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A review by allthatissim
Fierce Fairytales: & Other Stories to Stir Your Soul by Nikita Gill
adventurous
challenging
dark
inspiring
reflective
4.0
Classic fairytales have always been a grey area. With damsels in distress, Prince charming in carriages, evil queens and whatnot. We have been told princesses need saving by a perfect prince, there are evil queens and kings and witches. They always tried to separate right from wrong. But what if, this differentiation of right and wrong is not that easy? What if the princesses don’t need saving and can save themselves? What if the princes are not always kind-hearted and charming but are evil ones? What if the evil queens and witches had a reason for being so? What if we see all these fairytales from a different perspective?
This is what Nikita Gill is trying to show in Fierce Fairytales and is reimagining a few classic fairytales like Peter Pan, Cinderella, Rapunzel, Little Red Riding Hood, The Little Mermaid etc., and showing their darker and fierce versions. Following a feminist approach, and good vs bad debate, Gill has put a much-needed twist on these stories while bringing up important themes such as self-love, mental health, abuse, love, friendships, and women empowerment.
There is a lot of emphasis on being kind and brave and accepting to love yourself and to be equally receptive and have solidarity towards other women instead of viewing them as our competitors and not friends. We as women often forget this.
The writing style of Gill is so good that she makes you believe in the other side of those who were turned into villains because of the narratives. What if these villains were like that because of the hardships they went through and May be that’s the only way they taught themselves to survive in this cruel world?
Written in verse, this poetry collection has poems for everyone. If you love fairytales and want to see a different approach to them, definitely pick this collection. If you often find yourself in that ‘grey’ area thinking about what’s actually good or bad, right or wrong, then definitely pick this poetry collection to spring up your brain cells.
This was my first book by Nikita Gill but it definitely won’t be my last ☺️
This is what Nikita Gill is trying to show in Fierce Fairytales and is reimagining a few classic fairytales like Peter Pan, Cinderella, Rapunzel, Little Red Riding Hood, The Little Mermaid etc., and showing their darker and fierce versions. Following a feminist approach, and good vs bad debate, Gill has put a much-needed twist on these stories while bringing up important themes such as self-love, mental health, abuse, love, friendships, and women empowerment.
There is a lot of emphasis on being kind and brave and accepting to love yourself and to be equally receptive and have solidarity towards other women instead of viewing them as our competitors and not friends. We as women often forget this.
The writing style of Gill is so good that she makes you believe in the other side of those who were turned into villains because of the narratives. What if these villains were like that because of the hardships they went through and May be that’s the only way they taught themselves to survive in this cruel world?
Written in verse, this poetry collection has poems for everyone. If you love fairytales and want to see a different approach to them, definitely pick this collection. If you often find yourself in that ‘grey’ area thinking about what’s actually good or bad, right or wrong, then definitely pick this poetry collection to spring up your brain cells.
This was my first book by Nikita Gill but it definitely won’t be my last ☺️