Category Archives: folklore
The Invisible Life of Addie LaRue – V.E. Schwab
France, 1714 – Addie LaRue DID NOT want to be married, not to anyone, but especially not to Roger, a widower with three small children. So on her wedding day she runs away into the forest and falls asleep with … Continue reading
The Midnight Circus – Jane Yolen
This is a three ring circus like no other. It is the dark side of The Emerald Circus. I loved those stories and thought I might not like Yolen’s dark side. I should not have worried, for these stories chilled … Continue reading
The Girl the Sea Gave Back – Adrienne Young
From the publisher, “For as long as she can remember, Tova has lived among the Svell, the people who found her washed ashore as a child and use her for her gift as a Truthtongue. Her own home and clan … Continue reading
The Wicked King – Holly Black
The sequel to The Cruel Prince opens with all of Jude’s plans coming to fruition. Oak is safely growing up in the human world until he comes of age to rule, replacing Cardan. Cardan now rules, temporarily, but is well … Continue reading
Once Upon a River – Diane Setterfield
There was a tradition at the Swan, an ancient inn on the banks of the Thames. It was a tradition of storytelling. Joe Bliss was very good at storytelling. His wife ran the inn. Joe told the stories. And it … Continue reading
How to Fracture a Fairy Tale – Jane Yolen
Oh, how I love Jane Yolen’s fairy tales! I promised myself that I would make them last. Read only one a day. Yeah, right. That didn’t last very long. I gobbled them down like a greedy little pig. There were … Continue reading
The Cruel Prince – Holly Black
From the publisher: Jude was seven years old when her parents were murdered and she and her two sisters were stolen away to live in the treacherous High Court of Faerie. Ten years later, Jude wants nothing more than to … Continue reading
Brave Red, Smart Frog: A New Book of Old Tales – Emily Jenkins
From the publisher: There once was a frozen forest so cold, you could feel it through the soles of your boots. It was a strange place where some kisses broke enchantments and others began them. Many said witches lived there … Continue reading
The Starlit Wood: New Fairy Tales – Dominik Parisien and Navah Wolfe (Editors)
The little match girl goes pyrotechnic, while the princess on the glass hill has a female companion, and don’t even ask about the big, bad, wolf. This is another out-of-the-box collection of reimagined fairy tales written by multiple award winning … Continue reading
Beyond the Woods: Fairy Tales Retold – edited by Paula Guran
These fairy tales are definitely not for children. They would be shocked to learn the real story of Cinderella, and The Three Bears, and yes, Goldilocks was a little snit. And don’t get me started on the rewrite of “The … Continue reading
The Star-Touched Queen – Roshani Chokshi
Maya’s father is the Raja, ruler, of the Bharata Kingdom. Her mother, one of the Raja’s many wives, died when Maya was quite young leaving her upbringing to the petty wives in the harem. For the most part, Maya is … Continue reading
A Thousand Nights – E. K. Johnston
A desert demon has entwined itself into the mind of desert king Lo-Melkhiin. The good king stays entrapped within a corner of his own mind while the demon rules the kingdom. The demon, in the body of Lo-Melkhiin, travels from … Continue reading
Ash & Bramble – Sarah Prineas
Fairy tales are not pretty. Where do all of the beautiful dresses, fancy shoes, and unique tools manufactured that are so prominently featured in fairy tales? It turns out the Godmother is a cruel slave master who kidnaps skilled tradesmen, … Continue reading
A Wicked Thing – Rhiannon Thomas
This story of Sleeping Beauty picks up when Princess Aurora is awakened by her true love and thrust into the “care” of the current brutal monarchy. The land has changed in 100 years and not for the better. The commoners … Continue reading
The Darkest Part of the Forest – Holly Black
Hazel and her brother, Ben, live in the odd town of Fairfold where the adjoining woods are filled with fae. Hazel has grown up acting the part of knight, fighting the evil in the forest. In the heart of the … Continue reading
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