As with most anthologies, this one comes with a range of very different styles of stories, some of which I found brilliant, while others left me confused or felt unpolished. My favourite story was definitely Circuits and Nerve by Alicia Ellis. The whole collection gets 3.5 stars from me. Here is a breakdown of each story in the collection:
Red in the Woods by K.R.S. McEntire
An interesting dystopian future reimagining of Little Red Riding Hood. The world building is very intriguing, and definitely captured my attention. The story itself is interesting although it felt a little rushed. A longer format might have allowed more scope for the characters and dual point of view to really shine.
Shadow and Song by Montrez
A beautiful urban fantasy story about a girl finding the strength and courage to take action towards her dream and help others combat the darkness (shadows) of negative thoughts. It’s a wonderful allegorical tale with some fun winks at Peter Pan.
Circuits and Nerve by Alicia Ellis
A brilliant Hansel and Gretel retelling that seamlessly combines the original fairytale with a dystopian cyberpunk world. The stakes are brilliant and I loved the characters. Their hopes, dreams, desires, doubts and fears pled off the page and made this story compelling and unputdownable. I loved every moment of it.
A Bloodstained Sun by E.M. Lacey
I love that this short story with a wink at Snow White is set in pre-Colombian Mexico. The setting is vibrant and so very different, which added a lot to the story about Cuicatl and how the priest of the temple tried to use her power. However, there were some details poorly explained at the beginning that gave me the wrong impression and made me think I had my Aztec history wrong. It turned out I’d just misunderstood, but it through me off for most of the story until it all came together again and aligned with what I’d confirmed with a bit of extra research. I think if the author clarified that the priest in quest happened to be of Toltec ethnicity but living in Tenochtitlan at the height of the Mexican’s power, an outsider disdained for being from a different ethnic group to his peers, things would have been much clearer from the start. Also, it wasn’t clear what ethnicity Cuicatl was, which also didn’t help.
These Sapphire Walls by Krystina Coles
This story is so confusing. There’s so much going on and nothing much is explained. I have no idea how the magic works or why the political elements were important. It isn’t even clear which fairytale this one is supposed to be connected to. There’s some random curse, but it’s not properly explained. There are elements reminiscent of Bluebeard, Sleeping Beauty, and even Cinderella, but they are vague and disjointed. I think, as a novel, where there’s space to dedicate to a slower unfolding of events with more time to allow for explanation, this story could probably shine, but it is definitely not suited to a short story.
Waking Up by R.L. Medina
A wonderful and evocative Sleeping Beauty retelling with a powerful message woven in. I love the fae court setting and how the author brings out the classic elements from the Disney version of this tale, while also making it something entirely new and different than one would expect. The way information is slowly revealed made this quite the page turner and I was kept on my toes. The story just keeps you guessing. Rosie is also an interesting character because she’s timid and unsure for most of the story. Finding her determination with a push from a friend was also depicted in a wonderful way.
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