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graywild's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
dark
mysterious
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? N/A
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? N/A
3.5
good collection of stories. The 1st half of book are modern adaptions of classic fairy tales (some LGBT stories). The 2nd half of the book are the original fairy tales for reference. Most of the adaptions were good. Recommend
leahsbooks's review against another edition
5.0
Thank you to Young Adult Books Central (YABC) for sending me an ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.
CONTENT WARNING: murder, blood, death of a child, racism, violence, homophobia, transphobia, abuse, death of a parent, grief, cannibalism
Like most kids, I grew up on fairy tales, and loved them. I also grew up on the Disneyfied versions of these stories, where the villain is punished and everyone else lives happily ever after. It wasn’t until I was much older that I looked into the original stories and realized that they were much darker and were significantly more problematic. Obviously they were written centuries before our society, which is focused on inclusivity and avoiding these problematic terms. This anthology includes the original stories, and show the less happy endings and more problematic terms that were commonly used. However, the retellings were creative, diverse, and fascinating.
One of my major issues with the older stories is that they’re typically short and shallow, more fixated on sharing a moral that telling a story. The new stories allow us to get to know a character and get invested in their story, even if it’s relatively short. My biggest issue with the new stories is that I wanted them to be longer!
In a more creative spin on these traditional stories, we get to see the all white, heteronormative cast of characters replaced with a more diverse group of Mexican-American, Anglo-Indian, Chinese, Apache, Muslim, Black, LGBTQ, and even drag queen characters. It provides a new depth to not only the characters, but also the stories themselves. The situations have a different motivation, as characters come from across the socioeconomic spectrum, yet all have one thing in common—they’re fighting to express themselves and be who they are.
The main elements of the stories are still there, yet they’re presented in a fresh way, making them more relatable to a new generation. While fairytales in their original form may have applied more to the children they were told to, modern children aren’t wandering around in forests—they’re dealing with modern pressures and prejudices. They aren’t living in places where everyone looks and thinks and worships like them, they live in diverse communities where prejudice and microaggressions are common, even coming across hate crimes frequently. These 15 stories are more suited to young people in today’s society, to young people who can see themselves in the pages of this book.
I loved so many of these stories, and so many had me hanging on every word, my heart racing. It was even more tense because I didn’t necessarily know what was going to happen—the authors of the reworked fairy tales often switched around the ending and changed the bones of the story, keeping it even more suspenseful for the readers. This anthology was a timely, relevant, and intriguing new addition to the fairytale canon, and I think it has amazing potential to become a modern-day classic. My own personal favorites included In the Forests of the Night by Gita Trelease, Just a Little Bite by Roselle Lim, and A Story About a Girl by Rebecca Podos.
CONTENT WARNING: murder, blood, death of a child, racism, violence, homophobia, transphobia, abuse, death of a parent, grief, cannibalism
Like most kids, I grew up on fairy tales, and loved them. I also grew up on the Disneyfied versions of these stories, where the villain is punished and everyone else lives happily ever after. It wasn’t until I was much older that I looked into the original stories and realized that they were much darker and were significantly more problematic. Obviously they were written centuries before our society, which is focused on inclusivity and avoiding these problematic terms. This anthology includes the original stories, and show the less happy endings and more problematic terms that were commonly used. However, the retellings were creative, diverse, and fascinating.
One of my major issues with the older stories is that they’re typically short and shallow, more fixated on sharing a moral that telling a story. The new stories allow us to get to know a character and get invested in their story, even if it’s relatively short. My biggest issue with the new stories is that I wanted them to be longer!
In a more creative spin on these traditional stories, we get to see the all white, heteronormative cast of characters replaced with a more diverse group of Mexican-American, Anglo-Indian, Chinese, Apache, Muslim, Black, LGBTQ, and even drag queen characters. It provides a new depth to not only the characters, but also the stories themselves. The situations have a different motivation, as characters come from across the socioeconomic spectrum, yet all have one thing in common—they’re fighting to express themselves and be who they are.
The main elements of the stories are still there, yet they’re presented in a fresh way, making them more relatable to a new generation. While fairytales in their original form may have applied more to the children they were told to, modern children aren’t wandering around in forests—they’re dealing with modern pressures and prejudices. They aren’t living in places where everyone looks and thinks and worships like them, they live in diverse communities where prejudice and microaggressions are common, even coming across hate crimes frequently. These 15 stories are more suited to young people in today’s society, to young people who can see themselves in the pages of this book.
I loved so many of these stories, and so many had me hanging on every word, my heart racing. It was even more tense because I didn’t necessarily know what was going to happen—the authors of the reworked fairy tales often switched around the ending and changed the bones of the story, keeping it even more suspenseful for the readers. This anthology was a timely, relevant, and intriguing new addition to the fairytale canon, and I think it has amazing potential to become a modern-day classic. My own personal favorites included In the Forests of the Night by Gita Trelease, Just a Little Bite by Roselle Lim, and A Story About a Girl by Rebecca Podos.
ceruleanrider's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
emotional
inspiring
mysterious
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
5.0
Another anthology hit! Normally I rate anthologies low because I want more development of the characters, I want more of the world building, I just want more. But Dahlia must have a magic editorial touch or it’s the fact that these are stories touching on tales that have been told before so the fact that they’re short and gone in a few pages doesn’t leave me hanging.
rogiercaprino's review against another edition
adventurous
funny
mysterious
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? N/A
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
solarpqwer's review against another edition
4.0
I LOVE these anthologies. Getting to read reimagined stories by current YA authors is just such a nice way to refamiliarize myself with them and I'm always blown away by them. Each story is so well thought out and draws so well on their original source and I couldn't put the book down because I just kept wanting to read the next story immediately! I highly recommend for fans of fairytales and modern reimaginings and absolutely recommend checking out the Poe and Shakespeare anthologies as well!
whatdoreadss's review against another edition
I’m not really sure how to rate this book, because some stories were very good (in my opinion) and others were not for me. So probably a 3 or 2,5 star read..
timeforbooksandwine's review against another edition
3.0
After being provided with an ARC of this book, I was really excited about reading these fairytale retellings. While I did enjoy some of the retellings ( the Rumplestiltskin and The Nutcracker versions were my favorites), the majority of the stories were a bit underwhelming for me. I did love the aspect that all of the retellings were told from a modern standpoint. I thought that was a great take on some of these fairytale classics!
Overall, I would recommend this book to anyone who loves a new take on a well told story.
Overall, I would recommend this book to anyone who loves a new take on a well told story.
timeforbooksandwine's review
3.0
After being provided with an ARC of this book, I was really excited about reading these fairytale retellings. While I did enjoy some of the retellings ( the Rumplestiltskin and The Nutcracker versions were my favorites), the majority of the stories were a bit underwhelming for me. I did love the aspect that all of the retellings were told from a modern standpoint. I thought that was a great take on some of these fairytale classics!
Overall, I would recommend this book to anyone who loves a new take on a well told story.
Overall, I would recommend this book to anyone who loves a new take on a well told story.
nightwing's review against another edition
3.25
Thanks to NetGalley & Flatiron Books for the copy in exchange for an honest review.
"Sugar Plum" by Anna-.Marie McLemore (Inspired by The Nutcracker)
⭐
DNF. Did not like the POV and the story.
"In the Forests of the Night" by Gita Trelease (Inspired by Fitcher's Bird)
⭐ ⭐ ⭐ ⭐ ⭐
"Say My Name" by Dahlia Adler (Inspired by Rumplestiltskin)
⭐⭐
Somewhat interesting modernized tale, but I feel like it was a waste of a good Rumplestiltskin story when there's a lot more one could do with the story itself.
"Fire and Rhinestone" by Stacey Lee (Inspired by The Little Matchstick Girl)
⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
So good!!
"Mother's Mirror" by H.E. Edgmon (Inspired by Little Snow-White)
⭐⭐⭐
Great story about a trans teen. Lots of homophobic slurs in this chapter, fair warning.
"Sharp as Any Thorn" by Rory Power (Inspired by Sleeping Beauty)
⭐⭐
Too vague and bizarre for me.
"Coyote in High-Top Sneakers" by Darcie Little Badger (Inspired by Puss in Boots)
⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
Very enjoyable.
"The Sister Switch" by Melissa Albert (New Fairytale)
⭐ ⭐ ⭐
Bizarre but kind of interesting.
"Once Bitten, Twice Shy" by Hafsah Faizal (Inspired by Little Red Riding Hood)
⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
"A Flame So Bright" by Malinda Lo (Inspired by Frau Trude)
⭐⭐
Was pretty slow.
"The Emperor and the Eversong" by Tracy Deonn (Inspired by The Nightingale)
⭐⭐⭐
"Hea" by Alex London (Inspired by Cinderella)
⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
I feel like this one should be its own story, it was very fun.
The Littlest Mermaid" by Meredith Russo (Inspired by The Little Mermaid)
⭐
A DNF from me. Couldn't stand the writing style.
"Just a Little Bite" by Roselle Lim (Inspired by Hansel & Gretel)
⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
Loved this one! A tantalizing thriller, almost.
"A Story About A Girl" by Rebecca Podos (Inspired by The Robber Bridegroom)
⭐ ⭐
I don't like stories within a story, especially since it's a short story. Not a bad idea though.
At the end of the book are some variations of the original stories which is cool. I read most of them already but it's good for anyone new to fairytales.
"Sugar Plum" by Anna-.Marie McLemore (Inspired by The Nutcracker)
⭐
DNF. Did not like the POV and the story.
"In the Forests of the Night" by Gita Trelease (Inspired by Fitcher's Bird)
⭐ ⭐ ⭐ ⭐ ⭐
"Say My Name" by Dahlia Adler (Inspired by Rumplestiltskin)
⭐⭐
Somewhat interesting modernized tale, but I feel like it was a waste of a good Rumplestiltskin story when there's a lot more one could do with the story itself.
"Fire and Rhinestone" by Stacey Lee (Inspired by The Little Matchstick Girl)
⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
So good!!
"Mother's Mirror" by H.E. Edgmon (Inspired by Little Snow-White)
⭐⭐⭐
Great story about a trans teen. Lots of homophobic slurs in this chapter, fair warning.
"Sharp as Any Thorn" by Rory Power (Inspired by Sleeping Beauty)
⭐⭐
Too vague and bizarre for me.
"Coyote in High-Top Sneakers" by Darcie Little Badger (Inspired by Puss in Boots)
⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
Very enjoyable.
"The Sister Switch" by Melissa Albert (New Fairytale)
⭐ ⭐ ⭐
Bizarre but kind of interesting.
"Once Bitten, Twice Shy" by Hafsah Faizal (Inspired by Little Red Riding Hood)
⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
"A Flame So Bright" by Malinda Lo (Inspired by Frau Trude)
⭐⭐
Was pretty slow.
"The Emperor and the Eversong" by Tracy Deonn (Inspired by The Nightingale)
⭐⭐⭐
"Hea" by Alex London (Inspired by Cinderella)
⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
I feel like this one should be its own story, it was very fun.
The Littlest Mermaid" by Meredith Russo (Inspired by The Little Mermaid)
⭐
A DNF from me. Couldn't stand the writing style.
"Just a Little Bite" by Roselle Lim (Inspired by Hansel & Gretel)
⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
Loved this one! A tantalizing thriller, almost.
"A Story About A Girl" by Rebecca Podos (Inspired by The Robber Bridegroom)
⭐ ⭐
I don't like stories within a story, especially since it's a short story. Not a bad idea though.
At the end of the book are some variations of the original stories which is cool. I read most of them already but it's good for anyone new to fairytales.
thebeesknees79's review
dark
funny
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
5.0
Great anthology! I read the original story, then the inspired rewrite for each story. I really enjoyed it that way because I could see direct correlations between the inspiration and the story.