Rhyme Stew by Roald Dahl truly left me with a sense of disappointment. Generally, I have a great affection for Dahl's dark humour. However, in this instance, it seemed more contrived than humorous. The retelling of "Aladdin" was particularly notable for the wrong reasons. It was unkind in spirit, and the ending was lacklustre. The character of Aladdin was dull and devoid of the cheeky charm that I had anticipated. It simply didn't possess that typical clever twist that makes Dahl's stories so fulfilling.
Some of the rhymes, such as "Little Red Riding Hood", began in a fun way but soon became repetitive. I liked her boldness and the manner in which she dealt with the wolf. But after reading a few of these, it was evident that Dahl was merely attempting to shock with each one. This made me long for the subtler and more layered humour from his other works.
I did find some moments enjoyable, like the Cinderella twist with its classic Dahl bite. But even that started to lose its appeal. The constant cynicism in every story gave the impression that Dahl was trying too hard to be edgy, and a few of the jokes were, to be honest, a bit crude and unnecessary. I understand that he is known for pushing boundaries, but this particular work just didn't do it for me.
I suppose if you're an extremely devoted Roald Dahl fan, you might still find some enjoyment in it. But for me, Rhyme Stew simply lacked that magical spark that his other books possess. It is dark just for the sake of being dark, without any charm.