Once Upon a Curse: Stories and Fairy Tales for Adult Readers by Anna Kashina
My rating: 4 of 5 stars
I requested this short story collection because Peter S. Beagle was featured. I still haven’t read any of his novels, which I really need to remedy. But I was pleased with the other stories here, not just his, which makes me happy. I did get the feeling that I should recognize the myths some of these stories are based on, but I suppose my mythology is lacking. Many of the stories tasted familiar, as if I had read something like it before, but I couldn’t pin it down. For all that, this collection had me reading fast, because the stories are well written. Beagle’s story is about the personification of Death (seems like I’ve seen quite a few of those lately) but it’s a good twist on the theme. And there is always a price for talking with the one who will take you out of the world…
Some of the fairy tales are repeated in different authors’ stories, but each one is told in a unique way. Some were creepy, yet romantic, and others just made me squirm. These are not fairy tales you would tell your young children, but YA lovers would be comfortable. Overall a good, if dark, collection and a good introduction to the various authors.
Received as a digital ARC via LibraryThing’s Early Reviewer program.
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