A review by valhecka
Once Upon a Curse: Stories and Fairy Tales for Adult Readers by Nancy Kress, Peter S. Beagle, Imogen Howson, Patricia C. Wrede, Siobhan Carroll, Cindy Lynn Speer, Lucy A. Snyder, Anna Kashina
5.0
I grabbed this on a whim when it was cheap and oh I am so glad I did.
Necklace of Rubies is second only to The Seventh Bride in Bluebeard retelling. Come Lady Death has an odd, mannered, Pratchetty charm that I loved. I'd read the two Sleeping Beauty remixes in the Color Noun Color Noun anthology series put together by Windling and Datlow, but revisiting was fun. Words Like Pale Stones is inspired. Frayed Tapestry is the coolest Persephone variation I can imagine, and But Can You Let Him Go is a cross-cultural masterpiece.
The originals - Remains and Cold Blackness Between - are both lingeringly creepy and fun - Remains atmospheric, Cold Blackness character-driven (and by what a character).
I'm also kind of astonished at how much I liked this twist on the jewel-speaking sister.
Necklace of Rubies is second only to The Seventh Bride in Bluebeard retelling. Come Lady Death has an odd, mannered, Pratchetty charm that I loved. I'd read the two Sleeping Beauty remixes in the Color Noun Color Noun anthology series put together by Windling and Datlow, but revisiting was fun. Words Like Pale Stones is inspired. Frayed Tapestry is the coolest Persephone variation I can imagine, and But Can You Let Him Go is a cross-cultural masterpiece.
The originals - Remains and Cold Blackness Between - are both lingeringly creepy and fun - Remains atmospheric, Cold Blackness character-driven (and by what a character).
I'm also kind of astonished at how much I liked this twist on the jewel-speaking sister.