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barefootmegz's review
4.0
Ever since I did an online course about Fairytales and Young Adult Literature years ago, I’ve been a little bit obsessed with fairytales, and how they repeat in literature. And while the bookish world seems to have a variable relationship with retellings, I find that with enough suspension of disbelief, and a willingness to “plumb their depths” (Adler, foreword), retellings by good writers can be quite fantastical.
The original tales are included in the back, and I enjoyed first reading an original, and then its relevant retelling.
A rundown:
Sugarplum, Anna-Marie McLemore: I loved this sapphic ballet-inspired musing on free will.
In the Forests of the Night, Gita Trelease: a gruesome gothic-like tale of feminist victory over colonialist patriarchy, set in India. I’m used to completely realistic stories set in India, so this heavy dose of magic was a refreshing change.
Say My Name, Dahlia Adler: a series of dark twists and ulterior motives, leaving the reader fittingly conflicted about heroes and villains. I really don't think the foot-in-linoleum-floor bit was necessary though - the retelling was clear enough without it.
Fire & Rhinestone, Stacey Lee: historical fiction set in late-19th Century NYC, featuring an Asian American girl and her ancient grandmother. One of the saddest of the lot, beautifully told.
Mother’s Mirror, H. E. Edgmon: a coming-of-age story of a trans-man, leaning in to himself and all his complexities.
Sharp as any Thorn, Rory Power: a somewhat confusing story, dark and murderous, featuring domestic violence, manipulation, and a complicated sisterhood. Left me wanting more.
Coyote in High-Top Sneakers, Darcie Little Badger: you know those fairytales where the good guy plays a clever trick on the bad guy? This is it!
The Sister Switch, Melissa Albert: I can see what the author was trying to do, but I think it would definitely be better as a short play. A little Stephen King-esque!
Once Bitten, Twice Shy, Hafsah Faizal: a story of morality, cultural expectations, and scheming; featuring a Muslim family and a fearless hijabi-daughter. I love that a crisis of culture/faith is NOT central to this story.
A Flame so Bright, Malinda Lo: a sapphic story full of forbidden desire, with just a hint at [b:The Lottery|6219656|The Lottery|Shirley Jackson|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1348757577l/6219656._SY75_.jpg|15161007].
The Emperor and the Eversong, Tracy Deonn: to me, this wasn’t really a retelling, just a transposition to a different setting.
Hea, Alex London: my favourite of them all! Influencer fame, drag, and innocent first love.
The Littlest Mermaid, Meredith Russo: I love this flipped version from the mermaid’s point of view, deftly tackling themes of the gender binary and none-monogamy vs eternal love.
Just a Little Bite, Roselle Lim: one of the most gruesome, in an unputdownable way.
A Story About a Girl: the framing device was weird, and maybe not even necessary. Interesting twist, though.
Thanks to Netgalley and Titan Books for the free eARC, in exchange for an honest review.
The original tales are included in the back, and I enjoyed first reading an original, and then its relevant retelling.
A rundown:
Sugarplum, Anna-Marie McLemore: I loved this sapphic ballet-inspired musing on free will.
In the Forests of the Night, Gita Trelease: a gruesome gothic-like tale of feminist victory over colonialist patriarchy, set in India. I’m used to completely realistic stories set in India, so this heavy dose of magic was a refreshing change.
Say My Name, Dahlia Adler: a series of dark twists and ulterior motives, leaving the reader fittingly conflicted about heroes and villains. I really don't think the foot-in-linoleum-floor bit was necessary though - the retelling was clear enough without it.
Fire & Rhinestone, Stacey Lee: historical fiction set in late-19th Century NYC, featuring an Asian American girl and her ancient grandmother. One of the saddest of the lot, beautifully told.
Mother’s Mirror, H. E. Edgmon: a coming-of-age story of a trans-man, leaning in to himself and all his complexities.
Sharp as any Thorn, Rory Power: a somewhat confusing story, dark and murderous, featuring domestic violence, manipulation, and a complicated sisterhood. Left me wanting more.
Coyote in High-Top Sneakers, Darcie Little Badger: you know those fairytales where the good guy plays a clever trick on the bad guy? This is it!
The Sister Switch, Melissa Albert: I can see what the author was trying to do, but I think it would definitely be better as a short play. A little Stephen King-esque!
Once Bitten, Twice Shy, Hafsah Faizal: a story of morality, cultural expectations, and scheming; featuring a Muslim family and a fearless hijabi-daughter. I love that a crisis of culture/faith is NOT central to this story.
A Flame so Bright, Malinda Lo: a sapphic story full of forbidden desire, with just a hint at [b:The Lottery|6219656|The Lottery|Shirley Jackson|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1348757577l/6219656._SY75_.jpg|15161007].
The Emperor and the Eversong, Tracy Deonn: to me, this wasn’t really a retelling, just a transposition to a different setting.
Hea, Alex London: my favourite of them all! Influencer fame, drag, and innocent first love.
The Littlest Mermaid, Meredith Russo: I love this flipped version from the mermaid’s point of view, deftly tackling themes of the gender binary and none-monogamy vs eternal love.
Just a Little Bite, Roselle Lim: one of the most gruesome, in an unputdownable way.
A Story About a Girl: the framing device was weird, and maybe not even necessary. Interesting twist, though.
Thanks to Netgalley and Titan Books for the free eARC, in exchange for an honest review.
sagittariusreads_'s review
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? N/A
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.5
keliseb's review
adventurous
dark
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
excellently done but just a tad too scary for me
jessoehrlein's review
3.0
I think my favorite story here was Tracy Deonn's "The Emperor and the Eversong," though I was also very fond of AM McLemore's "Sugarplum" and Dahlia Adler's "Say My Name."
sparklelys's review
4.0
Disney endings have their place, but oh, the real fairy tales were bloody and ugly and did not often end well -- it's a bit like Shakespeare: Everyone Dies! Where these YA authors did one better in moving the fairy tales contemporary was giving the characters depth and color (in many cases literal diversity) and deeper backstories of motivation for their actions. I appreciate that the book included also an appendix of the original stories, some of which I knew inside and out and others I'd never heard of. I particularly enjoyed Coyote in High-Top Sneakers, inspired by Puss in Boots.
bubble_book's review
adventurous
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.25
fransjevo's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
sad
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.75
booklover160's review
4.0
Anthologies help kick my reading slumps and this one is right up my alley! I like looking back seeing the little short stories and my reviews of them too.
I also love that they included the original stories these are based on too! So unique and a great detail.
Sugarplum by Anna-Marie McLemore
4 stars
Very short story about a Mexican teen being lowkey forced to dance a ballet at her father's rich boss's holiday party. She's crushing on the boss's daughter too so that was cute as heck. Interesting and complicated.
In the Forests of the Night by Gita Trelease
5 stars
I really liked this one! The story was absorbing and the writing very well done and evocative. I read the source story right after and found it a faithful retelling with an Indian twist. It was really lovely!
Say My Name by Dahlia Adler
4.5 stars
The petty roundabout high school drama was meh, but oh man the reveal of her name was excellent. I wanted to know more about the aftermath too! What happened? Loved reading the original story as well after. The detail about stomping the foot was amazing.
Fire & Rhinestone by Stacey Lee
5 stars
This was well written and I loved the plotline. It's definitely inspired from the original tale as well as an inspired take on an event in history. I really enjoyed the context with the author's note at the end. Loved it!
Mother's Mirror by H. E. Edgmon
10 stars
This story does have a trigger for transphobia and abuse so be aware. However, this has been my favorite so far. It hit me so hard in the feelings; as a queer Indiana kid myself. Knowing the Snow White story did help my understanding of the retelling and then refreshing myself with the original at the end was nice. This story is precious to me, and I definitely want to pick up books by H. E. Edgmon now.
Coyote in High-Top Sneakers by Darcie Little Badger
4.5 stars
A bit of a stretch believability wise, but I liked the way the narrative was structured. I really liked how Coyote was both self-serving but also helpful. I haven't ever read Puss in Boots so that was really fun too!
The Sister Switch by Melissa Albert
3 stars
So far my least favorite, but still good. It's an original story, borrowing bits and pieces from all kinds of fairytale, but it fell short in my opinion as it was too short to really engage me. I didn't know what was going on and so I never felt invested. Nate was kinda a dick, the sisters were strange, and I just didn't care for anyone which also impacted my enjoyment of it. But it was haunting and spooky regardless.
A Flame So Bright by Malinda Lo
3 stars
Sort of a Handmaid's Tale-esque story about a girl, Obedience, who is not like her namesake and falls for the town's 'witch'. It was kinda cute but I didn't get super into it. It took the original tale, which was more of a fable, and make it gay. So I did like that.
The Emperor and the Eversong by Tracy Deonn
2.5 stars
Couldn't get into this one. The writing is nice and I liked the twist on the original, but it fell flat for me. I much prefer this retelling to the original anyhow.
HEA by Alex London
4 stars
Fun, contemporary take on Cinderella with a drag queen influencer as "Cinderella". I could have read a whole novel on this take as I found it interesting. Overall since the story is so short, it lacked substance and felt somewhat flat. I hope Ash got his happy ending tho.
The Littlest Mermaid by Meredith Russo
3 stars
I was confused for most of this. And I'm not sure what Aria's final transformation meant. It was cute and worth the read even if I'm left a bit disappointed and confused in the end.
Just a Little Bite by Roselle Lim
5 stars
I kinda loved it. If you're a fan of [b:The Promised Neverland, Vol. 1|34852836|The Promised Neverland, Vol. 1|Kaiu Shirai|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1503365706l/34852836._SY75_.jpg|55131230], this concept is familiar. I liked the reveal and how they dealt with their... problems. But it did seem rather easy for them to turn into murderers. Still enjoyed it!
A Story About a Girl by Rebecca Podos
5 stars
Super fun twisty story-within-a-story kind of deal! I LOVED IT!
Overall, I really liked it! Total of 3.6 stars (53.5/75) but I liked the 4 and 5 star stories enough to justify rounding up! I feel like I accomplished reading a book finally!
I also love that they included the original stories these are based on too! So unique and a great detail.
Sugarplum by Anna-Marie McLemore
4 stars
Very short story about a Mexican teen being lowkey forced to dance a ballet at her father's rich boss's holiday party. She's crushing on the boss's daughter too so that was cute as heck. Interesting and complicated.
In the Forests of the Night by Gita Trelease
5 stars
I really liked this one! The story was absorbing and the writing very well done and evocative. I read the source story right after and found it a faithful retelling with an Indian twist. It was really lovely!
Say My Name by Dahlia Adler
4.5 stars
The petty roundabout high school drama was meh, but oh man the reveal of her name was excellent. I wanted to know more about the aftermath too! What happened? Loved reading the original story as well after. The detail about stomping the foot was amazing.
Fire & Rhinestone by Stacey Lee
5 stars
This was well written and I loved the plotline. It's definitely inspired from the original tale as well as an inspired take on an event in history. I really enjoyed the context with the author's note at the end. Loved it!
Mother's Mirror by H. E. Edgmon
10 stars
This story does have a trigger for transphobia and abuse so be aware. However, this has been my favorite so far. It hit me so hard in the feelings; as a queer Indiana kid myself. Knowing the Snow White story did help my understanding of the retelling and then refreshing myself with the original at the end was nice. This story is precious to me, and I definitely want to pick up books by H. E. Edgmon now.
Coyote in High-Top Sneakers by Darcie Little Badger
4.5 stars
A bit of a stretch believability wise, but I liked the way the narrative was structured. I really liked how Coyote was both self-serving but also helpful. I haven't ever read Puss in Boots so that was really fun too!
The Sister Switch by Melissa Albert
3 stars
So far my least favorite, but still good. It's an original story, borrowing bits and pieces from all kinds of fairytale, but it fell short in my opinion as it was too short to really engage me. I didn't know what was going on and so I never felt invested. Nate was kinda a dick, the sisters were strange, and I just didn't care for anyone which also impacted my enjoyment of it. But it was haunting and spooky regardless.
A Flame So Bright by Malinda Lo
3 stars
Sort of a Handmaid's Tale-esque story about a girl, Obedience, who is not like her namesake and falls for the town's 'witch'. It was kinda cute but I didn't get super into it. It took the original tale, which was more of a fable, and make it gay. So I did like that.
The Emperor and the Eversong by Tracy Deonn
2.5 stars
Couldn't get into this one. The writing is nice and I liked the twist on the original, but it fell flat for me. I much prefer this retelling to the original anyhow.
HEA by Alex London
4 stars
Fun, contemporary take on Cinderella with a drag queen influencer as "Cinderella". I could have read a whole novel on this take as I found it interesting. Overall since the story is so short, it lacked substance and felt somewhat flat. I hope Ash got his happy ending tho.
The Littlest Mermaid by Meredith Russo
3 stars
I was confused for most of this. And I'm not sure what Aria's final transformation meant. It was cute and worth the read even if I'm left a bit disappointed and confused in the end.
Just a Little Bite by Roselle Lim
5 stars
I kinda loved it. If you're a fan of [b:The Promised Neverland, Vol. 1|34852836|The Promised Neverland, Vol. 1|Kaiu Shirai|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1503365706l/34852836._SY75_.jpg|55131230], this concept is familiar. I liked the reveal and how they dealt with their... problems. But it did seem rather easy for them to turn into murderers. Still enjoyed it!
A Story About a Girl by Rebecca Podos
5 stars
Super fun twisty story-within-a-story kind of deal! I LOVED IT!
Overall, I really liked it! Total of 3.6 stars (53.5/75) but I liked the 4 and 5 star stories enough to justify rounding up! I feel like I accomplished reading a book finally!
go_maggs_go's review
4.0
I don't often read anthologies, but I'm really not sure why. There were some absolute gems in At Midnight! I liked every story, actually, but the highlights for me were:
In the Forests of the Night by Gita Trelease. I was unfamiliar with the tale it was inspired by, "Fitcher's Bird," but this story hooked me from the first sentence.
Mother's Mirror by H. E. Edgmon was poignant.
Sharp as Any Thorn by Rory Power. This was my favorite. It crawled under my skin and I couldn't stop thinking about it for days after I read it. It gave me the same feeling I get when I listen to murder ballads. I love them because they're beautifully haunting, but they make me vaguely uncomfortable.
Coyote in High-Top Sneakers by Darcie Little Badger was just a fun read. I really enjoyed it.
Just a Little Bite by Roselle Lim
I really appreciated the inclusion at the end of the original fairy tales that inspired these stories, especially because there were a handful of stories I wasn't familiar with, and there were a couple I only vaguely remembered.
In the Forests of the Night by Gita Trelease. I was unfamiliar with the tale it was inspired by, "Fitcher's Bird," but this story hooked me from the first sentence.
Mother's Mirror by H. E. Edgmon was poignant.
Sharp as Any Thorn by Rory Power. This was my favorite. It crawled under my skin and I couldn't stop thinking about it for days after I read it. It gave me the same feeling I get when I listen to murder ballads. I love them because they're beautifully haunting, but they make me vaguely uncomfortable.
Coyote in High-Top Sneakers by Darcie Little Badger was just a fun read. I really enjoyed it.
Just a Little Bite by Roselle Lim
I really appreciated the inclusion at the end of the original fairy tales that inspired these stories, especially because there were a handful of stories I wasn't familiar with, and there were a couple I only vaguely remembered.
firefox's review against another edition
4.0
(Arc)
It's hard to review an anthology but I'll try my best. 'At Midnight' is a collection of 15 short stories which retell classic Fairy Tales - and it was beautiful. Some of the authors I've been in love with for ages - I'm talking about you Tracy - and some were new, but none of them ever disappointed me. Some stories weren't my cup of tea, but they were still intriguing and nice to read. Overall, it was beautifully curated.
It's hard to review an anthology but I'll try my best. 'At Midnight' is a collection of 15 short stories which retell classic Fairy Tales - and it was beautiful. Some of the authors I've been in love with for ages - I'm talking about you Tracy - and some were new, but none of them ever disappointed me. Some stories weren't my cup of tea, but they were still intriguing and nice to read. Overall, it was beautifully curated.