2015, 196p, Fairy Tale/Fantasy
My Rating=3 Stars
Source: Received a copy via Prism Book Tours for an honest review
2015 Gelett Burgess Children's Book Award Winner
In the fairy tale realm of Arilland, stories are told at children's bedsides--and not the stories you think you know.
Tales of Arilland is a collection of fairy tales, presented in the magical topsy-turvy way that only Alethea Kontis can do. Discover the story of Bluebeard's first wife ("Blood From Stone"), what really happened to Snow White in those dark woods ("The Unicorn Hunter"), how dangerous the Little Mermaid might have been ("Blood and Water"), and just how far Little Red Riding Hood was willing to go ("Hero Worship"). Included in this collection is "Sunday," the original novelette that inspired the award-winning novel Enchanted, as well as "The Cursed Prince," the previously untold history of Prince Rumbold of Arilland…and more.
Woodcutter enthusiasts will rejoice at this opportunity to delve into the secret worlds beyond Kontis’s intricately woven fantasy novels. And if you are not a fan yet, you will be!
I'm glad I was warned before I started reading this that it was darker. A couple of the stories in the beginning were weird and well, dark. My least favorite story was "Blood and Water," which was about a siren who was raped and then started killing men. There were other dark ones and, even though I didn't like the subject matter, they're still well written. There were also stories about unicorns, wolves, mermaids and Jack Woodcutter.
I loved the stories that were told towards the end of the book! "Sunday" reminded me why I enjoyed "Enchanted" so much. "The Cursed Prince" was a story about Rumbold that hasn't been told before and gave more insight into his character. The final story is the original Chapter 20 of "Dearest" and the author includes a spoiler warning not to read it if you haven't yet read "Dearest." I loved those stories and wanted more! Because of the content in some of the early stories, I would only recommend this to more mature readers. If you enjoy fairy tales, Alethea Kontis is an author whose work you must read and "Enchanted" is a great place to start!
Alethea’s published works include: The Wonderland Alphabet (with Janet K. Lee), Diary of a Mad Scientist Garden Gnome (with Janet K. Lee), the AlphaOops series (with Bob Kolar), the Books of Arilland fairy tale series, and The Dark-Hunter Companion (with Sherrilyn Kenyon). Her short fiction, essays, and poetry have appeared in a myriad of anthologies and magazines.
Her YA fairy tale novel, Enchanted, won both the Gelett Burgess Children’s Book Award and Garden State Teen Book Award. Enchanted was nominated for the Audie Award in 2013 and was selected for World Book Night in 2014. Both Enchanted and its sequel, Hero, were nominated for the Andre Norton Award. Tales of Arilland, a short story collection set in the same fairy tale world, won a second Gelett Burgess Award in 2015.
Born in Burlington, Vermont, Alethea currently lives and writes on the Space Coast of Florida. She makes the best baklava you’ve ever tasted and sleeps with a teddy bear named Charlie.You can find Princess Alethea on her YouTube channel, all the social media, and at her website: www.aletheakontis.com.
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