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A review by mudder17
Beasts and Beauty: Dangerous Tales by Soman Chainani
4.0
This was a solid collection of fairytale retellings, and I really enjoyed the author's take on the various tales, some more than others. A few left me somewhat confused, but overall, it was a very interesting collection. I started out listening to this story but then decided to read along because I wanted to see the illustrations. Somehow listening to the story with what I perceive as an Indian British accent made the story more atmospheric for me. In any case, I am glad I listened along while reading it. I'll say a few words about each story:
Red Riding Hood: This was the opening story and it doesn't matter how well you know the original. Chainani weaves a story full of atmosphere, danger, and the evil humans can do to one another. There was definitely the element of the supernatural and I wasn't sure how much was real and how much was a metaphor. But the ending made me smile and want to howl.
Snow White: The contrast between Snow White's name and what she looked like was very cool. Snow White and her real mother are black, unlike the rest of the realm, and as such, they are looked down upon. The King, as much as he starts out loving Snow White's mother, is really a weak man at heart. I loved how every part of this tale said multiple things. I was briefly confused near the end when the tale seemed to be restarting itself and initially thought I had done something funny when I transferred the audio file onto my phone, but since I was reading along, I knew it had to be deliberate. I loved the ending.
Sleeping Beauty: This was a bit twisted, not to mention gender-bending, and at first, I wasn't sure what was going on. I ended up liking this one, but like Red Riding Hood, there were some aspects of it I was unsure of.
Rapunzel: This one was okay, but it was not nearly as satisfying as the previous stories.
Jack and the Beanstalk: I liked some of this story, but I really didn't like any of the characters in the story, except for maybe the man in the castle who Jack met. He was the only constant character. I get that part of the reason Jack was the way he was was because of his upbringing and his useless parents. He definitely had a hole in his heart yearning to be filled. But he was also as useless as his parents in many other ways. He wanted a better life but didn't want to have to work for it. He wanted it handed to him because he felt he deserved it. While I did appreciate how it ended, this was also not one of my favorites.
Hansel and Gretel: This was one of my two favorites and I loved the whole story, especially the ending. I'll leave it at that.
Beauty and the Beast: I'm not sure how to feel about this one. This has always been one of my favorite fairy tales, and parts of this story I really liked. But the ending--I'm feeling mixed feelings about it.
Bluebeard: This was definitely on the creepy side, but I loved it. It was one of the shorter ones, but it was perfect in length and atmosphere. I loved the ending.
Cinderella: I liked this version of Cinderella and the twist at the end worked very well for me.
The Little Mermaid: This was the shortest of the tales and definitely not what I was expecting. It actually made me laugh quite a bit knowing how the original story went and all the holes the sea witch in this story poked into the original plot. I liked the ending on this one, although it's left a bit ambiguous. But I know what I would pick if I were her!
Rumpelstiltskin: This was another one I wasn't thrilled about because I didn't really like any of the characters, except maybe the Devil? But when she final grows up and realizes she is the one who has to put in the work rather than waiting for someone to save her, she learns and that saves the story for me.
Peter Pan: This was the last of the tales and my other favorite story so a perfect way to end the book. It had me tearing up at the end, but although it made me cry, it was also the way it had to be.
Overall, I'd say that I had two favorites that I would easily give 5 stars and I had two not so favorites that I would have given 3 stars. Most of the rest were somewhere in between, so I'll rate the entire book 4 stars. Interestingly, my niece has me reading The School for Good and Evil, which is a popular middle school series that turns happily ever after upside down, so the author has definitely found his strength. I'm currently reading the second book, and while I still can't stand one of the main characters, I'm finding the story to be pretty interesting.
Red Riding Hood: This was the opening story and it doesn't matter how well you know the original. Chainani weaves a story full of atmosphere, danger, and the evil humans can do to one another. There was definitely the element of the supernatural and I wasn't sure how much was real and how much was a metaphor. But the ending made me smile and want to howl.
Snow White: The contrast between Snow White's name and what she looked like was very cool. Snow White and her real mother are black, unlike the rest of the realm, and as such, they are looked down upon. The King, as much as he starts out loving Snow White's mother, is really a weak man at heart. I loved how every part of this tale said multiple things. I was briefly confused near the end when the tale seemed to be restarting itself and initially thought I had done something funny when I transferred the audio file onto my phone, but since I was reading along, I knew it had to be deliberate. I loved the ending.
Sleeping Beauty: This was a bit twisted, not to mention gender-bending, and at first, I wasn't sure what was going on. I ended up liking this one, but like Red Riding Hood, there were some aspects of it I was unsure of.
Rapunzel: This one was okay, but it was not nearly as satisfying as the previous stories.
Jack and the Beanstalk: I liked some of this story, but I really didn't like any of the characters in the story, except for maybe the man in the castle who Jack met. He was the only constant character. I get that part of the reason Jack was the way he was was because of his upbringing and his useless parents. He definitely had a hole in his heart yearning to be filled. But he was also as useless as his parents in many other ways. He wanted a better life but didn't want to have to work for it. He wanted it handed to him because he felt he deserved it. While I did appreciate how it ended, this was also not one of my favorites.
Hansel and Gretel: This was one of my two favorites and I loved the whole story, especially the ending. I'll leave it at that.
Beauty and the Beast: I'm not sure how to feel about this one. This has always been one of my favorite fairy tales, and parts of this story I really liked. But the ending--I'm feeling mixed feelings about it.
Bluebeard: This was definitely on the creepy side, but I loved it. It was one of the shorter ones, but it was perfect in length and atmosphere. I loved the ending.
Cinderella: I liked this version of Cinderella and the twist at the end worked very well for me.
The Little Mermaid: This was the shortest of the tales and definitely not what I was expecting. It actually made me laugh quite a bit knowing how the original story went and all the holes the sea witch in this story poked into the original plot. I liked the ending on this one, although it's left a bit ambiguous. But I know what I would pick if I were her!
Rumpelstiltskin: This was another one I wasn't thrilled about because I didn't really like any of the characters, except maybe the Devil? But when she final grows up and realizes she is the one who has to put in the work rather than waiting for someone to save her, she learns and that saves the story for me.
Peter Pan: This was the last of the tales and my other favorite story so a perfect way to end the book. It had me tearing up at the end, but although it made me cry, it was also the way it had to be.
Overall, I'd say that I had two favorites that I would easily give 5 stars and I had two not so favorites that I would have given 3 stars. Most of the rest were somewhere in between, so I'll rate the entire book 4 stars. Interestingly, my niece has me reading The School for Good and Evil, which is a popular middle school series that turns happily ever after upside down, so the author has definitely found his strength. I'm currently reading the second book, and while I still can't stand one of the main characters, I'm finding the story to be pretty interesting.