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A review by thebooknerdscorner
Relit: 16 Latinx Remixes of Classic Stories by Sandra Proudman
4.0
A collection of 16 tales all inspired by classic stories with Latine characters taking center stage.
From beloved fairy tales such as "Beauty and the Beast" and "The Little Mermaid" to iconic Greek myths, "Relit" is brimming with retellings of iconic stories in fresh and vibrant new ways all edited by Sandra Proudman, the author of "SalvaciΓ³n," a YA remix of Disney's "Zorro."
I've been so excited to read "Relit" for quite some time now. I am a sucker for retellings, so I figured an anthology of them would be quite entertaining. When I finally got my hands on this one, I was pleasantly surprised by how random some of the inspiration stories were. I thought the majority of them were going to be fairy tales, but this anthology was brimming in works inspired by Shakespeare, Poe, Melville, Shelley, and so many others. As with most anthologies, a few stories really stand out and a few really fell off the bandwagon. I wish this one would have had a slightly more consistent feel to it; about half of the stories are dystopian which tied them together somewhat, but the only thing they all have in common is that they reimagine a classic story. Also, I love how there was a segment of the original story before each reimaging. It made it abundantly clear which story was being retold, and it took all of the guess work out of reading this anthology.
From beloved fairy tales such as "Beauty and the Beast" and "The Little Mermaid" to iconic Greek myths, "Relit" is brimming with retellings of iconic stories in fresh and vibrant new ways all edited by Sandra Proudman, the author of "SalvaciΓ³n," a YA remix of Disney's "Zorro."
I've been so excited to read "Relit" for quite some time now. I am a sucker for retellings, so I figured an anthology of them would be quite entertaining. When I finally got my hands on this one, I was pleasantly surprised by how random some of the inspiration stories were. I thought the majority of them were going to be fairy tales, but this anthology was brimming in works inspired by Shakespeare, Poe, Melville, Shelley, and so many others. As with most anthologies, a few stories really stand out and a few really fell off the bandwagon. I wish this one would have had a slightly more consistent feel to it; about half of the stories are dystopian which tied them together somewhat, but the only thing they all have in common is that they reimagine a classic story. Also, I love how there was a segment of the original story before each reimaging. It made it abundantly clear which story was being retold, and it took all of the guess work out of reading this anthology.
"Shame and Social Media" by Anna Meriano: ππ
"Pride and Prejudice" starring an influencer in space. I personally found this one to be slightly annoying with all of the slang, but I did find the vlogging format to be intriguing. Darcy Fitz, the love interest, was by far my favorite part of this mediocre story.
"Break in Case of Persephone" by Olivia Abtahi: ππππ
This is a hopeful tale that reimagines the myth of Hades and Persephone. It touches on themes of embracing the future, letting go of fear, and finding your individual happiness no matter what it takes. I thought the curse element was neat, even if the story wasn't the most unique.
"Thornfield" by Monica Sanz: πππ
"Jane Eyre" but with brujas. I'm not overly familiar with "Jane Eyre" and I find that I am rather confused by every reimaging that I encounter, so here's another sign that I really need to read this classic novel. I thought it was neat how the magic enhanced the hatred and betrayal that is so important in this story. I found the dual timeline to be a bit jarring at first, but it certainly added to the tension in the long run.
"La Cotorra y El FlamboyΓ‘n" by Amparo Ortiz: ππππ
This one is a remix of "The Nightingale and the Rose" by Oscar Wilde, which I quite frankly, have never even heard of. Despite this, I wasn't confused and I found myself liking this one quite a bit. The prose was immaculate and I found the ending to be quite emotional. It's mostly a dark tale, but it has a hint of hope at the end.
"Goldi and the Three Bodies" by Saraciea J. Fennell: πππππ
"Goldilocks and the Three Bears" but with a vampire twist. This was the first one in the anthology where I thought to myself, "this person understood the assignment." Though the story itself is vastly different than the classic children's story, the way that it was inspired by the original was so smart. The intense vibe also propelled the story forward.
"The Mortal Coil" by David Bowles: πππ
In a futuristic world set on (I believe) Mars, "Hamlet" is brought to life (and killed) like never before. The thing that stood out to me the most was the usage of an Old English-type Spanish. I'm not an expert on the variations of the Spanish language, but the feel that this evoked was real neat. The way that Hamlet's tale is retold is witty, such as his father's ghost being brought back as a robot. The twist ending of this one was also well executed.
"Juna and the Fox Boy" by Raquel Vasquez Gilliland: πππππ
"Beauty and the Beast" but with a fox boy and some chick named Juna. This one was one of my favorites in the entire collection. It was quite hilarious and I found myself cackling aloud several times. The banter between Juna and Lago is peak and I couldn't help but smile at their chemistry. This one feels like a classic fairy tale and evoked a nostalgic feeling.
"Prefiero No" by Alexandra Villasante: πππ
I was honestly pretty lost in this one. It's based on Melville's "Bartleby, the Scrivener," which I've never heard of either. I kinda just liked the vibes in this one, despite not knowing what was happening whatsoever in the story and knowing nothing about the source material.
"Trespassers Will Be. . ." by Torrey Maldonado: πππππ
This New York horror story retells the legend of Theseus and the Minotaur. I'm a huge fan of Greek mythology, so I found this one to be cool. The way that racism was explored was quite poignant and I totally dig the fact that the racist man was a literal monster. I was so mad when I flipped the final page on this one; I would have read this one as a full-length novel!
"Isla Bella" by Ari Tison: ππππ
"The Great Gatsby" ends up in Costa Rica with three teens who've acquired an internship opportunity. This one really hones in on anti-colonialism and respecting the natural world. I must say, I haven't read "The Great Gatsby," but the ending has me wondering just what in the world that book is actually about.
"Evermore" by NoNieqa Ramos: πππππ
"Evermore" is a remix on Edgar Allan Poe's poem "The Raven." I absolutely adore this poem, so my expectations were quite high going into this one. And Ramos did not disappoint! This story features a futuristic society that is still not widely accepting of the LGBTQIA+ community. As Lenore and Zadie spend more time with one another, they begin to experience what it means to truly be themselves without fear. This story/poem raises questions about what lengths one would go to achieve an inclusive world despite the consequences.
"Celia's Song" by Laura Pohl: πππ
In this retelling of "The Little Mermaid," Celia will do anything to protect her little sisters. Even if it means never going to the surface and concealing the powers of her golden heart. This one follows a similar arc to most "Little Mermaid" stories, but it wasn't a boring read either.
"Esmeralda" by Jasminne Mendez: ππ
A retelling of "Sir Gawain and the Green Knight" that I found to be utterly pointless. I like how the characters are members of the LGBTQIA+ community, but I found the pacing and overall atmosphere of the story to just be weird. But hey, honor isn't dead, I guess.
"Twenty Thousand Leagues Away From Me" by Eric Smith: ππππ
This one is evidently based on Jules Vernes' "Twenty Thousand Leagues Under the Sea." This story is set in a dystopian world in which humans have totally trashed the Earth's oceans. It has messages about conserving the planet and respecting animals, which I can definitely get behind.
"Heart of the Sea" by Zoraida CΓ³rdova: πππ
"Frankenstein" but with mechanical mermaids. A young Vic builds a robotic mermaid and names her Fisher, because he created her to catch fish for him. Just like in the original tale, this backfires and the automation has more emotions than Vic could have ever thought possible. I also appreciate that this one was told from "the monster's" PoV.
"Tesoro" by Sandra Proudman: πππ
The final selection by the anthology's editor Sandra Proudman retells Hemmingway's "The Old Man and the Sea" (which is a book that I have actually read!). I wasn't a huge fan of this one, but Proudman's prose is still solid. I did also really like the saying about how there is always water in the desert and hope will persist no matter how hopeless the scenario seems.
Overall, I had a decent time with "Relit," but I wish I had stronger feelings about a few of the stories. But in my opinion, "Evermore" alone is worth the time I put into this entire collection. I am a huge fan of Latine mythology, so this one was a fun one to dive into, especially because I also adore retellings. Some of the source materials were a tad random for the average human, but I know enough about miscellaneous literature to not be completely lost. This one will definitely be added to plenty of my future recommendation lists!