"I don't think love is ever something we should be afraid of."

I'll admit that at the start, I wasn't convinced by this book. The writing style, especially in the early chapters, is very Fairytale^TM, but as the book got going I was swept up into the story. What really stood out for me was the way that Werlinger brilliantly weaves the lesbian themes into the fantasy element and making them essential to the plot. The initial twist of the Beauty being the Beast was followed by some fantastic reveals on the nature of Senna's curse, which was a fascinating twist on the usual fairytale tropes. Even the 'bad' characters, particularly Yana, Lise's mother, were not completely villainised.

This is how fairytale retellings should be. Not Disney-esque tales in different settings, but raw and occasionally gritty and serving the original purpose of the fairytale - to inform us of our own humanity.

Another lovely little volume! Beautifully illustrated with some wonderful tales.

I'm fascinated by folk tales and mythology, so when I saw this in the university library I decided to give it a go. A beautifully illustrated collection of traditional tales from Vietnam, it didn't take me long to read and I enjoyed seeing the variety of tales that Monigold has chosen to tell. You could definitely read this in less than an hour, probably more like 30-40 minutes, so it was a good way to branch into non-Western traditions.