...
Show More
This was a collection of unique tales with a hint of magic.
Content: no sex. Some mild language.
Content: no sex. Some mild language.
Ease Reading-Find Your Next Favorite Book
Community Reviews
Rating(4.1 / 5.0, 100 votes)
5 stars
34(34%)
4 stars
37(37%)
3 stars
29(29%)
2 stars
0(0%)
1 stars
0(0%)
100 reviews
...
Show More
I read these a long time ago, but most of them after the first one didn't make an impression at that age. A lot of themes that I was too young to understand, like that some things are too big to heal from all the way. I liked them all a lot better this time around.
...
Show More
So, me reading this was a bit of a mistake, lol. It came up on my Audible recommended pages and listed a release date of 2021, and I foolishly did not think to check if this was a new book of stories from McKinley, or if an old book of stories had simply finally gotten an audiobook release. (Spoiler alert, it's the latter.) The original publication date was 1994, and it feels like it-- thus my very low rating, which I grit my teeth to give, but I have to be fair, and not judge this book based on how much I love McKinley's other work.
I'm sure if I had known this existed when I was 11, in the heyday of my near-monthly reread of The Hero and the Crown, I'd have adored it, but now, it doesn't land. As I said in one of my updates, it feels like a book of fairy tales, not only for the ways the plots and structures pull directly from folklore, but also how the characters could really be anyone-- and universality is good when you want your readers to imagine themselves in the roles of the characters, but for an adult it falls flat.
The standout story is definitely the one that titles the collection, the only modern/urban fantasy in the bunch. The narrator is better, the characters are better, the story is better. It actually reminds me a bit of Gwendy's Button Box-- teenage girl finds mysterious box, it changes the course of her life in small but undeniable ways-- I really liked Annabelle and the ways she struggled to find her footing. Her parents were kind of non-entities and those relationships were pretty shallowly drawn, but not every story has to be a deep dive into someone's psyche. This story I would've given 3.5-4 stars, but with the other 4 stories in the mix the book as a whole was a dud. I'm glad it was so short because I think if I'd had to face going back to it for a second sitting I'd have DNF'd.
I'm sure if I had known this existed when I was 11, in the heyday of my near-monthly reread of The Hero and the Crown, I'd have adored it, but now, it doesn't land. As I said in one of my updates, it feels like a book of fairy tales, not only for the ways the plots and structures pull directly from folklore, but also how the characters could really be anyone-- and universality is good when you want your readers to imagine themselves in the roles of the characters, but for an adult it falls flat.
The standout story is definitely the one that titles the collection, the only modern/urban fantasy in the bunch. The narrator is better, the characters are better, the story is better. It actually reminds me a bit of Gwendy's Button Box-- teenage girl finds mysterious box, it changes the course of her life in small but undeniable ways-- I really liked Annabelle and the ways she struggled to find her footing. Her parents were kind of non-entities and those relationships were pretty shallowly drawn, but not every story has to be a deep dive into someone's psyche. This story I would've given 3.5-4 stars, but with the other 4 stories in the mix the book as a whole was a dud. I'm glad it was so short because I think if I'd had to face going back to it for a second sitting I'd have DNF'd.
...
Show More
Four made up fairy tales which were good. I always enjoy Robin McKinley.
Leave a Review