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annettebooksofhopeanddreams's review against another edition
4.0
How to make sure Annette buys your book: One - invite Christina Henry and Neil Gaiman to write a story for your book. Two - make the theme Fairy Tales. Three - make them dark. This book kind of screamed my name. Well, not literally that would have been weird. I was therefore kinda disappointed that it took this long to reach me, even though I had pre-ordered it months in advance. But, I got it and I hadn't read any spoilers yet.
It's always hard to rate a collection of stories. Like with every Anthology there were stories I loved to pieces and will carry with me and will tell my friends and family and everyone who does and doesn't want to listen. But, there were also stories that didn't grab me or stories I might have to read again to fully understand their meaning. I guess that's normal. Not every story is for everyone and not every writer is for everyone.
However, all these stories had one thing in common: They were all beautifully written and really atmospheric. There was not one story that I hated or had to force my way through. They all embraced the theme of the anthology and went wild with it. If you think you know what Dark in this title means, you will have to think again. Some of those stories were much and much darker than anything I could ever imagine. And I loved them for it.
It's hard to pick favorites, but the stories that impressed me the most are the Snow White/Bluebeard/Beauty and the Beast mash up Henry wrote, the story slightly based on the Red Shoes, the story of the man who lost his popularity, the spin on Wendy Darling and the story of the demon box that fulfills wishes. I'm certain I will re-read quite a few of those stories quite often. Just because I can.
It's always hard to rate a collection of stories. Like with every Anthology there were stories I loved to pieces and will carry with me and will tell my friends and family and everyone who does and doesn't want to listen. But, there were also stories that didn't grab me or stories I might have to read again to fully understand their meaning. I guess that's normal. Not every story is for everyone and not every writer is for everyone.
However, all these stories had one thing in common: They were all beautifully written and really atmospheric. There was not one story that I hated or had to force my way through. They all embraced the theme of the anthology and went wild with it. If you think you know what Dark in this title means, you will have to think again. Some of those stories were much and much darker than anything I could ever imagine. And I loved them for it.
It's hard to pick favorites, but the stories that impressed me the most are the Snow White/Bluebeard/Beauty and the Beast mash up Henry wrote, the story slightly based on the Red Shoes, the story of the man who lost his popularity, the spin on Wendy Darling and the story of the demon box that fulfills wishes. I'm certain I will re-read quite a few of those stories quite often. Just because I can.
sareadings's review against another edition
dark
emotional
funny
hopeful
mysterious
reflective
sad
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? N/A
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.25
hannahparadise's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
funny
mysterious
sad
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? N/A
- Strong character development? N/A
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
Content Warnings
Graphic: Sexual assault and Self harm
lsparrow's review against another edition
3.0
The first few stories we my favorites in this collection. The further the stories strayed from a fairytale format the less I enjoyed them. Some great authors in this collection.
rsksmith's review against another edition
fast-paced
4.5
Overall very strong anthology! I love a dark fairy tale retelling, which most of these are. Only 2 of all the stories didn’t hold my interest, many are creepy and a few are funny - it flew by!
punkcalf's review against another edition
3.0
It's almost impossible to rate and review an anthology. There were some really good stories in there that I absolutely enjoyed.
Others... not so much. There were three stories that I couldn't make heads or tails off. It was confusing, messy and with prose that was impossible to follow.
Some stories suffered because of their length. A few I found way too short for what they were trying to do. Others were too long so it felt like a drag. It doesn't help that the book puts the two longest stories near the back which really had me fatigued.
This book took me forever to get through, which why it gets three stars, rather than four.
If you like stories about people being cursed in one way or the other; do check it out as the stories that I enjoyed ARE fun but if this isn't your thing; leave it.
Others... not so much. There were three stories that I couldn't make heads or tails off. It was confusing, messy and with prose that was impossible to follow.
Some stories suffered because of their length. A few I found way too short for what they were trying to do. Others were too long so it felt like a drag. It doesn't help that the book puts the two longest stories near the back which really had me fatigued.
This book took me forever to get through, which why it gets three stars, rather than four.
If you like stories about people being cursed in one way or the other; do check it out as the stories that I enjoyed ARE fun but if this isn't your thing; leave it.
giada_g's review against another edition
dark
mysterious
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? N/A
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.25
eveningjaye's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
mysterious
medium-paced
4.0
like any anthology it has it highs and lows but overall it was a very fun read