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hannah_oneill's review against another edition
5.0
I really enjoyed reading the book and the way she uses language as a form of art. The length of these stories were perfect for my lunch breaks on my busy job of dismantling the patriarchy as well as for everything my queer horny soul could ask for. 5/5 stars
labyrinth_witch's review against another edition
5.0
I loves everything about this book- the cadence, the characters, the structure, the challenge. I feel this is a book to read many times and each time discover more nuance. First, I love that all the characters are women and all the male characters are incidental- it’s so refreshing to read something that truly and consistently flips the patriarchal script. By doing this, it allows each female character to be vividly complex and I felt an intense compassion for all the complexity. Second, I loved how it flowed by each woman turning round to ask the other woman who she was before she played this role in her life. I feel in a world of competition, this vulnerable curiosity is lost. Makes me want to write my own tale before I came to play this part for you. Third, I loved that each tale pivots around the transition from girlhood to womanhood or to elderhood. Fourth, I loved that each female character was trying to figure out the life that most aligned with her, making mistakes, but eventually finding herself right where she wanted to be. It makes them so...human, it almost takes my breath away. Finally, and most of all, I love she took “traditional” fairytales- the stories that impressed upon our youth a certain worldview, expectation, and perception of behavior- and challenges all those preconceived notions. The idea that the beast is a woman! I feel as if my life has been cracked open and reoriented in the most exquisite way.
Thank you for writing this book.
“Perhaps we do not get what we deserve, but what we demand”
Thank you for writing this book.
“Perhaps we do not get what we deserve, but what we demand”
frawst_disasta_reads's review against another edition
4.0
I love the way these stories work and intersect.
orianeosaurus's review against another edition
Didn't vibe so much with it, no hard feelings towards the book i guess i just wasn't in the mood
herielma's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
emotional
funny
mysterious
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? N/A
4.0
battybookworm's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
funny
reflective
relaxing
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.75
This was a lovely travel through different fairy tales, most recognizable but others not as much.
Two main things of note, the way they’re connected truly makes this collection a delightful read. Each story is attached to the previous by a few key lines that end in a question and answer. In this way the flow is never broken and the narrative takes on an character study driven quality that fairytales don’t usually focus on.
Other then that, the nature of most the stories does not carry the fantastical. Instead these stories use gossip and belief to thread the magic. Normally this would not interest me but the way it is done is subtle and engaging to the point I didn’t notice the non-magic until near the end.
Two main things of note, the way they’re connected truly makes this collection a delightful read. Each story is attached to the previous by a few key lines that end in a question and answer. In this way the flow is never broken and the narrative takes on an character study driven quality that fairytales don’t usually focus on.
Other then that, the nature of most the stories does not carry the fantastical. Instead these stories use gossip and belief to thread the magic. Normally this would not interest me but the way it is done is subtle and engaging to the point I didn’t notice the non-magic until near the end.
Content Warnings
Rape, abandonment and other abuses are frequently alluded to within these stories. If these are triggering topics it may not be a definitive no but good to think of when starting the novel that it may have triggering content.