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A review by quirkyaquarian
Tales from the Hinterland by Melissa Albert
dark
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
2.25
Not very original, it tried to read like a collection of Grimm fairytales but it quickly became repetitive. The stories feature your traditional motley crew of fairytale characters - i.e. queens and kings, illegitimate and unnatural children, sailors, sorcerers, and villagers. The trajectory of each story was conventional, albeit moderately dark, and had similar endings (spoilers: bad characters stay bad, no one learns their lesson, and everyone dies almost every time). There were never any profound (or even semi-profound) meanings or lessons learnt at the end which makes each story very forgettable.
If I had read Melissa Albert's series prior to reading this book I may have been more invested. I'd recommend doing so as I saw some references to the wider Hinterland realm that intrigued me. Notably, Death and his underground world, and the dynamics of the Moon, Tides and Stars. I will give credit to the author's writing style - she did a great job with the storytelling that was strongly reminiscent of classic fairytales.
If you're after simple retellings of fairytales with a darkish twist then yeah this will probably be for you. It's definitely a quick and easy read with recognisable fairytale tropes for that nostalgic vibe. I've always liked when authors make a collection of fairytales explaining their world's lore. As a fan of Albert, I would've been frothing at the mouth. But as I'm not familiar with her work, this fell unfortunately flat.
If I had read Melissa Albert's series prior to reading this book I may have been more invested. I'd recommend doing so as I saw some references to the wider Hinterland realm that intrigued me. Notably, Death and his underground world, and the dynamics of the Moon, Tides and Stars. I will give credit to the author's writing style - she did a great job with the storytelling that was strongly reminiscent of classic fairytales.
If you're after simple retellings of fairytales with a darkish twist then yeah this will probably be for you. It's definitely a quick and easy read with recognisable fairytale tropes for that nostalgic vibe. I've always liked when authors make a collection of fairytales explaining their world's lore. As a fan of Albert, I would've been frothing at the mouth. But as I'm not familiar with her work, this fell unfortunately flat.
Content Warnings
Minor: Adult/minor relationship, Death, and Misogyny