Review: Wickedly Ever After: An Anthology of Retold Tales

Wickedly Ever After: An Anthology of Retold Tales by Rachel Kenley
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

A lover's tale, this started out the anthology on a disturbing note. I didn't like the ending at all nor did I like the horrible human female. This is rape in the most non-consensual manner. The dween should have shut the door in face of the greedy selfish woman. Fortunately, from there on out, the fairy tales re-interpreted become better and better. It is a delightful reimagination of some of the well-loved fairy tales. For those who picked up this book thinking it was going to be erotic retelling of old stories, this is not the book for you. The two most memorable stories for me were ones tied to the water. The other three I really enjoyed were Hansel & Gretel, Little Red Riding hood and Rumpelstiltskin.

The little mermaid's new perspective is interesting and could easily have been turned into a more sexual provocative tale. Still, It was interesting to see how the "little mermaid" ended up liking human things once she was on land. Showing how she responded to the overwhelming smells of humans on land was amusing. Her distain for the prince after getting to know him better is kind of how I thought she would feel when I first learned about the little mermaid. There is a nice little twist in who this little mermaid really likes and I found that to be more attractive.

The other water story I enjoyed was the one involving a Selkie. I busted up laughing at the foolish man who stole the pelt. However, this story turned out to be very sweet and loving. At times it was poignant. I have always been disturbed by a selkie's weakness… their pelt. I cannot fathom the cruelty of humans to steal and burn the pelts to entrap a selkie for a wife. I guess if I were the selkie caught, I would have killed the human male. What is there to live if I can't roam the waters in a seal form?

When it comes to the witch in Hansel and Gretel, I found it to be sweetly justified. I felt for the "witch" who turned her house into a gingerbread house. This was well written with its tight storyline and smooth flow. I can't remember the author who wrote this one, but I want to look them up to see if they wrote other stories. I liked how the witch was "found" out and how it tied to being fae. The ending is unexpected and sweet.

I always wonder how authors will redesign little red riding hood. I actually wished this one and the selkie story were longer. Red involves werewolves and let's just say, it could have easily turned erotic too. This story ended so quickly.

Lastly, the new Rumpelstiltskin spoke to me because I just read Patricia Brigg's "Smoke Bitten" as well as watched the movie "Yesterday". I liked this new version of Rumpelstiltskin and could see this as a standalone novella.

Overall, after grinding through the first story, the rest of the tales are creative, imaginative and sweet - nothing grim. Recommended for fairy tale lovers.

*provided by Netgalley