Juvenile Fiction
Bloomsbury Publishing USA
July 11, 2017
Hardcover
368
Leave it to the heroes to save the world--villains just want to rule the world.
In this unique YA anthology, thirteen acclaimed, bestselling authors team up with thirteen influential BookTubers to reimagine fairy tales from the oft-misunderstood villains' points of view.
These fractured, unconventional spins on classics like "Medusa," Sherlock Holmes, and "Jack and the Beanstalk" provide a behind-the-curtain look at villains' acts of vengeance, defiance, and rage--and the pain, heartbreak, and sorrow that spurned them on. No fairy tale will ever seem quite the same again!
Featuring writing from . . .
Authors: Renée Ahdieh, Ameriie, Soman Chainani, Susan Dennard, Sarah Enni, Marissa Meyer, Cindy Pon, Victoria Schwab, Samantha Shannon, Adam Silvera, Andrew Smith, April Genevieve Tucholke, and Nicola Yoon
BookTubers: Benjamin Alderson (Benjaminoftomes), Sasha Alsberg (abookutopia), Whitney Atkinson (WhittyNovels), Tina Burke (ChristinaReadsYA blog and TheLushables), Catriona Feeney (LittleBookOwl), Jesse George (JessetheReader), Zoë Herdt (readbyzoe), Samantha Lane (Thoughts on Tomes), Sophia Lee (thebookbasement), Raeleen Lemay (padfootandprongs07), Regan Perusse (PeruseProject), Christine Riccio (polandbananasBOOKS), and Steph Sinclair & Kat Kennedy (Cuddlebuggery blog and channel).
WrensReads Review:
I just want to voice that I, and I only because this is my opinion alone, did not like the style of this book. I would have rather the authors and the booktubers write one-inclusive story together instead of the “responding” the booktubers did to the author’s story. It wasn’t for me, and that really shows in my ratings.
01. The Blood of Impuriv ★☆☆☆☆
By: Renée Ahdieh
Featuring: Christine Riccio
About: an ambitious dark lord
I don’t feel as if anything actually happened in this story except for bickering between the two siblings. And, sadly, Renée Ahdieh’s writing doesn’t agree with me. I figured that out long before this so I am probably a little bias in this. She has such a following though, so I bet a lot of people enjoyed this a lot more than I did.
02. Jack ★★★☆☆
By: Ameriie
Featuring: Tina Burke
About: the giant from “Jack and the Beanstalk”
This story was better than Ahdieh’s. It has an original spin on it with a historical figure-head as the antagonist, but other than that I didn’t really enjoy it as much as I love other retellings of Jack and the Beanstalk (not really books, but like Into the Woods the Broadway show is one.
03. Gwen and Art and Lance ★★☆☆☆
By: Soman Chainani
Featuring: Samantha Lane
About: Lancelot
I just could not. The only reason this works with the Illuminae series is because it is a full-length book and there are diagrams and pictures and surveillance documentation. I wasn’t a fan of the format for a short story.
04. Shirley & Jim ★★☆☆☆
By: Susan Dennard
Featuring: Sasha Alsberg
About: Moriarty
I wasn’t a fan of how the author went about rewiring Sherlock and Watson both. I feel there could have been a better way to do what she was trying to do; and with that being said, I also feel as if she was trying really hard to mend something that just doesn’t mold the way she wanted.
05. The Blessing of Little Wants ★★★★☆
By: Sarah Enni
Featuring: Sophia Lee
About: a dark sorcerer seeking immortality
This was the shining light and what made me keep going with these short stories. Two witches on a quest to save magic. I mean, my goodness, can this get a series of its own? Because I finally felt feels in this little story and I am craving more.
06. The Sea Witch ★★★★★
By: Marissa Meyer
Featuring: Zoë Herdt
About: the sea witch
Now THIS WAS LEGIT. I already am head over heels for Marissa Meyers and that’s because she knows how to write a villain who is likeable but also someone you love to hate. I read this one three times when I the other’s failed. A mermaid, first off, is the best. A dark mermaid, secondly, is completely and utterly accurate. You understood where she was coming from and you cheered for her to conquer. But at the same time, you knew how she was going about getting what she needed and what she deserved was not the best way. My heart breaks for my little mermaid.
07. Beautiful Venom ★★★★★
By: Cindy Pon
Featuring: Benjamin Alderson
About: Medusa
I want to start off saying that I have read one Pon book and I wasn’t that big of a fan of it. So, I went into this story with the lowest expectations you could possibly imagine. With that being said, holy crap did that just happen? That was utterly amazing and hit me pretty hard. Medusa is already one of my favorite mythology creatures and now I just want to find more retellings on her. Not only that but… I may give Pon books another shot.
08. Death Knell ★★★★★
By: Victoria Schwab
Featuring: Jesse George
About: Death
I went into this knowing that I would love it because Schwab knows the way into my black, still heart, and I wasn’t disappointed. This read more like a fable to me. This story will make your eyes go huge and shake your head because once you see what is going to happen, you can’t stop it no matter how much you wish to. Schwab is a phenomenal author at writing anything dark and she does not disappoint. This was my favorite story in this whole book and I may buy this book just for this.
09. Marigold ★★★★☆
By: Samantha Shannon
Featuring: Regan Perusse
About: The Erl Queen
A Fae Queen who kidnaps little girls in the 19th century? I love the Fae culture, but sometimes I feel writers are making them too pretty and nice, but still call them animalistic. This story is actually more animalistic and it was everything I ever needed.
10. You, You, It’s All About You ★★★☆☆
By: Adam Silvera
Featuring: Catriona Feeney
About: a comic books-inspired teen crime lord
I wasn’t feeling this one all too well, and I believe it is because it was condensed into a short story and not a fully length novel. The whole idea is so intriguing and has a lot of hope with it, but I feel it needed to expand about 200 pages to be a five star rating.
11. Julian Breaks Every Rule ★★☆☆☆
By: Andrew Smith
Featuring: Raeleen Lemay
About: a futuristic psychopath
This kind of goes along with what I said earlier: It needs to be longer to fully grasp the idea the author is trying to lay out. The main character wasn’t sure he was causing the “villainous thing” that keeps happening, which was nice because he wasn’t out-right evil, but then again, I wanted to expand on that more.
12. Indigo and Shade ★★★★★
By: April Genevieve Tuckolke
Featuring: Whitney Atkinson
About: the unwanted suitor from “Beauty and the Beast”
Where did Tuckolke come from? I have never read any of her stuff and this was surprisingly one of the best stories in here for me? It was a Beauty and the Beast retelling, which I am all about, but it was so… different and drool worthy. Her writing was unique and… I’m going to go read this again… holy crap…
13. Sera ★★☆☆☆
By: Nicola Yoon
Featuring: Steph Sinclair/Kat Kennedy
About: the god of war
While her writing was beautiful, her story just didn’t hit home with me. I’m not sure if this is her normal genre (looking at her written books) so that might be a facture as well. But the idea was cool? Maybe if (and I’ve said this 500 times) she had a little more room to write, it would have made more feels in my stone-cold heart.
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