A review by justgeekingby
Once Upon a Spring: A Folk and Fairy Tale Anthology by Katherine Shaw, S. Markem, Jenna Smithwick, Ella T. Holmes, Caroline Logan, Laila Amado, Jake Curran-Pipe, A. J. Van Belle, Fiona Simpson, Bharat Krishnan, H.L. Macfarlane, M. J. Weatherall, Josie Jaffrey, Elanna Bellows, Kate Longstone, R. a. Gerritse, Adie Hart

adventurous challenging dark emotional inspiring lighthearted mysterious reflective sad medium-paced

• Diverse cast of characters? Yes

4.0

The third season-themed anthology released by Macfarlane Lantern Publishing, Once Upon a Spring: A Folk and Fairy Tale Anthology, was another solid four-star read for me. Unlike my previous reviews, I managed to read this one at the start of the appropriate season, and my timing fit beautifully with the themes of this anthology in particular. With themes of rebirth, renewal and change, Once Upon a Spring was the perfect read for me as I said goodbye to winter and watched the world around me change into spring.

I will note that having read the other anthologies at completely different times of the year from the season they were representing, it isn’t necessary to read them during the correct season. Sometimes it’s nice to read stories about summer during the cold heart of winter, or the cooler seasons during a blistering summer.

The anthology starts with the excellent ‘But for a Dream’ by Ella T Holmes, a bittersweet story of love, belonging and dreaming. Adie Hart continues her fabulous stories of sapphic witches in ‘Far Far Awake’ a spin on Sleeping Beauty. The universe Hart has created in these stories is just begging to be made into a full series of books. I have adored reading these stories in each anthology, with their incredible world-building and amazing characters. I want and need more.

‘Season’s Keep’ by R. A. Gerritse is beautiful, and this one truly touched me as I sat reading it at the start of spring. For those who like their stories a bit darker, the gothic horror of ‘Darkness Green’ by Laila Amado will be right up your alley. I lapped this one up with delight, wishing there was more. Caroline Logan’s ‘The Circus of Forgotten Things’ is a creepy delight that will stay with you long after you’ve finished; Logan nails it with that last line.

‘Forget-Me-Not Jones’ by Jake Curran-Pipe takes a much different approach, and I’m not usually a fan of magical realism. But the themes of misogyny in science and depression that Curran-Pipe tackles in this one caught my attention, and I liked the ending. This is one of those that you need to stick with. I love clever stories and ‘Lady of the Flame’ by A. J. Van Belle falls under that category. I was definitely kicking myself though for not realising things sooner though. Sometimes you can’t see what is right in front of you.

In ‘Perennial’ Katherine Shaw retells the Narcissus myth, and her story is heartbreaking. It is very well written, but please check the content warnings for this one. Another cleverly written story that reimagined folklore (I can’t say what because it’s a huge spoiler!) is ‘I Like Quiet Places’ by Fiona Simpson. This one stuck with me after I finished it.

‘To Name a Rose’ by Elanna Bellows focuses on the theme of change in multiple ways in this intriguing fantasy story. It is followed by ‘It Started with Bluebells’ by M. J. Weatherall a hauntingly dark tale of renewal that ticked all the boxes for me.

I enjoyed the variety of the stories in Once Upon a Spring and how the authors each interpreted the themes of change and renewal associated with Spring. There is something for everyone in this anthology.

The full list of stories in Once Upon a Spring: A Folk and Fairy Tale Anthology are:

    ‘But for a Dream’ by Ella T Holmes
    ‘Far Far Awake’ by Adie Hart
    ‘Season’s Keep’ by R. A. Gerritse
    ‘Darkness Green’ by Laila Amado
    ‘The Circus of Forgotten Things’ by Caroline Logan
    ‘She Vanishes’ by Josie Jaffrey
    ‘Be Careful What You Wish’ For by S. Markem
    ‘Forget-Me-Not Jones’ by Jake Curran-Pipe
    ‘Lady of the Flame’ by A. J. Van Belle
    ‘Perennial’ by Katherine Shaw
    ‘I Like Quiet Places’ by Fiona Simpson
    ‘Spring Tide’ by Kate Longstone
    ‘To Name a Rose’ by Elanna Bellows
    ‘It Started with Bluebells’ by M. J. Weatherall
    ‘Radhakrishna’ by Bharat Krishnan
    ‘The Girls of Spring’ by Jenna Smithwick

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Content Warnings

‘But for a Dream’ by Ella T Holmes – Violence, death. ‘Far Far Awake’ by Adie Hart – Illness recovery. ‘Darkness Green’ by Laila Amado – Murdered girls, violence, death, blood, burned bodies. ‘The Circus of Forgotten Things’ by Caroline Logan – Stolen/missing children, blood, ‘She Vanishes’ by Josie Jaffrey – Death, grief, mention of suicide, toxic spousal relationship, ‘Forget-Me-Not Jones’ by Jake Curran-Pipe – Misogyny, sexual harassment, suicide ideation. ‘Perennial’ by Katherine Shaw – Toxic relationship (manipulative, obsessive, possessive), physical assault, victim blaming. ‘I Like Quiet Places’ by Fiona Simpson – Deaths, alcohol, brutal physical assault, heart attack, car accident (off page), hospital setting. ‘Spring Tide’ by Kate Longstone – Stolen child. ‘To Name a Rose’ by Elanna Bellows – Prejudice. ‘It Started with Bluebells’ by M. J. Weatherall – Effects of Climate Change, poisoning, details of someone slowly dying, animal death. ‘Radhakrishna’ by Bharat Krishnan – Racism, prejudice. ‘The Girls of Spring’ by Jenna Smithwick – Violence against women, death, victim blaming.