“So the men of Bagha Purana did what men do when they're well beaten by a woman and can't find a way to fight fair. They pointed their fingers at her and screamed, Witch!”

What a dark little whimsical tale. Or should I say tales... or maybe tails lol. Anyways bad puns aside, I really enjoyed this. Everything from the cover to the very last page had its teeth sinked in my skin and its memory marked in my brain long after finishing. This is just one of those stories that I went in expecting to like but was pleasantly surprised by how much I loved.

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for giving me free access to the advanced digital copy of this book.

So I can't tell you where but I seem to recall this getting marketed as a middle grade anthology of short stores and even on Amazon this is mentioned to be geared towards ages 10-14. And well, no. At the very youngest I would say maybe 14-15 but even that is pushing it for me to be completely honest.

I love Soman Chainani's writing and the illustrations paired with his fairy tale reimaginings are absolutely gorgeous. But while the writing style was as well done as his other works, the actual stories themselves missed the mark for me. The stories were made out to be diverse reimaginings of classic European stories such as Red Riding Hood, Beauty and the Beast, Snow White, etc. And while they were definitely diverse in skin tone and sexual identity, the stories came off as being more of a lecture in wokeness and anything else is considered "bad" or "evil". There was also this weird sexual predator undercurrent to a few of the stories such as Red Riding Hood, Rapunzel, and Sleeping Beauty, not to mention the human trafficking element of Bluebeard that all made me extremely uncomfortable while reading.

Fairy tales are often stories of warning and while I know that they all have their own issues and are often gruesome and terrible, this felt a bit too far for a book marketed for middle schoolers. I'll still pick up Chainani's other books and definitely want to find more artwork by Iredale but this book is definitely a hard pass for me.

For tales that have been told and retold many times, Soman Chainani found a unique twist to these stories, giving them a retouch of empowerment. I laughed, I cried, and I fell in love with these stories all over again. Perfect for your teen audience. Thank you NetGalley for allowing me access to this anthology.

My students are not used to reading short stories but they really enjoy this one in the library. It’s a good pic to share with your middle grade readers who are looking for something that feels a little familiar

I was blown away by the beauty of these retellings and how complex the characters were. I really enjoyed how empowered some of the characters where. But what made this book was how in some tales it was hard to see who was the beast and who was beauty.

Fairytale retellings in quick snippets!
Cleverly retold fairytale shorts. I think my favorites are the Cinderella and the Hansel and Gretel retellings because they both have wonderful twists in the storyline. 4 stars!

I read this book to review it for my library's youth section. I felt as though this book was better suited for a little older audience than the ages that I purchase for.

This book was exactly what I expected it to be, and for that it earns 5 stars. I’m a ho for fairy tale retellings, especially when they get dark, creepy, maybe not-so-happily-ever-after endings. I appreciated that the cast of characters was intentionally diverse in ways that felt very thoughtful. I also appreciated the feminist leaning of the updates and the introduction of queer storylines. My one big gripe is that I think this book may struggle to find its audience. It feels a little young for a YA book, but a little old for a MG (which it is being marketed as). Adult readers will love it, but it may lack appeal to younger folks.

I found these stories really varied in quality, some were pretty strong but others were not very interesting at all.

This reimagining of familiar fairy tales was such an interesting and refreshing take on these stories that almost everyone has some knowledge of. Beasts and Beauty did such a great job of updating and reinventing common fairy tales, adding new viewpoints or different resolutions to each of the stories contained inside. I found these new twists and perspectives allowed for the read to be exciting and engaging, while also not entirely losing the core idea of the original story. I also enjoyed the darker tone that these retelling had, much like their original versions rather than the Disney or other retellings that we all know. Overall a very solid read.

This was a collection of twelve retellings of classic the fairy tales that we all know and love. Most of them were great retellings that I really enjoyed. There were only two out of the twelve that I didn't 100% love but even those were still enjoyable. Overall, a great collection of retellings that I would highly recommend if you enjoy reading fairy tales.

This was an interesting retelling of twelve different fairy tales. The protagonists in each of the stories definitely were smarter than in the originals, and tried to save themselves instead of waiting for a prince. However, there was quite a bit of violence and some inappropriate content for younger readers. This book did not meet the high expectations I had for it.

Ages 12+

After writing The School for Good and Evil series, Soman Chainani turned to write a collection of fairy tale retellings. Beasts and Beauty is a collection of twelve classic fairy tales--creatively retold with a fresh new twist.

Anyone who admires fairy tales as much as I do will get lost in this book. Original, twisted, dark, magical—I found most of the tales fascinating, and I’d go so far as to say that Beasts and Beauty is at the top of my favorite retelling books this year. The endings of some of these stories have the power to make your jaw drop, while others offer more of a beginning--a prequel of a sort--originally left to the reader’s imagination. “Hansel and Gretel” had a twist I didn’t see coming. Not only that, a few of these sparked up conversations between everyone in the room who was listening. We needed time to mull over them for a while, and we all had our own opinions to share. This was a welcome change of pace, and the uniqueness of these tales exceeded my expectations. The gorgeous illustrations (mostly color) add the perfect touch too.

With that said, I’m still surprised this came out of the children’s section at my bookstore. This is a book I’d ‘cautiously’ recommend to children because there’s darker content including brutal killing, etc. Unless children are used to reading stories like that, these might be haunting, but then maybe they’ll love them like my older kids. A few tales also have vague sexual innuendos, but I’m confident that won’t sink in with younger readers. My 8-year-old was able to follow along, but she was lost in places with some of the complexities and the advanced vocabulary, so most of the tales weren’t as enjoyable for her. I had to sort of pick and choose which ones to read with her; however, they were perfect for my older middle-graders and my fairytale-loving self.

This is a happy purchase earning 4.5 stars from me.

4.5****

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for a review copy of this book.

3 stars - close to a 3.5. Please take this with a grain of salt, as I know that short story collections are often not for me unless the stories are more tied together. I enjoyed the twists on all of these classic fairy tales, but, as with most short story collections, I always feel a bit disconnected from the characters.

I enjoyed the creative takes on some of these. Some of my favorite stories were: Peter Pan, Hansel and Gretel, and The Little Mermaid (I love how that one basically just calls Ariel out!)

Please note that some of these stories get quite dark for a middle grade novel. Many origins of our favorite fairy tales are dark as it is, but there are some dark and implied elements some sensitive readers might find disturbing.

Overall, just because this wasn’t mind blowing for me doesn’t mean I didn’t enjoy it. There were several stories I’d gladly read as full novels. I’m interested in checking out more from this author.

I may go back to this sometime, but I just cannot get into these stories at this time. Thank you so much for granting my request.

𝑶𝒏𝒆 𝑺𝒆𝒏𝒕𝒆𝒏𝒄𝒆 𝑺𝒖𝒎𝒎𝒂𝒓𝒚:
All your favorite stories with a unique twist!

𝑻𝒉𝒐𝒖𝒈𝒉𝒕𝒔:
I enjoyed this for the most part!! Beast and Beauty were my favorite! I always love a good re telling off classic tales. If you’re looking for a good book for readers who love reimagined stories look no more

Thank you NetGalley for giving me the ⁣ chance to read this book :)

I am really enjoying these retelling of familiar fairy tales with very unfamiliar paths. Reframing the circumstances, seeing the characters from a different perspective. Well done. Will definitely recommend to middle school and up readers.

I'm a fan of retellings, especially when they take chances. And this one certainly pushes the envelope. The females in these stories aren't victims. They're powerful, ambitious. They instigate change and take control of their lives. They confront men. It's aggressive and forceful. It's going to make people uncomfortable but change typically does. Absolutely worth a read.

Well this is a tough one to rate. I enjoyed Red Riding Hood, Jack and the Beanstalk, and Hansel & Gretel.

Most of the fairy tales were unsettling and uncomfortable, with a persistent sense of sexual predation throughout.

Blue beard and Sleeping beauty were very disturbing, bordering on grotesque.

I wasn’t able to find a “moral” in any of these stories that would make them true fairytales.

Trigger warnings for implied rape, violence, emotional abuse, racial trauma, psychological distress, child abuse, and cannibalism among others.

Overall I feel the book was trying really hard to be edgy and dark, but the execution of it just wasn’t there.