Scan barcode
sasha_in_a_box's review
4.0
I love fairy tales, and I like clever retellings. Most of these fit into the two categories.
Coin of Heart's Desire: a very cool Korean fairy tale about sacrifice and responsibility. I really liked the atmosphere and the beautiful writing. Definitely checking out the author's other books.
The Lenten Rose: Snow Queen is one of my super favorite fairy tales, and this one was done really well. Some extra character development was nice, and the theme of poison was pretty cool throughout.
The Spinning Wheel's Tale: Too obvious and boring. Maybe should've changed the title instead of spoiling the whole thing, not that the revelation would have been any more interesting. Glad this one was short.
Below the Sun Beneath: Definitely a favorite. It had the perfect fairy tale atmosphere without getting too preachy. I love the extra descriptive stories, so this one was right up my alley.
Warrior Dreams: Broke my heart. This story incorporated a real issue into (urban) fantasy without being painfully obvious or awkward. Pretty sweet references to the more obscure French fairy tales!
Born and Bread: No freaking idea where the author got the "original" twisted-ass Sivka-Burka story. I grew up with these stories and just to double-check, I read the original in Russian. NOPE, the father does not come out of the grave every night to eat bread. The sons are just supposed to guard the field, trying to catch whoever is eating all the grain. It turns out to be a horse, which MAKES SO MUCH MORE SENSE. /end rand. Other than that gross bastard of an original version, I quite liked the story. The character of Doe was very unique and likable, and she carried the whole story. Good job.
Sleeping Beauty of Elista: Meh. I see what she did there, but it was too serious of an issue to stick into the fairy tale format. It's thought-provoking, but it had no place in this collection.
The road of needles: I don't read high sci-fi, so that could be the reason why I didn't get this story at all. All the high tech words were so foreign to me that I couldn't get into it. Absolutely not for me. If you want to read a sci-fi retelling of Little Red Riding Hood, read [b:Scarlet|13206760|Scarlet (Lunar Chronicles, #2)|Marissa Meyer|http://d202m5krfqbpi5.cloudfront.net/books/1342485529s/13206760.jpg|18390691]
Lupine: Very pretty straight-forward fairy tale. Solid 3 stars.
Flight: Cool combination of two stories (White Bride, Black Bride; The Raven). A longer fairy tale with a strong female character and a twist ending (not my favorite ending, but not bad overall)
Egg: Eeeeewww. But I still liked the modern setting and the hearbreak that comes with having a child who not what you wished for. A good one.
Castle of Masks: This one made me giggle. A cross-dressing take on Beauty and the Beast.
The Giant in Repose: A Scandinavian myth retold. It's about your destiny and stuff. I'm weird and I didn't like it that much. All the elements were there. The characters, the origin, the heroic middle and genre-defying ending. But the author needs to become a stronger story teller.
The Hush of Feathers, The Clamor of Wings: The familiar story of the sister who is forced into silence until she makes nettle shirts for her 7 brothers turned swans (pigeons in this case). This one's also set in the modern world, but it didn't make as much sense in this case. The choice seemed to be deliberate, but unnecessary in the end. The twist in this one is that it's told from the point of view of the brother who did not want to be turned back into a human, costing the freedom of his sister. It's about selfishness and sacrificed at the cost of another. Quite a doozy, and I liked it.
Eat Me, Drink Me, Love Me: A retelling of the Goblin Market. I've already read two of those, and I have to say that this one was the most messed up one. Not a fan, unfortunately. For a better one, read [b:Lips Touch: Three Times|7638021|Lips Touch Three Times|Laini Taylor|http://d202m5krfqbpi5.cloudfront.net/books/1348745780s/7638021.jpg|6556598]
The Mirror Tells All: Meeeeh. A modern day, creepy Snow White story. Not executed well, too confusing. I'm all for unresolved endings, but you need to give us a bone here.
Blanchefleur: The longest tale, and one of my favorites. I loved the hero's journey feel to it. And the sassy kitty. Mreow.
Great collection!
-I got a free ARC in exchange for an honest review-
Coin of Heart's Desire: a very cool Korean fairy tale about sacrifice and responsibility. I really liked the atmosphere and the beautiful writing. Definitely checking out the author's other books.
The Lenten Rose: Snow Queen is one of my super favorite fairy tales, and this one was done really well. Some extra character development was nice, and the theme of poison was pretty cool throughout.
The Spinning Wheel's Tale: Too obvious and boring. Maybe should've changed the title instead of spoiling the whole thing, not that the revelation would have been any more interesting. Glad this one was short.
Below the Sun Beneath: Definitely a favorite. It had the perfect fairy tale atmosphere without getting too preachy. I love the extra descriptive stories, so this one was right up my alley.
Warrior Dreams: Broke my heart. This story incorporated a real issue into (urban) fantasy without being painfully obvious or awkward. Pretty sweet references to the more obscure French fairy tales!
Born and Bread: No freaking idea where the author got the "original" twisted-ass Sivka-Burka story. I grew up with these stories and just to double-check, I read the original in Russian. NOPE, the father does not come out of the grave every night to eat bread. The sons are just supposed to guard the field, trying to catch whoever is eating all the grain. It turns out to be a horse, which MAKES SO MUCH MORE SENSE. /end rand. Other than that gross bastard of an original version, I quite liked the story. The character of Doe was very unique and likable, and she carried the whole story. Good job.
Sleeping Beauty of Elista: Meh. I see what she did there, but it was too serious of an issue to stick into the fairy tale format. It's thought-provoking, but it had no place in this collection.
The road of needles: I don't read high sci-fi, so that could be the reason why I didn't get this story at all. All the high tech words were so foreign to me that I couldn't get into it. Absolutely not for me. If you want to read a sci-fi retelling of Little Red Riding Hood, read [b:Scarlet|13206760|Scarlet (Lunar Chronicles, #2)|Marissa Meyer|http://d202m5krfqbpi5.cloudfront.net/books/1342485529s/13206760.jpg|18390691]
Lupine: Very pretty straight-forward fairy tale. Solid 3 stars.
Flight: Cool combination of two stories (White Bride, Black Bride; The Raven). A longer fairy tale with a strong female character and a twist ending (not my favorite ending, but not bad overall)
Egg: Eeeeewww. But I still liked the modern setting and the hearbreak that comes with having a child who not what you wished for. A good one.
Castle of Masks: This one made me giggle. A cross-dressing take on Beauty and the Beast.
The Giant in Repose: A Scandinavian myth retold. It's about your destiny and stuff. I'm weird and I didn't like it that much. All the elements were there. The characters, the origin, the heroic middle and genre-defying ending. But the author needs to become a stronger story teller.
The Hush of Feathers, The Clamor of Wings: The familiar story of the sister who is forced into silence until she makes nettle shirts for her 7 brothers turned swans (pigeons in this case). This one's also set in the modern world, but it didn't make as much sense in this case. The choice seemed to be deliberate, but unnecessary in the end. The twist in this one is that it's told from the point of view of the brother who did not want to be turned back into a human, costing the freedom of his sister. It's about selfishness and sacrificed at the cost of another. Quite a doozy, and I liked it.
Eat Me, Drink Me, Love Me: A retelling of the Goblin Market. I've already read two of those, and I have to say that this one was the most messed up one. Not a fan, unfortunately. For a better one, read [b:Lips Touch: Three Times|7638021|Lips Touch Three Times|Laini Taylor|http://d202m5krfqbpi5.cloudfront.net/books/1348745780s/7638021.jpg|6556598]
The Mirror Tells All: Meeeeh. A modern day, creepy Snow White story. Not executed well, too confusing. I'm all for unresolved endings, but you need to give us a bone here.
Blanchefleur: The longest tale, and one of my favorites. I loved the hero's journey feel to it. And the sassy kitty. Mreow.
Great collection!
-I got a free ARC in exchange for an honest review-
tehani's review against another edition
5.0
Engrossing anthology that threw up delights at every turn of the page. Thoroughly enjoyable, nicely tinged with an edge of dark, highly recommended.
felinity's review against another edition
3.0
As always, with an anthology, there are some stories you love, some which challenge you, some which confuse you, some which are surprisingly short, and usually one you just don't like for some reason, and this was no exception. Most of these stories meld the old and the new, so read on to see Puss In Boots, Beauty and the Beast, the Twelve Dancing Princesses, Sleeping Beauty and Red Riding Hood - amongst others - in a very different way. You'll find role reversals and substitutions, all in the same world of fairy tales and legend where promises are broken or kept with terrible or wonderful consequences, but maybe seen from a different viewpoint or where the focus of the story is new.
In the end it was hard to decide on a rating. By choice it would be 3.5 stars, but as GR doesn't do half-stars I was leaning towards 4 stars, before realizing that I probably wouldn't seek this out for a reread and therefore decided to round down. Don't think I didn't enjoy it though, because I did, and I may reread a couple of the stories again, I just wouldn't seek out the anthology.
Disclaimer: I received a free copy from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.
In the end it was hard to decide on a rating. By choice it would be 3.5 stars, but as GR doesn't do half-stars I was leaning towards 4 stars, before realizing that I probably wouldn't seek this out for a reread and therefore decided to round down. Don't think I didn't enjoy it though, because I did, and I may reread a couple of the stories again, I just wouldn't seek out the anthology.
Disclaimer: I received a free copy from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.
elephant's review against another edition
3.0
This is a collection of short stories that are fairy tales, mostly based upon older stories. While I did like some of the stories - very much - there were more that I did not enjoy than there were that I enjoyed. My favorites were the stories "Castle of Masks", "The Giant in Repose", and Blanchefleur". They are original and unique and interesting fairy tale like stories. I received this book free to review from Netgalley.
madarauchiha's review
adventurous
emotional
funny
lighthearted
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? N/A
- Strong character development? N/A
- Loveable characters? N/A
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? N/A
4.0
β€οΈ 𧑠π π π π my about / byf / CW info carrd: uchiha-madara π π π π 𧑠β€οΈ
I loved this collection because it didn't go into that cringy grimdark edgy nonsense that every white cis author attempts at some point.
favorites: The Coin of Heartβs Desire by Yoon Ha Lee, Castle of Masks by Cory Skerry, The Hush of Feathers, the Clamor of Wings by A. C. Wise
Content warnings:
β The Coin of Heartβs Desire by Yoon Ha Lee
major orphaning, parental death, unreality,
β The Lenten Rose by Genevieve Valentine
minor eye trauma,
β The Spinning Wheelβs Tale by Jane Yolen
skipped
β Below the Sun Beneath by Tanith Lee
minor femicide, misogyny, rape, ableist c slur, domestic abuse
medium wars, starvation, whorephobic language
major misogyny, medium
β Warrior Dreams by Cinda Williams Chima
major anti indigenous racism. No further CW. Stop using w.dig.os in horror stories already, goddamn.
β Born and Bread by Kaaron Warren
major body horror, gore, unsanitary, incest, sexual harassment, necrophilia
β Tales That Fairies Tell by Richard Bowes
n/e
β Sleeping Beauty of Elista by Ekaterina Sedia
major child death, serophobia, aids, medical scenarios
β The Road of Needles by CaitlΓn R. Kiernan
medium body horror
major diseases
β Lupine by Nisi Shawl
major child abuse
β Flight by Angela Slatter
minor gore, q slur in non homophobic context, anti Rromani g slur, ableist c slur
medium rape threat
major body horror, slavery, gore, torture
β Egg by Priya Sharma
minor emetophobia, spiders,
major child birth, body horror, insects, unsanitary, bruises
β Castle of Masks by Cory Skerry
minor rape,
major femicide, misogyny, murder, death, gore,
β The Giant in Repose by Nathan Ballingrud
medium unsanitary
major death, imprisonment, kidnapping, body horror,
β The Hush of Feathers, the Clamor of Wings by A. C. Wise
major NSFW scene, body horror, gore,
β Eat Me, Drink Me, Love Me by Christopher Barzak
minor poison, q slur,
medium death, eye trauma,
major internalized lesbophobia, antiblack racism?, colorism,
β The Mirror Tells All by Erzebet YellowBoy
major child neglect,
β Blanchefleur by Theodora Goss
minor fire, arson, demolition
medium drowning, parental death, kidnapping, police
major violence, fire, dogs wolves, murder, child neglect, child abuse,
I loved this collection because it didn't go into that cringy grimdark edgy nonsense that every white cis author attempts at some point.
favorites: The Coin of Heartβs Desire by Yoon Ha Lee, Castle of Masks by Cory Skerry, The Hush of Feathers, the Clamor of Wings by A. C. Wise
Content warnings:
β The Coin of Heartβs Desire by Yoon Ha Lee
major orphaning, parental death, unreality,
β The Lenten Rose by Genevieve Valentine
minor eye trauma,
β The Spinning Wheelβs Tale by Jane Yolen
skipped
β Below the Sun Beneath by Tanith Lee
minor femicide, misogyny, rape, ableist c slur, domestic abuse
medium wars, starvation, whorephobic language
major misogyny, medium
β Warrior Dreams by Cinda Williams Chima
major anti indigenous racism. No further CW. Stop using w.dig.os in horror stories already, goddamn.
β Born and Bread by Kaaron Warren
major body horror, gore, unsanitary, incest, sexual harassment, necrophilia
β Tales That Fairies Tell by Richard Bowes
n/e
β Sleeping Beauty of Elista by Ekaterina Sedia
major child death, serophobia, aids, medical scenarios
β The Road of Needles by CaitlΓn R. Kiernan
medium body horror
major diseases
β Lupine by Nisi Shawl
major child abuse
β Flight by Angela Slatter
minor gore, q slur in non homophobic context, anti Rromani g slur, ableist c slur
medium rape threat
major body horror, slavery, gore, torture
β Egg by Priya Sharma
minor emetophobia, spiders,
major child birth, body horror, insects, unsanitary, bruises
β Castle of Masks by Cory Skerry
minor rape,
major femicide, misogyny, murder, death, gore,
β The Giant in Repose by Nathan Ballingrud
medium unsanitary
major death, imprisonment, kidnapping, body horror,
β The Hush of Feathers, the Clamor of Wings by A. C. Wise
major NSFW scene, body horror, gore,
β Eat Me, Drink Me, Love Me by Christopher Barzak
minor poison, q slur,
medium death, eye trauma,
major internalized lesbophobia, antiblack racism?, colorism,
β The Mirror Tells All by Erzebet YellowBoy
major child neglect,
β Blanchefleur by Theodora Goss
minor fire, arson, demolition
medium drowning, parental death, kidnapping, police
major violence, fire, dogs wolves, murder, child neglect, child abuse,
Content Warnings
Graphic: Ableism, Homophobia, Misogyny, and Murder
kaylana's review against another edition
4.0
This is a fabulous collection of fairy-tale retellings. Some were obviously better than others. But I really adored most of them. More comprehensive review soon.
glennisleblanc's review
3.0
A good solid collection of fairy tales that are a retellings of older stories. I liked Keirnan's take on Little Red Riding Hood and Yolen's Sleeping Beauty from a different viewpoint was fun. Not every story was a remix of another story but took the bones of fairy tales and made them into new stories. IT certainly reminded me of they Datlow and Windling collections of stories and I hope there will be more.
Digital review copy provided by the publisher through Netgalley.
Digital review copy provided by the publisher through Netgalley.
ruthsic's review
4.0
Fairytale retellings in an anthology - I was so drawn in by it. I have read anthologies before, but I don't think any retelling-based ones. So, while it took me some time to finish it, thanks to some slow stories around the middle of the book, I am glad I completed it. I found the best stories at the start and finish of the book.
The stories I liked best were Coin of Heart's Desire, Blanchefleur and Flight - they were innovative and beautifully written, at times combining two or more tales into one enjoyable story. Others like Lupine, Castle of Masks, Warrior Dreams and Below the Sun Beneath had interesting twists to the original stories, especially Castle of Masks, which was essentially a gender bender on the Beauty and Beast tale with a dash of Bluebeard thrown in. See, that's the thing I love about retellings - how an age-old story can still be made more interesting by a few tweaks. Some stories like Egg, The Giant in Repose, The Spinning Wheel Tale and Eat Me, Drink Me, Love Me were more like deep philosophy than stories - they went beyond what a story is and made me question the essence of stories and why we have them. Eat Me, Drink Me, Love Me tells a story within a story - it tells of what makes it to the ears of the listeners and how much more of the story is hidden by the storyteller. While I enjoyed more than half of the stories of the book, some of them really didn't sit right with me, an example being Born and Bread - it was downright creepy, even by Grimm standards. I really didn't get the meaning of that story. Other creepy stories included Egg, The Hush of Feathers, the Clamor of Wings and The Mirror tells All - they may have been well-written but the plot felt so weird. Finally, The Lenten Rose, Sleeping Beauty of Elista and The Road of Needles were not so well-written - in the case of Lenten Rose, keeping the timeline straight gave me a headache, while Sleeping Beauty of Elista hid behind all its symbolism and The Road of Needles was just plain exhausting to read.
So, I think this is the first time I am reviewing an anthology, though I have read quite a few. The thing about anthologies is that with so many different authors, and so many discontionus stories, it becomes difficult to judge the book overall. Story by story, I have reviewed each to compile them into the review above, while keeping in mind the theme of the anthology. Overall, it's a good collection of stories - all may not be straight retellings but a mixture of tales and anybody who enjoys them would find this book to be good. I particularly loved the introduction before each story, in which each author told the story behind the story, the inspiration as well as what they wanted to tell.
Received a copy via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.
The stories I liked best were Coin of Heart's Desire, Blanchefleur and Flight - they were innovative and beautifully written, at times combining two or more tales into one enjoyable story. Others like Lupine, Castle of Masks, Warrior Dreams and Below the Sun Beneath had interesting twists to the original stories, especially Castle of Masks, which was essentially a gender bender on the Beauty and Beast tale with a dash of Bluebeard thrown in. See, that's the thing I love about retellings - how an age-old story can still be made more interesting by a few tweaks. Some stories like Egg, The Giant in Repose, The Spinning Wheel Tale and Eat Me, Drink Me, Love Me were more like deep philosophy than stories - they went beyond what a story is and made me question the essence of stories and why we have them. Eat Me, Drink Me, Love Me tells a story within a story - it tells of what makes it to the ears of the listeners and how much more of the story is hidden by the storyteller. While I enjoyed more than half of the stories of the book, some of them really didn't sit right with me, an example being Born and Bread - it was downright creepy, even by Grimm standards. I really didn't get the meaning of that story. Other creepy stories included Egg, The Hush of Feathers, the Clamor of Wings and The Mirror tells All - they may have been well-written but the plot felt so weird. Finally, The Lenten Rose, Sleeping Beauty of Elista and The Road of Needles were not so well-written - in the case of Lenten Rose, keeping the timeline straight gave me a headache, while Sleeping Beauty of Elista hid behind all its symbolism and The Road of Needles was just plain exhausting to read.
So, I think this is the first time I am reviewing an anthology, though I have read quite a few. The thing about anthologies is that with so many different authors, and so many discontionus stories, it becomes difficult to judge the book overall. Story by story, I have reviewed each to compile them into the review above, while keeping in mind the theme of the anthology. Overall, it's a good collection of stories - all may not be straight retellings but a mixture of tales and anybody who enjoys them would find this book to be good. I particularly loved the introduction before each story, in which each author told the story behind the story, the inspiration as well as what they wanted to tell.
Received a copy via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.
More...