Fairy Tales – Page 10 – Cannonball Read 17

A thoughtful mix of poetry and fairy tales

The Seventh Raven by David Elliott

July 6, 2021 by cosbrarian Leave a Comment

The Seven Ravens is a cool fairy tale. It’s very similar to The Six Swans – both are categorized as “brothers who turn into birds” folktales. But I prefer The Seven Ravens. It focuses on a peasant family instead of a princess. The parents are lovely people – no evil stepmothers or greedy fathers here. A brave girl saves the day. And ravens are cooler than swans. Sorry, swans. If you don’t know the folktale, it is the story of a peasant couple who have […]

“The space between two shores is the ocean and being caught in between feels like drowning.”

The Magic Fish by Trung Le Nguyen

April 21, 2021 by cosbrarian Leave a Comment

A new forever favorite! If you like your fairy tales dark, and reading other cultural versions of them, read this book! If you like your graphic novels lush, detailed, and darling, read this book! If you like compelling family stories, immigrant stories, and queer characters, read this book! In the forefront of Trung Le Nguyen’s graphic novel is the story of a middle schooler named Tiên who is quietly dealing with coming out and his crush on a friend. Alongside that is his mother’s story, […]

A romance-free twist on The Little Mermaid

Fish Girl by Donna Jo Napoli, David Wiesner

April 6, 2021 by cosbrarian 1 Comment

The Little Mermaid is one of my favorite fairy tales in all its forms. OG Andersen classic, the perfect Disney movie, and other adaptations as well (the musical Once on This Island stands out to me). I’ve been back on a fairy tale kick these days (I run a series of comedic retellings of the original tales on TikTok) so I picked up this graphic novel for a quick read, and it’s very sweet! If you are unfamiliar with David Wiesner’s work, he is a […]

Adding politics to fairy tales makes everything more depressing

Cinderella is Dead by Kalynn Bayron

February 15, 2021 by crystalclear Leave a Comment

This is a grim take on Cinderella. In this society, all girls (of a certain class, actual servants and peasants need not apply) must present themselves at the Royal Ball to hopefully be selected as a bride, as Cinderella was 200 years before. But this is not a happy fairy tale. Women are treated as second class citizens, or worse, and are completely controlled by their husbands. Women have no choice in their husbands – they are “claimed” at the ball by whoever wants them. […]

A Bard, A Fae, A Wolf and a Crow walk into a bar and start a fight

Fantastic Tales of Nothing by Alejandra Green

January 28, 2021 by BlackRaven Leave a Comment

The back of this book, Fantastic Tales of Nothing by Alejandra Green, says if you like Amulet, Five Worlds and Estranged you will like this. And while I agree yes this is true, there are differences to the series you might want to look at: Amulet is light, like Fantastic, but Fantastic is a tad “meatier.” Five Worlds (or at least book one, which I read) might be closest, but again, Fantastic is meatier. However, Estranged is darker by a smidgen (not that it is […]

If immersive theater were a book, this would be it.

The Starless Sea by Erin Morgenstern

January 1, 2021 by Mobius_Walker 7 Comments

Zachary Ezra Rawlins is in the middle of his story. A story that was punctuated too early as a child that is continuing now as adult. Zachary Ezra Rawlins is the son a fortune-teller who finds solace and safety in books and stories. The son of a fortune teller is on a quest entangled with Time, Fate, the Moon, and the Harbor of all stories. If you the books you read must have concrete plot and solid narrative structure, you will not like this book. […]

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Zirza on A Gothic Classic for a ReasonIt's one of those wish-you-could-read-it-again-for-the-first-time books. I loved it.
Emmalita on “It came to something when you found yourself hoping that the footsteps you heard were ghosts.”I loved the ending! I don’t think it’s been out long enough to talk about why though.
Dixie on Track Her Down by Melinda LeighI am just starting Track Her Down and I have read them all in order till now and thought I...
Roland of Gilead on How can you give us the gift of a crazy character named Rando Thoughtful and then just as suddenly take that gift away? We need to talk, Uncle Stevie.I came across this randomly years after it was written because I was searching "Random Thoughtful. But I have the...
Emmalita on “Only you, Em, would refer to heartbreak as a distraction. I think I would have a more sympathetic response if I asked to marry a bookcase.”Oh my goodness, Gallifrey was beautiful. I’m sure her mittens were gloriously murdery.

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