Once Upon a Beanstalk

by Kate Avery Ellison

In this humorous collection of fairy tale mashups combining modern day technology with fairy tale sensibilities, Rumpelstiltskin and Red Riding Hood are married and running a royal wedding planner venue, Rapunzel has been rescued from her tower and is about to start her happily ever after, and the Grimm Brothers are a group of notorious thieves who are forced to rescue a kidnapped princess in order to avoid execution.

This collection includes the short stories "Once Upon a Wedding," "Once Upon a Heist," and "Once Upon a Beanstalk."

Approximately 20,000 words in length.

Genres: Fantasy, Fairy Tales, Fairy Tale Retellings, Young Adult, Fiction, Short Stories, Retellings

67 pages, Kindle Edition

First published August 30, 2011

About the author

I've been making up stories since I was five years old, and now I'm thrilled to be able to do it as a full-time job. I have an obsession with dark fantasy, dystopian futures, and Pride and Prejudice-style love stories full of witty banter and sizzling, unspoken feelings. When I'm not writing, I'm creating digital art, reading funny blogs, or watching my favorite shows (which include TVD and BSG). I live with my geeky husband and our two bad cats in Atlanta, GA.

Click here to read the first chapter of THE CURSE GIRL!

Click here to read the first chapter of FROST!

Attention Book Bloggers ~ If you are interested in interviewing me or reviewing one of my books, send me a message. I'd love to hear from you! (Please note: I am currently not able to fulfill most requests for print copies at this time, but you can always ask. However, I am ALWAYS able and happy to provide e-copies or PDFs of my books in exchange for an honest review.)

If you're wondering why I categorize books as "breathless," "cake," or "amnesia," check out this blog post!

Reviews

[Karla · Rating 5 out of 5]

I sat down to read a little of this book and ended up reading the entire thing. It was a fast read and very enjoyable. I love the way the author changed stories that we already know in a unique way. I also love how everything came together in the end. Super cute.

[Ashley Stoyanoff · Rating 4 out of 5]

Once Upon a Beanstalk is a collection of three brilliantly written short stories. As always, Kate’s writing was beautiful. Every page was filled with easily imaginable scenes and wonderful descriptions.

These stories had me laughing from start to finish. Ellison took our beloved fairly tale characters and added a few new twists. I thoroughly enjoyed every page and absolutely loved Rumpelstiltskin’s wedding planning business.

My favorite tale was definitely “Once Upon a Beanstalk.” The Grimm Brothers were a treat. Ellison had me at the edge of my seat with some unexpected twists, and the ending had me grinning at the blossoming romances.

I would recommend this book to anyone looking for a quick and fun read that will have you giggling.

[Wendy Sparrow · Rating 5 out of 5]

This inter-connected series of short stories was very cute and well done, but my favorite part was all the little allusions to fairy tales that were woven into the background. It made me smile every time I caught one. She blends a bit of modern technology into the fairy tales without making them either contemporary or historical--they're in their own little world--like fairy tales themselves.

While the characters were mostly of adult age, and could be enjoyed by an adult audience, I think the other reviewer pegging them as YA might be right. The content is appropriate for any age, though.

[Odette Swan · Rating 5 out of 5]

If you haven’t read this book yet, than you don’t know what you are missing. This is a book you never knew you needed, and with it being a quick read you will finish it in a day. When I finished it, I wanted more stories about these characters that I came to know and love. Kate takes the reader into the fairy tale world you know, but gives you a twist on beloved characters that fit together like peanut butter and jelly!

[Maria Freeman · Rating 3 out of 5]

An entertaining set of short stories. I like remade fairytales and of the three short stories in this book the third one was by far my favorite. I read the book in about an hour, so it isn't long by any means, though it did make me want to look into her other books.

[Danyelle Leafty · Rating 4 out of 5]

Fun mashups. :)

[Ashley]

These were cute stories all based on fairy tale characters. There were three stories centered around the weddings of some famous characters with some happy crossovers.

[Patricia Lynne · Rating 5 out of 5]

Very cute short stories that deal with fair tail beings we know and love. Had nice twists and the stories had a small connection one way or another.

[Amy · Rating 4 out of 5]

Quick read, 3 short stories, light and entertaining

[Denae Christine · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was fun. I remember enjoying the stories well enough that I wished they were longer.

[Miss Banana · Rating 4 out of 5]

I LOVE mash ups of fairy tales and so on, so the three shorts featured in here were highly amusing. I only wished they were longer (and even a more serious bent).

[Jessica Grey · Rating 4 out of 5]

Fun spin on/mashups of some of my favorite fairy tales. Loved that the stories were tied together. I'm looking forward to reading more from Ms. Ellison.

[Katrina Alcantara · Rating 2 out of 5]

Wow! That was a fast read. This book brought me back to my childhood. Made me realize how old I am, because I can't even remember who Rumpelstiltskin is! haha

[Doreen · Rating 3 out of 5]

very enjoyable short stories. is penelope supposed to be princess and the pea?

[Kelli Lamkins · Rating 4 out of 5]

Cute

[Airwreckah · Rating 3 out of 5]

Overall enjoyable.

[Laura · Rating 4 out of 5]

A fun and clever twist on well known fairy tales. Very enjoyable.

[Jen Taylor · Rating 3 out of 5]

Fast three fairy tale based short stories. A fun read.

[Ottavia · Rating 1 out of 5]

I actually didn't enjoy it! :( not for me....hated!