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knittyreader's review
3.0
I received a copy through Netgalley in return for an honest review.
I love steampunk and I really like fairy tales and folklore, so this book seemed to have a perfect setting.
That said, I didn't always like the way the stories were retold. Often they were stripped from their dark, age-old setting, and the new setting did not seem to fit properly - nor did it have the magic undertond both fairy tales and steampunk definately have.
The book was nice enough, but it just didn't spark joy.
I love steampunk and I really like fairy tales and folklore, so this book seemed to have a perfect setting.
That said, I didn't always like the way the stories were retold. Often they were stripped from their dark, age-old setting, and the new setting did not seem to fit properly - nor did it have the magic undertond both fairy tales and steampunk definately have.
The book was nice enough, but it just didn't spark joy.
sapphisms's review
3.0
**I received this book through NetGalley and eSpec Books in exchange for an honest review**
In Wolfs Clothing : 3/5
A decent retelling- I'm alright with the whole 'Red Riding Hood' legacy being a sort of spell. I'm a little wary of the whole 'Marceline turns younger' thing, mainly because Morris repeatedly says that he's sexually attracted to her while she appears to be a 'maiden' (to the point where I'm hesitantly putting this under the 'pedophilia' bookshelf). I don't really understand the steampunk genre, but I feel like, outside of the setting and the fact that Marceline is a mechanic, there isn't much to it in this story. [Shelves: super pale main character, pedophilia, werewolves, world-building]
When Pigs Fly: 1/5
I skipped this story because I bored of it quickly. I don't know if it's because of The Three Little Pigs basis or the fact that it was just... so dry. I didn't care for the sibling dynamic and I went to the next story very, very quickly.
From the Horses Mouth: 4/5
So far, this is the best story I've read so far. I don't know anything about The Goose Girl, but I love the old woman and the horse head, as well as the reveal at the end. In my opinion, the best use of suspense/withheld information so far.
The (Steamy) Tale of Cinderella: 3/5
Before anyone panics, the 'steamy' part refers to the steampunk engines of a ship. I really liked the Mer-Matron as a fairy godmother, but I have to knock down two stars for this undercurrent of misogyny and homophobia (that women can't operate machinery or wear pants and that Cinderella has to be locked up because she likes girls). My question is, why limit yourself to the same boring restrictions of this old world when you're writing a completely new one?. [Shelves: homophobia, lgbtq, mermaids, misogyny, slutshaming]
The Clockwork Nightingale*: 3/5
Good writing, but there are definitely issues with how Shiro is Japanese, where, if he's supposed to parallel the Chinese Emperor, means that the author equates all Asians to one another. It's an even bigger problem if Big Roy is supposed to be the Chinese Emperor- he wasn't evil in the story, just uncaring. The nightingale was also free to leave after he lost interest, something that Big Roy didn't show (also, while Roy's race isn't stated, it's implied that he's white- and if he isn't, and is Japanese like Shiro, then it's the same problem again). It was decent, if too long and packed with an undercurrent of racism. [Shelves: asian characters, casual racism, japanese characters, super pale main character, western]
The Walking House: 3/5
If it weren't for my love of Russian folklore, I probably would've set this down a few paragraphs in. It takes too long to get to Baba Yaga and, when they do, it's all overshadowed by romance. [Shelves: super pale main character, russian folklore]
The Patented Troll: 1/5
Saw that it was based off of 'The Three Billy Goats Gruff' and began with "Once upon a time, in a world of gears and steam" and was immediately thrown off. Not for me.
A Cat Among the Gears: 2/5
It was just really, really hammy. I'm cool with sassy narrators and all, but, being such a short story, having the main character constantly make digs at everyone (including the reader) got really annoying. The premise was really flimsy, too, and I immediately cringed upon seeing the word 'minion'. [Shelves: animal main character, bad writing bad plot]
The Steam-Powered Dragon: 3/5
It was cute, but there was a bit of 'the English don't deserve any of the anger of their former colonies' nonsense through it. The Indian grandmother was nice, and I liked the dragon, but the three English soldiers were genuinely lazy and manipulative (sort of like how they were trying to say the English weren't!) [Shelves: indian characters, casual racism, poc side characters]
All for Beauty and Youth: 3/5
I don't know if it was because of the lack of house-made-of-candies, but it didn't feel very Hansel and Gretel to me. At the very most, Gretel remained the hero between the siblings, which was nice. The 'draining children of their breath' reminded me of some other story that I can't remember (and vaguely of Jupiter Ascending, if I'm being honest) [Shelves: abusive homes, misogyny]
The Giant Killer: 4/5
A good retelling, but I think it suffered from a lack of backstory. I assume it was a fantastical version of the United States (with references to the Civil War and Revolutionary War), but minor things like why Revere had a sword threw me off-guard. [Shelves: action, fantasy, world-building]
The Hair Ladder: 3/5
I would probably like this retelling more if Julia wasn't portrayed as so selfish and mean- it's shallow and, in the context of the original myth, classist. The mother in the original was poor and wanted to eat- so her husband stole rapunzel/rampion from the neighbor's garden (who later turned out to be a witch that took their child as payment for the theft). Having her turn into a selfish pregnant woman who like shiny things and would blowtorch her own daughter... It doesn't sit right with me. [Shelves: classism, misogyny]
The Perfect Shoes: 3/5
It's a good, well-thought-out story (and, personally, I think The Red Shoes worked very well with the steampunk genre), though I'm a little sketchy on the difference between Monique and M. de Raymond. She seemed very much a teenager to me (and was a child in the original, if I remember correctly), so I didn't really care for their relationship [Shelves: ballet, unhealthy relationships, unspecified age difference]
*Shiro Shimotsuga is intended to take the place of the Chinese Emperor from the original tale, making his character the racist 'Asians are interchangeable' stereotype. On top of this, his last name is actually a district in the Tochigi Prefecture in Japan. His first name is an uncommon first name in Japanese- it's usually used as a noun meaning 'white'.
In Wolfs Clothing : 3/5
A decent retelling- I'm alright with the whole 'Red Riding Hood' legacy being a sort of spell. I'm a little wary of the whole 'Marceline turns younger' thing, mainly because Morris repeatedly says that he's sexually attracted to her while she appears to be a 'maiden' (to the point where I'm hesitantly putting this under the 'pedophilia' bookshelf). I don't really understand the steampunk genre, but I feel like, outside of the setting and the fact that Marceline is a mechanic, there isn't much to it in this story. [Shelves: super pale main character, pedophilia, werewolves, world-building]
When Pigs Fly: 1/5
I skipped this story because I bored of it quickly. I don't know if it's because of The Three Little Pigs basis or the fact that it was just... so dry. I didn't care for the sibling dynamic and I went to the next story very, very quickly.
From the Horses Mouth: 4/5
So far, this is the best story I've read so far. I don't know anything about The Goose Girl, but I love the old woman and the horse head, as well as the reveal at the end. In my opinion, the best use of suspense/withheld information so far.
The (Steamy) Tale of Cinderella: 3/5
Before anyone panics, the 'steamy' part refers to the steampunk engines of a ship. I really liked the Mer-Matron as a fairy godmother, but I have to knock down two stars for this undercurrent of misogyny and homophobia (that women can't operate machinery or wear pants and that Cinderella has to be locked up because she likes girls). My question is, why limit yourself to the same boring restrictions of this old world when you're writing a completely new one?
Spoiler
Having Cinderella and Prince Charming enter a platonic marriage was nice, though I did think she was going to be a selkie in the endThe Clockwork Nightingale*: 3/5
Good writing, but there are definitely issues with how Shiro is Japanese, where, if he's supposed to parallel the Chinese Emperor, means that the author equates all Asians to one another. It's an even bigger problem if Big Roy is supposed to be the Chinese Emperor- he wasn't evil in the story, just uncaring. The nightingale was also free to leave after he lost interest, something that Big Roy didn't show (also, while Roy's race isn't stated, it's implied that he's white- and if he isn't, and is Japanese like Shiro, then it's the same problem again). It was decent, if too long and packed with an undercurrent of racism. [Shelves: asian characters, casual racism, japanese characters, super pale main character, western]
The Walking House: 3/5
If it weren't for my love of Russian folklore, I probably would've set this down a few paragraphs in. It takes too long to get to Baba Yaga and, when they do, it's all overshadowed by romance. [Shelves: super pale main character, russian folklore]
The Patented Troll: 1/5
Saw that it was based off of 'The Three Billy Goats Gruff' and began with "Once upon a time, in a world of gears and steam" and was immediately thrown off. Not for me.
A Cat Among the Gears: 2/5
It was just really, really hammy. I'm cool with sassy narrators and all, but, being such a short story, having the main character constantly make digs at everyone (including the reader) got really annoying. The premise was really flimsy, too, and I immediately cringed upon seeing the word 'minion'. [Shelves: animal main character, bad writing bad plot]
The Steam-Powered Dragon: 3/5
It was cute, but there was a bit of 'the English don't deserve any of the anger of their former colonies' nonsense through it. The Indian grandmother was nice, and I liked the dragon, but the three English soldiers were genuinely lazy and manipulative (sort of like how they were trying to say the English weren't!) [Shelves: indian characters, casual racism, poc side characters]
All for Beauty and Youth: 3/5
I don't know if it was because of the lack of house-made-of-candies, but it didn't feel very Hansel and Gretel to me. At the very most, Gretel remained the hero between the siblings, which was nice. The 'draining children of their breath' reminded me of some other story that I can't remember (and vaguely of Jupiter Ascending, if I'm being honest) [Shelves: abusive homes, misogyny]
The Giant Killer: 4/5
A good retelling, but I think it suffered from a lack of backstory. I assume it was a fantastical version of the United States (with references to the Civil War and Revolutionary War), but minor things like why Revere had a sword threw me off-guard. [Shelves: action, fantasy, world-building]
The Hair Ladder: 3/5
I would probably like this retelling more if Julia wasn't portrayed as so selfish and mean- it's shallow and, in the context of the original myth, classist. The mother in the original was poor and wanted to eat- so her husband stole rapunzel/rampion from the neighbor's garden (who later turned out to be a witch that took their child as payment for the theft). Having her turn into a selfish pregnant woman who like shiny things and would blowtorch her own daughter... It doesn't sit right with me. [Shelves: classism, misogyny]
The Perfect Shoes: 3/5
It's a good, well-thought-out story (and, personally, I think The Red Shoes worked very well with the steampunk genre), though I'm a little sketchy on the difference between Monique and M. de Raymond. She seemed very much a teenager to me (and was a child in the original, if I remember correctly), so I didn't really care for their relationship
Spoiler
or how he "deserved" her hand in marriage because of the pact they made that said she would be his mistress. Another problem would be that she just effortlessly fell in love with him at the end after being disgusted with him for the rest of the story.*Shiro Shimotsuga is intended to take the place of the Chinese Emperor from the original tale, making his character the racist 'Asians are interchangeable' stereotype. On top of this, his last name is actually a district in the Tochigi Prefecture in Japan. His first name is an uncommon first name in Japanese- it's usually used as a noun meaning 'white'.
suannelaqueur's review against another edition
4.0
Steampunk retelling of classic fairy tales. Some super clever and beautifully written, others less soÑ1 skim and 1 DNF. But I really enjoyed the collection.
b1llz1lla's review
adventurous
dark
hopeful
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.25
This is an anthology of short stories: Jody Lynn Nye only wrote one of them. However, I found that this is an excellent collection of stories - hopefully readers will find new authors whose other works they want to seek out.
caramisha's review against another edition
3.0
I received a copy of this for free from NetGalley.
I was initially really intrigued by the premise of this collection. There have been many fairy tale retellings coming to my attention recently, and I was really interested to see how the authors would spin steampunk into fairy tales. I might have found it more enjoyable if I remembered more of the original stories they retold, rather than just the mainstream ones. (It's been a long time since I've read the Grimm versions!)
The quality of the stories varied greatly. There were a few I wished could be full novels, some that worked well as short stories but could've used a little more work, and a couple that just fell totally flat.
It was good to see a few more inclusive characters (gay Cinderella, y'all), and there were certainly some new twists and some stories turned around completely!
Overall, I'd say I enjoyed it enough to want to finish, but probably not enough to read it again. I'm definitely interested in this genre as a whole and will be keeping an eye out for more books in this vein.
I was initially really intrigued by the premise of this collection. There have been many fairy tale retellings coming to my attention recently, and I was really interested to see how the authors would spin steampunk into fairy tales. I might have found it more enjoyable if I remembered more of the original stories they retold, rather than just the mainstream ones. (It's been a long time since I've read the Grimm versions!)
The quality of the stories varied greatly. There were a few I wished could be full novels, some that worked well as short stories but could've used a little more work, and a couple that just fell totally flat.
It was good to see a few more inclusive characters (gay Cinderella, y'all), and there were certainly some new twists and some stories turned around completely!
Overall, I'd say I enjoyed it enough to want to finish, but probably not enough to read it again. I'm definitely interested in this genre as a whole and will be keeping an eye out for more books in this vein.
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