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theangrystackrat's review against another edition
dark
emotional
reflective
relaxing
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? N/A
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? N/A
3.0
scorpstar77's review against another edition
4.75
Such an interesting and fun way to re-examine old fairy tales. I love fairytales and folklore anyway, and these are written very well - they feel like old fairy tales, but with a bit of a gentle feminist twist on them. Super-lovely and enjoyable.
abbeyholland's review against another edition
2.0
I was so disappointed in this book! I really wanted it to be the queer fairytale retellings of my dreams but each story was so simplistic and short that left me feeling let down.
It was somehow both not queer enough and not fairytale enough. It felt like I was rereading the same story repeatedly towards the end
sjess421's review against another edition
adventurous
reflective
relaxing
fast-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
4.0
midnight_voss's review against another edition
2.0
I'm ambivalent about this book, to tell the truth. Like others, the objective behind writing the book the way the author has is something I definitely would be interested in. Flipping the script on fairy tales. Making them less heteronormative.
But in the end, the book doesn't do enough of either. I'm disappointed and unsatisfied, especially with a title such as Kissing the Witch, which is provocative, whereas the stories themselves are pretty bland when it comes to the romance and less than scandalous when it comes to upending the message of each story. Each character grows up and bleeds or swells and gets curves (apparently all women have the same experience with puberty). A lot of the threat of each story is taken out of the narrative and attributed to each female lead's own actions or poor choices (um, thanks for that), and I only ID'd three actual couples, but it was written so obliquely that it was hard to tell. It feels like the narrative is that mostly, women create their own social situations, and are responsible for the bad things that happen to them.
Unless your father is a crazy pedophile, in which case, it's okay to turn into a cannibal.
A redeeming factor is the interesting nested plot... but I spent a lot of time as I was reading trying to figure out why each character was connected to the other in the way that they were, and how they got from the"ending" of their own tale to where they meet the heroine in the story before. The book tries very hard to be clever, but it just falls short.
I think of all the Tales, the ones that stuck out for me the most were the Rose and the Skin (the latter, if only for sheer brutality).
But in the end, the book doesn't do enough of either. I'm disappointed and unsatisfied, especially with a title such as Kissing the Witch, which is provocative, whereas the stories themselves are pretty bland when it comes to the romance and less than scandalous when it comes to upending the message of each story. Each character grows up and bleeds or swells and gets curves (apparently all women have the same experience with puberty). A lot of the threat of each story is taken out of the narrative and attributed to each female lead's own actions or poor choices (um, thanks for that), and I only ID'd three actual couples, but it was written so obliquely that it was hard to tell. It feels like the narrative is that mostly, women create their own social situations, and are responsible for the bad things that happen to them.
Unless your father is a crazy pedophile, in which case, it's okay to turn into a cannibal.
A redeeming factor is the interesting nested plot... but I spent a lot of time as I was reading trying to figure out why each character was connected to the other in the way that they were, and how they got from the"ending" of their own tale to where they meet the heroine in the story before. The book tries very hard to be clever, but it just falls short.
I think of all the Tales, the ones that stuck out for me the most were the Rose and the Skin (the latter, if only for sheer brutality).
suzemo's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
emotional
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
I loved the stories and how they were framed.
Each of these is a riff on a classic fairy tale - and each narrator is a character in the previous short story, so main character might ask a secondary character "who were you before you were the evil queen" or somesuch and the next story would have that character's backstory (which was another character).
I found it charming.
The stories and characters are snappy and (of course), not the typical story you've heard before. Either the story is sadder or more dramatic than the previous or there is a very interesting lesson to be learnt (much like folktales used to be).
Each of these is a riff on a classic fairy tale - and each narrator is a character in the previous short story, so main character might ask a secondary character "who were you before you were the evil queen" or somesuch and the next story would have that character's backstory (which was another character).
I found it charming.
The stories and characters are snappy and (of course), not the typical story you've heard before. Either the story is sadder or more dramatic than the previous or there is a very interesting lesson to be learnt (much like folktales used to be).
pages_n_puzzles's review against another edition
2.0
This book was mostly enjoyable to listen to, but the structure made each story somewhat disappointingly incomplete. I liked the worlds created but felt we did not stay in them long enough
wazbar's review against another edition
emotional
reflective
tense
fast-paced
5.0
I got this for my spouse who has a weakness for retellings of classics and folktales, especially feminist ones, and she loved it. I devoured it in an afternoon and agree. The pitch is "retellings of thirteen fairy tales from the perspectives of their heroines that make almost all of them textually gay," and it's really good.
ashley_choo's review against another edition
4.0
Interesting plots of familiar fairy tales, but only a few stood out, like Rapunzel and Hansel & Gretel
sleepysamreads's review against another edition
5.0
Wow, I've been rating so many books 5 stars lately! It's so out of character for me.
This book was simply gorgeous. It's everything I ever wanted from fairytales. I love how simple the writing is, and although it is simple is really is beautifully written. I also love how one story lead into the next.
I loved it so much I wish it was longer, and included more stories.
This book was simply gorgeous. It's everything I ever wanted from fairytales. I love how simple the writing is, and although it is simple is really is beautifully written. I also love how one story lead into the next.
I loved it so much I wish it was longer, and included more stories.