zoes_human's review
3.0
Like most anthologies, this one is a mixed bag. Conceptually, all of the stories are excellent. Dystopian, post-apocalyptic, zombies, and science fiction tales mix in with modern and classic retellings.
While a couple of the stories left me a bit flat, there were some real gems in here. In particular, I enjoyed "Plan B" by Katie French "A House in the Woods" by H.S. Stone. I will definitely be taking a look at the other work of some of the authors who contributed. Special thanks to Zoe Cannon for making Beauty and the Beast an actual love story instead of the creepy Stockholm Syndrome advocacy it's always been.
While a couple of the stories left me a bit flat, there were some real gems in here. In particular, I enjoyed "Plan B" by Katie French "A House in the Woods" by H.S. Stone. I will definitely be taking a look at the other work of some of the authors who contributed. Special thanks to Zoe Cannon for making Beauty and the Beast an actual love story instead of the creepy Stockholm Syndrome advocacy it's always been.
jdhobbes's review
3.0
These are not merely twisted fairy tales, but the majority of them also follow the post-apocalyptic dystopian themes which are so popular in YA fiction at the moment. I probably wouldn't have purchased it if I had realized that, because I'm not normally a fan of that genre, but I am a fan of dark fairy tale retellings, and so here I am.
That being said, this is a very uneven anthology. Some of the stories are really good, and some are just terrible. I think the stronger stories make it a worthwhile buy, but if you want my advice, you won't even bother reading "Killing Snow White" (Jamie Campbell). It's very flat and reads like an early effort by a high schooler or younger. The concept of Snow White retold with the queen as protagonist is not new, and was done infinitely better by Neil Gaiman in his short story "Snow, Glass, Apples."
The Sarah Dalton contribution is on par with her other works, of which I am a fan. I think that's how I originally found this collection, but I don't actually remember for certain. It popped up as a recommendation somewhere. I also very much enjoyed the stories by Ariele Seiling, Katie French, and Zoe Cannon. Those three authors are new to me, but their stories made me want to find out what else they'd written.
There are two other stories in the collection which were not bad, but definitely forgettable.
That being said, this is a very uneven anthology. Some of the stories are really good, and some are just terrible. I think the stronger stories make it a worthwhile buy, but if you want my advice, you won't even bother reading "Killing Snow White" (Jamie Campbell). It's very flat and reads like an early effort by a high schooler or younger. The concept of Snow White retold with the queen as protagonist is not new, and was done infinitely better by Neil Gaiman in his short story "Snow, Glass, Apples."
The Sarah Dalton contribution is on par with her other works, of which I am a fan. I think that's how I originally found this collection, but I don't actually remember for certain. It popped up as a recommendation somewhere. I also very much enjoyed the stories by Ariele Seiling, Katie French, and Zoe Cannon. Those three authors are new to me, but their stories made me want to find out what else they'd written.
There are two other stories in the collection which were not bad, but definitely forgettable.
princess_starr's review
2.0
I’m conflicted on where I stand with this collection, because while I didn’t dislike it, I found it to be fairly underwhelming in terms of content. Considering that this begins with a fairly disturbing retelling of Sleeping Beauty (which is a disturbing fairy tale to begin with), and then to have two comical and somewhat childish stories following three dark stories is really a tonal whiplash for me. The weakest story in the collection, “Killing Snow White”, could have been a funny dark comedy, but it never gets there. Also, that story lost points for directly referencing the Disney version—the dwarfs don’t have specific personality traits in the original story. “Three Wishes” also suffers from this as well, particularly considering the last wish in the story. Aside from “Plan B” (the aforementioned Sleeping Beauty), none of the other stories really stood out for me. “Flight” was the only other strong story in the collection, but everything else in this collection is worth skipping.
bobbiesdustypages's review
3.0
True rating 3.5 leaning more towards 4 stars.
There are some really great stories in this book my favorites by far though we're the Robin Hood retelling and the beauty and the beast retelling.
There are some really great stories in this book my favorites by far though we're the Robin Hood retelling and the beauty and the beast retelling.
demonoftheastrowaste's review
5.0
Really great. Seriously amazing. Great retelling of a classic. Had a lot of fun reading it.
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