I've seen several people refer to it as "twee" now, but I just don't agree, though I suppose this is a matter of taste. The style never grated on me, and the charm and imagination overcame any artificiality in Valente's prose. Twee would be something that strives for cuteness and never rises above it.

Having now read Habitation of the Blessed (a much more difficult novel with just as much imagination but not quite as much charm), I can understand what those other reviewers mean by "bling"/ungapatchka. Valente does love loading every paragraph with fantastic, ornate imagery. But I still love Fairyland.