I've always liked Vivian Vande Velde's short story takes on very twisted fairy tales, and this book did not disappoint in that regard, though it is certainly not my favorite of hers.

 

My favorite story in this particular collection was the first, a retelling of "Rumplestiltskin" that was charmingly touching and turned one of the oddest fairy tales (at least in terms of sense) into something that was rational and heartbreaking in places.

 

The others were a little hit or miss; none of them actually bad, but several of them just not that interesting or a little too short to really hit home. On the plus side, the shortness lent itself well to the several of the joke twists, which would have been terrible had the story gone on forever but were definitely worth at least a smile at the end of these.

 

If you like short fairy tale retellings, this is worth picking up and at least skimming through, and the first story is worth the price of admission no matter what you think of the rest.