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juliwi's review against another edition
3.0
I have been crushing on fairy tale adaptations, such as Angela Carter's, so I decided I should have a look at this collection of fairy stories as well, especially considering it features stories by a couple of YA authors I haven't read anything by yet. And I'd say that overall this was definitely an enjoyable read.
This collection is quite short, if you ask me. I almost raced through it, not necessarily because the stories were so amazing but because each of them is relatively short and it was quite easy to move on from the different stories. With the actual Grimms' fairytales, I usually had one read to me and then, as a child, I would be thinking about it, imagining different endings or beginnings, i.e. each fairytale stuck with me in its own right. This didn't happen for me for most of these stories. I found it really easy to move on and didn't become very connected to most of the characters or the plots. Whether this is my fault for picking it as my travelling read for today or whether it reflects on the stories themselves I don't know.
There are a ton of issues in reviewing a collection because you can't discuss each story but you don't want to ignore any of the authors either. So I'm going to discuss the two different categories of stories that I saw: the inspired and the original stories. Those inspired by the classic fairytales I think I generally enjoyed more. Ironically, I again found myself most excited by those derived from Beauty and the Beast and especially 'Beauty and the Chad' by Sarah Rees Brennan, whose Unspoken I love as well. This story seems to have real potential for gender discussions and Brennan really went with this and wrote not only a very entertaining story, but also raised some really interesting points. The original stories occasionally lacked what I feel is essential to fairytales: a clear moral. Although this means occasionally fairytales become preachy, they fulfill their purpose to teach.
The writing in general was quite good. Each of the authors managed to set the scene and create characters that acted quite convincingly. I was very happy to see it lacked those cliche 'love at first sight' moments and has given me hope that there are good YA novels out there. Of course I know they're out there, but they can be hard to find and now I've been given a whole list of authors to check out. Each story did have it's own style and was different in how it chose to narrate and show the action.
I would recommend this collection to either YA fans or fairytale fans, but if neither is really your genre, there's not a lot for you here. I enjoyed reading it but kind of flew through it without being too affected. This is not the place to find any kind of deep emotions related to these narratives.
This collection is quite short, if you ask me. I almost raced through it, not necessarily because the stories were so amazing but because each of them is relatively short and it was quite easy to move on from the different stories. With the actual Grimms' fairytales, I usually had one read to me and then, as a child, I would be thinking about it, imagining different endings or beginnings, i.e. each fairytale stuck with me in its own right. This didn't happen for me for most of these stories. I found it really easy to move on and didn't become very connected to most of the characters or the plots. Whether this is my fault for picking it as my travelling read for today or whether it reflects on the stories themselves I don't know.
There are a ton of issues in reviewing a collection because you can't discuss each story but you don't want to ignore any of the authors either. So I'm going to discuss the two different categories of stories that I saw: the inspired and the original stories. Those inspired by the classic fairytales I think I generally enjoyed more. Ironically, I again found myself most excited by those derived from Beauty and the Beast and especially 'Beauty and the Chad' by Sarah Rees Brennan, whose Unspoken I love as well. This story seems to have real potential for gender discussions and Brennan really went with this and wrote not only a very entertaining story, but also raised some really interesting points. The original stories occasionally lacked what I feel is essential to fairytales: a clear moral. Although this means occasionally fairytales become preachy, they fulfill their purpose to teach.
The writing in general was quite good. Each of the authors managed to set the scene and create characters that acted quite convincingly. I was very happy to see it lacked those cliche 'love at first sight' moments and has given me hope that there are good YA novels out there. Of course I know they're out there, but they can be hard to find and now I've been given a whole list of authors to check out. Each story did have it's own style and was different in how it chose to narrate and show the action.
I would recommend this collection to either YA fans or fairytale fans, but if neither is really your genre, there's not a lot for you here. I enjoyed reading it but kind of flew through it without being too affected. This is not the place to find any kind of deep emotions related to these narratives.
myth's review against another edition
5.0
I'm going to be honest with you, I bought this (after staring agonizingly at it for a week or so) completely for the Sarah Rees Brennan short story, and that is what I'm basing the rating on. Give me a Beast (sorry, a Chad) with fluid sexuality and a genderfluid (probably) Beauty any day!
lazygal's review against another edition
4.0
It's always difficult rating an anthology, because one story may really be wonderful, others are "meh" and one really stink. That's not the case here, with several hitting the "wonderful" mark ("Beauty and Chad", I'm looking at you especially) and most being better than average. Does it matter if you don't know the lesser-known stories being retold? Not really. They're enjoyable on their own.
If only my students enjoyed story collections more... maybe this'll help.
ARC provided by publisher.
If only my students enjoyed story collections more... maybe this'll help.
ARC provided by publisher.
tashaw's review against another edition
4.0
Several good re-tellings in this anthology, particularly "The Key," "Figment,' "Thinner Than Water," and "A Real Boy."
calicokaels's review against another edition
5.0
Loved this short story! Definitely got me interested in reading more by Jackson Pearce
Merged review:
Loved the stories, and definitely has got me interest in reading some of the authors' other work. I think my favorite of all the stories was Untethered by Sonia Gensler.
Merged review:
Loved the stories, and definitely has got me interest in reading some of the authors' other work. I think my favorite of all the stories was Untethered by Sonia Gensler.
mellyexoh's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
mysterious
reflective
relaxing
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? N/A
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
julieartz's review against another edition
3.0
I hate giving a rating to an anthology like this because there were stories in here that, standing alone, would only get 2 stars from me, and a couple (especially Figment) that would not only get a five star, but a plea for more, more, more! I really wanted the collection as a whole to be more dark and creepy--the cover, the title, and book trailer really built up that dark aspect, but many of the stories were fairly straight-forward retellings.
One of the things that I love to hate about short stories is that I always want more. More character development, more world building, more depth. Sometimes this can be effective. Leaving a reader with longing after they walk away can be a sign of success. But some of these stories needed more to give them the emotional oomph they needed to stick with me.
That said, there are moments of brilliance in this book. If, like me, you are looking to discover some new favorites in the YA genre, this anthology is worth a read. Most of the stories, even the ones that felt too brief/abrupt to me, had something interesting enough for their authors to end up on my To Read list!
One of the things that I love to hate about short stories is that I always want more. More character development, more world building, more depth. Sometimes this can be effective. Leaving a reader with longing after they walk away can be a sign of success. But some of these stories needed more to give them the emotional oomph they needed to stick with me.
That said, there are moments of brilliance in this book. If, like me, you are looking to discover some new favorites in the YA genre, this anthology is worth a read. Most of the stories, even the ones that felt too brief/abrupt to me, had something interesting enough for their authors to end up on my To Read list!
kirstysbookshelf's review against another edition
3.0
This is a collection of short stories based on fairy tales written by a number of different authors. Some of the retellings are quite obvious but some of the stories are based on fairy tales that I have never heard of which was quite interesting.
I liked this collection- there were some good stories but there were also some that I didn't really like. However, overall I think that the stories were quite forgettable and nothing really stood out to me.
The Key by Rachel Hawkins- 3
Figment by Jeri Smith-Ready-4
The Twelfth Girl by Malinda Lo- 3.5
The Raven Princess by Jon Skovron- 3
Thinner Than Water by Saundra Mitchell-3
Before the Rose Bloomed by Ellen Hopkins- 2
Beast/Beast by Tessa Gratton-2
The Brothers Piggett by Julie Kagawa- 3
Untethered by Sonia Geniser- 2
Better by Shaun David Hutchinson- 3
Light It Up by Kimberley Derting- 2
Sharper Than A Serpent's Tongue by Christine Johnson-2
A Real Boy by Claudia Gray- 3
Skin Trade by Myra McEntire- 2
Beauty and the Chad by Sarah Rees Brennan- 3
The Pink by Amanda Hocking- 3
Sell Out by Jackson Pearce- 2
I liked this collection- there were some good stories but there were also some that I didn't really like. However, overall I think that the stories were quite forgettable and nothing really stood out to me.
The Key by Rachel Hawkins- 3
Figment by Jeri Smith-Ready-4
The Twelfth Girl by Malinda Lo- 3.5
The Raven Princess by Jon Skovron- 3
Thinner Than Water by Saundra Mitchell-3
Before the Rose Bloomed by Ellen Hopkins- 2
Beast/Beast by Tessa Gratton-2
The Brothers Piggett by Julie Kagawa- 3
Untethered by Sonia Geniser- 2
Better by Shaun David Hutchinson- 3
Light It Up by Kimberley Derting- 2
Sharper Than A Serpent's Tongue by Christine Johnson-2
A Real Boy by Claudia Gray- 3
Skin Trade by Myra McEntire- 2
Beauty and the Chad by Sarah Rees Brennan- 3
The Pink by Amanda Hocking- 3
Sell Out by Jackson Pearce- 2
mattstebbins's review against another edition
We originally meant to read this around Halloween...and then, well, we're how far into this pandemic now? I'm sure it read differently in January than it might have in October, but I'm still glad I worked my way through the collection. I think a really well-crafted short story is one of the hardest kinds of writing, and there were a few here that were executed particularly well. (There were also definitely some duds, but that's just part of most anthologies, right?)
Anyway. Even when I was familiar with the Grimm tale being reworked, I mostly enjoyed these and there are a few pieces I'm going to think about for some time. Fun!
Anyway. Even when I was familiar with the Grimm tale being reworked, I mostly enjoyed these and there are a few pieces I'm going to think about for some time. Fun!