Marrying a prince seems like the ending of a fairy tale, but for Marra’s sister’s it is only the beginning of a nightmare. So, Marra sets out on her own fairy tale quest to find whatever magic or powerful allies can kill a prince in T. Kingfisher’s Nettle & Bone, which came out last year. Having thoroughly enjoyed Kingfisher’s Poe-inspired horror tale What Moves the Dead, I was excited to see what this author would bring to more straightforward fantasy. Kingfisher certainly has a gift for creating fantasy worlds that seem comfortingly familiar and yet also strange and unique. Continue reading Review of Nettle & Bone—Fairy-Tale Fantasy
Tag: Goblin Market
Not Good For Maidens—A Goblin Market Retelling
Christina Rossetti’s “Goblin Market” has always been one of my favorite poems, so when I saw there was a new YA fantasy novel that takes this poem as its premise, I had to pick it up. Not Good for Maidens by Tori Bovalino, which came out last spring, tells the story of two generations of young women who face down the temptations of the infamous goblin market. Continue reading Not Good For Maidens—A Goblin Market Retelling
Back to School Reading List: Poetry Edition
It is now September, and I know for many of you that means it’s time to go back to school. It’s become a yearly tradition for me to put together a reading list of Gothic works you may encounter on your English syllabus. So far, I’ve done my initial Back to School Reading List of Gothic novels, a Short Story Edition, and a Drama Edition. Now it’s time to tackle poetry! Here are a few of the darker poems you may come across in class: Continue reading Back to School Reading List: Poetry Edition
The Sisters of the Winter Wood Review
“Come buy! Come buy!” While I don’t recommend that you hearken to the call of goblin men, I do highly encourage you to come and buy a copy of the debut YA fantasy novel The Sisters of the Winter Wood by Rena Rossner. Set in an Eastern European shtetl, Rossner’s story is a particularly clever retelling of one of my favorite poems, Christina Rossetti’s “Goblin Market,” that blends in Slavic folklore, Jewish traditions, and historical elements. I always love a good fairy tale retelling, but this is one of the most creative examples I’ve ever encountered that both truly honors the source material and also uses it to say something new. Continue reading The Sisters of the Winter Wood Review