This Tale is Forbidden

by Polly Crosby

Control the story, control the world...

Nesta believes in the fairy tales - the true stories of powerful magical women who shaped and ruled the world decades ago. But the world has changed since then, and now, she is forbidden from wandering too far from the isolated woodland cottage where she lives with her grandmother.

Nesta longs more than anything to see the city that lies beyond the forest, and when her grandmother is abducted, she gets her chance, journeying there in the hope of rescuing her.

But once there, she is horrified to see her grandmother's warnings were true: girls are forced to wear certain clothes and punished if they don't behave in certain ways. The city’s Authorities have rewritten history, replacing the fairytale heroines with weak girls who must rely on men. Worse still - everyone believes this is how the world has always been.

Only Nesta knows the truth. But truth is a dangerous thing, and suddenly she finds herself a target. Can she evade the Authorities long enough to rescue her grandmother and liberate everyone else, bringing magic back into the world?

Genres: Fantasy, Dystopia, Young Adult, Mystery

320 pages, Paperback

Published January 4, 2024

About the author

Polly Crosby grew up on the Suffolk coast, and now lives with her husband and son in the heart of Norfolk.

In 2018, Polly won Curtis Brown Creative’s Yesterday Scholarship, enabling her to write her debut novel, The Illustrated Child. Later the same year, she was awarded runner-up in the Bridport Prize’s Peggy Chapman Andrews Award for a First Novel, and she received the Annabel Abbs Creative Writing Scholarship for the prestigious MA at the University of East Anglia.

Polly's first book for Young Adults, This Tale is Forbidden, came out in January. Her next historical mystery, The House of Fever, is out in August.

Reviews

[Bookphenomena (Micky) · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.5 stars

Headlines:
Dystopian YA
Feminist
Fairytales and their origins

This Tale is Forbidden was a really unsual tale, pretty unique in conception but with a familiarity that originated in fairytales and misogyny. The protagonist Nesta, was a rather naive 16 year old who had been protected and secluded from others her whole life. What ensued was a story of the real world hitting Nesta all at once.

The side characters of this story in her Grandma, Kit and Oswald were all likeable and endearing. Nesta had few people caring about her in this world but plenty of people wishing her harm. The misogynistic society was super interesting, with relatable traits of time gone by, with a slice of contemporary feminist issues. Those elements made for avid reading. The story visited some recognisable fairytales but gave a new perspective.

Nesta behaved as you might expect a headstrong 16-year old to behave under stress, so there were some questionable decisions along the way with lots of risk-taking. I like the idea that young adult readers of a similar age will feel incensed by the misogyny they see in this story and relate to Nesta.

Overall, this was an interesting story and one that felt wholly unique.

Thank you Scholastic UK for the review copy.

Find this review at A Take From Two Cities Blog.

[Kayleigh (BookwormEscapes) · Rating 5 out of 5]

4.5* - AD/PR - Welcome to This Tale Is Forbidden, where you’ll never look at fairytales the same way again! This is a brilliant feminist dystopian fantasy where the Authorities control and oppress women via fairytale stories they’ve twisted and made law (the princesses actually rescued themselves and/or the prince in the REAL ones, because of course they did ✌🏻🔥). Like do we really believe these fairytale heroines were just sitting around like damsels in distress waiting for a chiselled jaw and cut glass cheeks to come rescue them and live happily ever after? NOOOOOO, it makes no sense! Honestly, if Margaret Atwood or Laura Bates wrote Grimm’s Fairytales this would be it! I loved it!

In this world women are powerful and to no one’s surprise, the men can’t handle it so they use their twisted fairytales to control them and prevent them realising their powers. Until Nesta comes along and blows the whole conspiracy wide open! This Tale Is Forbidden is fun, terrifying, gripping, FIERCE, creative and super dark at times. It had me shaking with anger over the treatment of women and holding my breath at the suspense! The danger feels so real and the atmosphere in this city feels so stifling and oppressive! I thought the whole story was wildly inventive and very clever. My only complaint is that I believe this is a standalone and that’s criminal. There is SO MUCH packed into the pages, such brilliant and original world building and all these fantastically imagined characters that it seems a shame to end here. There could have been a whole trilogy made out of this book’s plot alone! Also, the WOLVES 🐺🥹.

[Sophie · Rating 5 out of 5]

Devoured in a day😏 an easy read with a great plot, it was nice to get a break from heartache 😭

[Jo Torr · Rating 3 out of 5]

‘The Handmaid’s Tale’ meets fairy tales. A really interesting premise and I particularly liked Nesta, the main character. Everything seemed to happen very quickly though, especially towards the end, it just felt very rushed. A good YA read though.

[Williams Angelique · Rating 3 out of 5]

3,5 stars

[Anni (annithebookaholic) · Rating 4 out of 5]

3,75☆

This book was an interesting reading experience.

The beginning of the book was weirdly paced, and I feel like everything happened way too fast. I also couldn't connect with the characters at all. But then, at the halway point, this got so good! I really loved everything that happened, and the characters grew on me.

The world was really interesting, and some of the rules the women faced in the patriarchal city were so absurd and disgusting. It was also shocking to see how deeply the men believed in the propaganda and didn't see anything wrong with how they oppressed women.

I haven't seen it mentioned anywhere, but this definitely feels like a first book in a series, and I would love to read more from the world. The twists and turns at the end were so good, and I didn't see them coming at all. The ending was good, but it left so many questions open that a sequel would be perfect!

So, while I loved the second half of this, my issues with the first half definitely affected my rating. I would still recommend this a lot if you love fairytales or feminist dystopian books!

[Rachel · Rating 5 out of 5]

I really really enjoyed this book. The concept was relatively unique, the characters were likeable, and the worldbuilding really drew me in.

Nesta as a character is pretty much what teen!Rachel would have wanted in a story - she's headstrong and a little reckless and to start with, very naïve, but her growth through the story is what really endeared her to me. She doesn't just break down and weep when things go wrong no matter how much she might want to, and even when she's scared or in danger, she faces the problem anyway and does her best to get on with it. I think my only issue is that the mastery of her powers came a little quicker than I liked, but then at the end when her grandmother explains her heritage, it suddenly becomes clear why she was so good at it after so little time.

Kit was an interesting character too - he was definitely a product of the setting, despite the little tries to be better, but he stuck by Nesta when needed, and he was bold enough to step in when she was in trouble. It was obvious that as he learned more about Nesta and the truth of the world, he was doing his best to change, which is refreshing in a YA love interest.

I wouldn't exactly call their relationship a slow burn - yes, it took almost the entire book to get just one kiss, but also they had known each other for around 3 or 4 days before the kiss, so it wasn't exactly months of realising their feelings before anything happened. I think I let this go a little bit since it is a YA novel, and I remember how quickly you develop feelings as a teenager, plus all the danger and revolution would definitely cause you to speed up things, but it didn't feel rushed. It felt like a very natural romance, which is again refreshing in a YA book.

The lore and worldbuilding was definitely what drew me into this book. The premise of 'true' fairytales, of them being stories about strong and brave and smart women just trying to make the world better, yet the patriarchy twisting them to their own ends, was a fascinating concept. The Authories, and the City in general, did hit rather close to home considering the amount of sexism and oppression women today face, and the way it was so naturally woven into the worldbuilding made it seem even more insidious, but the feeling of realism and connection to the real world did help keep me immersed in the story.

Overall a great read, although I was hoping for slightly more from the ending, but it's clearly been left open for a sequel, which I would absolutely read. 4.5 stars rounded up to 5.

[Amy Moors · Rating 3 out of 5]

Like a 3.75?

[Hayley (Shelflyfe) · Rating 4 out of 5]

I don't know how I managed to go so long before reading 𝐓𝐇𝐈𝐒 𝐓𝐀𝐋𝐄 𝐈𝐒 𝐅𝐎𝐑𝐁𝐈𝐃𝐃𝐄𝐍 by Polly Crosby... well, I do, it's because my TBR is ridiculous! 🐺❤️
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𝐍𝐞𝐬𝐭𝐚 𝐰𝐚𝐬 𝐩𝐫𝐚𝐜𝐭𝐢𝐬𝐞𝐝 𝐚𝐭 𝐭𝐫𝐚𝐜𝐤𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐚𝐧𝐢𝐦𝐚𝐥𝐬 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐛𝐢𝐫𝐝𝐬 ... 𝐬𝐡𝐞 𝐜𝐨𝐮𝐥𝐝 𝐦𝐚𝐤𝐞 𝐡𝐞𝐫𝐬𝐞𝐥𝐟 𝐬𝐦𝐚𝐥𝐥 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐬𝐭𝐢𝐥𝐥. 𝐒𝐨 𝐬𝐭𝐢𝐥𝐥 𝐭𝐡𝐚𝐭 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐰𝐨𝐨𝐝𝐥𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐜𝐫𝐞𝐚𝐭𝐮𝐫𝐞𝐬 𝐚𝐬𝐬𝐮𝐦𝐞𝐝 𝐬𝐡𝐞 𝐰𝐚𝐬 𝐣𝐮𝐬𝐭 𝐚 𝐩𝐚𝐫𝐭 𝐨𝐟 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐟𝐨𝐫𝐞𝐬𝐭. 𝐖𝐡𝐢𝐜𝐡, 𝐬𝐡𝐞 𝐬𝐮𝐩𝐩𝐨𝐬𝐞𝐝, 𝐬𝐡𝐞 𝐰𝐚𝐬.
𝐁𝐮𝐭 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐰𝐨𝐥𝐯𝐞𝐬 𝐰𝐞𝐫𝐞 𝐝𝐢𝐟𝐟𝐞𝐫𝐞𝐧𝐭. 𝐓𝐡𝐞𝐲 𝐰𝐞𝐫𝐞 𝐬𝐥𝐲 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐬𝐞𝐜𝐫𝐞𝐭𝐢𝐯𝐞, 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐟𝐚𝐫 𝐭𝐨𝐨 𝐜𝐥𝐞𝐯𝐞𝐫 𝐭𝐨 𝐛𝐞 𝐭𝐫𝐢𝐜𝐤𝐞𝐝. 𝐓𝐡𝐞𝐲 𝐧𝐞𝐯𝐞𝐫 𝐜𝐚𝐦𝐞 𝐜𝐥𝐨𝐬𝐞, 𝐡𝐨𝐰𝐞𝐯𝐞𝐫 𝐪𝐮𝐢𝐞𝐭 𝐬𝐡𝐞 𝐦𝐚𝐝𝐞 𝐡𝐞𝐫𝐬𝐞𝐥𝐟, 𝐡𝐨𝐰𝐞𝐯𝐞𝐫 𝐰𝐨𝐥𝐟𝐢𝐬𝐡 𝐍𝐞𝐬𝐭𝐚 𝐭𝐫𝐢𝐞𝐝 𝐭𝐨 𝐛𝐞.
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This Tale is Forbidden felt more YA than Crosby's other books, and while YA isn't typically my favourite genre (just as a personal preference) there was still SO much to like about it.
The story felt like a blend of The Handmaid's Tale, Harry Potter, and Women Who Run With Wolves, and I always LOVE retellings of, or spins on, the well-known fairytales.
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𝐖𝐡𝐞𝐧 𝐍𝐞𝐬𝐭𝐚 𝐰𝐚𝐬 𝐲𝐨𝐮𝐧𝐠𝐞𝐫, 𝐬𝐡𝐞'𝐝 𝐭𝐫𝐢𝐞𝐝 𝐭𝐨 𝐟𝐢𝐥𝐥 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐰𝐢𝐧𝐝𝐨𝐰𝐬𝐢𝐥𝐥𝐬 𝐰𝐢𝐭𝐡 𝐛𝐢𝐭𝐬 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐛𝐨𝐛𝐬 𝐬𝐡𝐞 𝐡𝐚𝐝 𝐟𝐨𝐮𝐧𝐝 𝐢𝐧 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐟𝐨𝐫𝐞𝐬𝐭: 𝐚𝐜𝐨𝐫𝐧 𝐜𝐮𝐩𝐬 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐭𝐨𝐚𝐝𝐬𝐭𝐨𝐨𝐥𝐬, 𝐟𝐞𝐚𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐫𝐬 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐟𝐨𝐬𝐬𝐢𝐥𝐬. 𝐁𝐮𝐭 𝐰𝐡𝐞𝐧𝐞𝐯𝐞𝐫 𝐬𝐡𝐞 𝐭𝐨𝐨𝐤 𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐬𝐞 𝐟𝐢𝐧𝐝𝐬 𝐛𝐚𝐜𝐤 𝐭𝐨 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐜𝐨𝐭𝐭𝐚𝐠𝐞, 𝐛𝐞 𝐢𝐭 𝐚 𝐩𝐢𝐧𝐞 𝐜𝐨𝐧𝐞 𝐨𝐫 𝐚 𝐝𝐫𝐢𝐞𝐝 𝐨𝐥𝐝 𝐨𝐚𝐤 𝐥𝐞𝐚𝐟, 𝐆𝐫𝐚𝐧𝐝𝐦𝐚 𝐡𝐚𝐝 𝐚𝐥𝐰𝐚𝐲𝐬 𝐦𝐚𝐝𝐞 𝐬𝐮𝐫𝐞 𝐭𝐨 𝐞𝐱𝐚𝐦𝐢𝐧𝐞 𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐦, 𝐫𝐮𝐧𝐧𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐡𝐞𝐫 𝐡𝐚𝐧𝐝𝐬 𝐨𝐯𝐞𝐫 𝐞𝐚𝐜𝐡 𝐨𝐧𝐞, 𝐥𝐨𝐨𝐤𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐟𝐨𝐫 𝐰𝐡𝐚𝐭, 𝐍𝐞𝐬𝐭𝐚 𝐝𝐢𝐝𝐧'𝐭 𝐤𝐧𝐨𝐰.
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At the opening of the book, Nesta has had very limited experience of life. She has spent her whole childhood living in a small cottage in the woods with her Grandma (Margerethe). I think a lot of us imagine running away from our responsibilities and living a quiet, calm life in the woods, but in reality, this would not be an easy existence.
Nesta and her Grandma are strong, independent, and brave women. Living amongst nature through all seasons is no mean feat.
Crosby has a fantastic talent for creating immersive scenes in her book, and I did feel sucked in and transported into the woods with Nesta, smelling the mossy smells, hearing the bird sounds, and feeling the damp air on my skin.
It's not long before this quiet life is forcefully interrupted though, and while Nesta may have felt she wanted to learn more about the outside world, she didn't mean that she wanted to be thrust into all sorts of scary and unexpected situations.
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"𝐖𝐡𝐞𝐧𝐞𝐯𝐞𝐫 𝐬𝐨𝐦𝐞𝐛𝐨𝐝𝐲 𝐭𝐨𝐮𝐜𝐡𝐞𝐬 𝐚𝐧 𝐨𝐛𝐣𝐞𝐜𝐭 𝐢𝐧 𝐚 𝐦𝐞𝐚𝐧𝐢𝐧𝐠𝐟𝐮𝐥 𝐰𝐚𝐲, 𝐢𝐭 𝐥𝐞𝐚𝐯𝐞𝐬 𝐚 𝐭𝐫𝐚𝐜𝐞, 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐬𝐨𝐦𝐞 𝐨𝐟 𝐮𝐬 𝐜𝐚𝐧 𝐡𝐞𝐚𝐫 𝐭𝐡𝐚𝐭 𝐭𝐫𝐚𝐜𝐞, 𝐣𝐮𝐬𝐭 𝐥𝐢𝐤𝐞 𝐲𝐨𝐮'𝐯𝐞 𝐝𝐨𝐧𝐞 𝐰𝐢𝐭𝐡 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐜𝐨𝐢𝐧. 𝐎𝐛𝐣𝐞𝐜𝐭𝐬 𝐥𝐨𝐧𝐠 𝐭𝐨 𝐭𝐞𝐥𝐥 𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐢𝐫 𝐬𝐭𝐨𝐫𝐢𝐞𝐬. 𝐓𝐡𝐞𝐲 𝐜𝐚𝐥𝐥 𝐭𝐨 𝐭𝐡𝐨𝐬𝐞 𝐨𝐟 𝐮𝐬 𝐰𝐡𝐨 𝐜𝐚𝐧 𝐡𝐞𝐚𝐫."
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I loved the element of the story that focussed on objects having their own life, and how they can retain energy imbued by others. I think about this often with historical artefects, things that are passed down through families, and even things that you find in thrift stores.
I also loved the retellings of the different fairytales, which centred women as the main character and which challenged the norms of gender roles, especially when compared to the society within the city.
And I am now on the hunt for some tarot cards that look like Nesta's, because they sound absolutely stunning!
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𝐓𝐡𝐞𝐬𝐞 𝐰𝐨𝐦𝐞𝐧, 𝐍𝐞𝐬𝐭𝐚 𝐤𝐧𝐞𝐰, 𝐡𝐚𝐝 𝐥𝐢𝐯𝐞𝐝 𝐥𝐨𝐧𝐠 𝐚𝐠𝐨, 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐢𝐫 𝐥𝐢𝐯𝐞𝐬 𝐡𝐚𝐝 𝐛𝐞𝐞𝐧 𝐬𝐨 𝐢𝐦𝐩𝐨𝐫𝐭𝐚𝐧𝐭 𝐭𝐡𝐚𝐭 𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐲 𝐡𝐚𝐝 𝐛𝐞𝐜𝐨𝐦𝐞 𝐥𝐞𝐠𝐞𝐧𝐝. 𝐓𝐡𝐞𝐲 𝐡𝐚𝐝 𝐛𝐞𝐞𝐧 𝐟𝐢𝐞𝐫𝐜𝐞 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐟𝐨𝐫𝐦𝐢𝐝𝐚𝐛𝐥𝐞, 𝐚𝐥𝐰𝐚𝐲𝐬 𝐟𝐢𝐠𝐡𝐭𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐟𝐨𝐫 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐫𝐢𝐠𝐡𝐭𝐬 𝐨𝐟 𝐭𝐡𝐨𝐬𝐞 𝐰𝐡𝐨𝐬𝐞 𝐯𝐨𝐢𝐜𝐞𝐬 𝐜𝐨𝐮𝐥𝐝 𝐧𝐨𝐭 𝐛𝐞 𝐡𝐞𝐚𝐫𝐝.
"𝐓𝐡𝐞 𝐟𝐚𝐢𝐫𝐲𝐭𝐚𝐥𝐞𝐬 𝐚𝐫𝐞 𝐨𝐮𝐫 𝐡𝐢𝐬𝐭𝐨𝐫𝐲," 𝐆𝐫𝐚𝐧𝐝𝐦𝐚 𝐡𝐚𝐝 𝐭𝐨𝐥𝐝 𝐡𝐞𝐫 𝐨𝐧𝐜𝐞. "𝐀𝐧𝐝 𝐰𝐞 𝐦𝐮𝐬𝐭 𝐧𝐞𝐯𝐞𝐫 𝐟𝐨𝐫𝐠𝐞𝐭 𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐦."
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There were times when Nesta frustrated me a bit, and I do find that characters in YA books are often a bit dramatic. But I also liked how the family dynamics were directly addressed.
If her Grandma had been more honest with her, Nesta would have been able to negotiate her trials and tribulations better. But her Grandma did the best she could, and acknowledged that her actions weren't always right. This is a good message for the target audience of This Tale is Forbidden, because we do often find that our parents and caregivers aren't perfect, but noone is.
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"𝐈𝐭 𝐰𝐚𝐬 𝐧𝐞𝐯𝐞𝐫 𝐠𝐨𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐭𝐨 𝐛𝐞 𝐞𝐚𝐬𝐲, 𝐝𝐨𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐰𝐡𝐚𝐭 𝐰𝐞'𝐫𝐞 𝐝𝐨𝐢𝐧𝐠. 𝐁𝐮𝐭 𝐲𝐨𝐮'𝐯𝐞 𝐦𝐚𝐝𝐞 𝐚 𝐝𝐢𝐟𝐟𝐞𝐫𝐞𝐧𝐜𝐞. 𝐓𝐡𝐞 𝐩𝐞𝐨𝐩𝐥𝐞 𝐢𝐧 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐜𝐢𝐭𝐲 𝐰𝐢𝐥𝐥 𝐧𝐨𝐭 𝐟𝐨𝐫𝐠𝐞𝐭 𝐲𝐨𝐮𝐫 𝐦𝐞𝐬𝐬𝐚𝐠𝐞. 𝐀𝐧𝐝 𝐲𝐨𝐮 𝐦𝐮𝐬𝐭𝐧'𝐭 𝐟𝐨𝐫𝐠𝐞𝐭 𝐭𝐡𝐚𝐭 𝐟𝐫𝐨𝐦 𝐭𝐢𝐧𝐲 𝐚𝐜𝐨𝐫𝐧𝐬, 𝐠𝐫𝐞𝐚𝐭 𝐨𝐚𝐤 𝐭𝐫𝐞𝐞𝐬 𝐠𝐫𝐨𝐰. 𝐘𝐨𝐮'𝐯𝐞 𝐩𝐥𝐚𝐧𝐭𝐞𝐝 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐬𝐞𝐞𝐝, 𝐦𝐲 𝐥𝐨𝐯𝐞. 𝐍𝐨𝐰, 𝐚𝐥𝐥 𝐢𝐭 𝐧𝐞𝐞𝐝𝐬 𝐢𝐬 𝐭𝐨 𝐛𝐞 𝐧𝐮𝐫𝐭𝐮𝐫𝐞𝐝."
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I enjoyed the literal and allegorical representation of the wolves throughout the story as well. The wolves help Nesta and guide her as she travails the city and dodges danger, and despite being hidden for most of the story, they are always there.
This felt like a parralel to the society itself. While, for the most part, the people are subdued and subject to a dictatorship society, there is a thread of rebellion regardless of what the authorities do. They cannot truly quash anyone's freedom, and when the women were free with their hair loose and their own clothes near the end of the story it emphasised that the nature if the wolf was always in these women, even if some of them carefully hid it away.
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"𝐒𝐡𝐞 𝐢𝐬 𝐝𝐞𝐬𝐜𝐞𝐧𝐝𝐞𝐝 𝐟𝐫𝐨𝐦 𝐒𝐧𝐨𝐰 𝐖𝐡𝐢𝐭𝐞. 𝐒𝐧𝐨𝐰 𝐰𝐚𝐬 𝐚 𝐦𝐚𝐬𝐭𝐞𝐫 𝐩𝐨𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧 𝐦𝐚𝐤𝐞𝐫, 𝐚 𝐡𝐞𝐫𝐛𝐚𝐥𝐢𝐬𝐭 𝐰𝐡𝐨 𝐡𝐞𝐥𝐩𝐞𝐝 𝐩𝐞𝐨𝐩𝐥𝐞 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐜𝐫𝐞𝐚𝐭𝐮𝐫𝐞𝐬 𝐚𝐥𝐢𝐤𝐞 𝐰𝐡𝐨 𝐟𝐞𝐥𝐥 𝐬𝐢𝐜𝐤."
𝐍𝐞𝐬𝐭𝐚 𝐭𝐮𝐫𝐧𝐞𝐝 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐩𝐚𝐠𝐞𝐬, 𝐬𝐞𝐞𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐨𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐫 𝐝𝐫𝐚𝐰𝐢𝐧𝐠𝐬 𝐨𝐟 𝐠𝐢𝐫𝐥𝐬 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐰𝐨𝐦𝐞𝐧. 𝐍𝐨𝐭 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐧𝐞𝐚𝐭, 𝐩𝐫𝐞𝐭𝐭𝐢𝐥𝐲 𝐝𝐫𝐞𝐬𝐬𝐞𝐝 𝐨𝐧𝐞𝐬 𝐭𝐡𝐚𝐭 𝐬𝐡𝐞 𝐡𝐚𝐝 𝐠𝐫𝐨𝐰𝐧 𝐮𝐬𝐞𝐝 𝐭𝐨 𝐬𝐞𝐞𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐨𝐮𝐭 𝐨𝐧 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐬𝐭𝐫𝐞𝐞𝐭𝐬 𝐨𝐟 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐜𝐢𝐭𝐲, 𝐛𝐮𝐭 𝐰𝐨𝐦𝐞𝐧 𝐝𝐫𝐞𝐬𝐬𝐞𝐝 𝐣𝐮𝐬𝐭 𝐚𝐬 𝐬𝐡𝐞 𝐰𝐚𝐬
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Overall I enjoyed This Tale is Forbidden, and if you like fairytale retellings, dystopian stories simular to The Handmaid's Tale and the YA genre this will be perfect for you!
I have just gotten myself a copy of Crosby's latest Book (The House of Fever) too so I will be reading and reviewing that soon.

[Elizabeth Knowles · Rating 4 out of 5]

If you love the TV Series 'Once Upon A Time', then I highly recommend this book. If you love to read books about powerful women in a male dominated environment/society, then you will also love this book.
I loved this book haha.

[Lisa Munoz · Rating 3 out of 5]

The premise and beginning part of this book really intrigued me, and as the plot thickened, I got really invested.

As it got to its middle and continued to the end, I became more and more disappointed with what I was reading.

For one thing: the antagonists are extremely flat. I personally want to see a villain that is compelling, interesting, and whom you should fear. We are constantly told that Bellwether and his government is a tyrannical force that should not be tried with. Yet protagonist Nesta faces very little danger when she stumbles into this alien realm called The City, and continuously defies the rules. There should have been more awful consequences for her that would have kept me rooting for her even more.

The themes of female empowerment start strong, but then desolve into activist melodrama that doesn't seem to have any true complexity. The city is a place where strict dress codes and behaviour for women is strongly imposed in various humiliating and restritive ways, much like what is going on in Afghanistan, and what Atwood's The Handmaid's Tale explored. And yet, we never really get into the nitty gritty of what it's really like for people who live in this situation, only a few glimpses here and there.

Then there is a "non binary" character who shows up out of the blue, as though to show to the reader
how inclusive this book is. But then this character has absolutely no impact on the plot whatsoever. Because of the restrictive ruling of women's attire, it's apparently empowering not to identify as a girl. When in actual fact, it's the opposite. A woman is still a woman even if she dresses like a boy. Society tells us femininity is something to be ashamed of, when it absolutely is not.

Which brings me to the fairytale ret-conning in this book. Every single female fairy tale character, Cinderella, Red Riding Hood and Snow White, were originally all empowered activist girl bosses who took charge and became leaders all on their own, and the bad City Authorities convinced everyone these characters are weak. But it's not like the original Grimm fairytales always portrayed them as such. Cinderella, for instance, kept her lovely spirit despite being horribly and repeatedly abused by her step mother and sisters. She could have been bitter and nasty, but she remained kind. THAT is also strength.

The friendship between Nesta and Kit lovely to see unfold, but that's where it should have stayed: a friendship. I could absolutely see that it was going to turn into a romantic relationship towards the end, but I was not convinced when it did. I didn't have the feels and sweetness that I should have felt while reading the part where they kiss.

Also, the book just ends abruptly, with no concrete resolution. I enjoyed the idea of a certain type of hereditary magic explored through the use of objects. And I would have liked to have seen this magic explored into a crescendo at the end, but it didn't. I'm not sure there will be sequel to explore more of this world. But this ending really left me cold.

[Charlynnn · Rating 3 out of 5]

I wish Goodreads had a half-rating system. This is a solid 3.5 stars for me.

What got me to pick up this book is that those Disney fairytale stories we know? Those are fake and re-written from a male gaze to represent women as helpless damsels in need of a strong male presence. The real fairytales speak of women who overturn oppressive monarchs, stand up for themselves, and exposing corrupt men to the likes of Snow White (and her 7 maidens, not dwarfs mind you), Cinderella etc.

This tale is outright imaginative for its premise that magic was forbidden and only one 'fairytale' story can be read. Only 1 book is allowed per family. A dystopian tale intermixed with fairytales.

Nesta has been living in the woods her whole life with her grandmother and she longed to be 'normal' or to visit the city which her grandmother strictly forbades her to do. One day, the city guards captured her grandmother and Nesta, against her beliefs and upbringing, decided to go to the city to rescue her grandmother. But wait, she only KNEW her grandmother was captured because she had a vision of the events when she touched a silver coin. This is a tiny foreshadowing as to what powers Nesta possess.

Nesta's trip to the city was guided by wolves and upon arrival, she was shocked to see that women had a dress and hair code and must be accompanied all times by male family members. The oppression of women is overwhelming.

Without giving much away, the overarching theme of this book is feminism. It got abit too much towards the end and we only got a wee bit of look into what the 'real fairytale' stories are. I would love to read a spin-off of Crosby's reimagining of what the real fairytale stories are!

[Anna Berzani · Rating 2 out of 5]

The premise was good but the execution was poor and disappointing. This book didn’t know its target audience, and was trying too hard to appeal to the masses, rather than deciding what it was and sticking with it. Is it a romance? Is it a feminist’s dream? Is it a “chosen one” story about magic powers? Is it about fairy tales or government propaganda? Instead of trying to be so many things at once and leaving them all underdeveloped, maybe stick with one and do it properly. Some parts were really good and made you want to read more, but others dragged for no reason. The ending was unnecessarily long, nothing has been resolved by the last page, and the main character was not likable. She was only interested in her own motivations and barely took advice from others, which was honestly extremely frustrating because she thinks she knows best but none of her decisions would realistically work out so well for her if she wasn’t the Main Character. Overall could have used more work, but that’s not to say the idea itself wasn’t promising.

[Aisley Keating · Rating 4 out of 5]

The world building was incredible in this book. The character development was extremely well done. I loved the characters and the story was so interesting. The world was so unique and cool, and the magic was pretty awesome. I had a good experience reading this book.
Near the end, things started to move really fast and the conflict ended kind of suddenly and out of nowhere. The end of the book was kind of resolved, but not completely. There is a lot of room for a second book, so I’m wondering if there is a second or not.
Nesta is so cool, I love her rebelliousness and determination. Kit is sweet, and he was really well written. Oswald was an interesting character, I like him. Grandma was also interesting. She’s pretty cool though, even though she’s hardly there at all, since the whole point of the book is Nesta trying to find her. Nesta and Kit were adorable, both as friends and as more.

[Beth · Rating 1 out of 5]

I purchased this with high hopes and it fell into the void of the universe as it was rather poor. A brilliant concept that shone through in ebbs and flows through the later story, but the majority of the story felt more so like an extreme level of feminism being shoved down my throat, which these concepts have been better done in examples like 'The Handmaid's Tale'.

The later story elements of reworking the fairy tales that existed from Grimm and adapted by Disney were beautiful when shown, but these then were shown in snippets and not required for the story of Nesta. It would be nice to see Crosby show her interpretation of these fairy tales that she began to show as when it was there, it was artistic and brilliant.

Rather underwhelming, a good read for teen fic readers though for sure!

[Bluejay · Rating 5 out of 5]

A kindhearted feminist tale about the beginning of an uprising, the importance of writing down stories, and intersectionality.

The story highlights hope as the driving force behind change, and how without it we’d all succumb to what we know is unjust.

It showcases how easily people can be controlled when our stories are taken from us. Whole cultures and languages can be erased or changed irreparably by when our stories are reduced to word of mouth.

It also touches on non-binary identities and how they fit into the intersectionality of feminism, which was awesome.

Overall an amazing read with great characters, though I wish there were a sequel about them actually changing the city for the better, though even just seeing the start of that change was gripping for me.

[Joanne · Rating 2 out of 5]

The concept was brilliant, but the execution was a little lacklustre for me. I feel like I want to read a full adult version of this; it felt slightly "stifled" by the need for the "kids gloves" where I feel it would have leant itself quite well to a full Brothers Grimm retelling. I found some parts quite jarring because the language suddenly became "oversimplified" for my taste, and I had to remind myself I might be too old for this book!

[Marte · Rating 3 out of 5]

I was really debating what to give this book, but in the end it got a 3. The concept is pretty good, and i love a strong female lead, but Nesta was just really unlikeable. She was annoyingly stupid and rash, which just ruined her character for me. I felt the story to maybe be a bit more childish than my usual taste, so it just didn't click for me. Overall it was decent, but not something i would read again.

[Miko Huang · Rating 3 out of 5]

Probably a 3.5. I like the concept like many reviewers mentioned but as the story moves on, Nesta just became less likeable. She is way too stupid and rash like she doesnt take a moment to think, and it is quite typical how everyone forgives her and loves her to bits even though she was behaving stupidly. I also didnt like how it was just shoving feminism and woke-ism down my throat in the 2nd half of the book. Felt like the concept could have been executed better.

[Melissa Cobb · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really loved the concept for this book. It was an enjoyable read, but definitely not the best written - there were a few sentences that didn’t really flow well, certainly not how I would’ve written them. I also think there were certain themes that could have been explored more, but maybe that was left for the possibility of a sequel. Despite that, it was fun, enjoyable and I always love a dystopian world, so one based around fairytales was always going to be right up my street

[Book Jester · Rating 4 out of 5]

I bought this book for my daughter and she loved it so I thought I'd give it a go (even though I had told myself I would take a break from reading any YA books for a while). It turned out to be absolutely brilliant - the sort of book I wish I had written myself. I loved the clever way that classic fairy tales were retold and I adored Nesta as the main character. I don't often think this with books but I would really love to read a sequel to this one.

[Lucie Wallace · Rating 4 out of 5]

I loved this book so much! The cover of the book makes so much sense and is beautiful once youve finished the book. Every single chapter of this book was amazing and i normally get bored very quickly and i didnt. This book is so beautiful, its definitely one of my favourites. The ending confused me abit though .

[Holly Race · Rating 5 out of 5]

A gorgeously realised feminist twist on the fairytales we've all grown up with. This is the perfect book to get teens questioning the insidious nature of our patriarchal society, and the power that storytelling has to open minds and hearts. I devoured it.

[Brianne Enright · Rating 3 out of 5]

Beautiful tale that brings forth the power of story. All the action seemed to take place in the final few chapters. Hoping to see a follow up about Nesta’s mother and Kit’s father to tie the story together.

[Emily Blunden · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is an imaginative and well written story, taking a feminist approach to fairytales and creating an alternative fantasy world. Serious ideas are explored in it and it would be a good read for those who enjoy books containing fantasy and magic. Suitable for age 11+?

[Jay · Rating 4 out of 5]

Amazing! The last two chapters felt a bit unnecessary though. I think it should have ended on Chapter 32. But the resolution and answers do feel nice at the same time

[Sally B · Rating 5 out of 5]

Loved this story. So well told and now hoping for a part 2.

[♡ Sarah ♡ · Rating 2 out of 5]

2.5 ⭐

[Zoë · Rating 5 out of 5]

This better have a sequel !!

[Dailey · Rating 4 out of 5]

4.5 stars

This book kind of reminded me of the barbie movie and once upon a time. I'd love to read more about this story!