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roannasylver's review
5.0
"Whatever is spoken in the forest cannot be unsaid, lying can be just as dangerous as the truth, names hold power, and the most dangerous of predators used words that were coated with honey."
* * *
This took me a while to read, but it's not because I didn't enjoy it. These bite-sized queer fairy tale retellings (a lot of ace/aromantic goodness) go quickly; most are easy to get through in a few minutes. So I tried to only read one or two a night to savor/appreciate - this didn't really work, because I read one, I found it hard to stop!
Some of my favorites were "Odd" (Most wonderfully affirming and unexpected twists!) "Match Sticks" (amazing celebration of different kinds of love!), "Satin Skirts and Wooden Shoes" (loved the adoptive-family love!), "Beauty's Beasts" (Actual poly ship, and wonderfully warm/satisfying).
"The Last Lost Boy" also hit me unexpectedly hard, with its reflection on long-lost and found-again friends, love, what you leave and what you take with you into a new chapter of life. (I also blame this one for making me pick up 'Peter Darling' next. Which is good.) I also loved "Dark Matters" for its macabre-and-hilarious twists on Goldilocks and the... three bears. And "The Suns of Terre" could likely be its own science-fiction book or series. I'd certainly read just from this small look into that universe.
Really, there was something wonderful in every story, beyond the ones I've named. Every writer brought a unique perspective and interpretation on familiar tales. There's something so amazing about finally seeing yourself included in stories you've known since childhood, but never really been a part of. I'm so glad this collection exists.
* * *
This took me a while to read, but it's not because I didn't enjoy it. These bite-sized queer fairy tale retellings (a lot of ace/aromantic goodness) go quickly; most are easy to get through in a few minutes. So I tried to only read one or two a night to savor/appreciate - this didn't really work, because I read one, I found it hard to stop!
Some of my favorites were "Odd" (Most wonderfully affirming and unexpected twists!) "Match Sticks" (amazing celebration of different kinds of love!), "Satin Skirts and Wooden Shoes" (loved the adoptive-family love!), "Beauty's Beasts" (Actual poly ship, and wonderfully warm/satisfying).
"The Last Lost Boy" also hit me unexpectedly hard, with its reflection on long-lost and found-again friends, love, what you leave and what you take with you into a new chapter of life. (I also blame this one for making me pick up 'Peter Darling' next. Which is good.) I also loved "Dark Matters" for its macabre-and-hilarious twists on Goldilocks and the... three bears. And "The Suns of Terre" could likely be its own science-fiction book or series. I'd certainly read just from this small look into that universe.
Really, there was something wonderful in every story, beyond the ones I've named. Every writer brought a unique perspective and interpretation on familiar tales. There's something so amazing about finally seeing yourself included in stories you've known since childhood, but never really been a part of. I'm so glad this collection exists.
tinylittlehobbit's review against another edition
funny
lighthearted
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? N/A
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
2.75
hnmoore's review against another edition
4.0
3.5 stars. Queer fairy tales? NICE. The writing isn't the best sometimes, and the stories are so short you don't get a full picture, but they are fables so I'll let it go. And this representation is super important in fairy tales - we don't get lgbtqia characters in classic fairy tales often, so I'll take what I can get (and this is it).
alistoxx's review against another edition
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
3.5
I enjoyed these stories, some more than others. Some were great and some were a little so-so.
ril_amber's review against another edition
5.0
While my quest for that one trans Cinderella retelling to rule them all still continues, and words like "attraction" and "valid" sometimes look quite awkward in the fairy tale style of writing, I loved this anthology to bits. I loved the representation, I loved the absolute majority of the stories, and I loved the feeling this book left me with.
pipn_t's review against another edition
adventurous
hopeful
lighthearted
relaxing
slow-paced
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
4.0
A really cute collection of fairy tales, I have been waiting to get this book for ages, it was totally worth it to get to read some short ace takes on these stories.
sophonax's review against another edition
adventurous
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.75
So many fables have weak and simpering female characters, they really aren't a good role model for anyone let alone impressionable young girls. Brilliance bias starts as young as 6 years old! Is it any wonder when the women they hear about in regular fairy stories are constantly rescued by the prince? (The same prince she goes on to marry.) These tales twist typical fairy tales and have far more satisfying endings. What if the heroine doesn’t want to marry the King, Prince, or Princess? What if they’re happy as they are? The messages read that you are enough, you don't need anyone else... but if you find another then that is a bonus!
andrea_f's review against another edition
4.0
This was a really lovely read. I'm not too fond of retellings but these certainly add the queer diversity that I enjoy.
hnmoore's review
4.0
3.5 stars. Queer fairy tales? NICE. The writing isn't the best sometimes, and the stories are so short you don't get a full picture, but they are fables so I'll let it go. And this representation is super important in fairy tales - we don't get lgbtqia characters in classic fairy tales often, so I'll take what I can get (and this is it).
nonbinaryknight's review against another edition
4.0
4.2/5
This is a collection of works written by, according to the summary, students and seasoned professionals alike. This anthology was set up with the idea of taking fables and fairy tales and adjusting them to fit an LGBTQ+ identity.
There are fifteen stories in this book based on a whole host of stories and fables. I recognized about half of the fables that these stories were based on, but many of them were stories that I’ve never heard of before.
Handsome and the Beast: 4.5/5
This story is a Beauty and the Beast retelling with a boy and a Beast who uses gender-neutral pronouns. I thought this was a really nice story and I adored the idea that these two characters would rather read than get married.
The Grateful Princess: 5/5
This is a retelling of The Grateful Prince, a story I never once heard of. I quite enjoyed this book, but I really wish there had been more at the end.
Odd: 4.75/5
This story is based on Rumpelstiltskin and it’s probably one of my favorites in this anthology. I honestly just really liked how this was handle and how the characters were portrayed.
Expectations: 4/5
This story apparently resembles many fairy tales, but is closest to The Prince and the Pauper. I wasn’t thrilled with this story. It’s well-written, but I didn’t care much for the main character. I would have preferred a longer story that diverted to follow Shireen.
Li Chi and the Dragon: 4.5/5
This was a retelling of Li Chi slays the Serpent. This story isn’t bad by any means, but I just couldn’t get into it. It was cute and satisfying, I just wasn’t attached. Personally, I really wish the dragon had been more than just a dragon to kill, but I can deal.
Satin Sheets and Wooden Shoes: 5/5
This is a Cinderella retelling, and I really enjoyed this story. A girl is forced to go to the party by her family, but she has no interest in marrying anyone. When she flees, she winds up at the house of an older woman and her daughter.
Match Sticks: 5/5
This is absolutely my favorite story in this anthology. This is a retelling of The Little Match Girl and I was honestly waiting for something bad to happen. I apparently glossed over the summary mentioning that the stories have Happily Ever After’s. In this story the Little Match Girl is taken care of and the matches are turned into match sticks, sticks that will lead you to your true match.
Princess of the Kingdom of the Dark Wood: 4/5
I never heard of the story this story was based on, so I didn’t know what to expect. I actually really enjoyed this story. It was nice to have a trans main side character that wasn’t invalidated or anything. Instead, the princess was accepted, and it was pure and happy.
Damma and the Wolf: 4/5
This was a Little Red Riding Hood retelling and I enjoyed part of it. It was well-written and focused a lot on words having power in the woods. My issue was that I didn’t enjoy the ending. Words have power so all she had to do was say No and that was it.
Beauty’s Beasts: 4/5
This was a cute story. It is the second Beauty and the Beast retelling, but it had an additional twist. In this story there is the Beast, Belle, and Belle’s friend who happens to be with the Beast. It was a cute story with a polyamorous relationship that included at least one ace-spec character.
Glass Mountains: 3/5
I didn’t enjoy this story very mention. It’s not horrible by any means, but I did not have the attention to figure out what was going on. Some of the story is told in italics and others in plain print, but I just couldn’t get into it.
Brenna: 4/5
This was a really cute story. It was based on a story that I have again never heard of, but I really enjoyed this retelling. Brenna was given a key when she was 7 and she was told that it would unlock a castle door when she was 14.
The Last Lost Boy: 3/5
This is a Peter Pan gay retelling, but I really didn’t enjoy it. It was set in modern times (at least I’m pretty sure it was) and the lost boys seemed to be a group of friends that hung out together. It’s not horrible, but I just really didn’t enjoy any of it.
Dark Matters: 5/5
This is a Goldilocks and the Three Bears retelling where Goldilocks is a ghost looking for a house to inhabit and she comes across the house of The Three Bears (Bears as in the gay term). This was a genuinely cute story.
The Suns of Terre: 3/5
I don’t know Prince Darling, but apparently this is a dystopian sci-fi twist on that story. I didn’t like it. It’s well-written, but I’m not a huge fan of sci-fi and I just couldn’t get into the story.
So, in summary, these stories come from a variety of fables and cover a variety of identities. Some stories were better than others to me. Some stories might be better liked by you. This is an anthology, with all the ups and downs that come with it. The one thing that all these stories have: a happy ending.
This is a collection of works written by, according to the summary, students and seasoned professionals alike. This anthology was set up with the idea of taking fables and fairy tales and adjusting them to fit an LGBTQ+ identity.
There are fifteen stories in this book based on a whole host of stories and fables. I recognized about half of the fables that these stories were based on, but many of them were stories that I’ve never heard of before.
Handsome and the Beast: 4.5/5
This story is a Beauty and the Beast retelling with a boy and a Beast who uses gender-neutral pronouns. I thought this was a really nice story and I adored the idea that these two characters would rather read than get married.
The Grateful Princess: 5/5
This is a retelling of The Grateful Prince, a story I never once heard of. I quite enjoyed this book, but I really wish there had been more at the end.
Odd: 4.75/5
This story is based on Rumpelstiltskin and it’s probably one of my favorites in this anthology. I honestly just really liked how this was handle and how the characters were portrayed.
Expectations: 4/5
This story apparently resembles many fairy tales, but is closest to The Prince and the Pauper. I wasn’t thrilled with this story. It’s well-written, but I didn’t care much for the main character. I would have preferred a longer story that diverted to follow Shireen.
Li Chi and the Dragon: 4.5/5
This was a retelling of Li Chi slays the Serpent. This story isn’t bad by any means, but I just couldn’t get into it. It was cute and satisfying, I just wasn’t attached. Personally, I really wish the dragon had been more than just a dragon to kill, but I can deal.
Satin Sheets and Wooden Shoes: 5/5
This is a Cinderella retelling, and I really enjoyed this story. A girl is forced to go to the party by her family, but she has no interest in marrying anyone. When she flees, she winds up at the house of an older woman and her daughter.
Match Sticks: 5/5
This is absolutely my favorite story in this anthology. This is a retelling of The Little Match Girl and I was honestly waiting for something bad to happen. I apparently glossed over the summary mentioning that the stories have Happily Ever After’s. In this story the Little Match Girl is taken care of and the matches are turned into match sticks, sticks that will lead you to your true match.
Princess of the Kingdom of the Dark Wood: 4/5
I never heard of the story this story was based on, so I didn’t know what to expect. I actually really enjoyed this story. It was nice to have a trans main side character that wasn’t invalidated or anything. Instead, the princess was accepted, and it was pure and happy.
Damma and the Wolf: 4/5
This was a Little Red Riding Hood retelling and I enjoyed part of it. It was well-written and focused a lot on words having power in the woods. My issue was that I didn’t enjoy the ending.
Beauty’s Beasts: 4/5
This was a cute story. It is the second Beauty and the Beast retelling, but it had an additional twist. In this story there is the Beast, Belle, and Belle’s friend who happens to be with the Beast. It was a cute story with a polyamorous relationship that included at least one ace-spec character.
Glass Mountains: 3/5
I didn’t enjoy this story very mention. It’s not horrible by any means, but I did not have the attention to figure out what was going on. Some of the story is told in italics and others in plain print, but I just couldn’t get into it.
Brenna: 4/5
This was a really cute story. It was based on a story that I have again never heard of, but I really enjoyed this retelling. Brenna was given a key when she was 7 and she was told that it would unlock a castle door when she was 14.
The Last Lost Boy: 3/5
This is a Peter Pan gay retelling, but I really didn’t enjoy it. It was set in modern times (at least I’m pretty sure it was) and the lost boys seemed to be a group of friends that hung out together. It’s not horrible, but I just really didn’t enjoy any of it.
Dark Matters: 5/5
This is a Goldilocks and the Three Bears retelling where Goldilocks is a ghost looking for a house to inhabit and she comes across the house of The Three Bears (Bears as in the gay term). This was a genuinely cute story.
The Suns of Terre: 3/5
I don’t know Prince Darling, but apparently this is a dystopian sci-fi twist on that story. I didn’t like it. It’s well-written, but I’m not a huge fan of sci-fi and I just couldn’t get into the story.
So, in summary, these stories come from a variety of fables and cover a variety of identities. Some stories were better than others to me. Some stories might be better liked by you. This is an anthology, with all the ups and downs that come with it. The one thing that all these stories have: a happy ending.