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firefox's review against another edition
4.0
(Arc)
It's hard to review an anthology but I'll try my best. 'At Midnight' is a collection of 15 short stories which retell classic Fairy Tales - and it was beautiful. Some of the authors I've been in love with for ages - I'm talking about you Tracy - and some were new, but none of them ever disappointed me. Some stories weren't my cup of tea, but they were still intriguing and nice to read. Overall, it was beautifully curated.
It's hard to review an anthology but I'll try my best. 'At Midnight' is a collection of 15 short stories which retell classic Fairy Tales - and it was beautiful. Some of the authors I've been in love with for ages - I'm talking about you Tracy - and some were new, but none of them ever disappointed me. Some stories weren't my cup of tea, but they were still intriguing and nice to read. Overall, it was beautifully curated.
stophie12's review
adventurous
lighthearted
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
alongreader's review
4.0
Short story collections are always a mixed bag. Even the best anthology has one or two stories that aren't as good, and the worst have one or two shining examples. I certainly enjoyed most of these veyr much - the Little Mermaid was very intriguing!
Although it doesn't say it in the description, most of the retellings are a lot more queer than the originals (I suppose it might have been assumed, coming from the creative team it is.) This is something you might like to be aware of.
I did really like that the original stories are included! However, they're at the end rather than with their retellings, which makes it tricky to remember what's matching with what. It's a great touch though, I don't think I've seen a book of retellings include the original like that.
Overall a great read I really enjoyed, and one I highly recommend.
Although it doesn't say it in the description, most of the retellings are a lot more queer than the originals (I suppose it might have been assumed, coming from the creative team it is.) This is something you might like to be aware of.
I did really like that the original stories are included! However, they're at the end rather than with their retellings, which makes it tricky to remember what's matching with what. It's a great touch though, I don't think I've seen a book of retellings include the original like that.
Overall a great read I really enjoyed, and one I highly recommend.
zarco_j's review against another edition
1.0
Oh dear, this was less than mediocre.
I get that giving the fairy-tales more diversity is a great idea but some of them seemed so forced. And some of them bore little resemblance to the original tale, I had been hoping for an original, darker twist on the tales but some of them just seemed like they were random real world stories that vaguely resembled the fairy tale.
I also feel strongly that the re-imaginings should be placed alongside the original fairy tales in the book, rather than having the originals stuck in the back.
Plus the inclusion of the problematic Meredith Russo just cinched how bad this was for me.
Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for a digital copy in exchange for an honest, unbiased review.
I get that giving the fairy-tales more diversity is a great idea but some of them seemed so forced. And some of them bore little resemblance to the original tale, I had been hoping for an original, darker twist on the tales but some of them just seemed like they were random real world stories that vaguely resembled the fairy tale.
I also feel strongly that the re-imaginings should be placed alongside the original fairy tales in the book, rather than having the originals stuck in the back.
Plus the inclusion of the problematic Meredith Russo just cinched how bad this was for me.
Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for a digital copy in exchange for an honest, unbiased review.
schmalcat's review
3.0
I enjoy these anthologies but I did kind of lose interest after a while. So that’s why I’m giving it three stars. The LGBTQ twists are really good too.
schreibratte's review
3.0
Leider hat mich "At Midnight" nicht so abgeholt, wie ich mir erhofft hatte. Es gab ein paar schöne Adaptionen, die aber letztlich alle nicht ganz im Gedächtnis geblieben sind und mehr, die mir nicht gefallen haben. Es fehlte mir irgendwie ein bisschen die einheitliche Richtung und ein paar Mal war es mir unerwartet düster.
Pluspunkt definitiv: die Originalerzählungen sind allesamt am Schluss des Buches abgedruckt! So konnte ich bei den mir unbekannten Märchen aber auch den bekannteren wie Hänsel & Gretel, Schneewittchen, Dornröschen, Rumpelstilzchen noch mal nachlesen und mit der Adaption vergleichen. Alter Schwede übrigens, was waren da ausgewählte Märchen bei. Frau Traude oder auch das mit dem Räuber Ehemann waren super düster. Die Adaptionen haben sich da teilweise sehr nah am Original bewegt.
"The littlest mermaid" und "Once bitten, twice shy" haben mir am besten gefallen. Beide vereinen einen eher phantastischen Touch, was definitiv meine Lieblingsinterpretation von Märchen ist (abgesehen von SciFi aber das gab es hier gar nicht). Rotkäppchen mit Hijab und Meermenschen, die von sich selbst als Menschen denken und stattdessen Erdmenschen "othern" war beides tief, interessant, außergewöhnlich und absolut lesenswert.
Daneben gab es noch ein paar andere unterhaltsame, die aber mit für mich zu modernen Interpretationen kamen, wie "HEA" mit einem Influencer-Cinderella oder ein modernes Rumpelstilzchen mit Erpressung an einer High School. Hänsel & Gretel und Dornröschen hatten unglaublich düstere Adaptionen, die mir kein Lesevergnügen beschert haben.
Am schrecklichsten fand ich die eigens für die Anthologie gesponnene Geschichte mit einem neuen Märchen.
Ansonsten für Märchenfans vielleicht zu empfehlen, für mich hatte die Anthologie leider ein paar zu viele Downer statt Highlights.
Pluspunkt definitiv: die Originalerzählungen sind allesamt am Schluss des Buches abgedruckt! So konnte ich bei den mir unbekannten Märchen aber auch den bekannteren wie Hänsel & Gretel, Schneewittchen, Dornröschen, Rumpelstilzchen noch mal nachlesen und mit der Adaption vergleichen. Alter Schwede übrigens, was waren da ausgewählte Märchen bei. Frau Traude oder auch das mit dem Räuber Ehemann waren super düster. Die Adaptionen haben sich da teilweise sehr nah am Original bewegt.
"The littlest mermaid" und "Once bitten, twice shy" haben mir am besten gefallen. Beide vereinen einen eher phantastischen Touch, was definitiv meine Lieblingsinterpretation von Märchen ist (abgesehen von SciFi aber das gab es hier gar nicht). Rotkäppchen mit Hijab und Meermenschen, die von sich selbst als Menschen denken und stattdessen Erdmenschen "othern" war beides tief, interessant, außergewöhnlich und absolut lesenswert.
Daneben gab es noch ein paar andere unterhaltsame, die aber mit für mich zu modernen Interpretationen kamen, wie "HEA" mit einem Influencer-Cinderella oder ein modernes Rumpelstilzchen mit Erpressung an einer High School. Hänsel & Gretel und Dornröschen hatten unglaublich düstere Adaptionen, die mir kein Lesevergnügen beschert haben.
Am schrecklichsten fand ich die eigens für die Anthologie gesponnene Geschichte mit einem neuen Märchen.
Ansonsten für Märchenfans vielleicht zu empfehlen, für mich hatte die Anthologie leider ein paar zu viele Downer statt Highlights.
notinjersey's review
4.0
This book of retold fairy tales includes some fairy tales that I know well like Rumplestiltskin, Snow White, and Cinderella and others I don’t know like The Nightingale, Frau Trude, and The Robber Bridegroom. However, all of the original fairy tales are included in the back of the book! Also, there is one new fairy tale included that is not a retelling. As normal for me, I liked the contemporary versions of the tales over the ones that were more fantasy!
witcheep's review
I was only interested in one of these short stories (Hafsah Faizal's). After reading it, I scanned some of the others but wasn't intriqued enough to actually read them.
booksandladders's review
4.0
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It's always so hard for me to review anthologies but this was solidly in the middle. Some of the stories were really good and some were meh. Becuase of that, it took me a while to get through the book itself. The audiobook narrators were really good which kept me interested.
I really liked Dahlia Adler and Roselle Lim's stories in this so if you only check out those, that would be my recommendation!
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It's always so hard for me to review anthologies but this was solidly in the middle. Some of the stories were really good and some were meh. Becuase of that, it took me a while to get through the book itself. The audiobook narrators were really good which kept me interested.
I really liked Dahlia Adler and Roselle Lim's stories in this so if you only check out those, that would be my recommendation!
Like my reviews? Buy me a Ko-Fi!
jennifermreads's review
4.0
Delightful, diverse, dark, creepy, sweet fairy tale retellings: this anthology has it all. I especially was appreciative that editor Dahlia Adler including the original fairy tales in the second half of the book. It was nice to re-read old favorites, yes, but I was grateful to have the source material handy for the stories I had never heard of: “Fitcher’s Bird,” “Frau Trude,” “The Nightingale,” and “The Robber Bridegroom.”
It was only “The Littlest Mermaid” that left me feeling “meh.” It was the style of storytelling that had me not feeling the emotion or passion of the tale: pure prose, very little dialogue. The rest of the stories were enjoyable and a couple had me saying “Whole book please”: “In the Forests at Night” by Gita Trelease and “Just a Little Bite” by Roselle Lim.
It was only “The Littlest Mermaid” that left me feeling “meh.” It was the style of storytelling that had me not feeling the emotion or passion of the tale: pure prose, very little dialogue. The rest of the stories were enjoyable and a couple had me saying “Whole book please”: “In the Forests at Night” by Gita Trelease and “Just a Little Bite” by Roselle Lim.