OCTOBER 2021 - AudioFile
From the opening tale of a defiant Red Riding Hood to a final, bittersweet vision of a post-Neverland Wendy, this collection of reimagined fairy tales will hold listeners spellbound. While narrator Polly Lee's resonant British-accented voice may remind listeners of the customary storytelling style associated with European fairy tales, the stories herein are far from moralizing nursery fare. Indeed, the juxtaposition of Lee's classic delivery and author Chainani's sharp-edged retellings lends a transgressive thrill to the audiobook experience. Lee's carefully controlled emotions serve to highlight the formidable (sometimes fearsome) femininity displayed by characters of various genders, and her genteel tones make moments of violence seem more threatening in contrast. Overall, it's a triumphant example of using a traditional approach to accentuate deliciously nontraditional stories. R.A.H. © AudioFile 2021, Portland, Maine
From the Publisher
Haunting, funny, suspenseful, sweet. Fresh and modern with plenty of plot twists. . . All readers will have something with which to identify. Iredale’s illustrations are gorgeous, bloody, and magical.” — Horn Book (starred review)
“A brilliant, bloodthirsty fairy-tale collection. Twelve well-known tales are retold through a racially, ethnically, and sexually diverse lens for a modern audience.” — School Library Journal
"A volume that transports readers to a place where the lines between beastly natures and beautiful appearances can be difficult to discern. Expertly crafted . . . Chainani’s writing is raw in what it lays bare on the page, perfectly appropriate to revisiting these beloved, ubiquitous stories that may have left readers with naïve expectations or dissatisfied conclusions. For any lover of fairy tales who seeks alternative endings." — Kirkus Reviews
“Chainani takes 12 time-honored tales and overhauls their traditional tellings, adding an astonishing amount of depth and beauty in the process. Lush, transporting, and occasionally eerie, easily conjuring fantastical worlds. . . An intriguing and inclusive update for modern audiences.” — Booklist
“Terrifying, chilling, unexpected, and glorious. A must-read for any fairy tale devotee who wants to view classic stories through a new lens.” — Medium
Beasts and Beauty puts a fresh spin on everyone’s favorite fairytales. — Culturess
“Vigorous, chilling. Chainani is a terrific storyteller." — Wall Street Journal?
Culturess
Beasts and Beauty puts a fresh spin on everyone’s favorite fairytales.
Medium
Terrifying, chilling, unexpected, and glorious. A must-read for any fairy tale devotee who wants to view classic stories through a new lens.
Horn Book (starred review)
Haunting, funny, suspenseful, sweet. Fresh and modern with plenty of plot twists. . . All readers will have something with which to identify. Iredale’s illustrations are gorgeous, bloody, and magical.”
Wall Street Journal?
Vigorous, chilling. Chainani is a terrific storyteller."
Booklist
Chainani takes 12 time-honored tales and overhauls their traditional tellings, adding an astonishing amount of depth and beauty in the process. Lush, transporting, and occasionally eerie, easily conjuring fantastical worlds. . . An intriguing and inclusive update for modern audiences.
Booklist
Chainani takes 12 time-honored tales and overhauls their traditional tellings, adding an astonishing amount of depth and beauty in the process. Lush, transporting, and occasionally eerie, easily conjuring fantastical worlds. . . An intriguing and inclusive update for modern audiences.
School Library Journal
10/01/2021
Gr 6 Up—An exhausted prince beset by a vampiric thief he comes to love; a merchant's "dutiful" daughter who secretly longs for freedom; a mermaid who begs a sea witch to make her human; a sea witch once rejected by the merking himself—these are just a few of the characters, familiar and yet new, that readers will meet in Chainani's latest title. Here, 12 well-known European tales are retold through a racially, ethnically, and sexually diverse lens for a modern audience. Stories tackle such issues as consent, racism, abuse, and neglect, yet all harken back to a central theme: love. This is not the love readers have come to expect from fairy tales, however; Chainani's yarns question every aspect of the classic happily ever after. Still, older readers who enjoy a well-crafted reimagining—and don't mind an ambiguous, occasionally depressing ending—are sure to devour this collection. Most characters present as BIPOC, and some are LGBTQ. VERDICT A brilliant, bloodthirsty fairy-tale collection that would better suit an older audience. Share with fans of compelling myth and folklore anthologies like A Thousand Beginnings and Endings or Daniel M. Lavery's The Merry Spinster. Recommended for YA and adult collections.—Kaitlin Frick, Darien Lib., CT
OCTOBER 2021 - AudioFile
From the opening tale of a defiant Red Riding Hood to a final, bittersweet vision of a post-Neverland Wendy, this collection of reimagined fairy tales will hold listeners spellbound. While narrator Polly Lee's resonant British-accented voice may remind listeners of the customary storytelling style associated with European fairy tales, the stories herein are far from moralizing nursery fare. Indeed, the juxtaposition of Lee's classic delivery and author Chainani's sharp-edged retellings lends a transgressive thrill to the audiobook experience. Lee's carefully controlled emotions serve to highlight the formidable (sometimes fearsome) femininity displayed by characters of various genders, and her genteel tones make moments of violence seem more threatening in contrast. Overall, it's a triumphant example of using a traditional approach to accentuate deliciously nontraditional stories. R.A.H. © AudioFile 2021, Portland, Maine
Kirkus Reviews
2021-07-13
A volume that transports readers to a place where the lines between beastly natures and beautiful appearances can be difficult to discern.
Here are 12 familiar European fairy tales, folktales, and classic stories retold in ways that evoke elements of the traditional versions, populated by slightly different casts, and focusing on particular aspects of their usual forms. The tales include, among others, an ironically named Snow White with dark skin, persecuted for the form her beauty takes; South Asian siblings who hopefully follow a trail of rosewater and saffron sweets after being left in the forest by their father and stepmother; and a beautiful brown-skinned prince cursed to appear as a beast and the Chinese girl who moves into his castle to spare her father’s life (the two of them bond over books). The entries are expertly crafted with a deep understanding of the source material and are updated with feminist sensibilities, the addition of some queer relationships, and the inclusion of racial and ethnic diversity. Chainani’s writing is raw in what it lays bare on the page, perfectly appropriate to revisiting these beloved, ubiquitous stories that may have left readers with naïve expectations or dissatisfied conclusions. Chainani infuses his retellings with practicality while still evoking the wonder, terror, and magic of the fantasy realms. Final illustrations not seen.
For any lover of fairy tales who seeks alternative endings. (Fantasy. 11-adult)