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A review by readingrobin
Cursed: An Anthology of Dark Fairy Tales by Marie O'Regan, Paul Kane
dark
emotional
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.0
I think I've been glutting myself a bit too much on anthologies over the past year, because man I think I may need a break after reading this one.
It's the standard rule with all anthologies that there are going to be some hits and misses, but oof the misses in here really build up.
The common thread through all of these stories are curses, whether based on an existing fairy tale or something new. For the most part, they all make thematic sense to be in this collection, but I didn't find very many that I connected with.
"Listen" and "Again" have similar setups but different execution and pay offs. "Listen" is probably the strongest of the stories and I wouldn't mind reading more from this author. I loved the sort of back door the curse has in this story and found it very satisfying.
"Henry and the Snakewood Box" has a great tone from it, narrated by a demon in the middle of his currently fleece job. Good bit of comedy there.
And..I think that's it. The rest I either rushed through or skipped entirely because I wasn't really invested. It's a shame because a lot of these stories show potential, but just miss the landing.
It's the standard rule with all anthologies that there are going to be some hits and misses, but oof the misses in here really build up.
The common thread through all of these stories are curses, whether based on an existing fairy tale or something new. For the most part, they all make thematic sense to be in this collection, but I didn't find very many that I connected with.
"Listen" and "Again" have similar setups but different execution and pay offs. "Listen" is probably the strongest of the stories and I wouldn't mind reading more from this author. I loved the sort of back door the curse has in this story and found it very satisfying.
"Henry and the Snakewood Box" has a great tone from it, narrated by a demon in the middle of his currently fleece job. Good bit of comedy there.
And..I think that's it. The rest I either rushed through or skipped entirely because I wasn't really invested. It's a shame because a lot of these stories show potential, but just miss the landing.