The One Hundred Nights of Hero

 The One Hundred Nights of Hero by Isabel Greenberg (2016) 224 pages 

I read this on Libby. I like the color scheme of the art and the fantasy of this setting, an alternate land called Early Earth. "In the tradition of the Arabian Nights" is the perfect way to summarize this book. The author is British so cheeky describes the sense of humor in these feminist folk tales. Cherry and Hero outsmart the wicked suitor, Manfred, like Shahrazad delayed the vengeful Sultan, with stories. Hero wins over the guards and others with her stories in a world where women are supposed to be illiterate and powerless. She subverts all expectations.                        

Greenteeth

 Greenteeth by Molly O'Neill, 304 pages.

Jenny Greenteeth has lived in her lake for longer than she has bothered to keep track of, and very little has changed that's seemed worth her notice. Then a witch in irons is thrown into her lake, and Jenny takes an interest despite herself, saving the witch and quickly becoming embroiled in a fight against the evil consuming the heart of the town. Jenny isn't the type to go galivanting off on adventures, but it's her lake, so she will set off with the witch Temperance and a frenemy of a goblin peddler to find a way to fight the evil threatening her way of life.  

This was a really fun fantasy novel! It draws on a lot of more obscure English and Welsh folklore to create a fairy story that feels very fresh and different. Jenny herself is also delightful, with an unapologetic monstrousness tempered by a surprisingly tender streak. The blurb for this book describes it as perfect for fans of T. Kingfisher, and that is definitely true. 

This Princess Kills Monsters

This Princess Kills Monsters by Ry Herman, 416 pages

Melilot is getting really sick of going on her stepmother's quests only to have her stepsisters (who she loves, really she does) complete the tasks easily after she's battled hard to do them. But when her stepmother sends her off to a neighboring land to marry the prince, well, that's one thing Melilot's sisters can't do for her, as much as she wishes they could. But on her way to meet her betrothed, Melilot learns that someone's out to kill her, and not all is as it seems in the kingdom.

This is a feminist take on just about all the Grimm's fairy tales smashed together, and it's ridiculously fun. I loved playing "spot the fairy tale" throughout, as well as the way it centered on the powerful women of the story. A lovely fun read.

The River Has Roots

The River Has Roots by Amal El-Mohtar, 144 pages

Esther and Ysabel live in a small village near the edge of Faerie where they tend to the magic willows that border the river, singing to them and thanking them for their magical blessings. However, when Esther spurns a powerful suitor for her lover in Faerie, the suitor doesn't take kindly to her rejection, throwing Esther, Ysabel, and their family's livelihood into danger.

This was a short and lovely fairy tale, one that somehow seems both brand new and well-worn. El-Mohtar's language and the beautiful woodcut art in the book work to create a book that can be treasured. Highly recommend this book!

The Last Tale of the Flower Bride

 The Last Tale of the Flower Bride by Roshani Chokshi, 289 pages.

A man who has spent his life studying fairy tales, and also believing in them, marries a wealthy but strange heiress, and together the two live on the boundary between fantasy and reality. The one promise she extracts from him is that he never look into her past, or it will destroy their marriage. But when they have to go back to her childhood home to tend to her dying aunt it becomes harder and harder not to pry, as the house holds secrets it desperately wants to be known. Meanwhile, decades in the past, two little girls sharing the same soul descend down an ever darker path. 

This novel had an extremely gothic feel. The prose was lush, and the general atmosphere is of a slowly strangling dread. It was compelling and terrible to see how things inevitably fell apart. I would strongly recommend this to fans of dark fairy tales, modern gothic books, and people who enjoyed Starling House by Alix E Harrow. 

A Mirror Mended

A Mirror Mended by Alix E. Harrow, 130 pages

In this sequel to A Spindle Splintered, our protagonist Zinnia has somehow moved from her own Sleeping Beauty-inspired multiverse to that of Snow White. But unlike her own multiverse, where she's been jumping from world to world to save the princesses, this time she's pulled over by the evil queen, who wants her help escaping her own fate. I loved the creative fairy tale-multiverse and the many twists on Sleeping Beauty that the first book brought, but I REALLY dig this one, which examines the nature of good and evil, and the agency of characters to change. It's amazing what a full story Harrow can create with just 130 pages. Highly recommend this series! 

How Rory Thorne Destroyed the Multiverse

How Rory Thorne Destroyed the Multiverse by K. Eason, 408 pages

When she was born, Rory Thorne was given 12 gifts and one curse from 13 fairies (as is the tradition for princesses born to the interstellar Thorne Consortium). The one curse, however, may be the most useful thing of all though: the ability to see through flattery and lies, which will likely come in useful in her future, when she's promised in a marriage that's meant to stop a war.

Rory's "curse" is pretty cool and she does have some neat diplomatic abilities, but there's no multiverse in this book, nor is said non-existent multiverse destroyed. This was a fun mashup of fairy tales and space opera, though perhaps not my favorite book ever. Still, it made for a good discussion last night!

How Rory Thorne Destroyed the Multiverse

 How Rory Thorne Destroyed the Multiverse by K. Eason, 416 pages.

Rory Thorne is the princess of an inherited monarchy which is also a space corporation. She's also a direct descendant of Sleeping Beauty, and as the first girl born to the line in centuries, she receives thirteen fairy blessings on her naming day. Some are grace and harp skills, but the most dramatic is the ability to see through any lies and flattery. 

When her brother is born she is no longer the heir, and before too long learns that the political role of daughters is often as bargaining chips for marriages. She's shipped off to the space station ruled by her betrothed (who doesn't seem to be around) to wait for the two years before she comes of age and gets married. And if some extremely shady stuff is going on with the regent? Surely she can't be expected to just ignore it.

I really, really liked this book. I was expecting a space opera with sort of fairy tale aesthetics, and was very impressed with how much the author committed to this book truly being both fairy tale and science fiction. I also really liked Rory. She plays a little against type for the archetype of the strong, brash heroine by actually listening to and genuinely respecting her mentors, which I found very refreshing. This book was a whole lot of fun while also having the ability to take it's serious moments seriously, and overall it's something even better than the fun, silly book I was expecting. Also apparently Rory is a space pirate in the second book and oh boy am I excited to read THAT.

The Dark Tide

 The Dark Tide by Alicia Jasinska, 336 pages.

Caldella is a magical island ruled by a witch queen. The island is sinking, and has been since it's founding hundreds of years ago. The only thing keeping the city afloat is the witch queen's sacrifice. Each year on St. Walpurga's eve she takes a boy from the celebrations, and on the next full moon she drowns him to save the city. Except for two years ago, when the queen sacrificed herself instead. 

Lina is convinced her handsome brother is going to be taken this year, despite all her efforts to stop him from going to the revel. When he goes anyway she goes in to save him, along with Thomas Lin, the boy she's had a crush on for years. Also the boy the witch queen sacrificed herself for two years ago. When Thomas is taken by the new witch queen (Eva, the younger sister of the last queen), Lina takes his place. But she didn't expect to develop feelings for the queen who allegedly threw her own heart into the sea. Even less did she expect those feelings to be reciprocated.

There are places in this book where it is very obvious that this was a debut novel. There are some rough edges and several points that require a pretty sizable scoop of suspension of disbelief. However, it more than makes up for it with a stunning sense of atmosphere. The whole book feels like a fairy tale, intensely magical and more than a little creepy. It borrows heavily from the ballad Tam Lin, but I don't know that I would go so far as to call it a retelling. It takes just enough to reinforce the classic fairy tale atmosphere, and there are plenty of times it almost feels like a dream. Definitely a thoroughly enjoyable book.

Irish Fairy and Folk Tales

 Irish Fairy and Folk Tales by Various, 134 pages

I picked up a copy of this book and Barnes and Noble years ago (because it was beautiful) and had never gotten around to reading it. So when Saint Patrick's Day came around this year it seemed like a good time to finally get around to it. 

The stories in this book are simultaneously older and less old than I had expected. The collection consists of mostly 19th and early 20th century sources (including a few from Lady Wilde, although surprisingly none from Yeats), and many of the stories seem to be more or less contemporary to their recording. 

Some of the tellers are more talented than others. I enjoyed in particular the stories of Lady Wilde, and was not nearly as impressed by T. Crofton Crocker, who sprinkles small snippets of quotations randomly throughout his recordings. I enjoyed many of the stories, although there were less fairies than the title would have led me to believe.

The Language of Thorns

 

The Language of Thorns: Midnight Tales and Dangerous Magic by Leigh Bardugo  281 pp.

This collection of short stories includes witches, goblins, mermaids, golems, and evil stepmothers. While the stories aren't ones you find in traditional fairy tale collections, they are very much in the style of the darker tales from the Brothers Grimm. Bardugo's writing is atmospheric and rich in detail. I'm not a big short story fan but I enjoyed these a great deal.  

Burning Roses

Burning Roses by S.L. Huang, 160 pages

In this novella, Huang melds North American and Asian folklore through the story of two older women who are hunting down the sunbirds that are wreaking havoc on the land. As they chase the sunbirds, Rosa tells her story of hunting human-animal shapeshifters in a quest for vengeance against the talking wolf that killed her grandmother, while archer Hou Yi reflects on the circumstances that caused her to lose her family. It's a well-told tale of regret, personal demons, and love, and my only complaint is that I wish it was longer.

The Sisters Grimm

The Sisters Grimm by Menna van Praag, 430 pages

Goldie, Scarlet, Bea, and Liyana will all turn 18 just as October turns into November. At that point, these strangers to each other will all enter a world they all thought was simply a childhood dream and be forced to make a decision: good or evil. This is the way of things for Sisters Grimm, particularly for these four, the favorite daughters of demonic Wilhelm Grimm. Unfortunately for them, they are almost completely unaware of what's coming on their birthday night, though they are increasingly noticing strange things happening, from mysterious strangers suddenly appearing to literal sparks flying from their fingertips.

Told in short vignettes focusing on each of the sisters and on Leo, a star soldier sent to hunt Goldie, the interwoven tales brought to life four very different (but also remarkably similar?) teenage girls. I'll admit that the way this book was structured was definitely a challenge to reading it -- van Praag uses first-, second-, and third-person narration, as well as flashback sections, throughout the book -- and it may have benefited from a heavier editing hand. This was our emergency online book for Orcs & Aliens, so I'm interested to see what the group makes of this somewhat confusing book.

The School for Good and Evil

The School for Good and Evil by Soman Chainani, 488 pages

Every four years, a mysterious School Master kidnaps two children from the idyllic town of Gavaldon, taking them to a two-towered school that helps kids embrace their Good and Evil natures, respectively, and eventually placing them in their own fairy tales. When best friends Sophie and Agatha are kidnapped, they're taken to the school and think they know where they'll end up: beautiful, blonde Sophie is convinced she's a happily-ever-after princess in the making, while creepy loner Agatha is a shoo-in for a wicked witch (she grew up in a graveyard, for crying out loud!). Turns out, the School Master has other ideas, and both girls find themselves outcasts in the opposite schools than they expected.


Aimed at middle grade kids, this book offers a great twist on fairy tales and the nature of Good and Evil, though it sometimes comes across as a bit heavy-handed for adult readers. While it's interesting to watch Sophie and Agatha struggle with the roles they've had thrust upon them, most of the characters are a bit two-dimensional (though one could argue that so are most fairy tale characters) and the world, while certainly imaginative, isn't really as richly alive as it could be. That said, there are three more books in the series, and as this one ended on a cliffhanger, I'm definitely going to be picking up the next one to see where the story goes.

My grandmother asked me to tell you she's sorry

My grandmother asked me to tell you she's sorry / Fredrik Backman, 372 pgs.

Elsa is almost eight years old and has no friends her own age. She does, however, have a devoted granny who appreciates everything about her. The two are delightfully eccentric and drive everyone in their apartment building crazy with their antics. The building is full of interesting characters, all of whom Elsa has known her whole life. When her Granny dies, Elsa finds out that she is missing a few details about all those around her. She is tasked with an adventure to find and deliver final letters to everyone. It is a great learning experience and adventure for her. She discovers that the long fairy tale she has heard is based on people in her real life. Elsa and the cast of oddball characters are charming and this book is fun to read.

Fables 20, 21, & 22

Fables: Camelot [vol. 20] by Bill Willingham, et al, 256 pages

Fables: Happily Every After [vol. 21] by Bill Willingham, et al, 200 pages

Fables: Farewell [vol. 22] by Bill Willingham, et al, 160 pages

These three volumes are the final Fables books (at least for the main series; there are more spin-off series than I can count), and contain the final story arc: a conflict between Snow and Rose Red that has the potential to destroy worlds. Scattered throughout (particularly in the last two volumes) are short farewell stories to various characters, both big and small. Some of these interludes are funny or clever, some of them are annoying (Jack turns up again...ugh), but the whole thing seems overly long and drawn out. The overarching conflict is a good one, though I wish it had been introduced earlier and given a bit more room to breathe. Farewell, Fables! It's been swell!

Fables 18 & 19

Fables: Cubs in Toyland [vol. 18] by Bill Willingham, et al, 192 pages
Fables: Snow White [vol. 19] by Bill Willingham, et al, 168 pages

Whoo boy, does Cubs in Toyland pack a wallop. The first dozen or so volumes of this series are absolutely fantastic, but in general the quality wanes after that. But Cubs in Toyland (which focuses on the bratty Therese as she heads to a sinister version of the land of misfit toys) is an excellent though brutal entry, creating a story arc for a previously overlooked character, full of emotion, growth, and introversion. The followup, Snow White, focuses on, you guessed it, Snow White, who's faced with a visit from an ex, who has some nefarious plans up his sleeve. Not quite as good as its predecessor, but still good stuff.

Fables 17

Fables: Inherit the Wind [vol. 17] by Bill Willingham, et al, 144 pages

The overarching plot for this volume is right there in the subtitle: Bigby and Snow's kids are put through a series of tasks that will determine which one of them will succeed their grandfather as the North Wind. Along the way, we meet the other three cardinal winds, all of whom have designs on picking a weak North Wind successor that they can manipulate. A secondary tale takes us back to Bufkin the flying monkey, who has found his way back to Oz and is leading the resistance against the evil Nome King. Finally, in a short tale tacked onto the end of this volume, Rose Red gets the Christmas Carol treatment, visiting aspects of hope ranging from a ghostly bride to Santa himself. Not a bad volume, all in all.

Fables 16

Fables: Super Team [vol. 16] by Bill Willingham, et al, 160 pages

In a last-ditch attempt to fend off the fear-mongering Mr. Dark, the Fables attempt to create a super team of their biggest, baddest, and least fearful, led by the temporarily wheelchair-bound Pinocchio. The entire storyline becomes an homage to (or perhaps a dig at?) the X-Men, completely ignoring anything resembling character development or depth of plot. Honestly, this is probably the most forgettable volume in Fables, simply because it's so far removed from what makes this series great. However, if I remember correctly, the next few volumes are monumentally good, and they are only possible because of an event in this one, so I guess it does have its merits.

Fables 14 & 15

Fables: Witches [vol. 14] by Bill Willingham, et al, 192 pages
Fables: Rose Red [vol. 15] by Bill Willingham, et al, 256 pages

These two volumes are, in my opinion, the best part of the Mr. Dark story arc. Witches finds the magical inhabitants of Fabletown's 13th floor coming up with a scheme to take down the shadowy bad guy (Frau Totenkinder, of course, has to do it her own way). Rose Red focuses on the backstory of its titular character, giving a VERY different interpretation of Snow White and the Seven Dwarves, but adding a level of depth to a character that has spent way too much time wallowing in despair in recent volumes. Really, I just love these particular characters, and it's great to see them in the spotlight here.