F*cked Up Fairy Tales: Sinful Cinderellas, Prince Alarmings and Other Timeless Classics by Liz Gotauco, 368 pages

 Based on the wildly popular TikTok series, F*cked Up Fairy Tales presents modern retellings of some of the strangest and darkest stories humans had the audacity to invent. Inspired by sources across the world, “Cosbrarian” Liz Gotauco conjures gossipy animals, homicidal royals, doomed commoners, and shape-shifting beaux—all reckoning with complicated, adult problems that “Disney versions” have sanitized. In entertaining asides, Gotauco offers insight into the stories’ contested origins, spills deliciously weird details about fairy tale authors like Madame de Aulnoy and the Brothers Grimm, and explores timeless themes that have long tickled the human subconscious, from accidental bestiality (“So . . . You Married an Animal”) and catastrophic marriages (“Crappily Ever After”) to the vexed question of what to do with your murderous lindworm child (“F*cked Up Family Trees”). Sexy, disturbing, and outrageous, with stylish, distinctive illustrations, F*cked Up Fairy Tales celebrates the astonishing diversity of the oral tradition, reaffirming our universal love for a story that’s messy as f*ck.

Persian Folk and Fairy Tales by Anne Sinclair Mehdevi, 117 pages

 

Red as Blood, or Tales From the Sisters Grimmer by Tanith Lee, 208 pages

 How would it be if Snow White were the real villain & the wicked queen just a sadly maligned innocent? What if awakening the Sleeping Beauty should be the mistake of a lifetime--of several lifetimes? What if the famous folk tales were retold with an eye to more horrific possibilities?

Only Tanith Lee could do justice to it. In RED AS BLOOD, she displays her soaring imagination at its most fantastically mischievous. Not for nothing was the title story named as a Nebula nominee. Not for nothing was the author of THE BIRTHGRAVE & THE STORM LORD called by New York's Village Voice, "Goddess-Empress of the Hot Read."

Here are the world-famous tales of such as the Brothers Grimm as they might have been retold by the Sisters Grimmer! Fairy tales for children? Not on your life!

Contents:
Paid Piper (1981)
Red as Blood (1979)
Thorns (1972)
When the Clock Strikes (1980)
The Golden Rope (1983)
The Princess and Her Future (1983)
Wolfland (1980)
Black as Ink (1983)
Beauty (1983)

Cursed: An Anthology of Dark Fairy Tales, edited by Marie O'Regan and Paul Kane, 371 pages

 Twenty curses, old and new, from bestselling fantasy authors such as Neil Gaiman, Karen Joy Fowler, Christina Henry, M.R. Carey, and Charlie Jane Anders.

ALL THE BETTER TO READ YOU WITH

It's a prick of blood, the bite of an apple, the evil eye, a wedding ring, or a pair of red shoes. Curses come in all shapes and sizes, and they can happen to anyone, not just those of us with unpopular stepparents ...

Here you'll find unique twists on curses, from fairy tale classics to brand-new hexes of the modern world--expect new monsters and mythologies as well as twists on well-loved fables. Stories to shock and stories of warning, stories of monsters and stories of magic.

The Turnip Princess and Other Newly Discovered Fairy Tales by Franz Xaver Von Schonwerth, 264 pages

This is a collection of fairy tales collected in 1850s Bavarian, similar to the Grimm fairy tales collection. These are pretty dark, and it's interesting to see how they served as entertainment and as morality warnings.

Once Upon a Time edited by Paula Guran, 384 pages

This is a dark collection of fairy tales with new updated versions. I'm a sucker for fairy tales, so I was eager to pick this up. While it's not the best collection I've read, it was still a good read.

Twice Upon A Time by James Riley, 340 pages

At this point, I'm just getting a lot of the juvenile books for myself, I don't even pretend to share them with Samantha. She can get her own books, lol. I really enjoyed the first book in this series, so I was glad to see the sequel come out. Now I've got to wait for the next one, boo hoo. These are fun in that they take the fairy tale world and kind of set it on it's tail. This book featured Peter Pan, the Little Mermaid, the Pied Piper, and Bluebeard. Lots of interesting characters and intriguing plot twists.

Half Upon A Time by James Riley, 385 pages

Jack is the son of the Jack and the Beanstalk story, but he doesn't feel the same urge to go adventuring that his father and grandfather had. But when a princess falls from the sky, Jack is thrust into a bigger adventure than he ever imagined. May has discovered that she is the granddaughter of Snow White, who has been kidnapped. With the help of Jack she must try to save her grandma in a world she had no idea existed.

I always love fairy tale retellings, and this was a very good entry in the field. Hopefully it won't be a long wait to the next book in this series.

Fables 17: Inherit the Wind, 143 pages

I'm now at the sad point of being completely caught up on this graphic novel series until the next one comes out. It kind of makes me want to cry a little because I really like this series, it might be my favorite one out there.

Twice Upon a Tale: Rapunzel by Wendy Mass, 205 pages

Wendy Mass has written some really fun juvenile fiction books that are retellings of fairy tales. One of the best parts about the book is how the viewpoint switches between the main male and female characters. The bad part about the books is beating off my youngest to try to read them first.

Fables: Rose Red, 245 pages

This is the next to last graphic novel published so far in this series. I hate that I'm so close to being caught up because this has been one of the best graphic novel series I've ever read. Each one keeps getting better and better.

Bewitching by Alex Flinn, 342 pages

I've really enjoyed the fairy-taled books by Alex Flinn. This one tells the story of Kendra, the witch from Beastly, who tells the story of her first 300 years. This has Hansel and Gretel, the Princess and the Pea, and the Little Mermaid, plus Cinderella. One of the best parts was the current-day story weaved with stories from the past. This is a great read for fans of the Sister Grimm books looking for a more grown-up read.

Fables: March of the Wooden Soldiers, 239 pages

Book 4 in what is becoming one of my favorite graphic novel series. They are very dark and gripping. The ending to this one left me just a little sad, but I can't wait to see what Prince Charming does next.

Happily Ever After edited by John Klima, 477 pages

This is an anthology featuring fairytale retellings by some of the best writers in the field. These stories are dark, twisted, sweet, and compelling as the Grimm Brothers collected originally. The stories here aren't your Disney versions to be read to your kids, but instead tantalizing tales to be savored and enjoyed. But watch out, who is that knock-knock-knocking on your door?

Cloaked by Alex Flinn, 341 pages

Cloaked is a modern day retelling of some of the lesser known fairy tales. Johnny works at his family's shoe repair store in a swanky Florida hotel. When a beautiful princess visits and asks for his help in finding her brother who's been turned into a frog, Johnny thinks she's playing a prank on him. But he quickly realizes she is telling the truth. On his search for the missing frog prince, Johnny must also look for the sister of the hotel's swans, so she can turn them back and runs into a fox who may be able to help him. But an evil witch dogs his steps and threatens all that Johnny tries to achieve.
This was written by the same author of Beastly that was recently turned into a movie. I really liked Beastly (still haven't seen the movie) and was excited to see this. I love fairy tales, especially the lesser known ones, and featured several. It was great how the author updated it for the teen crowd, a good read no matter what your age. I'll be looking for other books by this author.

Green Fairy Book by Andrew Lang, 408 pages

I was helping my daughter pick out books in the children's department and I found this on the fairytale wall. I love the original Grimm fairy tales, and this is similar. Evidently there were different collections put out under the "color" fairy tales and this is the third one. It features fairy tales from predominately Europe and some from China and Japan. I had read many before, but there were a few I didn't remember. One of the things I liked about this book was that I could read a few fairy tales, put the book down, and come back to it the next day. I read this book before bed over the last week, without feeling like I had lost my place. I think I will be looking for the other collections in this series.

Troll's Eye View: A Book of Villainous Tales edited by Ellen Datlow and Terri Windling, 200 pages

This is a collection of short stories and poems featuring the viewpoints of the bad guys of fairy tales. With Rumplestilskin, the witch from Rapunzel, Trolls, the giant's wife from Jack and the Beanstalk, and various others, this is a deliciously dark collection. I've always been one who rooted for the bad guys in stories, and I've always loved the original Grimm's fairy tales, so this was a great read for me. If you like your fantasy and fairy tales, dark, creepy, and not always a happy ending, pick up this book at once.

A Tale Dark & Grimm by Adam Gidwitz, 256 pages

This book had been reviewed earlier in the blog and sounded really good so I thought I would pick it up. I love the original Grimm fairy tales, children getting cooked, stepsisters getting their eyes pricked out by birds, tons of blood, what's not to like. This is Hansel and Gretel but with them wandering through some of the less famous but still darkly delicious Grimm tales. I especially like the narrator warning you not to let your children read this, not to read it to them, stop reading now! and such. My 9-year-old has been wanting to read the original fairy tales for a while and I told her if she was able to read this I would probably let her. She is only a few chapters from the end and loving the book. If you like your fairytales dark and twisted, you'll want to pick this book up.