Side note:
OMG, you are now my hero!
Back to the point at hand:
I like a bit of realism in my stories, but with enough whimsical crap to make things interesting. Too much realism (especially modern, normal stories that are ALL about drama) become way too much like real life and are, therefore, boring. I also like when normal conventions, such as in fantasy worlds, are broken. An example would be the novel Summon the Keeper by Tanya Huff. The 'hottie' in the story wears glasses and is a clean freak. At one point, he volunteers to go to Hell, which is sentient, and proceeds to sweep the brimstone before being sent back. I LOVE that she adds random bits on the real world into a completely whimsical story!
Although, if you make EVERYTHING logical in a fantasy world, it ruins the point of calling it 'fantasy'.
But, also as Foe stated, the person has to be a good story teller, or else it'll suck no matter what they do.