I’ve always loved Jane Yolen’s fairy tale adaptations. I grew up with The Curse of the Thirteenth Fey on my bedside table, and her twists on old tales always hooked me just as well as the originals did. I liked the varied settings and voices in this anthology, with “The Bridge’s Complaint,” “Sister Death,” and “Slipping Sideways Through Eternity” standing out as my favorites. They range from humorous to serious, and include fun twists on originals (what if the beautiful princess had a horrible personality?) as well as complete reshapings (what if the Big Bad Wolf’s side of the story wasn’t left out?).
However, I feel like some of the stories should have been longer, especially those with unfamiliar sources. Some were only a page long, and at the end I was left confused because I hadn’t read the original, and couldn’t tell what had been changed. I will give points for the notes at the back of the book, though, which briefly summarize how Yolen chose to tell the story and a short poem for each which recounts the source material, but I don’t feel that this makes up for the lack of detail in the adaptations shown here. Totally worth a read from both hardcore fairy tale lovers, as well as readers just looking for a fun anthology! 4/5 stars.
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The BaronessHey, I'm Shreya! I love to read, write, travel, and drink tea. Disclosure: I am an affiliate of bookshop.org and I will earn a small commission if you click the above link and make a purchase.
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