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samd's review
3.0
ARC, NetGalley, etc.
This was cute! Some of the stories were stronger than the others--I couldn't make it more than a virtual page and a half through "The Thief's Daughter" because I can't bear that kind of tuff-chik first-person voice--but I enjoyed most of the stories. Standouts:
Bearskin by Andrea Speed - A former soldier makes a deal with the devil: spend three years as an bear pelt-clad outcast, and you get all the wealth you want. Fail, and go to hell. This had the most pitch-perfect fairytale voice in the volume. I could have been reading something out of the Blue Fairy Book, only it was gay.
The Mercenary's Wedding by Keelan Ellis- Genderfluid Seven Swans, ish.
No Witch's Brew by Helena Maeve- A mystery set in fantasy post-WWI London. The mystery is mostly nonsense, but the atmosphere and romance were A+++++. The summary is misleading! It's actually from the half-goblin's point of view.
Dance Away by KM Penemue - Man, I feel bad that 3/4 my four faves were the m/m stories. Anyway, this the one story from the book I'd want to see become a novella: princesses in love outwitting a villain to save a beloved sister. Nice.
This was cute! Some of the stories were stronger than the others--I couldn't make it more than a virtual page and a half through "The Thief's Daughter" because I can't bear that kind of tuff-chik first-person voice--but I enjoyed most of the stories. Standouts:
Bearskin by Andrea Speed - A former soldier makes a deal with the devil: spend three years as an bear pelt-clad outcast, and you get all the wealth you want. Fail, and go to hell. This had the most pitch-perfect fairytale voice in the volume. I could have been reading something out of the Blue Fairy Book, only it was gay.
The Mercenary's Wedding by Keelan Ellis- Genderfluid Seven Swans, ish.
No Witch's Brew by Helena Maeve- A mystery set in fantasy post-WWI London. The mystery is mostly nonsense, but the atmosphere and romance were A+++++. The summary is misleading! It's actually from the half-goblin's point of view.
Dance Away by KM Penemue - Man, I feel bad that 3/4 my four faves were the m/m stories. Anyway, this the one story from the book I'd want to see become a novella: princesses in love outwitting a villain to save a beloved sister. Nice.
jorammii's review
3.0
A collection of 8 gender slashed fairy tales. Most of these were pretty cute. Some stories are very sexually explicit, you have been warned.
Since it’s an anthology I’ll do a mini review of each individual short story using the summaries from the book (and also on Goodreads).
Diversity: +8
Race/Ethnicity: +2
Culture: +2 (Some used a basis of folk tales from different countries)
Gender: +2
Physical Disability: +/-2 (Like classic fairy tales, several fell into much of the same tropes about ugliness and physical disability being equated to evil, dirty, or unworthy)
Neurodiversity: +0 (None)
LGBTQ+: +2
Socioeconomic status: +/-2 (Princesses, kings, queens, earls, maids…)
After Ever After -Nicole Field
I didn’t really like this one very much. It felt very bland. Lotte basically talked down to Meg because she didn’t know how to talk to her as a princess should. Then she spends their days complaining about shopping and having to socialize with the queen and other ladies in the court until Meg confronts her about how insensitive it is when she spends her days working hard in the castle. Yet Lotte falls in love with her because Philip chooses to spend a few nights alone and Meg reminds her of her humble beginnings. She did also send Meg away without taking about what was best for her… So it was cute overall, but a drag to read through.
Bearskin -Andrea Speed
This story fit perfectly into my notion of a fairy tale. I really enjoyed reading the cute moments between Arron and Joran. Arron is a misfit who falls in love with another misfit for his personality and teaches some spoiled brats a lesson about superficiality and vanity. Super cute and a refreshingly new tale.
No Witch’s Brew -Helena Maeve
This has many qualities of Snow White and the Seven Dwarves with the stepson named Snow, the seven sick women and the poisoned apples. It was a new and interesting take, but kind of difficult to get into. The world building was somewhat confusing and there were almost no explanations given for minor details. I also was not a fan of the characters themselves. TBH I skipped this one after a page and had to come back and read it later, so I was not impressed.
Lovers at the Lake -Asta Idonea
I really enjoyed this for the fact that it’s based on The Little Mermaid. I don’t know if that’s giving away too much of the plot. But I didn’t like the pact that Dusan made and how it ended up playing out. I wish it were more like the original Little Mermaid tale, even if she had to give up her love and being a mermaid.
The Mercenary’s Wedding -Keelan Ellis
I LOVED this story. It features the only openly trans character in the anthology. The queen was pregnant with her seventh son when she desperately wanted a daughter. After visiting a mysterious old woman in the woods, she gives birth to a beautiful baby girl.. who acts and dresses like the rest of her sons. Every year, on her birthday, one of her brothers falls ill so the king and queen try to marry her off. Unassuming Algar, common born and an ex-soldier, decides to court her, but also falls for the sly Puck that visits him in the evenings and at night. He falls in love with both Adeline and Puck only to realize *spoiler alert* they’re the same person.
The Thief’s Daughter -Tess Amram
A modern and “edgy” take on Beauty and the Beast. I liked the concept but wish there had been more romance between the women. We got familiar companionship at best.
Dance Away -K.M. Penemue
I also LOVED this story. I can easily see it as a full-length fantasy YA novel. It’s a beautiful blend of Sleeping Beauty and the Twelve Dancing Princesses. I just wanted to spend more time in this world and get to know everyone in it.
In the Land of the Damned -Camillia Quinn
This is an absolutely bizarre way to end the anthology. I enjoyed the parallel to the Odyssey and Dante’s Inferno. It was a little bit too much sexually explicit without character development to go with it and a hint at taking advantage of someone(?)
https://jorammiireads.tumblr.com/post/159168256879/fairytales-slashed-volume-7
Since it’s an anthology I’ll do a mini review of each individual short story using the summaries from the book (and also on Goodreads).
Diversity: +8
Race/Ethnicity: +2
Culture: +2 (Some used a basis of folk tales from different countries)
Gender: +2
Physical Disability: +/-2 (Like classic fairy tales, several fell into much of the same tropes about ugliness and physical disability being equated to evil, dirty, or unworthy)
Neurodiversity: +0 (None)
LGBTQ+: +2
Socioeconomic status: +/-2 (Princesses, kings, queens, earls, maids…)
After Ever After -Nicole Field
I didn’t really like this one very much. It felt very bland. Lotte basically talked down to Meg because she didn’t know how to talk to her as a princess should. Then she spends their days complaining about shopping and having to socialize with the queen and other ladies in the court until Meg confronts her about how insensitive it is when she spends her days working hard in the castle. Yet Lotte falls in love with her because Philip chooses to spend a few nights alone and Meg reminds her of her humble beginnings. She did also send Meg away without taking about what was best for her… So it was cute overall, but a drag to read through.
Bearskin -Andrea Speed
This story fit perfectly into my notion of a fairy tale. I really enjoyed reading the cute moments between Arron and Joran. Arron is a misfit who falls in love with another misfit for his personality and teaches some spoiled brats a lesson about superficiality and vanity. Super cute and a refreshingly new tale.
No Witch’s Brew -Helena Maeve
This has many qualities of Snow White and the Seven Dwarves with the stepson named Snow, the seven sick women and the poisoned apples. It was a new and interesting take, but kind of difficult to get into. The world building was somewhat confusing and there were almost no explanations given for minor details. I also was not a fan of the characters themselves. TBH I skipped this one after a page and had to come back and read it later, so I was not impressed.
Lovers at the Lake -Asta Idonea
I really enjoyed this for the fact that it’s based on The Little Mermaid. I don’t know if that’s giving away too much of the plot. But I didn’t like the pact that Dusan made and how it ended up playing out. I wish it were more like the original Little Mermaid tale, even if she had to give up her love and being a mermaid.
The Mercenary’s Wedding -Keelan Ellis
I LOVED this story. It features the only openly trans character in the anthology. The queen was pregnant with her seventh son when she desperately wanted a daughter. After visiting a mysterious old woman in the woods, she gives birth to a beautiful baby girl.. who acts and dresses like the rest of her sons. Every year, on her birthday, one of her brothers falls ill so the king and queen try to marry her off. Unassuming Algar, common born and an ex-soldier, decides to court her, but also falls for the sly Puck that visits him in the evenings and at night. He falls in love with both Adeline and Puck only to realize *spoiler alert* they’re the same person.
The Thief’s Daughter -Tess Amram
A modern and “edgy” take on Beauty and the Beast. I liked the concept but wish there had been more romance between the women. We got familiar companionship at best.
Dance Away -K.M. Penemue
I also LOVED this story. I can easily see it as a full-length fantasy YA novel. It’s a beautiful blend of Sleeping Beauty and the Twelve Dancing Princesses. I just wanted to spend more time in this world and get to know everyone in it.
In the Land of the Damned -Camillia Quinn
This is an absolutely bizarre way to end the anthology. I enjoyed the parallel to the Odyssey and Dante’s Inferno. It was a little bit too much sexually explicit without character development to go with it and a hint at taking advantage of someone(?)
https://jorammiireads.tumblr.com/post/159168256879/fairytales-slashed-volume-7
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