TW: self harm, violence against women, sexual assault ‘Beautiful’ does not even begin to encompass the captive, rhythmic style Ariel Gore possesses. I found it difficult to read quickly despite it being a relatively short work; every few pages there would be a line simple in structure but devastating in truth. I would be leftRead More
Marthese reviews Gretel and “Dragon Essence” by Niamh Murphy
”She had trusted two strangers in her house, offering them food and shelter. It was nonsense not to trust her.” – Gretel: A Fairytale Retold With GDPR the copious amounts of author newsletters were at best purgatory. The ‘please subscribe to us’ emails were really great to weed out authors that I am not so interestedRead More
Mary Springer reviews Snow White and Her Queen by Anna Ferrara
Trigger Warning: the book contains scenes of suicide, rape, and assault and this review will discuss them. This review contains spoilers. Katherine was married to the King of the Northern Kingdom when she was thirteen. Seventeen years later, she plans to kill herself, but she is saved by a beautiful young woman. Soon she findsRead More
Rebecca reviews Seeing Red: A Sapphic Fairy Tale by Cara Malone
Seeing Red is a cute and quick read with a sweet romance and really well-written characters. It’s loosely based on the fairy tale and I absolutely enjoyed this modern take with relatable characters. Hunter has too much on her plate. She’s living with her sister, Piper and helping with the bills and her two nephews. She’sRead More
Kelley O’Brien reviews Take Your Medicine by Hannah Carmack
I first heard of Hannah Carmack’s new book, Take Your Medicine, when I was browsing Nine Star Press’ upcoming books. The cover of Carmack’s book was gorgeous (fancy script and lovely pink roses – totally up my alley) so I took a chance and clicked on it. After reading the synopsis, my jaw dropped. NotRead More
Julie Thompson reviews Ripped: A Rapunzel Retelling by M. Hollis
Modern-day fairytale revisions let us see ourselves more broadly reflected. My favorite stories include rows upon rows of crowded bookshelves and women who happen to be in a pickle, but aren’t afraid to ask for help in kicking down the tower’s front door. I also love stories with more than one swashbuckling heroine. M. Hollis’s Ripped:Read More
Danika reviews As I Descended by Robin Talley
When I heard a YA book was coming out that was a lesbian boarding school Macbeth retelling, I was already on board before I had even heard that it was by Robin Talley, the author of one of my favourite lesbian YA books. This isn’t a direct retelling of Macbeth, but it does cover mostRead More
Marthese reviews Adijan and Her Genie by L-J Baker
I love queer fairytale retellings! Although I do not think this is much of a fairytale. It’s set in the Arabian Nights fantasy world and has a few elements of the folktale Aladdin, in the sense that there is a poor messenger who’s however a girl and there is a genie, who’s not really aRead More