Everything Under the Moon: Fairy tales in a queerer light

by Michael Earp (Editor)

Some damsels don't want to be rescued. Some curses don't need to be broken. And some of the best happy ever afters won't be found in storybooks.

Think you know fairy tales?

Think again.

These twelve fairy tales have been spun through a queered lens to reflect our world in stories as old as time. From the furthest reaches of space and the darkest depths of the forest to the street just around the corner, this anthology will excite, challenge and move you.

Featuring stories from some of the biggest names in young adult fiction, Everything Under The Moon is an illuminating celebration of queer love and identity.

Lushly illustrated by up-and-coming talent Kit Fox, this collection includes stories by Michael Earp, Alison Evans, Helena Fox, Amie Kaufman & Meagan Spooner, Will Kostakis, Jes Layton, Gary Lonesborough, Amber McBride, Abdi Nazemian, Maggie Tokuda-Hall, Alexandra Villasante and Lili Wilkinson.

Genres: Queer, Fantasy, Young Adult, LGBT, Anthologies, Short Stories, Fairy Tales

208 pages, Hardcover

First published October 10, 2023

About the author

Michael Earp is a non-binary writer and bookseller living in Naarm (Melbourne, Australia). They are the contributing editor of Kindred: 12 Queer #LoveOzYA Stories (2019) and contributor to Underdog: #LoveOzYA Short Stories (2019). The next anthology they are editing is coming from Affirm Press in October 2023 with another from Fremantle Press in June 2024. Their writing has also appeared in Archer, The Age, PopMatters, The Victorian Writer and Aurealis. For twenty years they have worked between bookselling and publishing as a children’s and young adult specialist. In 2021, they were awarded the Australian Booksellers Association Bookseller of the Year for their role managing The Little Bookroom, the world’s oldest children’s bookstore. A passionate advocate for LGBTQIA+ literature for young people, they established the #AusQueerYA Tumblr to catalogue all Australian young adult fiction containing queer content and characters. Representation of all people in the literature available to readers of all ages is the ethos that motivates their entire career. They have a Masters in Children’s Literature and a Bachelor of Education in Early Childhood Teaching and previously served as committee chair for the #LoveOzYA campaign. Tea is the source of all their power.

Repped by Linda Epstein at Emerald City Literary Agency.

Reviews

[kaitlyns_library · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was a unique set of stories based on fairytales. I do like the modern and queer twist to the books, but I wasn’t familiar with some of the original stories and it was hard for me to pick up on what fairytale was being recreated.

[Sabrina · Rating 4 out of 5]

Faves from this collection were:

The Cherry Blossom Queen / Maggie Tokuda-Hall
Let Down Your H.A.I.R. / Megan Spooner & Amie Kaufman
Alda, Aysel & The Edisto River / Amber McBride
Morsel / Helena Fox
The Keyhole / Michael Earp

[Honeypie · Rating 4 out of 5]

A mix of "oh, that's a really good story (fairy tale)" and a "this is what I don't like about these groups"...

I initially thought it was going to be like the classic fairy tales we all knew, and they will change some of the major characters to a "queer" one. It wasn't entirely like that. And I like how a lot of the stories were written. And the lessons and the hope that they give. Which, after all, was what a fairy tale was supposed to be.

1. If The Shoe Fits - a really good starting story. I like the lead princesses (couple) and the prince's characters, and their personalities.

2. The Instant I Died - this was really good, and it has some Australian culture vibes as well. I think it was "too serious" for a fairy tale, but really good.

3. Luz Azul - I don't really like it, but I also don't not like it. I feel like there was something missing, but also something more underneath the story.

4. The Cherry Blossom Queen - oh, this is another really good story. I love the love and the kindness and the hope that it brings.

5. Let Down Your H.A.I.R. - the sci-fi vibes had its potential and it was interesting, but I felt like it was a little lacking in the end.

6. Fairest Of All - oooh, mean boys vibes. I love it.

7. Alda, Aysel & The Edisto River - this one was written in poem style, which I think worked really well.

8. Seeing Colour - I wasn't sure if there was supposed to be a romantic theme in this story. If there was, I think it's pretty weird, or not my cup of tea. But if it's about the dynamics of a family, it was good.

9. The Wooden Boy - I was never a huge fan of the fairy tale, Pinocchio, but I think this was a good rendition of it.

10. Morsel - a little sad, and a little lacking in queer-ness.

11. The Keyhole - really cutesy, and quite romantic!

12. Moonfall - I didn't like it. It was so confusing with the pronouns of they/them. In relation to that, I recently saw of an interview where the host refused to use them/they to acknowledge the person being interviewed because she'd rather use correct grammar. Which I felt strongly about, because you can choose how to address yourself, pero may gahd, not at the expense of English grammar. The grammar police in me was triggered.

Anyway, I really enjoyed reading about all the stories, except the last one. I think they were all written well, a lot were heartwarming and heartbreaking, which is what I love in/when reading.

[Hollie · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really enjoyed reading these retellings and it was a nice change to see them in a queer light. My favourite one was Let Down Your H.A.I.R and I could honestly read that over and over. If it came in a full-length novel, I'd never be able to put it down. Seeing Colour, and Alda, Aysel & The Edisto River were a few other stories that I really enjoyed.

[judy lee-duvoisin · Rating 3 out of 5]

⭒ read for the 2025 asian readathon
➝ 3.5 stars

"why aren't i enough for people?"
"why aren't you enough for you?"

i have to say that this was one of the worst edited anthologies i've ever read. don't get me wrong, the formatting was cute enough and i loved the illustrations included, but it was clearly missing some basic proofreading as the sheer number of simple errors found throughout several of the stories ended up being a little astonishing. that said, i still enjoyed many of the stories included and appreciated the unique takes on some really classic fairytales. any that i rated lower were more due to my personal tastes than any faults found in the writing.

as an avid reader of YA anthologies, i always get so excited to pair them with the readathons i participate in as i'll use any excuse to prioritize them. the short story i specifically picked this book for was the cherry blossom queen by maggie tokuda-hall, and i found it to be quite beautifully written. it was deeply poignant, carried this grim sense of foreboding from the very first page and ended with a moment that managed to be both hope-filled and tragic at the same time. it wasn't my absolute favorite in this collection, but i still enjoyed it immensely and hated maggie a little for doing that to us lol.


ratings for each story below:

if the shoe fits - 4 stars
the instant i died - 3.5 stars
luz azul - 1 star
the cherry blossom queen - 3.5 stars
let down your h.a.i.r. - 4 stars
fairest of all - 5 stars
alda, aysel & the edisto river - 4 stars
seeing colour - 2 stars
the wooden boy - 2 stars
morsel - 4.5 stars
the keyhole - 5 stars
moonfall - 2 stars

[jae · Rating 4 out of 5]

another set of anthologies, can you tell im a fan?

beautiful illustrations btw 5/5.

if the shoe fits by lili wilkinson
2.5/5

the characters, the plot, everything but the style of writing. just something about it, i couldn't connect with and it really took me out of the story. loved the mc and li. the prince...i love. idk my hc is he's aromantic and that's all it really takes for me lmao. think it was the way they spoke. just threw me off, something should've been different but eh.

the instant i died by gary lonesborough
3.9/5

frustrating and heartbreaking. there was so much hope and then it was...gone. the ending completely broke me too because i wanted justice so desperately. destroyed me a little ngl.

luz azul by alexandra villasante
2/5
felt a little rushed. lacked development. wasn't bad though. maybe i would've liked it if it were a full length book with some minor changes.

the cherry blossom queen by maggie tokuda-hall
4.5/5

so many sad stories in this pls have mercy. a very beautiful story exploring what grief does to us, greed and its consequences, and searching for who you are meant to be.

let down you h.a.i.r by meagan spooner and amie kaufman
1.9/5
this wasn't bad it just wasn't for me. i did really like what it ended with. not into space travel tho. all kinda confusing to read? took me a while to understand but when i did, it was eh.

fairest of them all by will kostakis
5/5
villain's pov interesting. had to google what pash meant (thought it was a blowjob LMAO) actually loved it. written really well too. i'd read a whole book w this perspective and relentless inability to recognize you r an awful person (and ur friend is the one who made mira but you're too much of an idiot to realize.) the most fairytale related (with the most modern twist) one imo, the dancing on coals reference? oh you are good, kostakis.

alda, aysel & the edisto river by amber mcbride
3.5/5
i actually really enjoyed this but i thought i wouldn't bc of the format. poems ugh. but it was good and i especially loved the illustration for this one. felt a little rushed but i liked it a lot anyways.

seeing colour by jes layton
3.5/5
aromantic rep lets goooooo i felt it was a bit clunky but again aro rep so i will not complain further. i love teddy, he was very sweet and ebony's coming out ugh. i cried. being aromantic is really hard for me but on days like this where i read something like that, it gets easier.

the wooden boy by abdi nazemian
4/5
pinocchio but gay. the most fairytale related outright. very cute.

morsel by helena fox
4.9/5 (its a 5 i just cant bring myself to put it there like that)
what the fuck. sue, count ur fucking days i am coming for your ass you piece of shit cunt how the fuck did she or the dad avoid jail. devasting. i cried. (also points for ace rep!)

the keyhole by michael earp
5/5
rory u r living my dream. rory u r lowkey me actually (idk i resonate w him ok). my fav story aside from fairest of them all. knew excatly where it was going the entire time and i loved it lmao.

moonfall by alison evans
5/5
the dreamy, starry vibes. also it was inspired by the wild swans?? which i actually rlly like lol. also some curses aren't meant to be broken indeed. nyx accepting their brothers' choice and letting go love.

[August Grey · Rating 4 out of 5]

I am going to break this down into individual stories, but I do want to note that the illustrations in this book are incredibly beautiful. On top of that, each story has its own unique decorative border, which was a very cool addition.

If the Shoe Fits by Lili Wilkinson
This had me hooked right from the start.
Cinderella, but it’s a competition, and the main character isn’t supposed to be there. She stole a pair of shoes and snuck in, not because she wanted to marry the prince. Oh, no. She just wanted a holiday.
This was brilliant, I loved it. And the twist? I was yelling.

The Instant I Died by Gary Lonesborough
I’m not quite sure what this one was inspired by or about, but it made me cry. Pretty sure that’s the important thing when reading, right? Find the ones that make you cry, because that’s how you know they were good.

Luz Azul by Alexandra Villasante
Fun, adventurous, a little bit mysterious.

The Cherry Blossom Queen by Maggie Tokuda-Hall
I was warned the dog would die… and I think that might have made it worse (not a spoiler, it tells you at the start). Because I knew what was coming, and ended up crying pretty much every time the dog was mentioned. Aside from that, this story was quite sweet.

Let Down Your H.A.I.R. by Meagan Spooner and Amie Kaufman
I did get a little confused when the name of the location changed, and it took me a couple of pages to figure out it was shortened (Maybe because it changed so suddenly, after using the normal version to that point). It took me several more pages to understand the reference, but I laughed when I did. The ways the names were used in this were quite clever.
I was a little bit iffy about the A.I. thing. I’ve got mixed feelings about that, but it’s hard to know where they land given the way the story ended.
I’m also not sure the way “blind” was used in this story was appropriate.
Coming back to the ending, I was not expecting that. No real thoughts, just stunned.

Fairest of All by Will Kostakis
This was definitely not what I was expecting. Inspired by Snow White, but in the P.O.V. of the villain in the story. It was clever and made me wonder what was going to happen. It’s not often I read a story that makes me despise the main character.

Alda, Aysel & the Edisto River by Amber McBride
I was really excited to read this one because I saw it had an interesting/unique format, but I found the story confusing and hard to understand at times. I still enjoyed reading it though.

Seeing Colour by Jes Layton
This was so sweet, so beautiful, am definitely crying.

The Wooden Boy by Abdi Nazemian
Gay Pinocchio!!!

Morsel by Helena Fox
Hansel and Gretel but wow, what a twist. I wasn’t expecting this at all, it caught me off-guard and it crawled into the parts of me that feel things (that is to say: it made me cry).

The Keyhole by Michael Earp
I knew where this was going and I loved every second of it. I only wish I could read more with these characters.

Moonfall by Alison Evans
This one was a bit confusing, and a bit odd, but quite interesting.

[Cherie • bookshelvesandtealeaves · Rating 5 out of 5]

4.75 stars

This collection was SO good and I can’t believe I’d never heard of it before it was our book club pick. Such an underrated read. There was only one story I didn’t adore in this whole collection.

Anthologies are so hard to review because instagram’s character limit means I can’t review each story individually. Normally I’d choose a couple favourites and talk about those but honestly every story bar one was an easy 5 stars for me.

I honestly had such a great time reading this and I can’t recommend it enough.

[Kathryn Jurgens · Rating 5 out of 5]

I absolutely loved this collection of short stories and seeing the fairy tales I grew up with through a queer, intersectional lens. I really wish I'd had this back in high school. My favourites:
- If The Shoe Fits (Lili Wilkinson)
- The Instant I Died (Gary Lonesborough)
- The Cherry Blossom Queen (Maggie Tokuda-Hall)
- Let Down Your H.A.I.R. (Amie Kaufman and Meagan Spooner)
- Seeing Colour (Jes Layton)

I read this ahead of seeing Amie Kaufman do a talk at Melbourne Writers Fest on Saturday, so now I'm even more excited for her talk and for Lady's Knight.

[Rachel · Rating 4 out of 5]

What a fascinating and incredible range of stories! Everything Under the Moon is filled with 12 different
fairytale retellings, told in a 'queerer light'. The stories vary, and while they weren't all my cup of tea, they were all written extremely well. The art scattered throughout was stunning, and the interior was beautiful.

Some stories definitely stuck with me, for one reason or another. I'm keen to check out more of those author's works now!

Massive thank you Affirm Press for the copy.

[Harvey Weir · Rating 4 out of 5]

Many stories in this are great, a few are phenomenal, and a few are sadly uninteresting. Maggie Tokuda-Hall's story is easily the best. Overall, it was refreshing to see queer rep in a new form, but the fairytale format was clearly interpreted by certain authors in restrictive ways, leading to stories that provided few new or interesting ideas.

3.5/5

[Kaity · Rating 2 out of 5]

This anthology wasn’t the collection of queer Disney fairytales I was hoping for. For the most part, it was more the vibes of the original Little Mermaid where she finds he married someone else and can’t kill him so she kills herself. I appreciated the diverse authors and characters but unfortunately didn’t enjoy many of the short stories.

[Infernal · Rating 2 out of 5]

Some of these stories/tales were too modernised for my liking and/or poorly written and off putting (for the way they are written). There were a couple good stories that i enjoyed - hence the 2 stars. Very unfortunate as I really wanted to like this book. I do like the queer takes on fairy tales :).

[Eli Glasman · Rating 5 out of 5]

Really enjoyed this collection of short stories. I liked that the writers trusted their readers enough that they didn't need to spend too much time on world building. They played off archetypes and each story had a unique angle.

[Ari (Head in a Book) · Rating 3 out of 5]

Decent, some stories were good, others, I didn't care for.

[Farrells Bookshop · Rating 5 out of 5]

A collection of short stories that are queer re-telling's of fairy tales. Some are re-told in current times and some are set as fantasy.

Read by Suzie

[Madi F · Rating 5 out of 5]

I really loved this collection of short stories! It was very refreshing and a great retelling of a lot of classic tales through new eyes. I wish all of the endings could have been happy, though!

[Barnesm · Rating 4 out of 5]

A wonderful collection of short stories centering on queer characters. So great to read stories where queer young adults get to have 'happy endings', loved it.

[Cassie · Rating 4 out of 5]

What a great anthology.
Shout out to Morsel by Helena Fox for making me cry like a baby.

[Vicky Hallam · Rating 3 out of 5]

Some of the stories were really good but I wasn’t a fan of all of them.

[Hermine · Rating 4 out of 5]

Gorgeous cover and binding on this book. Not all stories were amazing, but I did appreciate the intention behind the anthology.

[Michaela Piritidis · Rating 4 out of 5]

I love it when most of the stories turn out to be winners.

[Decy · Rating 4 out of 5]

Wayyy to gay.
Still pretty good tho

[teddybearbrown · Rating 3 out of 5]

3 1/2, some really good stories and some i lost interest on

[Susan Cashin · Rating 5 out of 5]

Fabulous retellings of classic fairy tales but with a queer twist. Thoroughly enjoyed them all.

[Carrie · Rating 5 out of 5]

Really lovely and sometimes lyrical collection of stories based on fairy tales with queer MCs. I feel like the best reading experience is picking up a short story here and there to savor rather than reading in one large gulp.

[Amy · Rating 5 out of 5]

I feel there was a good range of representation in the characters, from sexuality to genders, and even how comfortable they feel being their authentic self in society.

Full review on my blog

My personal top 3 from this collection were If the Shoe Fits by Lili Wilkinson, Seeing Colour by Jes Layton, and The Wooden Boy by Abdi Nazemian.

[Cat · Rating 1 out of 5]

This was an exhausting read. I don't know why as soon as something is labelled as queer, its focus changes to be more moody and miserable than 'straight' versions of the content, with a tint of dead gays and assaulted women. If you were hoping that fairy tales about queer characters would involve romance, humour or wonder, this really isn't the book for you.