emmirosereads's review against another edition
2.0
I adore fairytales and fairytale retellings/reimaginings so you can imagine my excitement about seeing this book and being able to get a copy. Unfortunately this was one I had trouble connecting to. Anothologies are always a hit or miss with me. I will say the entire idea behind this book is something I loved and the writing of these tales was absolutely excellent. I really love how Jane Yolen really captured the feel and essence of classics fairytales. They all just felt very authentic. Despite that I just simply wasn't drawn into each tale. Many just felt too short making it hard to really connect to them and the book as a whole. I think another thing is that many of the tales and stories we're based on ones I'm not familiar with. Which definitely isn't a bad thing but simply made it harder to connect with the stories. I also just think many of the stories we're bleak and I didn't care for many of the different fractures of the story as the author puts it.
I definitely would recommend giving this book a try because it's not had by any means. It's simply just wasn't entirely for me.
I definitely would recommend giving this book a try because it's not had by any means. It's simply just wasn't entirely for me.
emrache's review against another edition
4.0
As the title suggests, this book offers alternative versions of traditional fairy tales from various cultures. Many of the stories I already knew, but certainly not all of them.
As with many books of short stories, I absolutely adored many of them and simply tolerated a few. I think my favorite was the tale of Snow White set in Appalachia, with the dwarves as coal miners. The retooling of the Daedalus and Icarus tale so that Icarus did not die was intriguing as well. At the end of the book are backgrounds about each of the fairy tales. I only wish that these backgrounds were included at the end of each story individually. I would have liked to learn more about the tales I didn’t know when they were still fresh in my mind.
I received a free ARC of this book from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.
As with many books of short stories, I absolutely adored many of them and simply tolerated a few. I think my favorite was the tale of Snow White set in Appalachia, with the dwarves as coal miners. The retooling of the Daedalus and Icarus tale so that Icarus did not die was intriguing as well. At the end of the book are backgrounds about each of the fairy tales. I only wish that these backgrounds were included at the end of each story individually. I would have liked to learn more about the tales I didn’t know when they were still fresh in my mind.
I received a free ARC of this book from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.
bibliotequeish's review against another edition
3.0
This book was a fresh take on classic fairy tales (three punk pigs), but also included original stories.
The stories were thought provoking and interesting.
The end of the book was really interesting when the Author described the thought behind her "fractures"
While this book was really fun I did recently read a book with the same premise, and I couldn't help but compare the two while I was reading.
While I know that this was not fair to this book, nor its author, it was inevitable and unfortunately this book fell a little short.
I still really enjoyed it, I loved the cover art, and would still recommend this book to friends
The stories were thought provoking and interesting.
The end of the book was really interesting when the Author described the thought behind her "fractures"
While this book was really fun I did recently read a book with the same premise, and I couldn't help but compare the two while I was reading.
While I know that this was not fair to this book, nor its author, it was inevitable and unfortunately this book fell a little short.
I still really enjoyed it, I loved the cover art, and would still recommend this book to friends
especbooks's review against another edition
4.0
There is nothing by Jane Yolen that I have not enjoyed. This is no exception. So riched and varied and vibrant, both painful and beautiful at once. These tales speak with the gravitas of tales of old, but in the author's unique voice. Not an easy or quick read, but without a doubt worth it..
annakim's review against another edition
4.0
I love a good retelling and these are some of the best. I enjoyed trying to figure out the basis for each of these stories and was surprised at how dark some of them got. There were a couple that were downright disturbing, but still appropriate, considering the origins and intents of most fairy tales.
acrues's review against another edition
dark
emotional
funny
reflective
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? N/A
- Strong character development? N/A
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
hcpenner's review against another edition
Every story started with an interesting premise, but at the end I was left feeling, "So what?" By halfway I gave up.
madgerdes's review against another edition
adventurous
funny
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? N/A
- Strong character development? N/A
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? N/A
4.0
thepolybrary's review against another edition
4.0
~*Check out my blog, The Bent Bookworm!*~
First of all, I'm a complete sucker for fairy tale retellings. All the more when they aren't your typical, prince-rescues-princess-and-they-live-happily-ever-after type stories. I love a good twist and a dark underside to fairy tales (which, if you read a lot of the ORIGINALS...was often the case!). When I saw this book was a collection of short retellings I immediately requested it and was absolutely delighted to receive it just a few days before it came out! It's now available and totally worth checking out. :) Also, apparently Jane Yolen is something of a MG/YA fantasy scion...and I had never heard of her. Ever. Never read any of her books, didn't have any of them on my TBR.
The Stories
How to Fracture a Fairy Tale contains tales from many different countries. Some of them I recognized, some of them I did not. They were all interesting and most of them entertaining! Some of them were funny, like one of the two Cinderella shorts. A couple raised the hairs on the back of my neck (most specifically the very last one in the book, "Wrestling With Angels." My favorite of all the tales though, was "Great-Grandfather Dragon's Tale," which is a cute and funny remake of Saint George and the Dragon.
A few of the tales are most definitely only suited to a YA or older audience, as they contain heavy implications of sexual assault or rape if they don't state it outright. I was a bit startled by these, to be honest, as they don't really seem to fit in with the overall tone of the book...but then, the collection is very random. The author has included, in the last section of the book, an explanation for why she told each tale the way she did, as well as given a poem for each. It is extremely fascinating, but I think due to the randomness as well as the content of this particular section, a lot of younger readers will lose interest and probably only read the stories - which are the important part, anyway!
Many thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for providing the free review copy in exchange for an honest review!
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First of all, I'm a complete sucker for fairy tale retellings. All the more when they aren't your typical, prince-rescues-princess-and-they-live-happily-ever-after type stories. I love a good twist and a dark underside to fairy tales (which, if you read a lot of the ORIGINALS...was often the case!). When I saw this book was a collection of short retellings I immediately requested it and was absolutely delighted to receive it just a few days before it came out! It's now available and totally worth checking out. :) Also, apparently Jane Yolen is something of a MG/YA fantasy scion...and I had never heard of her. Ever. Never read any of her books, didn't have any of them on my TBR.
The Stories
How to Fracture a Fairy Tale contains tales from many different countries. Some of them I recognized, some of them I did not. They were all interesting and most of them entertaining! Some of them were funny, like one of the two Cinderella shorts. A couple raised the hairs on the back of my neck (most specifically the very last one in the book, "Wrestling With Angels." My favorite of all the tales though, was "Great-Grandfather Dragon's Tale," which is a cute and funny remake of Saint George and the Dragon.
A few of the tales are most definitely only suited to a YA or older audience, as they contain heavy implications of sexual assault or rape if they don't state it outright. I was a bit startled by these, to be honest, as they don't really seem to fit in with the overall tone of the book...but then, the collection is very random. The author has included, in the last section of the book, an explanation for why she told each tale the way she did, as well as given a poem for each. It is extremely fascinating, but I think due to the randomness as well as the content of this particular section, a lot of younger readers will lose interest and probably only read the stories - which are the important part, anyway!
Many thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for providing the free review copy in exchange for an honest review!
Blog | Twitter | Bloglovin | Instagram | Google+
iggyebab's review against another edition
4.0
** I received an Arc in exchange for an honest review.**
I love different takes on fairytales. This book is a full of short retellings. The introduction by Marissa Meyer was awesome and the authors discussion about how to deconstruct a fairytale was fantastic.
If you like retellings, this book might be an awesome way to palate cleanse between books. You could definitely read a few stories at a time. It would also be a great resource if you are looking to break a fairy tale down on your own.
I love different takes on fairytales. This book is a full of short retellings. The introduction by Marissa Meyer was awesome and the authors discussion about how to deconstruct a fairytale was fantastic.
If you like retellings, this book might be an awesome way to palate cleanse between books. You could definitely read a few stories at a time. It would also be a great resource if you are looking to break a fairy tale down on your own.