Reviews

Tangleweed and Brine by Deirdre Sullivan

Only show reviews with written explanations

lja207's review

Didn't hate this book but I feel like a lot was lost by listening it rather than reading. It's not a book you can multi task with.
I'll try again with the paperback ☺️

hellevimediheli's review

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dark hopeful inspiring reflective medium-paced

4.5

norastar's review

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dark reflective sad slow-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? It's complicated
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

4.25

bladelikesbooks's review

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dark fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character

3.0

**SPOILER REVIEW**

I loved the gothic vibe of the stories and the audio reading was fantastic. I feel very indifferent about this book because although there were a few that I really loved and some that I found super interesting, there were some that I just didn’t care for at all. I think the way Sullivan retells these stories is really quite unique, and at least for me, gave me a new perspective on these stories and their potential.

For example, I was expecting the Cinderella retelling still following the marriage storyline in some way, but it’s just about her escaping and she never even attends the ball which is new to me and I thought it was a cool take.

My favourite was probably the Hansel and Gretel retelling. It was about the witch who owns the house made of candy. It tells you about her upbringing and how she was treated cruelly and she built the house to get her own space away from people and she chose to make it out of food so she can feed the malnourished and neglected people who find their way to her house.

Although I rated this low, I’d still say it’s worth the read and if you’re more into classic fairytales than I am, and especially if you love gothic retellings, I think you’d definitely enjoy this. I will say though that this book has some heavy trigger warnings so please check those before you read.

Representation - Sapphic (MC)

TWs/CWs - Abandonment; Animal Death; Arranged Marriage; Blood; Body Horror; Child Abuse; Child Bride; Child Death; Corpse; Death; Death of a Parent; Domestic Abuse; Drowning; Fire/Fire Injury; Gore; Harassment; Human Trafficking; Hunting; Incest; Misogyny; Murder; Mutilation; Neglect; Physical Abuse; Possession; Pregnancy; Rape; Sexual Assault; Sexual Harassment; Suicide; Whipping

fiona_claffey_kelly's review

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4.0

Such a delightful collection of fairy tale retellings with a feminist twist. Appropriately spooky and atmospheric with a mix of some of the best known fairy tales and some lesser known.
I was delighted to see one character in particular interpreted very clearly as autistic with out the author ever spelling it out, but allowing the superstitions of the past about autism to be reflected in the surrounding characters attitudes, but accurately portraying autism in a way that makes it clear to any modern reader in any way familiar with the subject why the character is 'different'.
I also enjoyed the collection's redemptive focus on witches and women in general.