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Reviews
The Lady of the Watchtower: Six Stories of Magic and Transformation by Nancy O'Toole Meservier
obr's review
4.0
Feminist fantasy and fairy tales? Yes please!
I picked up this indie author's anthology completely at random, but I'm extremely glad to have taken the chance on it. Six tales of magic and wonder are within, narrated by a variety of female voices from girlhood to motherhood, with just the tiniest hint of something darker about them that makes them more than your standard fare. There's also only one that felt really YA-ish to me, which was a nice surprise. They are all clean reads, and not so easy that they couldn't appeal to adult fantasy fans as much as YA readers.
- The Witch in the Woods: 4/5
Two girls, daughters of a witch, grow up with very different ideas about what their heritage means. Super atmospheric and creepy, there's a hint of gothic horror about it (TW: for descriptions of blood and death). I loved the contrast of the characters' moralities. The ending is a bit wide open, but it's certainly got the eeriness down.
- Oriana and the Magic Lines: 3.5/5
A woman training in the ways of magic has her suspicions about a master wizard, but her actions have consequences that go far beyond. I loved the idea of the colored strands of magic, and the narration of a stubbornly steadfast main character. Some bits in the middle felt a bit convenient, but the circular opening and ending is enough to give you chills.
- The Paper Doll: 3.5/5
A girl in a magic shop is curious about a strange book delivered to her witchy mistress, and when a new delivery boy decides to take a peek, a strange bookish magic is summoned. For some reason this felt like the most YA-ish of all the stories, and stood out for being third person rather than first. Maybe that's why I felt more distanced from the characters and action. I wondered if it was set in the same world as Oriana, as it mentions colored magic, but doesn't build on what that actually means. It's a nice, if a tad random at times, little story with a rather original semi-comic magical twist.
- The Lady of the Watchtower: 5/5
A woman cursed to look like a monster lives in an enchanted tower, unwillingly taking in injured soldiers who are magically drawn there. When her next charge arrives, she discovers he is blind, and he has news of her home that brings back memories of her old life. Love love LOVED this one. Atmospheric, original despite being Beauty and the Beast-inspired, full of sadness, anger and longing, the story of a girl praised for her beauty yet shunned for her "unnatural" inner beastliness is a powerful feminist take on a fairy tale. The conflict resolution could seem a bit easy in the end, and I couldn't quite work out what time period th place was inspired by (part of me thought the military sounded magical steampunk Victorian, but then there's Medieval sounding dress so...) but it's less about drama and more about the moral messages of acceptance, love and forgiveness. Urgh, so good.
- The Fox: 5/5
In a world where the gods are animals, some humans become their avatars. Here, the avatar of The Fox becomes tangled in a case of revenge needing to be served, but at what cost to her? This is one of those fantasy worlds I would love to read more of. World building? Chef's kiss time, because it does it in spades. The narration is a little bit sassy urban fantasy lady, but just the right balance - nothing rude or nastily snarky. There's only one rushed thing about it that'll likely not matter a jot to anyone else because it was such a good, original tale.
- Gretel: 4/5
A contemporary retelling of Hansel and Gretel that sticks very close to the script, but with a modern dysfunctional family spin on it. This Gretel may only be 11, but she's got fire (and - head's up - accented narration). Not original exactly, but an enjoyable retelling.
I feel ruined by how strongly some of these characters resonated with me; their voices are all unique and genuine. Overall, there's some really strong writing here and I would so read more.
I picked up this indie author's anthology completely at random, but I'm extremely glad to have taken the chance on it. Six tales of magic and wonder are within, narrated by a variety of female voices from girlhood to motherhood, with just the tiniest hint of something darker about them that makes them more than your standard fare. There's also only one that felt really YA-ish to me, which was a nice surprise. They are all clean reads, and not so easy that they couldn't appeal to adult fantasy fans as much as YA readers.
- The Witch in the Woods: 4/5
Two girls, daughters of a witch, grow up with very different ideas about what their heritage means. Super atmospheric and creepy, there's a hint of gothic horror about it (TW: for descriptions of blood and death). I loved the contrast of the characters' moralities. The ending is a bit wide open, but it's certainly got the eeriness down.
- Oriana and the Magic Lines: 3.5/5
A woman training in the ways of magic has her suspicions about a master wizard, but her actions have consequences that go far beyond. I loved the idea of the colored strands of magic, and the narration of a stubbornly steadfast main character. Some bits in the middle felt a bit convenient, but the circular opening and ending is enough to give you chills.
- The Paper Doll: 3.5/5
A girl in a magic shop is curious about a strange book delivered to her witchy mistress, and when a new delivery boy decides to take a peek, a strange bookish magic is summoned. For some reason this felt like the most YA-ish of all the stories, and stood out for being third person rather than first. Maybe that's why I felt more distanced from the characters and action. I wondered if it was set in the same world as Oriana, as it mentions colored magic, but doesn't build on what that actually means. It's a nice, if a tad random at times, little story with a rather original semi-comic magical twist.
- The Lady of the Watchtower: 5/5
A woman cursed to look like a monster lives in an enchanted tower, unwillingly taking in injured soldiers who are magically drawn there. When her next charge arrives, she discovers he is blind, and he has news of her home that brings back memories of her old life. Love love LOVED this one. Atmospheric, original despite being Beauty and the Beast-inspired, full of sadness, anger and longing, the story of a girl praised for her beauty yet shunned for her "unnatural" inner beastliness is a powerful feminist take on a fairy tale. The conflict resolution could seem a bit easy in the end, and I couldn't quite work out what time period th place was inspired by (part of me thought the military sounded magical steampunk Victorian, but then there's Medieval sounding dress so...) but it's less about drama and more about the moral messages of acceptance, love and forgiveness. Urgh, so good.
- The Fox: 5/5
In a world where the gods are animals, some humans become their avatars. Here, the avatar of The Fox becomes tangled in a case of revenge needing to be served, but at what cost to her? This is one of those fantasy worlds I would love to read more of. World building? Chef's kiss time, because it does it in spades. The narration is a little bit sassy urban fantasy lady, but just the right balance - nothing rude or nastily snarky. There's only one rushed thing about it that'll likely not matter a jot to anyone else
Spoiler
(the info-drop of "remembering past lives kills avatars" felt a bit awkward to me given how naturally everything else came about - btw, who was Aura?)- Gretel: 4/5
A contemporary retelling of Hansel and Gretel that sticks very close to the script, but with a modern dysfunctional family spin on it. This Gretel may only be 11, but she's got fire (and - head's up - accented narration). Not original exactly, but an enjoyable retelling.
I feel ruined by how strongly some of these characters resonated with me; their voices are all unique and genuine. Overall, there's some really strong writing here and I would so read more.