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A review by caitcoy
Snow White Learns Witchcraft: Stories and Poems by Theodora Goss
4.0
"Fairy tales are another kind of Bible, for those who know how to read them."
Snow White Learns Witchcraft is a collection of poems and short fiction by Theodora Goss, an author probably best known for her mystery/sci fi genre blender Athena Club series. As implied by the title, all of the stories and poetry in Snow White Learns Witchcraft are related to fairy tales. Many of the stories will feel familiar to anyone who grew up with even the tame versions by Disney but she also includes some that seemed more Eastern European influenced. As a side note, many of these stories and poems have been published in other collections but are collected here in a single volume.
I've always loved fairy tales of all kinds and particularly when an author takes known fairy tales and provides a twist that makes the story feel new again. Snow White Learns Witchcraft also has the bonus of having a more feminist take on traditional stories that I really liked. Even better, it does so without feeling gimmicky or like that facet is more important than the story itself. Goss does an excellent job of empowering the women in her stories while still making the story a living, breathing entity with compelling characters. While I enjoyed The Strange Case of the Alchemist's Daughter, this collection of stories was much more to my taste. I didn't love all of the stories and poetry but unlike a lot of collections, there weren't any that I disliked or which bored me. Since there's more than thirty stories and poems in the collection, I'll just mention a few that I particularly loved. In particular, Blanchefleur, Red as Blood and White as Bone and The Other Thea were really great. I loved these three in particular because while I'm guessing they're based on stories I'm less familiar with, they felt familiar and old, just what I want out of a fairy tale. Overall, I really enjoyed this collection and it's one that I'll definitely be recommending to others who enjoy fairy tales as much as I do.
Thanks to both NetGalley and Mythic Delirium Books for providing an ARC in exchange for an honest review.
Snow White Learns Witchcraft is a collection of poems and short fiction by Theodora Goss, an author probably best known for her mystery/sci fi genre blender Athena Club series. As implied by the title, all of the stories and poetry in Snow White Learns Witchcraft are related to fairy tales. Many of the stories will feel familiar to anyone who grew up with even the tame versions by Disney but she also includes some that seemed more Eastern European influenced. As a side note, many of these stories and poems have been published in other collections but are collected here in a single volume.
I've always loved fairy tales of all kinds and particularly when an author takes known fairy tales and provides a twist that makes the story feel new again. Snow White Learns Witchcraft also has the bonus of having a more feminist take on traditional stories that I really liked. Even better, it does so without feeling gimmicky or like that facet is more important than the story itself. Goss does an excellent job of empowering the women in her stories while still making the story a living, breathing entity with compelling characters. While I enjoyed The Strange Case of the Alchemist's Daughter, this collection of stories was much more to my taste. I didn't love all of the stories and poetry but unlike a lot of collections, there weren't any that I disliked or which bored me. Since there's more than thirty stories and poems in the collection, I'll just mention a few that I particularly loved. In particular, Blanchefleur, Red as Blood and White as Bone and The Other Thea were really great. I loved these three in particular because while I'm guessing they're based on stories I'm less familiar with, they felt familiar and old, just what I want out of a fairy tale. Overall, I really enjoyed this collection and it's one that I'll definitely be recommending to others who enjoy fairy tales as much as I do.
Thanks to both NetGalley and Mythic Delirium Books for providing an ARC in exchange for an honest review.