If you haven't read any of the wonderful volumes of the Fables series, then you'll be entering into Fairest with a distinct handicap. The story within this volume can mostly be read as a standalone volume, but you will absolutely feel like you are missing on a massive back story. Considering that there are at least fifteen volumes of Fables books before this one and you'd be correct. That's why I'm recommending that if you haven't read the Fables books so far, that you not start with this one. There are better volumes in the series and you won't fully appreciate all of this spin-off without knowing all of what is going on- especially the short at the end concerning Beauty and her husband Beast. For any who might be curious, this volume centers specifically on Briar Rose, Ali Baba, and Lumi the Snow Queen. 
 That said, this was a lot better than I initially gave it credit for. I remember first picking up some of the single issues of this when it first hit the stands and not being overly impressed with it. Reading it without having to wait for the next issue really did help, as it made the read more cohesive and interesting. At the same time I'll admit that this series doesn't have the pull that the main Fables comics do, as I didn't experience that "OMG, put that next volume in my hands RIGHT NOW" sensation I so wanted to feel. Not entirely, anyway. 
 One of the nicest parts of this had to have been the artwork. The panels are lovingly drawn and other than a few pages where Lumi is drawn somewhat strangely (to where she isn't really "Fairest"), the female characters here are incredibly beautiful. I didn't terribly mind the parts where Lumi was drawn with lines and angles, as it's sometimes nice to see a bit of variety. Not everyone can be the fairest all the time, after all. 
 The story here isn't bad, although it took a while to get where it was going. The setup with Ali Baba took its sweet time to move to the real meat of the story, which centers around an ifrit telling the tale of Sleeping Beauty. This was fairly interesting since we'd never really heard the full story of how exactly Briar Rose got all of the innate abilities she has now. We know that she had these gifts bestowed to her by her fairy godmothers, but never exactly how they were phrased or what she really got. Some of the long term repercussions of a few of these gifts have been seen in previous volumes (particularly her gift of the "wit of an angel"), but some such as the spindle "gift" from the dark fairy could and probably should factor into future volumes in the main series. 
 Where the volume kind of takes a left turn to the "what the hey" is with the story centering around Beauty and the Beast. It's very out of left field, especially since it's revealed so late in the series. I can already tell from one reading that this one won't sit well with every reader. It's well told, although the artwork doesn't feel like a perfect match for the gritty and bloody events here. I like the art, but it's too cartoonish and campy for a story that's one of many heartbreaking events that Beast has to inevitably repeat over and over again. It needed artwork that's slightly more somber. 
 All in all I rather liked this. Sure the artwork for the last piece didn't fit exactly right and the volume took a while to get where it was going, but Fairest has much of the same appeal as the rest of the Fables books and spinoffs. It might lack all of the oomph of the main series, but it's still a fun read. I'd recommend it for fans of the series, although as I said above- this isn't a good place to start if you aren't familiar with the Fables world.