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A review by powerlibrarian
Two and Twenty Dark Tales: Dark Retellings of Mother Goose Rhymes by Georgia McBride, Michelle Zink
5.0
This anthology of twenty-two young adult short stories is quite remarkable. Most of the stories are equally poetic and eerie, with unique and spooky plots and lyrical writing styles. Some are set in historical fantasy worlds, and others are set in present day, but they all share a similar ethereal quality.
There were only one or two stories that didn’t captivate me, which I believe is quite impressive for an anthology with such a specific theme. I’m not going to lie--quite a few of the stories had me literally upset when I reached the ending--not just because of the dark twists that gutted me, but because the stories were over. Some of these should be made into novels, and I’m tempted to email those authors and tell them to get to work on extending their ideas for a full length publication.
I was very familiar with some of the nursery rhymes (like the Hickory Dickory Dock and the Jack and Jill rhymes), but there were many that I didn’t recognize at all. Knowing the rhymes before reading the book did not at all affect my enjoyment of these stories. I would recommend this book to anyone regardless of their familiarity with or appreciation of nursery rhymes. These dark and creepy stories are for teenagers and adults alike. I highly recommend this collection for anyone looking for a brief escape into the dark and twisted world of the Mother Goose nursery rhymes.
There were only one or two stories that didn’t captivate me, which I believe is quite impressive for an anthology with such a specific theme. I’m not going to lie--quite a few of the stories had me literally upset when I reached the ending--not just because of the dark twists that gutted me, but because the stories were over. Some of these should be made into novels, and I’m tempted to email those authors and tell them to get to work on extending their ideas for a full length publication.
I was very familiar with some of the nursery rhymes (like the Hickory Dickory Dock and the Jack and Jill rhymes), but there were many that I didn’t recognize at all. Knowing the rhymes before reading the book did not at all affect my enjoyment of these stories. I would recommend this book to anyone regardless of their familiarity with or appreciation of nursery rhymes. These dark and creepy stories are for teenagers and adults alike. I highly recommend this collection for anyone looking for a brief escape into the dark and twisted world of the Mother Goose nursery rhymes.