Overall rating: 3.5 stars
In case you missed it, fairy tales
are my thing, so I was already sold on the idea of another fairy tale
collection. Because I’m not really sure there can ever be too many. Most of
these stories were based on fairly well-known tales, but there were a few
lesser-known as well. On the whole I really enjoyed this collection. There were
a few stories that didn’t speak to me, as is always the case in a collection,
and there were a few that I really loved.
The highlights, for me:
“Reed Girl, Fire Girl, Cloud Girl,”
by Lynden Wade. Nothing truly unexpected happens here, but I just kind of loved
watching these characters travel together and discover love. It had me from the
get-go. This one had a really strong traditional fairy tale feeling too, which
I loved.
“Bluebeard’s Wives,” by Mae Baum.
Kind of the grittiest story, but that’s to be expected from a story that
involves Bluebeard, am I right?* I loved setting this tale in the modern world
and with a different explanation of the Bluebeard mythos. But really, it was
the ending that sold me—it was so deeply satisfying to me. I just kind of
cheered internally. “Take that!” However, this isn’t a story that I think most
of my family and friends would appreciate quite so much. There was just
something about it that made me happy.
“The Thief and the Spy,” by Katelyn
Barbee. For me, absolutely the highlight of the collection. The rich setting of
the piece, the main characters and their personal quandaries and struggles, the
magic woven into the story so seamlessly that it just feels like a part of
their world rather than an additional afterthought. I also loved the variations
from and similarities to the various versions of “Cinderella.” Like the slight
change in the arrangement of Asha’s family (there’s only one evil stepsister;
the other is on her side), the explanation for why Asha’s dresses keep getting
prettier, why she sticks around, etc. Just a delightful romantic read with a
lot of other stuff going on in it.
Clean rating: PG mostly, but some
PG-13 stories, largely for fairy tale-ish violence or for thematic elements
(you just can’t get away from Bluebeard, remember). “Bluebeard’s Wives” and “Goodbye,
Gigi” had the most, as I recall.
I received an ARC from the publisher,
but my opinions were not influenced in any way.
* Please note my utter inability to
use slang, even in writing. Because I just couldn’t imagine myself typing “amirite?”
without laughing at how I sounded so very not like me.
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