To Read & To Write

There is a possibility that  Daughter from the Dark  by Marina & Sergey Dyachenko (2020) lost some of its stylistic panach because of its translation into English from Russian. If so, it's a big loss for the novel because its structure is so well conceived as a warpy fairy-tale and contemporary fantasy about a young girl-child from another world and the male stranger who, upon once saving her life, acts  in loco parentis.  The child herself, Alyona, cannot fully explain who she is, where she is from, and why she has no where else to go. Grimalsky, a.k.a. DJ Aspirin, her caretaker (though he treats her with less care than he probably should), teeters between awe, respect, and selfless love on one hand, and on the other, hatred, absolute annoyance, and obligation: not a good sign when the person who is supposed to be your father has no idea how to act except passive-aggressively. This mix of the two brings up a very strange Beauty and the Beast tale, where two...

Reviews are in the process of being added; book titles are hyperlinked to an outside reviewer or other source and my own reviews are linked as indicated.  The Alehouse at the End of the World by Stevan Allred (2018) All the Birds in the Sky by Charlie Jane Anders (2016) All the Ever Afters: The Untold Story of Cinderella's Stepmother by Danielle Teller (2018) Apothecary Melchoir by Indrek Hargla (2017) The Barefoot Woman by Scholastique Mukasonga (2020) The Bear by Andrew Krivak (2020) The Bear and the Nightingale (Winternight Trilogy #1) by Katherine Arden (2017) | My review:  https://feliciareviewsbooks.blogspot.com/2020/02/the-bear-and-nightingale-winternight.html The Beast's Heart by Leif Shallcross (2019) Beauty is a Wound by Eka Kurniawan (2002) The Bird King: A Novel by G.Willow Wilson (2019) Bird Summons by Leila Aboula (2020) The Blue Fox by Sjon (2003) The Boatman's Daughter by Andy Davidson (2020) Bohemian Gospel (Bohemian Trilogy #...

I might come back to this one: I just couldn't get into the story as much as I would have liked. Something about the very drastic contrast between the arbitrariness of day to day life in the coffee shop, family stuff, and romantic relationships and its stark contrast to the world-history of the Wars between the Others (of various mythological manifestations: i.e. vampires and sorcerers, etc.). Put more simply, there wasn't enough a blurred line right off of the bat between the fantastic and the normal (a blurry-ness which gives that aura of wonder to the fairy-tales I typically read). Also, this narrative reminds me a bit of the television show "True Blood" and I was never a fan of that one either (although my husband is). Lastly, I'm an old soul, admittedly, and McKinley's writing here caters more to young souls (personal opinion); the narrator herself is fairly young (early to mid 20s?) and everything in her world is deemed devoid of mystery on accounts ...

Not a fairy tale in its true "form", but carrying the essence of a true fairy tale, telling us what love can do even within the depths of hell. That is, carry us forward, swell our hearts, touch our souls, and leave imprints on the mind that no one can erase. Cherish those who are near to you, right now, and never forget what tender open arms that clasp around our fragile human bodies say to us within their comfort, warmth, and gentleness. A beautiful ode to brothers and sisters everywhere, whether they share our bloodlines or breathe the same air which keeps us all alive, if only for a while.

In this hilarious, enchanting, and moving collection of twenty fairy-tales, readers will traverse through backwater America, the Italian countryside, the moors of England, and still more places that may - or may not - really exist. Featuring storytellers such as Susanna Clarke, who was still just working on her popular novel Johnathan Strange & Mr. Norrell , well-known fantasy writers such as Neil Gaiman, and unlikely fairy-tale authors such as Joyce Carol Oates, this book will delight all those interested in the less explainable aspects of humanity with a renewed appreciation for contemporary creative writing, particularly in the realm of the supernatural and, strikingly, traditional genre that we have come to name fairy-tales.  While now a more ubiquitous pattern in storytelling, Black Heart, Ivory Bones  gives a sense of freshness to the idea of old and new worlds combined; one running rampant with magic and the historical past, and the other filled with the an...

Robin McKinley’s retelling of “Beauty and the Beast” is a must-read for anyone who loves and knows fairy tales. McKinley’s version, titled “Beauty”, was written in 1978, and does not stray too far away from the original French tale, “La Belle et la Bête”, written by Gabrielle-Suzanne Barbot de Villeneuve in 1740. In fact, it pays homage to the original story, and captures its magic wonderfully. Because Disney’s animated “Beauty and the Beast”, released in 1991, made such a huge impact on me during my childhood (I was four!) this chapter book meant *so* much when I first read it in the sixth grade, and upon re-reading it as a grad student, I was very much impressed that the book had not lost any of its sublime qualities. A large portion of the power of McKinley’s “Beauty” lies in her descriptions. The Beast’s castle is especially breathtaking, and the reader is pulled into the story for pages and pages. Every turn in the plot, every part of each scene, every angle of a personality,...

Tanith Lee’s “White As Snow” is a disturbing and powerful book that infuses mythology, specifically the Demeter and Persephone story, into the Snow White fairy-tale. However, you do not need to be familiar with the Snow White tale (which you probably already are) or the Greek myth to understand and enjoy this book. It is hard for me to say that I *loved* this book; there is so much sorrow within it as well as horror, but I did love it, because I felt a strong sympathy for the two main characters, Arpazia and Coira. I also enjoyed reading the structure and intricacy of the plot. The Walt Disney version’s main elements are still here, but they are altered, magnified, and made profound. The mirror plays a more abstract role in “White As Snow”; there is much to say about what it symbolizes (vanity? fear? wonder?). The story is unabashedly serious in tone, starting off with a fourteen-year-old Princess’s rape in the woods, after her father’s (the King’s) kingdom is sacked by another bru...

“Then Kate sank back upon her pillows and allowed herself the luxury of terror,” reads the closing sentence of Chapter 29 in Gregory Frost’s “Fitcher’s Brides: The Tale of Bluebeard, Re-Envisioned As A Dark Fable of Faith and Truth”. Indeed, this is much what reading the book is like: allowing yourself the luxury of terror while witnessing the effects of a twisted, power-obsessed, murderous preacher’s sermon grasping the minds of the spiritually weak community, all the while knowing that innocent women will be tortured under that same preacher’s hands. Why continue reading? Something about the bone-chilling revelation about the dirtier nature of organized religion (its power to repress, to oppress, and to control) urges you to read on, knowing deep down that some of this fiction has truth within it’s pages. Luckily, like Kate at that moment in the story, you are snuggled and safe under the covers of a warm bed. But also like Kate, you are somewhat unsure of what tomorrow might bri...

This is the kind of book I wish I had discovered when I was a pre-teen/teen. Although some parts were cheesy and too straight-foward for me (Rapunzel not knowing terms of phrase like "hot" because of how cooped up she is inside her room, or her love interest Fane bringing her an Egg McMuffin present since she's never tried one, or the fact that they've never heard the Rapunzel story despite living in modern times)... not to mention unrealistic... I really did enjoy the story. The character's identities were very intriguing. Rapunzel's first visits to the outside world with Fane, her boyfriend, are very symbolic of what a relationship can do for a person - which is, in this particular story - to make someone feel safe enough to explore the world, no matter how or where. Cindy C. Bennett's contemporary re-telling of the Rapunzel fairy-tale is exciting, full of magic and suspense, and heart-felt. Rapunzel lives way up in the tower of Gothel Mansion, and ...

I laughed out loud, hard, a few times while reading this amazing book of poetry. I read the poems out loud too, in disbelief of the striking truth of the words, and the sadness within them as well. Everyone who has ever had to grow up will most probably be very moved by this book, especially those who have some knowledge of fairy tales. In them are words that reveal the ridiculousness of the image of "beauty" imposed on us in modern times, the tragedy of awful, selfish people that come off as being our friends, or worse, our best friends or our boyfriends, and the trauma that comes with being a teenager in a society that values outsides rather than insides and lust over love. There are more mysterious poems included as well that ask... who am I... *really*? After reading "Poisoned Apples: Poems For You My Pretty", you just might want to take the advice the author, Christine Heppermann, gives at the end: "Retell your own stories. Keep pushing your way throug...

Francesca Lia Block’s “The Rose And The Beast: Fairy Tales Retold” is composed of nine tales that shimmer and sparkle with hope. Each story is very loosely based off of classic fairy tales such as “Snow White”, “Thumbelina”, and “Beauty & The Beast”. The book is melancholic in nature. While there are beautiful objects (“tall glasses of mineral water with slices of lime like green moons rising above clear bubbling pools”), beautiful people (“a singing stranger with golden hair tousled in his face and deep-set blue eyes and a big Adam’s apple), and beautiful backdrops (“the night was blue, like drowning in a cocktail”) – there is much suffering. Jealousy, rape, drugs, obsession, sickness… all these afflict the characters, and really, the common theme that ties the stories together is the idea that life can still be treasured in the face of tragedy. Snow, Rose Red, Rose White, Tiny, Beast – and all the rest of the characters – move from the traditional archetype to heart-wrenching...

Malinda Lo's "Ash" is a moving story, which creatively draws up a retelling of older versions of "Cinderella". Young Aisling, nicknamed Ash, once had a powerful, beautiful, and kind mother who believed in magic, but after she dies, Ash has to live under the same roof as her awful, selfish, and worldly stepmother, whose biggest goal is to find an advantageous husband for her eldest daughter Ana. Once Ash's father dies as well, her problems are only made worse by the sting of degradation and strain of oppression. However, Ash has not fallen into the the new fad of logic and reason, touted by philosophers and business men. She still believes in the old fairy tales and folktales of the land from centuries past, and she reads these stories to escape her predicament... and they eventually lead her to the fairy land and Sidhean, the most gorgeous creature she has ever laid eyes on. Sidhean keeps a special secret from her, waiting for the right moment to disclos...

Is it true that nowadays we sometimes become numb (by forgetting – usually not deliberately) of our bodily sensations… and all kinds of feeling? I’m not sure why this happens, but I know that reading reminds us of the world around us with words that bring our thoughts back to what being alive feels like. Then, consciousness is gained and seemingly ordinary sights, smells, tastes, textures, and sounds that envelop us every day and every night become prominent once more. Robin McKinley’s “Rose Daughter”, published in 1997, nineteen years after her debut novel was written, titled “Beauty”, does all the things mentioned. In McKinley’s second retelling of the classic story “Beauty & the Beast” or, “La Belle Et La Bete”, I’ve learned to cherish those moments of profound presence that McKinley’s story offered me. In McKinley’s Beast’s palace there are trowels, gossamers, hydras, phoenixes, briars, numen, torcheres, virgins bowers, pietra duras, beech trees, sphinxes, and balustrades ...

Holly Black’s “Tithe” introduces us to Kaye, a teenage girl who is living a rough and tumble – and very real – life in New Jersey. Her mother is an extremely laid-back rock-star… who drinks and smokes. It is typical for Kaye to comfort her mother… and while Kaye’s grandmother, who lives with them, is a little more freaked out about Kaye’s life – a life in which Kaye decides to drop out of school and hang around with her best friend Janet instead, her frustration doesn’t really go far. Kaye decides to apply for a job at the local gas station. And she has to figure things out. She has to understand things. Things not that many teenagers or anyone at all would ever understand… including her best friend. Honestly, this book gets complicated, and it’s totally worth it to read. The title itself should suggest that this may be a world we are unfamiliar with… “tithe”… what does it mean? It's simple definition is "payment" but the best definitions are in story form. The wo...