his Luna Kiara were to face a battle like no other, one to keep their love strong and the other to keep the kingdom safe.
Will they be able to win the battle despite all what is to come? Or will they crumble against the enemy’s darkness?
*****************
It all started a long time ago,
The night he was born,
His and Her prophecy was born too,
One that would unite an Element manipulator and an Alpha,
One that would be saving the kingdom from ultimate darkness.
Every royal in Vynsera was born human until envy from rival kingdoms sparked threats too deadly to ignore.
Desperate to protect his bloodline, King Edgar forged a weapon: he harvested power from a five-hundred-year-old werewolf beast and altered the blood of his sons.
Only one survived the change.
Rhydian.
The son who returned, not as a prince but as the Beast King.
No one knows what he is beneath the crown. No one, except the woman he believes is his brother’s widow.
But she isn’t.
She’s the queen thought dead. His lost mate. The love of his life, reborn with a new face and no memory of him.
He takes her as a slave, blinded by vengeance. But hate falters where desire lingers.
He wanted her broken. Instead, he shields her from a world that would tear her apart.
And when his enemies come for her, the beast inside him will rise.
Even if it means exposing what he truly is and destroying Vynsera to protect the woman who once held his heart.
After her mother's death, Emily's world collapses. Betrayed by those she trusted most, poisoned until even her wolf falls silent, and stripped of everything she once called hers, she is reduced to nothing more than a slave in the very home she once thought was safe.
Then she is sold.
To the ruthless werewolf king.
A monster whispered about in fear, a ruler drenched in blood, and a king who has buried nine wives before her.
Now… she is the tenth.
Trapped in a kingdom built on secrets and corpses, Emily must survive a husband feared even by monsters.
Will she become just another dead queen… or the one woman capable of bringing him to his knees?
I dove into 'Black Beast' last summer, utterly captivated by its dark, intricate world. The novel spans roughly 350 pages in its standard edition, but the pacing feels so immersive that I barely noticed the length. It's divided into three acts, each escalating the tension—like a slow burn that erupts into wildfire by the finale. The author's dense prose means you'll savor every chapter, though some readers might find it demands patience. Personally, I loved how the extra pages deepened the lore, making the payoff unforgettable.
What surprised me was how the physical book's weight matched its emotional heft. Holding it, you know it's a commitment, but the themes—betrayal, survival, and that gnawing ambiguity—stick with you long after. If you're into bleak, philosophical fantasy, the length is a gift, not a hurdle. Just don't expect a breezy weekend read; this one lingers.