3 stars
Aesthetically, this books is absolutely gorgeous. Julia Iredale knocked it out of the park with those illustrations and, let’s be real, that cover is perfection.
Overall, the stories were good. What Chainani did well, he did very well. The diversity of the characters is splendid. Loved the cultural elements woven in. Not just giving us Hansel and Gretel as people of color but setting the story in India and updating details such as the sweets featured (nankhatais, ladoos, mitai). Also enjoyed the exploration of various relationships, not just between a prince and a princess as has so often been the case, but also two men falling in love, female friendship, parents and children, and the relationship with one’s self.
He also works in some great descriptions and phrases that really add to the hauntingly beautiful aesthetic of the book as a whole.
However, for me many of the stories dragged on too long. They captured the essence of fairy tale style while offering their own retelling or twist on the original tale, but for most I felt I liked the idea of the story more than the story itself. Some spend too much time on details we all know, giving the story a slower pace and causing me to lose interest. Then the twist ending would come and I’d like the idea but there wasn’t really enjoyment in the writing. Cinderella, Rumpelstiltskin, and Beauty and the Beast all had details I really enjoyed, but the overall story was just okay.
Some of my favorite stories in the collection were Rapunzel, Hansel and Gretel, and Bluebeard.
As someone who lives for fairy tale retellings, I’ll admit my standards are pretty high at this point. This is a good collection overall, especially for the YA audience. Beautiful in its physical manifestation and in many of the concepts it works in.