Scan barcode
A review by booklover160
At Midnight by Dahlia Adler
4.0
Anthologies help kick my reading slumps and this one is right up my alley! I like looking back seeing the little short stories and my reviews of them too.
I also love that they included the original stories these are based on too! So unique and a great detail.
Sugarplum by Anna-Marie McLemore
4 stars
Very short story about a Mexican teen being lowkey forced to dance a ballet at her father's rich boss's holiday party. She's crushing on the boss's daughter too so that was cute as heck. Interesting and complicated.
In the Forests of the Night by Gita Trelease
5 stars
I really liked this one! The story was absorbing and the writing very well done and evocative. I read the source story right after and found it a faithful retelling with an Indian twist. It was really lovely!
Say My Name by Dahlia Adler
4.5 stars
The petty roundabout high school drama was meh, but oh man the reveal of her name was excellent. I wanted to know more about the aftermath too! What happened? Loved reading the original story as well after. The detail about stomping the foot was amazing.
Fire & Rhinestone by Stacey Lee
5 stars
This was well written and I loved the plotline. It's definitely inspired from the original tale as well as an inspired take on an event in history. I really enjoyed the context with the author's note at the end. Loved it!
Mother's Mirror by H. E. Edgmon
10 stars
This story does have a trigger for transphobia and abuse so be aware. However, this has been my favorite so far. It hit me so hard in the feelings; as a queer Indiana kid myself. Knowing the Snow White story did help my understanding of the retelling and then refreshing myself with the original at the end was nice. This story is precious to me, and I definitely want to pick up books by H. E. Edgmon now.
Coyote in High-Top Sneakers by Darcie Little Badger
4.5 stars
A bit of a stretch believability wise, but I liked the way the narrative was structured. I really liked how Coyote was both self-serving but also helpful. I haven't ever read Puss in Boots so that was really fun too!
The Sister Switch by Melissa Albert
3 stars
So far my least favorite, but still good. It's an original story, borrowing bits and pieces from all kinds of fairytale, but it fell short in my opinion as it was too short to really engage me. I didn't know what was going on and so I never felt invested. Nate was kinda a dick, the sisters were strange, and I just didn't care for anyone which also impacted my enjoyment of it. But it was haunting and spooky regardless.
A Flame So Bright by Malinda Lo
3 stars
Sort of a Handmaid's Tale-esque story about a girl, Obedience, who is not like her namesake and falls for the town's 'witch'. It was kinda cute but I didn't get super into it. It took the original tale, which was more of a fable, and make it gay. So I did like that.
The Emperor and the Eversong by Tracy Deonn
2.5 stars
Couldn't get into this one. The writing is nice and I liked the twist on the original, but it fell flat for me. I much prefer this retelling to the original anyhow.
HEA by Alex London
4 stars
Fun, contemporary take on Cinderella with a drag queen influencer as "Cinderella". I could have read a whole novel on this take as I found it interesting. Overall since the story is so short, it lacked substance and felt somewhat flat. I hope Ash got his happy ending tho.
The Littlest Mermaid by Meredith Russo
3 stars
I was confused for most of this. And I'm not sure what Aria's final transformation meant. It was cute and worth the read even if I'm left a bit disappointed and confused in the end.
Just a Little Bite by Roselle Lim
5 stars
I kinda loved it. If you're a fan of [b:The Promised Neverland, Vol. 1|34852836|The Promised Neverland, Vol. 1|Kaiu Shirai|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1503365706l/34852836._SY75_.jpg|55131230], this concept is familiar. I liked the reveal and how they dealt with their... problems. But it did seem rather easy for them to turn into murderers. Still enjoyed it!
A Story About a Girl by Rebecca Podos
5 stars
Super fun twisty story-within-a-story kind of deal! I LOVED IT!
Overall, I really liked it! Total of 3.6 stars (53.5/75) but I liked the 4 and 5 star stories enough to justify rounding up! I feel like I accomplished reading a book finally!
I also love that they included the original stories these are based on too! So unique and a great detail.
Sugarplum by Anna-Marie McLemore
4 stars
Very short story about a Mexican teen being lowkey forced to dance a ballet at her father's rich boss's holiday party. She's crushing on the boss's daughter too so that was cute as heck. Interesting and complicated.
In the Forests of the Night by Gita Trelease
5 stars
I really liked this one! The story was absorbing and the writing very well done and evocative. I read the source story right after and found it a faithful retelling with an Indian twist. It was really lovely!
Say My Name by Dahlia Adler
4.5 stars
The petty roundabout high school drama was meh, but oh man the reveal of her name was excellent. I wanted to know more about the aftermath too! What happened? Loved reading the original story as well after. The detail about stomping the foot was amazing.
Fire & Rhinestone by Stacey Lee
5 stars
This was well written and I loved the plotline. It's definitely inspired from the original tale as well as an inspired take on an event in history. I really enjoyed the context with the author's note at the end. Loved it!
Mother's Mirror by H. E. Edgmon
10 stars
This story does have a trigger for transphobia and abuse so be aware. However, this has been my favorite so far. It hit me so hard in the feelings; as a queer Indiana kid myself. Knowing the Snow White story did help my understanding of the retelling and then refreshing myself with the original at the end was nice. This story is precious to me, and I definitely want to pick up books by H. E. Edgmon now.
Coyote in High-Top Sneakers by Darcie Little Badger
4.5 stars
A bit of a stretch believability wise, but I liked the way the narrative was structured. I really liked how Coyote was both self-serving but also helpful. I haven't ever read Puss in Boots so that was really fun too!
The Sister Switch by Melissa Albert
3 stars
So far my least favorite, but still good. It's an original story, borrowing bits and pieces from all kinds of fairytale, but it fell short in my opinion as it was too short to really engage me. I didn't know what was going on and so I never felt invested. Nate was kinda a dick, the sisters were strange, and I just didn't care for anyone which also impacted my enjoyment of it. But it was haunting and spooky regardless.
A Flame So Bright by Malinda Lo
3 stars
Sort of a Handmaid's Tale-esque story about a girl, Obedience, who is not like her namesake and falls for the town's 'witch'. It was kinda cute but I didn't get super into it. It took the original tale, which was more of a fable, and make it gay. So I did like that.
The Emperor and the Eversong by Tracy Deonn
2.5 stars
Couldn't get into this one. The writing is nice and I liked the twist on the original, but it fell flat for me. I much prefer this retelling to the original anyhow.
HEA by Alex London
4 stars
Fun, contemporary take on Cinderella with a drag queen influencer as "Cinderella". I could have read a whole novel on this take as I found it interesting. Overall since the story is so short, it lacked substance and felt somewhat flat. I hope Ash got his happy ending tho.
The Littlest Mermaid by Meredith Russo
3 stars
I was confused for most of this. And I'm not sure what Aria's final transformation meant. It was cute and worth the read even if I'm left a bit disappointed and confused in the end.
Just a Little Bite by Roselle Lim
5 stars
I kinda loved it. If you're a fan of [b:The Promised Neverland, Vol. 1|34852836|The Promised Neverland, Vol. 1|Kaiu Shirai|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1503365706l/34852836._SY75_.jpg|55131230], this concept is familiar. I liked the reveal and how they dealt with their... problems. But it did seem rather easy for them to turn into murderers. Still enjoyed it!
A Story About a Girl by Rebecca Podos
5 stars
Super fun twisty story-within-a-story kind of deal! I LOVED IT!
Overall, I really liked it! Total of 3.6 stars (53.5/75) but I liked the 4 and 5 star stories enough to justify rounding up! I feel like I accomplished reading a book finally!