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A review by annettebooksofhopeanddreams
Cursed: An Anthology by Marie O'Regan, Paul Kane
4.0
How to make sure Annette buys your book: One - invite Christina Henry and Neil Gaiman to write a story for your book. Two - make the theme Fairy Tales. Three - make them dark. This book kind of screamed my name. Well, not literally that would have been weird. I was therefore kinda disappointed that it took this long to reach me, even though I had pre-ordered it months in advance. But, I got it and I hadn't read any spoilers yet.
It's always hard to rate a collection of stories. Like with every Anthology there were stories I loved to pieces and will carry with me and will tell my friends and family and everyone who does and doesn't want to listen. But, there were also stories that didn't grab me or stories I might have to read again to fully understand their meaning. I guess that's normal. Not every story is for everyone and not every writer is for everyone.
However, all these stories had one thing in common: They were all beautifully written and really atmospheric. There was not one story that I hated or had to force my way through. They all embraced the theme of the anthology and went wild with it. If you think you know what Dark in this title means, you will have to think again. Some of those stories were much and much darker than anything I could ever imagine. And I loved them for it.
It's hard to pick favorites, but the stories that impressed me the most are the Snow White/Bluebeard/Beauty and the Beast mash up Henry wrote, the story slightly based on the Red Shoes, the story of the man who lost his popularity, the spin on Wendy Darling and the story of the demon box that fulfills wishes. I'm certain I will re-read quite a few of those stories quite often. Just because I can.
It's always hard to rate a collection of stories. Like with every Anthology there were stories I loved to pieces and will carry with me and will tell my friends and family and everyone who does and doesn't want to listen. But, there were also stories that didn't grab me or stories I might have to read again to fully understand their meaning. I guess that's normal. Not every story is for everyone and not every writer is for everyone.
However, all these stories had one thing in common: They were all beautifully written and really atmospheric. There was not one story that I hated or had to force my way through. They all embraced the theme of the anthology and went wild with it. If you think you know what Dark in this title means, you will have to think again. Some of those stories were much and much darker than anything I could ever imagine. And I loved them for it.
It's hard to pick favorites, but the stories that impressed me the most are the Snow White/Bluebeard/Beauty and the Beast mash up Henry wrote, the story slightly based on the Red Shoes, the story of the man who lost his popularity, the spin on Wendy Darling and the story of the demon box that fulfills wishes. I'm certain I will re-read quite a few of those stories quite often. Just because I can.