content warnings:

Spoiler

Black main cast, Black & Puerto Rican main character [Andre] & minor character [Andre's father]

rep:

Spoiler

racism, use of the n-word, colorism, sexism, marital infidelity, relationships with age & power gaps, self-harm, accusation/ mention of rape, threatened marital rape, abortion, cancer, terminal lupus, loss of loved ones, grief, corporal punishment, homophobia, branding

RTC

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CONVERSION: 9.9 / 15 = 3.5 stars

Prose: 6 / 10
Characters & Relationships: 6 / 10
Emotional Impact: 7 / 10
Development / Flow: 8 / 10
Setting: 5 / 10

Diversity & Social Themes: 4 / 5
Originality / Trope Execution: 3 / 5

content warnings:

Spoiler

xenophobia, fatphobia, sexism, classism, ableism (including use of the cr-word), self-harm (scratching until bleeding), animal abuse/ torture, being drugged, past genocide, secondary character death(s)

RTC

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CONVERSION: 5.3 / 15 = 2 stars

Prose: 4 / 10
Characters & Relationships: 3 / 10
Emotional Impact: 1 / 10
Development / Flow: 6 / 10
Setting: 5 / 10

Intellectual Engagement: 1 / 5
Originality / Trope Execution: 2 / 5

The saga definitely isn't complete without this entry, though it's at least 90% philosophical propaganda and (as noted in the prologue) the ant and goose episodes were relocated to the first book. So I am glad that I read this, for the sake of completion, but I didn't gain much if anything from it.

The visual design is gorgeous, and I applaud the idea of wanting to share "tales from around the world," though the way they're framed and interpreted is a bit dubious considering the author is white (German) and many of the stories are not, yet they're presented through a very Western lens; there's also not much rhyme or reason to the order, nor any sort of conclusion to the book.

Still! I like that these are collected from (as far as I can tell) ownvoices storytellers, and it's definitely interesting to see how fairy tales intersect and compare globally.

Recommended by Haley @ The Caffeinated Reader.

★ 2.5 stars ★

content warnings:

Spoiler

major character death(s), teenager deaths, yellow jackets, anaphylaxis, body horror, suicide by poison, drug use, mention of overdose, smoking & vaping, homophobia (incl. d*ke), heterosexism, racism, xenophobia, imposter syndrome, mention of car crash, wildfires, precanon parent death(s), implied sexual content, voyeurism, infidelity, body-shaming & fatphobia, discussions of abortion, alcoholic parent, mental breakdown, psychiatric asylum, on-page non-graphic sexual assault, on-page drowning

rep:

Spoiler

lesbian MC [Harper], bisexual MC [Audrey], queer fat MC [Merritt], WLW possibly-aromantic MC [Libbie], WLW MC [Alex], F/F & brief F/F/F relationships, interracial relationships, open & polyam relationship(s), Black secondary/minor character [Noel], gay Indian American secondary character [Bo Dhillon], established M/M off-page relationship [Bo + husband], implied depression [Alex's father], diverse secondary & minor characters

[review to come]

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CONVERSION: 6.93 / 15 = 2.5 stars

Prose: 4 / 10
Characters & Relationships: 5 / 10
Emotional Impact: 3 / 10
Development / Flow: 5 / 10
Setting: 6 / 10

Diversity & Social Themes: 2 / 5
Originality / Trope Execution: 2 / 5
Rereadability: 3 / 5

The mind-magic twist was pretty cool, and it kept Cate from overshadowing her sisters too much. The love triangle was trite and underdeveloped, and I would've liked for Cate to be stronger as a character. Not too bad, though.

[2019 reread]

I'm one of the many people who fell head-over-heels in love with the TV adaptation, so it seemed only fair to give the book another chance — especially since, as far as I've seen, diehard fans are on the whole pleased with how true the show is to the source material.

And I'm so glad I did. The jokes make more sense, though there are some cultural touchstones that still flew over my head (and, based on the Script Book which I read immediately afterward, were possibly Americanized in the show for that very reason), and it's always delightful to recognize the most iconic lines. This really is a timeless book, as relevant today as it was at the time of publication.

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[2018: first read]

The humor didn’t quite match up with my own — I did laugh out loud a few times, but I definitely missed out on a lot of references. In and of itself the plot was light, the climax and falling action fairly tame (a little disappointingly so, to be honest) especially compared to the beginning. I will say the characters were really vivid and compelling, so that was a big plus.

Overall, I enjoyed this book but I did get a bit bored as it went on.

I received an advance review copy from Candlewick Press through Netgalley; all opinions are my own and honest.

3.5 stars

The premise and representation/social themes are absolutely fantastic; I just felt that too much was crammed in, too fast. FRTC.

content warnings:

Spoiler

rep:

Spoiler

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CONVERSION: 10.1 / 15 = 3.5 stars

Prose: 6 / 10
Characters & Relationships: 8 / 10
Emotional Impact: 7 / 10
Development / Flow: 5 / 10
Setting: 7 / 10

Diversity & Social Themes: 5 / 5
Intellectual Engagement: 2 / 5
Originality / Trope Execution: 4 / 5
Rereadability: N/A
Memorability: 3 / 5

This was entertaining enough, but I don't think I'll be continuing with the series. Honestly, I considered DNF'ing at several points because I was losing interest and/or losing track of the plot, but I kept thinking I'd give it one more chapter, then another, and then it was over.

FRTC.

content warnings:

Spoiler

rep:

Spoiler

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CONVERSION: 8.25 / 15 = 3 stars

Prose: 4 / 10
Characters & Relationships: 6 / 10
Emotional Impact: 5 / 10
Development / Flow: 7 / 10
Setting: 8 / 10

Diversity & Social Themes: 3 / 5
Intellectual Engagement: N/A
Originality / Trope Execution: 2 / 5
Rereadability: 2 / 5
Memorability: 2 / 5