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A review by reader44ever
Redder Than Blood by Tanith Lee
4.0
I finally checked this book out again from my library, probably sometime in August or even late in July of 2019, to reread the first few stories and then continue on and finish this book. I'll now (in October 2019) finally review the rest of the stories, something I'll probably wish I had done as I was reading this book, but ah well...
Redder Than Blood, Read 09/09/2017, Reread 09/26/2019.
This story, a Snow White retelling, didn't make a whole lot of sense to me, but I enjoyed it. The main character, Edmund Sanger, was called "Edmondo" in Italy. Edmondo is my best friend's name, so that might be why I enjoyed this story even though I found it confusing. :-)
Snow-Drop, Read 09/09/2017, Reread 09/26/2019.
This story was really good and super creepy. My only complaint is that the ending seemed abrupt.Cristena killed Snow-Drop, and buried her in the garden. But when her husband returned home with guests and a special lamp that would bring spring to their winter garden, Snow-Drop's body was revealed. The story ended when the men turned to look at Cristena with questions. . :-/
Also, I really need to read the original Snow White fairy tale, as I haven't understood how either of these first two stories were retellings of it.
But I did enjoy the sci-fi aspects to this story. Their house was itself a character! :-)
Magpied, Read 09/10/2017, Reread 09/26/2019.
This story was ostensibly a retelling of the Pied Piper tale, only I'm not familiar enough with the Pied Piper tale to tell if this story differed. But in this story, the Piper was asked to remove troublesome children from the town. :-/
She Sleeps in a Tower, Read 09/10/2017, Reread 09/27/2019.
This retelling of Sleeping Beauty was very disturbing. I don't think I've ever read a non-disturbing retelling of Sleeping Beauty, but pedophilia? This story took it in a truly icky direction. So I'd give it four stars for being very good, but I did NOT "really enjoy it." :-/
Awake, Read 09/10/2017, Reread 09/27/2019.
I enjoyed this Sleeping Beauty retelling. It was much easier on my heart. In this one, Roisa (Sleeping Beauty) was 16, and her parents' palace fell victim to a curse of sleep for 100 years, butRoisa awoke each night and spent every night of the 100 years with the Fae. I was glad that nothing objectionable happened in this story. It was just the follow-up to that last story that I needed. :-)
Love in Waiting, Read 09/10/2017, Reread 09/27/2019.
This Sleeping Beauty retelling was not even half a page long, but it managed to be a complete story despite its brevity, and even had a sad ending. The princessmet her prince, they fell in love, and were set to be married following her 16th birthday. But a curse ensured that starting on her 16th birthday, she would sleep for 100 years. Her prince was 18.
Her prince lived a long time, though, so he was there that day, 100 years later. But he was aged, and after kissing his still-16 princess awake, they had time for one short exchange, and then he died at her feet. So. . .sad.
But it was a good story!
The Reason for Not Going to the Ball, Read 09/10/2017, Reread 09/27/2019.
This was a retelling of the Cinderella tale, which is another that I've never read, in the form of "A Letter to Cinderella from her Step-Mother". But I have seen Disney's version of Cinderella, and this story/letter seemed to be a twisting of that version. Twisted becauseCinderella's father and the prince were both abusers. The stepmother did what she did in hopes of protecting Cinderella.
I just wish we had been able to see what happened next. Did Cinderellaread the whole letter? Did she successfully escape her abusive marriage? ? But this story was just a letter to Cinderella from her stepmother. So, sadly, when the stepmother closed her letter, the story ended. :-/
Midnight, Read 09/10/2017, Reread 09/27/2019.
This Cinderella retelling yet again seemed like the Disney version, only this one gave us what might have happened if Cinderella had NOT fled when the clock struck midnight. I wasvery afraid that the prince would not react well to seeing Cinderella - she was named Elvira in this retelling - to seeing Elvira transformed back into her ashy, raggedy state. But instead, we were gifted a happy ending! The prince showed that he knew Elvira and that her outward appearance didn't matter. :-)
I was so happy that this story ended well that apparently I forgot to come online to share that I finished it, and then I went to sleep. :-) So I reviewed this one on September 11th.
Empire of Glass, Read 10/09/2017, Reread 09/28/2019.
This story was told from the POV of the Prince. I didn't much like "Cindy," but the Prince seemed okay, if a bit arrogant and very greedy.
Rapunzel, Read 10/09/2017, Reread 09/28/2019.
This story seemed to be a retelling of both the original story of "Rapunzel" (which I've actually read!), and the Disney version. And Rapunzel's tower in this story was just an invention in a story her prince told to his father. :-)
Open Your Window, Golden Hair, Read 10/09/2017, Reread 09/28/2019.
This story is frankly one I wish I could forget reading. It was another Rapunzel story and the thing in the tower... Well... I haven't forgotten it, but if you want to know what it was, read it for yourself.
Kiss, Kiss, Read 10/09/2017, Reread 09/29/2019.
This story is a retelling of The Frog Prince. I think it told the story pretty much as it happened, and continued on a bit? But the prince just wasn't a nice man. :-/
Into Gold, Read 09/29/2019.
This Rumpelstiltskin story was rather long and disturbing. In it, a corn king has a daughter who can spin anything into gold. Our narrator's leader marries her and they have a son. But the daughter eventually does a rite that involves the son and our narrator saves him. The story didn't exactly end satisfyingly, but it was okay.
Blood-Mantle, Read 09/29/2010.
This was a rather disturbing version of Little Red Riding Hood. It features a girl, a "wolf," and a grandmother, and that's really all I want to say about it.
Wolfed, Read 09/29/2019.
And this was a rather erotic version of Little Red Riding Hood. It too features a girl, a boy named Wolf who looks nice dressed as a woman, and a Granny. :-)
My Life as a Swan, Read 09/29-30/2019.
This retelling of Swan Lake was rather long and I found it to be kinda boring. Oh, things happened in it. A woman received the ability to turn into a swan, she found and raised some baby swans, she was captured and rescued and lived, not exactly happy ever after. :-/
The Beast, Read 09/30/2019.
This retelling of Beauty and the Beast was ... I don't know how to describe it, but Isobel was a Beauty and Vessavion did turn out to be a Beast.
The Beast and Beauty, Read 09/30/2019.
In this retelling of Beauty and the Beast, I think the man was the Beauty, and he fell in love with and married a Beast, whokilled him after five years of marriage, for whatever reason. I don't think I understood the ending, the reasons, but I suppose that doesn't matter very much.
Below the Sun Beneath, Read 09/30/2019.
This story retold The Twelve Dancing Princesses. It featured a man named Yannis who found out the secret thanks to a few secrets he learned from an old woman in the woods. Eleven of the 12 girls were not very nice, but the youngest, Evira, she was smart and kind andalso the old woman in the woods! ! I liked this story, as it had a happy ending. :-)
In sum, I liked this book but it wasn't the best set of retellings I've ever read. And apart from saying I'll give it four stars, I can't think of anything else to say about this anthology. :-/
Redder Than Blood, Read 09/09/2017, Reread 09/26/2019.
This story, a Snow White retelling, didn't make a whole lot of sense to me, but I enjoyed it. The main character, Edmund Sanger, was called "Edmondo" in Italy. Edmondo is my best friend's name, so that might be why I enjoyed this story even though I found it confusing. :-)
Snow-Drop, Read 09/09/2017, Reread 09/26/2019.
This story was really good and super creepy. My only complaint is that the ending seemed abrupt.
Also, I really need to read the original Snow White fairy tale, as I haven't understood how either of these first two stories were retellings of it.
But I did enjoy the sci-fi aspects to this story. Their house was itself a character! :-)
Magpied, Read 09/10/2017, Reread 09/26/2019.
This story was ostensibly a retelling of the Pied Piper tale, only I'm not familiar enough with the Pied Piper tale to tell if this story differed. But in this story, the Piper was asked to remove troublesome children from the town. :-/
She Sleeps in a Tower, Read 09/10/2017, Reread 09/27/2019.
This retelling of Sleeping Beauty was very disturbing. I don't think I've ever read a non-disturbing retelling of Sleeping Beauty, but pedophilia? This story took it in a truly icky direction. So I'd give it four stars for being very good, but I did NOT "really enjoy it." :-/
Awake, Read 09/10/2017, Reread 09/27/2019.
I enjoyed this Sleeping Beauty retelling. It was much easier on my heart. In this one, Roisa (Sleeping Beauty) was 16, and her parents' palace fell victim to a curse of sleep for 100 years, but
Love in Waiting, Read 09/10/2017, Reread 09/27/2019.
This Sleeping Beauty retelling was not even half a page long, but it managed to be a complete story despite its brevity, and even had a sad ending. The princess
Her prince lived a long time, though, so he was there that day, 100 years later. But he was aged, and after kissing his still-16 princess awake, they had time for one short exchange, and then he died at her feet.
But it was a good story!
The Reason for Not Going to the Ball, Read 09/10/2017, Reread 09/27/2019.
This was a retelling of the Cinderella tale, which is another that I've never read, in the form of "A Letter to Cinderella from her Step-Mother". But I have seen Disney's version of Cinderella, and this story/letter seemed to be a twisting of that version. Twisted because
I just wish we had been able to see what happened next. Did Cinderella
Midnight, Read 09/10/2017, Reread 09/27/2019.
This Cinderella retelling yet again seemed like the Disney version, only this one gave us what might have happened if Cinderella had NOT fled when the clock struck midnight. I was
I was so happy that this story ended well that apparently I forgot to come online to share that I finished it, and then I went to sleep. :-) So I reviewed this one on September 11th.
Empire of Glass, Read 10/09/2017, Reread 09/28/2019.
This story was told from the POV of the Prince. I didn't much like "Cindy," but the Prince seemed okay, if a bit arrogant and very greedy.
Rapunzel, Read 10/09/2017, Reread 09/28/2019.
This story seemed to be a retelling of both the original story of "Rapunzel" (which I've actually read!), and the Disney version. And Rapunzel's tower in this story was just an invention in a story her prince told to his father. :-)
Open Your Window, Golden Hair, Read 10/09/2017, Reread 09/28/2019.
This story is frankly one I wish I could forget reading. It was another Rapunzel story and the thing in the tower... Well... I haven't forgotten it, but if you want to know what it was, read it for yourself.
Kiss, Kiss, Read 10/09/2017, Reread 09/29/2019.
This story is a retelling of The Frog Prince. I think it told the story pretty much as it happened, and continued on a bit? But the prince just wasn't a nice man. :-/
Into Gold, Read 09/29/2019.
This Rumpelstiltskin story was rather long and disturbing. In it, a corn king has a daughter who can spin anything into gold. Our narrator's leader marries her and they have a son. But the daughter eventually does a rite that involves the son and our narrator saves him. The story didn't exactly end satisfyingly, but it was okay.
Blood-Mantle, Read 09/29/2010.
This was a rather disturbing version of Little Red Riding Hood. It features a girl, a "wolf," and a grandmother, and that's really all I want to say about it.
Wolfed, Read 09/29/2019.
And this was a rather erotic version of Little Red Riding Hood. It too features a girl, a boy named Wolf who looks nice dressed as a woman, and a Granny. :-)
My Life as a Swan, Read 09/29-30/2019.
This retelling of Swan Lake was rather long and I found it to be kinda boring. Oh, things happened in it. A woman received the ability to turn into a swan, she found and raised some baby swans, she was captured and rescued and lived, not exactly happy ever after. :-/
The Beast, Read 09/30/2019.
This retelling of Beauty and the Beast was ... I don't know how to describe it, but Isobel was a Beauty and Vessavion did turn out to be a Beast.
The Beast and Beauty, Read 09/30/2019.
In this retelling of Beauty and the Beast, I think the man was the Beauty, and he fell in love with and married a Beast, who
Below the Sun Beneath, Read 09/30/2019.
This story retold The Twelve Dancing Princesses. It featured a man named Yannis who found out the secret thanks to a few secrets he learned from an old woman in the woods. Eleven of the 12 girls were not very nice, but the youngest, Evira, she was smart and kind and
In sum, I liked this book but it wasn't the best set of retellings I've ever read. And apart from saying I'll give it four stars, I can't think of anything else to say about this anthology. :-/