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249 reviews for:
Cursed: An Anthology of Dark Fairy Tales
James Brogden, Jane Yolen, Jen Williams, Catriona Ward, Margo Lanagan, Karen Joy Fowler, Alison Littlewood, Marie O'Regan, Christopher Golden, Adam Stemple, Maura McHugh, Christina Henry, M. R. Carey, Paul Kane, A.G. Slatter, Christopher Fowler, Neil Gaiman, Lilith Saintcrow, Charlie Jane Anders, Tim Lebbon, Michael Marshall Smith
3.48 AVERAGE
249 reviews for:
Cursed: An Anthology of Dark Fairy Tales
James Brogden, Jane Yolen, Jen Williams, Catriona Ward, Margo Lanagan, Karen Joy Fowler, Alison Littlewood, Marie O'Regan, Christopher Golden, Adam Stemple, Maura McHugh, Christina Henry, M. R. Carey, Paul Kane, A.G. Slatter, Christopher Fowler, Neil Gaiman, Lilith Saintcrow, Charlie Jane Anders, Tim Lebbon, Michael Marshall Smith
3.48 AVERAGE
Me? Reading two dark fairy tale anthologies in a row? How out of character! Not. Jokes aside, I didn't enjoy this as much as other takes on the genre. My personal enjoyment varied more substantially, though I did like how some of the retellings were direct from specific fairy tales while others hovered more interpretively around the theme of curses generally. The latter type I liked more, and found them to be overall more creative and interesting.
Favorites from this collection include:
As Red As Blood, As White As Snow by Christina Henry. A new take on Sleeping Beauty in which the prince is a villainous scumbag and Beauty and the Queen team up.
Troll Bridge by Neil Gaiman. A young boy stumbles upon a hungry troll beneath a bridge and is drawn back again and again over the course of his life.
Henry And The Snakewood Box by M.R Carey. A demon tries to outsmart a dim-witted wish-maker and ends up getting the short end of the stick.
Again by Tim Lebbon. A surprisingly tender story in which a woman is cursed to die over and over and wake up in a new body, but always makes her way back to the woman she loves.
Favorites from this collection include:
As Red As Blood, As White As Snow by Christina Henry. A new take on Sleeping Beauty in which the prince is a villainous scumbag and Beauty and the Queen team up.
Troll Bridge by Neil Gaiman. A young boy stumbles upon a hungry troll beneath a bridge and is drawn back again and again over the course of his life.
Henry And The Snakewood Box by M.R Carey. A demon tries to outsmart a dim-witted wish-maker and ends up getting the short end of the stick.
Again by Tim Lebbon. A surprisingly tender story in which a woman is cursed to die over and over and wake up in a new body, but always makes her way back to the woman she loves.
Although the short stories are overall very compelling, some of them lack some background information or cohesion.
The mix of well-known authors with others that are not so popular gives the reader an opportunity to discover new writing styles and even new literary works. I particularly enjoyed some stories from the collection, like "Again" by Tim Lebbon, that could really make a great novel, but also the reinterpretations of classic fairytales, which were quite a gripping read.
The mix of well-known authors with others that are not so popular gives the reader an opportunity to discover new writing styles and even new literary works. I particularly enjoyed some stories from the collection, like "Again" by Tim Lebbon, that could really make a great novel, but also the reinterpretations of classic fairytales, which were quite a gripping read.
Anthologies are so tough to rate, because some stories can be excellent while others just don’t do it for me. That was the case here, I truly enjoyed reading many of these fairy tale inspired stories but I will confess that not many FELT like fairy tale retellings or inspo.
These range from dark retellings, to modern stories with hints of fairy tale life, to sci fi tellings, to a few short poems.
An enjoyable read but not sure I’d visit these again.
These range from dark retellings, to modern stories with hints of fairy tale life, to sci fi tellings, to a few short poems.
An enjoyable read but not sure I’d visit these again.
dark
It's hard to rate such a mixed bag of stories. The first half of the collection was a lot stronger than the second half, the best IMO unsurprisingly being by [a:M.R. Carey|7177350|M.R. Carey|https://images.gr-assets.com/authors/1388910761p2/7177350.jpg]. There were some I wanted to be longer, some that I just wanted to be over and one which really should have come with a trigger warning.
adventurous
dark
mysterious
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
adventurous
dark
funny
lighthearted
mysterious
sad
tense
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
N/A
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
I always find it hard to rate short story collections since some of the stories might be worth 5 starts, others 1. This one was a bit easier as there was no 1s or 2s in it, a couple 3s but mostly 4s and 5s. If Goodreads allowed for half stars, I'd rate it 4,5, but as it doesn't I rounded it up.
None of these stories were bad, a few were neutral in my opinion but I did enjoy most of them. Most noteworthy about this collection is that some of the stories - thinking especially of "Little Red" by Jane Yolen and Adam Stemple, and "Haza and Ghani" by Lilith Saintcrow, but also "Wendy, Darling" by Christopher Golden, and "New Wine" by Angela Slatter - would have needed some trigger/content warnings though. Of course, of these four, three were also my favorites, the 5 stars in the collection.
"Wendy, Darling" and "New Wine" would need content warning mostly due to the subject - death of ones child. Of the two, "Wendy Darling" - which is based on the classic fairy tale "Peter Pan" - was also a thought provoking story, that I read as a commentary on how bad it can go - and did go back in the day - when women's right to abortion is questioned, when so high standards are put on women when it comes to sex etc. "New Wine" was more of a mystery/crime novel that was okay, but lacked depth in my opinion.
"Little Red" (based on "Little Red Riding Hood") was an amazing read, quite a bit of a mind-twister. The TW:s I'd put on this are selfharm and insinuations (quite clear ones) of rape and childabuse. It is a story I'd like to see written out to a full length book, but oh my how it would be agony to read it though!
"Haza and Ghani" (based on "Hansel and Gretel") would need some gore triggers and also child abuse - but the latter one would be true for the original as well though. It was a intriguing read, albeit a bit gory at times. I found it to be quite a powerful story. This one I would also enjoy reading a lengthier version of.
As a last note on the whole collection: do not read it expecting happy ever after-endings. They're really not that kind of fairy tales!
None of these stories were bad, a few were neutral in my opinion but I did enjoy most of them. Most noteworthy about this collection is that some of the stories - thinking especially of "Little Red" by Jane Yolen and Adam Stemple, and "Haza and Ghani" by Lilith Saintcrow, but also "Wendy, Darling" by Christopher Golden, and "New Wine" by Angela Slatter - would have needed some trigger/content warnings though. Of course, of these four, three were also my favorites, the 5 stars in the collection.
"Wendy, Darling" and "New Wine" would need content warning mostly due to the subject - death of ones child. Of the two, "Wendy Darling" - which is based on the classic fairy tale "Peter Pan" - was also a thought provoking story, that I read as a commentary on how bad it can go - and did go back in the day - when women's right to abortion is questioned, when so high standards are put on women when it comes to sex etc. "New Wine" was more of a mystery/crime novel that was okay, but lacked depth in my opinion.
"Little Red" (based on "Little Red Riding Hood") was an amazing read, quite a bit of a mind-twister. The TW:s I'd put on this are selfharm and insinuations (quite clear ones) of rape and childabuse. It is a story I'd like to see written out to a full length book, but oh my how it would be agony to read it though!
"Haza and Ghani" (based on "Hansel and Gretel") would need some gore triggers and also child abuse - but the latter one would be true for the original as well though. It was a intriguing read, albeit a bit gory at times. I found it to be quite a powerful story. This one I would also enjoy reading a lengthier version of.
As a last note on the whole collection: do not read it expecting happy ever after-endings. They're really not that kind of fairy tales!
This anthology collection is brilliant. I really enjoyed all of these stories, however, a few stood out to me in particular:
- As Red as Blood, as White as Snow by Christina Henry
- At That Age by Catriona Ward
- Wendy, Darling by Christopher Golden
- Fairy Werewolf vs. Vampire Zombie by Charlie Jane Anders
- New Wine by Angela Slatter
If you love fairytale retellings and short stories this is a must-read. I love stories like this when with a little twist they are made dark and creepy.
- As Red as Blood, as White as Snow by Christina Henry
- At That Age by Catriona Ward
- Wendy, Darling by Christopher Golden
- Fairy Werewolf vs. Vampire Zombie by Charlie Jane Anders
- New Wine by Angela Slatter
If you love fairytale retellings and short stories this is a must-read. I love stories like this when with a little twist they are made dark and creepy.