A review by karlakayjenniges
In the Grimdark Strands of the Spinneret: A Fairy Tale For Elders by Keith Anthony Baird

dark mysterious medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Plot
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? No
• Diverse cast of characters? N/A
• Flaws of characters a main focus? N/A

5.0

"A woman’s hurt is a visceral thing. The want for revenge is quite another. Together, they can evoke the rise of a primitive passion. But in dark craft combined, with the guidance of one who walks between worlds, these things can be made manifest and become a vessel of retribution to howl from the beyond."

A mothers want for revenge sets in motion more than just her own desire. A vengefulness held on to for generations has now been set into motion. Life for all is hanging on a balance of lies and deception, dark desires, and ultimate death. The crone of the woods is spinning her web of vengeance and her web of dreadful, wicked creations. 

"And so it came to pass, in the most empty hour of the night, that new life was born from the entrails of death, and its cries were another weeping of the forest."

"Once, long ago, her heart had been poisoned by such blind desire, and those opposing her had come to know the little of their worth in the grimdark strands of the spinneret."

This was my first experience reading the works of KAB, and it was quite the experience. I found myself completley lost in the storytelling and feeling so many emotions. The darkness was foreboding, the sinful birthing was frightening. I shuddered at the death and bloodshed. This grimdark fairytale is disturbing and bleak in all its unfolding. There is no happiness nor is there a happy ending. 

The prose is rich and almost lyrical, at times I found myself walking around my home, reading aloud, and pondering. Often re-reading lines that struck with such beauty and were simply breathtaking. Vivid imagery that sparks the imagination. 

Enchanting and sorrowful, darkly woven threads of great storytelling! 

Original, haunting, and tragic!

My love of dark fairytales has been rekindled!