Jane Yolen’s world of tales based on fairytales, folklore and actual events takes place in the darker part of the forest. This is the realm where terrible things can occur and perhaps the best way out is for the protagonist to exert some type of control. Whether this control augers well or not, is another matter.

The stories take the reader into the heart of the conflict with stunning imagery that is both comforting in its familiarity but also somewhat disquieting and threatening. With each story’s ending, the reader can envision what the main character would next contemplate. At the end of the book, each story has a brief poem and notes about how the tale was crafted. Readers should be advised to skip ahead after reading each tale to read that section. It gives deeper meaning and nuances to each story.

The book title seemed a bit off. Maybe it was just meant to portray an event that is unexpected and possibly showing the underbelly of what is usually considered a benign experience. After all, what does occur at midnight in a circus? Eerie, at best. And the cover art is great!

The standout stories are the ones that linger after the book is read. These include “The White Seal Maid,” an interpretation of selkie lore; “Wilding,” where Central Park events morph into the sinister; and “Dog Boy,” which tracks the worst case of like father like son. Read this book and marvel at Jane Yolen’s imagination and craft. Recommended. Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for providing a review copy.

Thank you to Netgalley for this ARC! I really enjoyed these stories. Most of the time, for a short story collection, I take my individual ratings for each story, and average them out to get the total rating for the book. For this collection, the average was 3.75, so I’m rounding up to four! I loved the individual fairy-tale vibe each of these had, it’s like something out of a legitimate book of fairy tales, and I think that’s just something that people don’t do very often anymore, so it was refreshing to see! Some of my personal favorites included The Snatchers and Become A Warrior. I will say though, some of the stories did fall flat for me, mostly because I didn’t have any context, or simply couldn’t catch on to what the story was trying to do. I did rate each story individually though, and there were some 4.5s in there along with the lower rated ones. Over all, an enjoyable collection that I was glad to read.

Thank you to Tachyon Publications and NetGalley for the eARC of this brilliant book in return for an honest review.

Do you like ghost stories? Sci-Fi stories? Do you like spooky campfire stories? Stories that give you goosebumps? Fables that teach important lessons? Then you need to get your hands on The Midnight Circus.

Short description from the publisher: "Welcome to the Midnight Circus - and watch your step. The dark imaginings of fantasy icon Jane Yolen are not for the faint of heart. In these sixteen brilliantly unnerving tales and poems, Central Park becomes a carnival where you can - but probably shouldn’t - transform into a wild beast. The Red Sea will be deadly to cross due to a plague of voracious angels. Meanwhile, the South Pole is no place for even a good man, regardless of whether he is living or dead. Wicked, solemn, and chilling, the circus is ready for your visit - just don’t arrive late."

This is exactly the kind of book I hope for and so seldom find. Jane Yolen's short story collection is like if Shirley Jackson, Aesop and Mother Goose had a baby and gave you all the dark fairytales you can handle. Highlights for me were:
• Little Red - a re-imagining of Little Red Riding Hood but way, way darker.
• Wilding - a futuristic Twilight Zone style story with both Sci-Fi and thriller elements.
• The Fisherman’s Wife – mermaids, skeletons and TRUE LOVE..oh my!
• Become a Warrior – revenge is a dish best served with blood and lust.

The story notes and poetry at the end of the book really enhance the experience and I highly recommend reading them. This collection of stories ranges from legends to folklore, mythological to biblical. Yolen’s descriptive writing transports you straight into each tale like it is being told to you in front of a fireplace, cup of cocoa in hand.

I cannot wait to get my hands on a physical copy of this book. The cover is perfection! I will be recommending this book to anyone who loves dark fairytales and beautiful writing.

The Midnight Circus is an anthology full of magical and mystical fairy-tale-like short stories and poems.
They are dark, creative and even educational, but I was tricked into believing these stories would have been somewhat related to the circus or at least have a dark and carnivalesque atmosphere.
But none of them were like that and I still don't know why calling this anthology The Midnight Circus, then.

This book have a pretty wide variety of magical creatures and genres. Vampires, werewolves, fairytale retellings, historical fiction, Nazis and even a reimagining of one chapter of the Bible with carnivorous angels.
The writing is captivating but there are several filler stories that turn down the overall mood; at least they were really short.
Overall I think this would be an interesting choice to read on Halloween, but please don't pick this book if you're expecting something related to circuses.

This collection of short stories is rather peculiar and they are very dark stories that are thoroughly enjoyable. If you love Black Mirror, this book will be for you.
I think that it has some stories that feel very unique and others that seem like a retelling of something familiar. I thought the writing style was excellent and I would love to read more by Jane Yolen.

The Midnight Circus is a spooky and charming collection of short stories by Jane Yolen. Jane Yolen is such an incredible and prolific writer, especially when it comes to tales that we assume we already know. Drawing upon familiar elements in fantasy, Yolen presents a collection of short stories that are unique and encompassing. The collection is well-balanced, featuring themes of fantasy and horror. There is something in this collection for everyone, from selkies, shapeshifters, red caps, and vampires.

I love stories that relate to mythological sea creatures, so my favorite stories were about the selkies and mermaids. I did find myself completely engrossed by the story of legendary explorer Robert Scott. The story questions- what if Scott had a secret reason for adventuring to Antarctica? With poems and additional information provided about the creation process, the collection is very satisfying. I would highly recommend it for anyone who is a fan of short stories or fantasy. The Midnight Circus releases October 1, 2020. Thank you to Jane Yolen, Tachyon Publications, and Netgalley for a free ARC in exchange for an honest review.

I really enjoyed this collection of short stories by Jane Yolen. My favorite stories were probably:

- The White Seal Maid - a fisherman snatches the white seal maid's seal skin and makes her his wife. They have seven boys, and there's a twist at the end.

- The Snatchers - a young Jewish boy is being tracked by a man in shadow - who is he and what does he want?

- Little Red - a fun retelling of the classic Little Red Riding Hood tale

- Become a Warrior - a bit Joseph from the Bible, a bit Mulan, I really liked this story about a young girl who disguises herself as a boy to enter the Army, and then kill the King who killed her father


If you like short stories, horror, sci-fi, etc. then give this book a try!

Never read a collection of short stories before, other than Edgar Allan Poe & the complete collection of Grimm a fairytales. I read this during a 25 hour road trip, so it was a good 'no commitment to an entire story' type book. It was fun to read while on the road. I enjoyed a lot of the stories in this collection! I wish it were darker though.

This is a wonderful collection of magical short stories that have a tinge of an eerie vibe to them. There is a really nice range of stories, especially considering it is from one author instead of multiple! I really enjoyed the variety of story lengths as well, I felt like it provided a good amount of short and medium length. There are also some story notes and poems at the end of the book, which was a nice touch.

Overall, this is a wonderful collection of tales that is perfect for sitting around the campfire or for a fun fall or winter read (definitely Halloween worthy)!

Disclosure: I received a complimentary eARC at no cost from the author/publisher for review purposes. I'd like to thank NetGalley and the publisher for providing me this opportunity!

The stories compiled in The Midnight Circus were either a hit or miss for me; unfortunately, there were more I disliked than liked. I did like the darker, fairytale/fantasy aspects they carried, but some seemed a bit too disturbing to me. Some of the stories were also just...weird. I can’t think of a better way to put it other than I did not understand what was happening. But, there is no denying that Jane Yolen has a talented imagination and does a great job of creating worlds within each of the stories. Her descriptions were captivating, thrilling, and beautifully haunting.

At the end of all the short stories, is a section that has a poem and an explanation that assists in understanding the idea behind each story. I would have liked each of these to come after the story it was associated with rather than all at the end. This information helps with understanding the story and its background. I did find that I was more impressed with the poetry version than the short story version when it came to some of the tales.

Thanks to Netgalley for the ARC of this book. All of these stories were interesting and I enjoyed every one. Look forward to reading more by this author

Jane Yolen has written and gathered this wonderful anthology of stories.She always manages to make stories fresh and interesting with all of the "once upon a time" allure of the classic fairy tale. A delightful read.

An interesting collection of dark, eerie stories that lean heavily on historical retelling, folklore, and fantasy. My enjoyment of the stories ranged from 2-4 stars out of 5. I grew up reading Jane Yolen’s fantasy stories of dragons & adventures, and I still notice the instructional tone to Yolen’s writing as in many stories in the fairy tale format. But these stories are definitely for an adult audience due some occasions of abuse, gore, and body horror in this collection.

Thank you to Netgalley for the advanced reader copy of this book. All views and opinions in this review are my own.

Trying to rate this book is like trying to rate a buffet. Some dishes tasted fantastic, some wanted to be spit back out, and others were just filler.

Jane Yolen's Midnight Circus is an anthology of fairy tales and poems, some newly created. Some heavily borrowed. Most quite dark. Yolen has been compared to a modern Hans Christian Anderson or Aesop. While some parallels are noticeable, I'm not sure, solely based on this book, that I would view her in that light. Also, it dawned on me while reading one of her stories related to the Jews and Nazis that I've read her work before (Briar Rose), which was DEFINITELY not in the fairy tale realm although it was called a historical retelling. It was a so-so read for me.

I feel like I'm painting her work in a bad light. So I want to make sure I make it very clear that I LOVED some of her fairy tale/fantasy stories. While dark, they are creative and have the feel of a new fairy tale. Truly, that's where Yolen shines. I could read boom after book of these stories by her. But I don't know that I liked any of her modern stories/urban tales. Horror can definitely turn your stomach, but rape and suicide turns my stomach in a different way. I especially didn't care for "Little Red." She's a gifted writer. But major trigger warning on that front. And then there were the "fillers"- some stories that were just there and simple enough to breeze through but felt a little recycled (e.g. she turned the Biblical story of the Israelites escaping Egypt into a myth/fairy tale by tweaking a few name spellings and adding in a bit about carnivorous angels).

One recommendation I may have for the author/publishing house would be to give the brief backstories for the actual stories immediately before or after the story it was written for rather than at the end of the book. They were enlightening and helped me appreciate the short stories more. I understand some of it would spoil the story, so maybe just a brief couple sentences explaining context before the story and the backstory/inspired by bits after. Just a thought.

Quite a few spelling errors, grammatical errors, and one paragraph that popped up repeatedly multiple times on accident throughout the book, like an accidental copy and paste. But this is all SUPER minor as I'm sure they'll fix that before it goes to print.

Overall, I'm not sure this was worth my read as a whole, but I wouldn't have found the few I loved without forging through the entire collection, so in that regard worthwhile. Some of the stories were five stars. A couple one stars. A smattering in between. I guess that averages to about three stars.

I'd rate this an R for rape, suicide, abuse, mild swearing, gore, violence, and disturbing imagery.

The writing of this is really lyrical and pretty, but the stories are so short, that I literally don't care about what is going on. Once I start getting into the characters and the story, the story was over. It was haunting and I would have enjoyed had some of these stories been longer. But as it were, a lot of it was just meh.

Holy shit! This was so atmospheric and interesting, a genuinely great collection of short stories. I love a book that gives off a seasonal vibe so I definitely would recommend this to anyone book shopping this autumn!

The Midnight Circus by Jane Yolen is a collection of magical, witty, dark short stories which revolves around the time of night or Twilight zone.

The writing is very captivating, and the stories are intriguing. The author ends the book with personal notes and poetry which I really liked. I enjoyed reading the poetry more than the short stories.

This was my first novel by the author, and trust me when I say this, the book will drive you to a completely different world. It's a book which will give you beautiful fairytale dreams as well as nightmares at the same time.

The book has everything - Vampire, Werewolves, Serial Killers and others. The cover and the rhetorical title itself made me read this book! I recommend this book if you are into dark fantasy.

As always, thank you NetGalley for this ARC! It's always such a joy to see that email saying I was accepted for a book I requested. Even after all these years, I love it!

The Midnight Circus, while nothing like I expected, was incredibly enjoyable. It's a book compromised of magical short-stories, some better than others, but all mystical and fairy-tale-like. So if your thing is reading books with either magic, lore, imaginative plots, you name it ... this may be a book you want to keep an eye out for, this year!

Although my "overall" rating is three-stars, I will say there were definitely stories that were in the 4.5-star range. So please be aware that my rating does not mean this whole book is average because that is certainly not the case.

This was an enjoyable read, it didn’t evoke much emotions from me but I was entertained by the writing and story nonetheless.

I received a free copy of this book in exchange for an honest review!

The Midnight Circus is a lovely collection of dark short stories and it's perfect to read under your blankets while holding a hot cup of coffee.

The writing is captivating and engaging and all the stories are fascinating in their own way.

My favorites were Dog Boy and Names, they were so powerful and full of important lessons.

I recommend this to anyone who's a fan of dark short stories or is looking for a spooky read.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for allowing me to read an early copy.