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Scary Book of Fairy Tales, The
Once upon a time, in a land not so far away . . . Will you dare to unearth the horrors lurking beneath these once-innocent stories?
This spine-chilling anthology weaves together real fairy tales from cultures across the globe, unmasking the eerie and unsettling narratives that have been whispered through generations. From the chilling depths of the Brothers Grimm's Germany to the haunting folklore of Japan, these stories were never meant for the faint of heart.
Discover the true terror of "Little Red Cap," where the woodsman may arrive too late to save the day, or "Bluebeard," a tale of matrimonial horror and secrets lurking in locked chambers. Encounter the chilling "Baba Yaga," a witch from Slavic folklore who feasts on those who dare to trespass, and the sinister "Teke-Teke" from Japan, a vengeful spirit seeking her missing legs.
Perfect for lovers of history, culture, and the macabre, The Scary Book of Fairy Tales captivates with its blend of horror and enchantment. These authentic tales promise to thrill and haunt, inviting you to explore the shadowy corners of global folklore. Are you ready to uncover the terrifying truths behind these timeless stories?
This spine-chilling anthology weaves together real fairy tales from cultures across the globe, unmasking the eerie and unsettling narratives that have been whispered through generations. From the chilling depths of the Brothers Grimm's Germany to the haunting folklore of Japan, these stories were never meant for the faint of heart.
Discover the true terror of "Little Red Cap," where the woodsman may arrive too late to save the day, or "Bluebeard," a tale of matrimonial horror and secrets lurking in locked chambers. Encounter the chilling "Baba Yaga," a witch from Slavic folklore who feasts on those who dare to trespass, and the sinister "Teke-Teke" from Japan, a vengeful spirit seeking her missing legs.
Perfect for lovers of history, culture, and the macabre, The Scary Book of Fairy Tales captivates with its blend of horror and enchantment. These authentic tales promise to thrill and haunt, inviting you to explore the shadowy corners of global folklore. Are you ready to uncover the terrifying truths behind these timeless stories?
140 pages, Mass Market Paperback
Published January 1, 2025
19 people are currently reading
100 people want to read
About the author
Tim Rayborn
51 books28 followersTim Rayborn is a historian, medievalist, and musician, with an MA and PhD from the University of Leeds in England. He is a writer on a variety of topics in history and the arts, from the academic to the amusing to the appalling. He has written nearly 50 books to date.
A professional musician with a specialty in medieval repertoire, he plays dozens of musical instruments, has appeared on more than 40 recordings, and has performed in the US, Canada, Europe, and Australia.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 166 reviews
August 9, 2025
Oh, was this the most generic read in ages I've had. I don't even know what I was expecting, as I'm clearly too advanced a fairy tale connoisseur for this. Maybe an interesting introduction, at the very least? A new take or interpretation of tales?
But there's nothing of that here. The introduction reads as if written to tell you as little as possible and sound as noncommittal and non-well-versed in folkloric studies as possible. It's a pile of broad generalities, so vague and empty of meaning that, when discussing the difference between fairy tale and folktale, the author practically just handwaves it with a "Good question, scholars have been debating this for ages" and says absolutely nothing about the differences, much less what he thinks of fairy tales and folktales (and literary fairy tales, which he conflates with the former). Why did he even bother to mention there are differences in the genre, then? No camp chosen, no expertise shown. And as a crowning display of generic-ness, the author doesn't even mention that fairy tales use "shorthand" when discussing why they have the violent and politically incorrect elements they have, only a broad commentary on their didacticism.
I've read better and more expansive Wikipedia articles.
Thing is, if you're going to pick, re-edit, and republish centuries-old fairy tales and folktales, you should provide the audience with a fresh take to justify it. Only if you're merely publishing a new edition of an old collection you can get away with doing the bare minimum. Don't assume the audience don't know and will automatically like your regurgitated fairy tales merely because they aren't the Disney or kid picture book versions. With the improved access to information in our time, most people are able to read the original, non-sanitised fairy tales on their own. There are hundreds of fairy tale anthologies out there. And many of us grew up with the Grimms and Perrault in their original version. So, to come with us with a hyperbolic and publicity stunt-y "The REAL ending will scare and shock you!" is silly. You can expect children to not know the scarier, more violent 'real' versions, because they are children, but don't extend that supposition to older children, and definitely not to adults.
Besides, some children grew up knowing the true endings from parents that didn't molly-coddle us, uncensored and raw, myself included.
This book brings nothing new to the table. You can easily find these same tales in already-existing collections of the Grimms, Andersen, Perrault, etc., and in multicultural fairy tale collections. The beloved coloured fairy tale books by Andrew Lang have some of them, too. So it's all based on assumptions and banking on the audience's presumed ignorance of fairy tales. Some of the assumptions make me wonder if the author has even seen children picture book versions, because there sure are non-sanitised versions of fairy tales he's presenting as if it's a new discovery that they have violent elements. It's absurd! I look at my copies of "Hänsel and Gretel," for example, and at least two of the 'child-friendly' ones I have keep the original Grimm rendition.
As I said, lots of assumptions, lots of generalities, and no novelty or uniqueness to make this a worthwhile read. I have no idea what the publicists are thinking by tagging this as Horror either, these fairy tales are nowhere near the Horror genre, with very few exceptions such as "The Juniper Tree," but readers of the Horror genre will likely find this insipid and not scary at all.
I'd rather buy myself a lushly illustrated collection of the Grimms and similar instead.
I received an ARC through NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.
But there's nothing of that here. The introduction reads as if written to tell you as little as possible and sound as noncommittal and non-well-versed in folkloric studies as possible. It's a pile of broad generalities, so vague and empty of meaning that, when discussing the difference between fairy tale and folktale, the author practically just handwaves it with a "Good question, scholars have been debating this for ages" and says absolutely nothing about the differences, much less what he thinks of fairy tales and folktales (and literary fairy tales, which he conflates with the former). Why did he even bother to mention there are differences in the genre, then? No camp chosen, no expertise shown. And as a crowning display of generic-ness, the author doesn't even mention that fairy tales use "shorthand" when discussing why they have the violent and politically incorrect elements they have, only a broad commentary on their didacticism.
I've read better and more expansive Wikipedia articles.
Thing is, if you're going to pick, re-edit, and republish centuries-old fairy tales and folktales, you should provide the audience with a fresh take to justify it. Only if you're merely publishing a new edition of an old collection you can get away with doing the bare minimum. Don't assume the audience don't know and will automatically like your regurgitated fairy tales merely because they aren't the Disney or kid picture book versions. With the improved access to information in our time, most people are able to read the original, non-sanitised fairy tales on their own. There are hundreds of fairy tale anthologies out there. And many of us grew up with the Grimms and Perrault in their original version. So, to come with us with a hyperbolic and publicity stunt-y "The REAL ending will scare and shock you!" is silly. You can expect children to not know the scarier, more violent 'real' versions, because they are children, but don't extend that supposition to older children, and definitely not to adults.
Besides, some children grew up knowing the true endings from parents that didn't molly-coddle us, uncensored and raw, myself included.
This book brings nothing new to the table. You can easily find these same tales in already-existing collections of the Grimms, Andersen, Perrault, etc., and in multicultural fairy tale collections. The beloved coloured fairy tale books by Andrew Lang have some of them, too. So it's all based on assumptions and banking on the audience's presumed ignorance of fairy tales. Some of the assumptions make me wonder if the author has even seen children picture book versions, because there sure are non-sanitised versions of fairy tales he's presenting as if it's a new discovery that they have violent elements. It's absurd! I look at my copies of "Hänsel and Gretel," for example, and at least two of the 'child-friendly' ones I have keep the original Grimm rendition.
As I said, lots of assumptions, lots of generalities, and no novelty or uniqueness to make this a worthwhile read. I have no idea what the publicists are thinking by tagging this as Horror either, these fairy tales are nowhere near the Horror genre, with very few exceptions such as "The Juniper Tree," but readers of the Horror genre will likely find this insipid and not scary at all.
I'd rather buy myself a lushly illustrated collection of the Grimms and similar instead.
I received an ARC through NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.
August 14, 2025
🌌
Hauntingly Beautiful & Historically Rich
A Must-Have for the Vibe & the Art
Okay but the vibe and illustration inside this book make it a must-have!
I love, love, love the introduction:
“Well these kinds of fairytales were often intended as teaching tools for young children.”
“The world had plenty of its own very real dangers… Cloaking these dangers in fantastical stories only made them more meaningful.”
The introduction points out how early male anthropologists dismissed these vital folk tales as “fairytales” in a condescending way, downplaying their cultural importance. And it makes you wonder: how much have male storytellers and anthropologists contributed to reshaping (or diluting) these stories over time?
💡 In many of these originals, girls are capable, independent, and able to save themselves. Sometimes their motivations are wildly different from what “Disney” or modern retellings tell us. (Example: in The Little Mermaid, she wanted to see the world and gain a soul so she could go to heaven, not for the prince per se. The prince was just a side note.)
🩸 Not Always as “Scary” as the Title Suggests
While the tales do include gruesome details, the title oversells the horror. Many aren’t particularly scary, even considering the age of the children they were told to. I personally prefer the originals because they hold rich lessons, especially around community, family, teamwork, and survival.
🎧 The Audiobook Experience
The audiobook was enchanting. The narrator’s accent when pronouncing names and story origins was spot-on. At normal 1x speed, it works perfectly for younger or older listeners. Each story is short (2–6 minutes), making them excellent bedtime (?) tales.
🖤 The Art: Gothic, Macabre, Stunning
Every story comes with an illustration that’s a standalone work of art. Even “happy” endings are paired with gothic, macabre visuals that perfectly fit the haunting tone. I wish Neil Evans has more credit and we learn more about him than just on the cover of the book.
💭 Final Thoughts
I love that the originals weren’t afraid to be honest: incest, corrupt priests, abusive parents, greed, cannibalism, terrible husbands. Life’s ugly truths were woven in. It’s sad how retellings normalised domestic violence and diminished women’s and girls’ abilities to achieve and survive without a male saviour.
These mostly European (a nod to the few Nigerian, Mexican, and Egyptian, Mongolian, Inuit, Brazilian, Philippines, and Japanese tales) folk tales deserve a place back in storytelling, though maybe with some adjustments for the most gruesome acts (looking at you, parents chopping off their kids’ heads and hands). We coddle children now, but the world is still dangerous. Stories can be softened without losing their power as tools for teaching resilience.
Thank you, NetGalley and Cider Mill Press, for the ARC and ALC.
--
Pre-read:
Because tales have never fair or fairy... let's hear where they truly end.
A Must-Have for the Vibe & the Art
Okay but the vibe and illustration inside this book make it a must-have!
I love, love, love the introduction:
“Well these kinds of fairytales were often intended as teaching tools for young children.”
“The world had plenty of its own very real dangers… Cloaking these dangers in fantastical stories only made them more meaningful.”
The introduction points out how early male anthropologists dismissed these vital folk tales as “fairytales” in a condescending way, downplaying their cultural importance. And it makes you wonder: how much have male storytellers and anthropologists contributed to reshaping (or diluting) these stories over time?
💡 In many of these originals, girls are capable, independent, and able to save themselves. Sometimes their motivations are wildly different from what “Disney” or modern retellings tell us. (Example: in The Little Mermaid, she wanted to see the world and gain a soul so she could go to heaven, not for the prince per se. The prince was just a side note.)
🩸 Not Always as “Scary” as the Title Suggests
While the tales do include gruesome details, the title oversells the horror. Many aren’t particularly scary, even considering the age of the children they were told to. I personally prefer the originals because they hold rich lessons, especially around community, family, teamwork, and survival.
🎧 The Audiobook Experience
The audiobook was enchanting. The narrator’s accent when pronouncing names and story origins was spot-on. At normal 1x speed, it works perfectly for younger or older listeners. Each story is short (2–6 minutes), making them excellent bedtime (?) tales.
🖤 The Art: Gothic, Macabre, Stunning
Every story comes with an illustration that’s a standalone work of art. Even “happy” endings are paired with gothic, macabre visuals that perfectly fit the haunting tone. I wish Neil Evans has more credit and we learn more about him than just on the cover of the book.
💭 Final Thoughts
I love that the originals weren’t afraid to be honest: incest, corrupt priests, abusive parents, greed, cannibalism, terrible husbands. Life’s ugly truths were woven in. It’s sad how retellings normalised domestic violence and diminished women’s and girls’ abilities to achieve and survive without a male saviour.
These mostly European (a nod to the few Nigerian, Mexican, and Egyptian, Mongolian, Inuit, Brazilian, Philippines, and Japanese tales) folk tales deserve a place back in storytelling, though maybe with some adjustments for the most gruesome acts (looking at you, parents chopping off their kids’ heads and hands). We coddle children now, but the world is still dangerous. Stories can be softened without losing their power as tools for teaching resilience.
Thank you, NetGalley and Cider Mill Press, for the ARC and ALC.
--
Pre-read:
Because tales have never fair or fairy... let's hear where they truly end.
August 24, 2025
I thought this sounded like a potentially good book of scary stories. It’s common knowledge (at least I think it is) that many children’s fairy tales were originally written as cautionary tales in an effort of basically scaring kids straight (so to speak) from ever doing anything they were told not to do. I can’t imagine ever telling a child any of these stories for fear of giving them nightmares. Quite a few of the stories were the Grimm Fairy Tales, which have always seemed to me to be more of a gothic type of horror for those who have never read any Grimm Fairy Tales. My favorite stories were the ones from 1001 Nights.
Most of these stories are just flat-out horror stories. On a scale of 1-5, 5 being horror filled, most of these stories I would rate 2-4 on the horror scale, but there is a fair amount of the 4-5 level stories to appeal to those who enjoy a more gruesome level of horror. I guess I should have prefaced that last statement by saying I typically don’t read hard-core horror anymore because I don’t like the gory and gruesome kill scenes that the hard-core horror stories always have. So, my rating scale may be rather skewed on the horror scale.
I want to thank NetGalley and Cedar Mill Press for sending me this eARC in exchange for my honest review.
#NetGalley #CedarMillPress #TheScaryBookofFairyTales
Most of these stories are just flat-out horror stories. On a scale of 1-5, 5 being horror filled, most of these stories I would rate 2-4 on the horror scale, but there is a fair amount of the 4-5 level stories to appeal to those who enjoy a more gruesome level of horror. I guess I should have prefaced that last statement by saying I typically don’t read hard-core horror anymore because I don’t like the gory and gruesome kill scenes that the hard-core horror stories always have. So, my rating scale may be rather skewed on the horror scale.
I want to thank NetGalley and Cedar Mill Press for sending me this eARC in exchange for my honest review.
#NetGalley #CedarMillPress #TheScaryBookofFairyTales
October 1, 2025
Got the audiobook for review.
2.5 stars rounded down. Some stories I either hadn't heard of or never really read and those were interesting to hear about. But a lot of fairytale's I have heard of and knew one or more of they dark endings. The book offer nothing else then quickly go over each fairytales not giving any opinion, facts or anything about it so it made the collection feeling empty and not really stand out. I'm sure for those who just want to hear the stories and nothing else this is a great audiobook but for me it didn't really work.
2.5 stars rounded down. Some stories I either hadn't heard of or never really read and those were interesting to hear about. But a lot of fairytale's I have heard of and knew one or more of they dark endings. The book offer nothing else then quickly go over each fairytales not giving any opinion, facts or anything about it so it made the collection feeling empty and not really stand out. I'm sure for those who just want to hear the stories and nothing else this is a great audiobook but for me it didn't really work.
November 19, 2025
A quick book to read and listen to which I finished in a day. While I was aware of the original, dark, gruesome endings of most of the fairy tales mentioned here, a few folklores of Japan, Latin America, Philippines, etc. mentioned towards the end of the book were new to me. The eerie illustrations by Neil Evans for most of the stories greatly enhanced the book and the narration by Dennis Kleinman matched the tone of the book.
My thanks to NetGalley, the publishers Cider Mill Press and HCCP & HCF Audio and the author for both the digital ARC and ALC of the book.
My thanks to NetGalley, the publishers Cider Mill Press and HCCP & HCF Audio and the author for both the digital ARC and ALC of the book.
September 1, 2025
Yeah this was a disappointment… and not original
———-
AH YES I GOT THE ARC FOR THISSSS
Tell me why it looks so gooddddd
———-
AH YES I GOT THE ARC FOR THISSSS
Tell me why it looks so gooddddd
December 5, 2025
Loved how genuinely scary those stories are! They are the primordial horror! Wouldn't read them to children as bedtime stories.
Definitely enjoyed and kept re-reading some sentences just to make sure I read it right
Pure horror joy
Highly recommended
Definitely enjoyed and kept re-reading some sentences just to make sure I read it right
Pure horror joy
Highly recommended
August 28, 2025
✷alc + arc review✷
the scary book of fairy tales was a collection of 50 classic fairytales that most people are familiar with. while it wasn't anything new, i thought this book was interesting!! each fairytale is like a short story. i think the short story anthology is such a good idea since like i said most people are familiar with these stories. it's like a little refresh without being overly repetitive. there were quite a few fairytales i wasn't familiar with, which was fun. i was expecting them to be more scary but as someone who is a scary cat, i appreciate they weren't so bad that i got nightmares lol.
this was both horrific and whimsical. i enjoyed it!!
most stories have artwork by neil evans and i LOVE that. the illustrations were creepy + beautiful.
🎧the audiobook was great!! 5/5! dennis kleinman does an incredible job at bringing these creepy fairy tales to life and helped me push through to finish. im a sucker for accents and his British accent is *chefs kiss* he reminds me of jim dale, which is one of my favorite narrators. if you want to read this, i highly recommend the audiobook.
my favorite fairytales were:
♡ cinderella
♡ rapunzel
♡ the little mermaid
♡ red riding hood
♡thank you netgalley and hccp & hcf audio and cinder mill press for an alc + arc♡
the scary book of fairy tales was a collection of 50 classic fairytales that most people are familiar with. while it wasn't anything new, i thought this book was interesting!! each fairytale is like a short story. i think the short story anthology is such a good idea since like i said most people are familiar with these stories. it's like a little refresh without being overly repetitive. there were quite a few fairytales i wasn't familiar with, which was fun. i was expecting them to be more scary but as someone who is a scary cat, i appreciate they weren't so bad that i got nightmares lol.
this was both horrific and whimsical. i enjoyed it!!
most stories have artwork by neil evans and i LOVE that. the illustrations were creepy + beautiful.
🎧the audiobook was great!! 5/5! dennis kleinman does an incredible job at bringing these creepy fairy tales to life and helped me push through to finish. im a sucker for accents and his British accent is *chefs kiss* he reminds me of jim dale, which is one of my favorite narrators. if you want to read this, i highly recommend the audiobook.
my favorite fairytales were:
♡ cinderella
♡ rapunzel
♡ the little mermaid
♡ red riding hood
♡thank you netgalley and hccp & hcf audio and cinder mill press for an alc + arc♡
August 19, 2025
3.5 ⭐
Thanks to NetGalley, Cider Mill Press and HCCP & HCF Audio for providing me with an eARC and ALC.
It was a nice collection of fairy tales and folk tales. I think I might have misread the title though. I thought these were going to be retellings of the original stories with haunting endings, but the title actually says "The Haunting Endings" which refers to the original ones which were not toned down. I already knew most of it, especially the ones by Brothers Grimm. Some of the folktales were new to me though and I appreciated that they were taken from a wide variety of places. Most of them weren't as dark as I expected though, probably because after a point they all started ending in cannibalism or the like. I would recommend this to anyone looking for a quick read with a wide variety of tales from the olden days.
The illustrations were brilliant and really brought out the haunting effect of the stories. The narrator also did a great job, his tone was somewhat matter-of-fact but I think it worked well for this collection of extremely short stories.
Thanks to NetGalley, Cider Mill Press and HCCP & HCF Audio for providing me with an eARC and ALC.
It was a nice collection of fairy tales and folk tales. I think I might have misread the title though. I thought these were going to be retellings of the original stories with haunting endings, but the title actually says "The Haunting Endings" which refers to the original ones which were not toned down. I already knew most of it, especially the ones by Brothers Grimm. Some of the folktales were new to me though and I appreciated that they were taken from a wide variety of places. Most of them weren't as dark as I expected though, probably because after a point they all started ending in cannibalism or the like. I would recommend this to anyone looking for a quick read with a wide variety of tales from the olden days.
The illustrations were brilliant and really brought out the haunting effect of the stories. The narrator also did a great job, his tone was somewhat matter-of-fact but I think it worked well for this collection of extremely short stories.
August 15, 2025
Thank you to the author, narrator, publisher and Net Galley for the ALC.
This is not a re-telling of fairy tales, and it's not the Disney version of the fairy tales you probably grew up with. This is a combination of historical tales and original versions of the fairy tales we probably have all heard.
I loved it! I could - and have - listen to the Original Grimm Brothers Fairy Tales dozens of times and never get bored. I love the original stories that were scary, that were teaching a lesson, that were preparing young kids for how rotten life can be. I never cared for the 'nice' versions until I got the originals! (Yeah, I was a weird kids & never outgrew it.)
This edition is not focused only on the original Grimm Brothers, this edition includes fairy tales from Romania, Norway and other locations. I only had the audio version, but in seeing reviews, the printed version appears to be illustrated, and I can't wait to get a copy of that one too.
If you like the real tales, don't skip this one. IF you're looking for a retelling - sorry, that's not what this is. But I do think it's a wonderful collection and the audio version was well done.
5 stars!!
This is not a re-telling of fairy tales, and it's not the Disney version of the fairy tales you probably grew up with. This is a combination of historical tales and original versions of the fairy tales we probably have all heard.
I loved it! I could - and have - listen to the Original Grimm Brothers Fairy Tales dozens of times and never get bored. I love the original stories that were scary, that were teaching a lesson, that were preparing young kids for how rotten life can be. I never cared for the 'nice' versions until I got the originals! (Yeah, I was a weird kids & never outgrew it.)
This edition is not focused only on the original Grimm Brothers, this edition includes fairy tales from Romania, Norway and other locations. I only had the audio version, but in seeing reviews, the printed version appears to be illustrated, and I can't wait to get a copy of that one too.
If you like the real tales, don't skip this one. IF you're looking for a retelling - sorry, that's not what this is. But I do think it's a wonderful collection and the audio version was well done.
5 stars!!
August 14, 2025
alc review*
I expected a twist on classic fairytales but this was really just a collection of original tales with a different ending. It didn’t give me that spooky feeling or much of a twist. There were some lesser known fairytales from diverse cultures which I enjoyed and I thought they were very engaging. Dennis Kleinman’s narration was exceptional.
Thank you to the author, publisher and NetGalley for this advance audiobook copy.
I expected a twist on classic fairytales but this was really just a collection of original tales with a different ending. It didn’t give me that spooky feeling or much of a twist. There were some lesser known fairytales from diverse cultures which I enjoyed and I thought they were very engaging. Dennis Kleinman’s narration was exceptional.
Thank you to the author, publisher and NetGalley for this advance audiobook copy.
July 24, 2025
3 Stars ⭐⭐⭐
The Scary Book of Fairytales offers a fun and spooky twist on classic tales, perfect for readers who enjoy dark folklore with a lighter tone. Some stories were more engaging than others, and while the writing had a playful vibe, it sometimes felt a bit too simplified for older readers.
It’s a good introduction to the eerie side of fairy tales, especially for younger teens or those new to the genre.
Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the opportunity to read this ARC.
The Scary Book of Fairytales offers a fun and spooky twist on classic tales, perfect for readers who enjoy dark folklore with a lighter tone. Some stories were more engaging than others, and while the writing had a playful vibe, it sometimes felt a bit too simplified for older readers.
It’s a good introduction to the eerie side of fairy tales, especially for younger teens or those new to the genre.
Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the opportunity to read this ARC.
August 22, 2025
I listened to this as an audiobook and the narrator was great. I sometimes struggle with understanding British accents, but had no issues at all with this narrator. Even his pronunciation for the German and French names/words were excellent.
Now, for the book itself. My first objection is the title itself; it is very misleading. None of these stories were described or told in a manner that made them scary. I would say they were often gruesome and/or unhappy. But also, there were in fact happy endings for many of the stories as well….so again, the name does not fit the contents of the book well at all.
Essentially, each chapter is a very short retelling of popular and some not-so-popular fairytales. Now, as someone who has always been a big reader, there were very very few stories I hadn’t already heard before. However, I did not knock a star off for that reason. I think this overview of all these fairytales is a great way to introduce, for instance, someone who is not so familiar with the Western fairytale culture to these stories.
I do wish there were a better balance of fairytales from the different continents because half (if not more) of them were from Europe.
Overall, this is a good introduction to fairytales in their original and uncensored form.
Thank you NetGalley for the opportunity to review this ARC. All thoughts and opinions are my own.
Now, for the book itself. My first objection is the title itself; it is very misleading. None of these stories were described or told in a manner that made them scary. I would say they were often gruesome and/or unhappy. But also, there were in fact happy endings for many of the stories as well….so again, the name does not fit the contents of the book well at all.
Essentially, each chapter is a very short retelling of popular and some not-so-popular fairytales. Now, as someone who has always been a big reader, there were very very few stories I hadn’t already heard before. However, I did not knock a star off for that reason. I think this overview of all these fairytales is a great way to introduce, for instance, someone who is not so familiar with the Western fairytale culture to these stories.
I do wish there were a better balance of fairytales from the different continents because half (if not more) of them were from Europe.
Overall, this is a good introduction to fairytales in their original and uncensored form.
Thank you NetGalley for the opportunity to review this ARC. All thoughts and opinions are my own.
December 18, 2025
The Scary Book Of Fairytales; the haunting endings to 50 of your favorite stories by Tim Rayborn, From the well-known to those not so well known this book tells you the original tale and all it’s gory. From Rumpel steel skin grabbing his feet and tearing his self in half to Hansel and Gretel getting rid of the witch I really enjoyed the stories and yes they were gorry, unsettling, and stories I can’t believe they read to children but as Maya Angelou says when we know better we do better but there’s still something to be said for these old time horrific fairytales. I was fortunate enough to get the audiobook narrated by Dennis Klineman and the Kindle version and I have to say Dennis Klineman is a perfect narrator for these stories he did a great job and I always found myself going back to the audio as opposed to the Kindle but I guess it all depends on your own preference. for most of these tails the old versions were all new to me including Snow White, Rumpel Stilskin, Rapunzel, and so many others i’ve never heard before. I was shocked to see how blunt and violent the stories were but have to say I still enjoy them all. The book is only about six hours long and I enjoyed every minute of it. #NetGally, #TheBlindReviewer, #MyHonestReview,#DennisKleinman, #TimRayborn, #TheScaryBookOfFairytales,
December 22, 2025
This is definitely not your gentle bedtime fairy tale collection. The Scary Book of Fairy Tales leans hard into the dark, strange, and often darkly funny side of folklore. Some of the stories were familiar to me and didn’t add much of a twist if you’re already well-versed in the Brothers Grimm, but thankfully, it doesn’t stop there. The inclusion of fairy tales from across the globe keeps things fresh and surprising.
These stories put a brutal new spin on teaching life lessons. Kids get their thumbs cut off for sucking them, adulterers lose their privates, and people being served for dinner if they step out of line. Consequences are very much the point. Revenge is frequently served up as the silver lining, and it’s as shocking as it is oddly satisfying.
Unsettling, fascinating, and often grimly amusing, this collection is perfect for readers who like their fairy tales sharp-edged and unapologetically dark.
These stories put a brutal new spin on teaching life lessons. Kids get their thumbs cut off for sucking them, adulterers lose their privates, and people being served for dinner if they step out of line. Consequences are very much the point. Revenge is frequently served up as the silver lining, and it’s as shocking as it is oddly satisfying.
Unsettling, fascinating, and often grimly amusing, this collection is perfect for readers who like their fairy tales sharp-edged and unapologetically dark.
September 1, 2025
This is a collection of fairy tales as they were originally written. I was able to enjoy this both as an ebook and an audiobook. The colored pages, spooky illustrations, font, and layout were all excellent. It really added to my experience.
The narrator is exactly who you’d expect to be reading original European fairy tales: Older and vaguely British sounding, giving the stories gravitas. Excellent narration.
Some tales vary slightly from other ‘original’ versions I’ve read but follow all the same major plot points. Rayborn even included some of the lesser known tales like The Goose Girl and The Two Corpses. The Plague Swarm was fantastic imagery.
While primarily European stories, there are a few better known tales from other continents.
This would be a great gift for an older kid who likes the spookier side of Disney or a spooky adult.
The narrator is exactly who you’d expect to be reading original European fairy tales: Older and vaguely British sounding, giving the stories gravitas. Excellent narration.
Some tales vary slightly from other ‘original’ versions I’ve read but follow all the same major plot points. Rayborn even included some of the lesser known tales like The Goose Girl and The Two Corpses. The Plague Swarm was fantastic imagery.
While primarily European stories, there are a few better known tales from other continents.
This would be a great gift for an older kid who likes the spookier side of Disney or a spooky adult.
September 10, 2025
Scary book of fairy tales indeed!
We often forget that the fairy tales we love and know so well are watered down from the original stories. And with good reason for our kids’ sanity and lack of nightmares sake, but I thoroughly enjoyed listening to the more gruesome beginnings of these classics and hearing a different perspective as to how they all began.
I also discovered some new stories from different parts of the world, in which it was so interesting to see how the folk tales based on each culture turned into these particular fairy tales with their own twists and turns.
Overall, an entertaining set of stories, but should definitely be skipped over by children or anyone squeamish 🤭
3,5⭐️
Thank you NetGalley, the publisher and the author for this audio ARC!
We often forget that the fairy tales we love and know so well are watered down from the original stories. And with good reason for our kids’ sanity and lack of nightmares sake, but I thoroughly enjoyed listening to the more gruesome beginnings of these classics and hearing a different perspective as to how they all began.
I also discovered some new stories from different parts of the world, in which it was so interesting to see how the folk tales based on each culture turned into these particular fairy tales with their own twists and turns.
Overall, an entertaining set of stories, but should definitely be skipped over by children or anyone squeamish 🤭
3,5⭐️
Thank you NetGalley, the publisher and the author for this audio ARC!
August 22, 2025
I've always loved fairytales, and although I knew that most of them had darker original versions, I had not read them before. This book takes the fairy tales we know and love, and reveals the darker side of their beginnings. In addition to the typical fairy tales most people have heard of, the book also included other tales that are known throughout the world from Mongolia to Brazil, and I really enjoyed reading about those and seeing fairy tales of other cultures. I think this would be a great book for those who enjoy fairy tales and folklore, or those who enjoy the unusual. I was given the chance to read this book through NetGalley, and I hope it finds other who enjoy it as much as I did!
August 22, 2025
Thanks to netgalley for the alc 🤍 this was a nostalgic listen to fairytales with darker endings than we are used to, however I did expect more?? It seems like more of a collection of alternate endings of fairy tales rather than anything new or something that would have a plot twist. Really enjoyed the audiobook though :)
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September 18, 2025We´ve all heard that fairytales actually have horrible and dark endings, but have you ever read them yourself?
The Scary Book of Fairytales is a collection of fairytales, that tell them as they were originally meant to be, in all their dark and scary glory, also featuring beautiful illustrations that go with the stories.
I loved that this collection featured both some of the most well known fairytales while also including some lesser known fairytales from all over the world.
I recommend reading this if you´re curious about the true ending of any of your favorite fairytales.
Big thanks to Netgalley, Cider Mill Press, and the author Tim Rayborn for allowing me to read an E-Arc of this collection.
The Scary Book of Fairytales is a collection of fairytales, that tell them as they were originally meant to be, in all their dark and scary glory, also featuring beautiful illustrations that go with the stories.
I loved that this collection featured both some of the most well known fairytales while also including some lesser known fairytales from all over the world.
I recommend reading this if you´re curious about the true ending of any of your favorite fairytales.
Big thanks to Netgalley, Cider Mill Press, and the author Tim Rayborn for allowing me to read an E-Arc of this collection.
October 1, 2025
This is a collection of fairy tales told with the original darker endings. Several of them I had never read before so that was interesting, as well as discovering how these much loved fairy tales were initially meant to be read with horrific and not so happy endings. It was an easy read/listen and the narrator did a good job but overall I found it a bit underwhelming.
September 9, 2025
This was stiff and underwhelming. It feels like a paper someone had to write who didn't want to. Rather poor summations of the stories and left me feeling rather empty, honestly. Not nearly as haunting or scary or interesting as I would've expected.
August 7, 2025
A collection of fairy tales from around the world with illustrations. This was a great collection of stories. some I know and some I didn't. a great short read.
August 23, 2025
This was a book about our favourite fairy tales from far and wide and about their dark origins which in my case I really enjoyed and most I hadn't heard before 4.5
August 26, 2025
The Scary Book of Fairy Tales was a great audible read !! I absolutely loved the narrator it was very spooky and he was perfect for the narrator role. This book told the true ending of fairy tales and the possible reason for the endings. This book was very informative and entertaining containing stories from the Brothers Grimm, Fairy Tales from Hans Christian Anderson, and many more. I definitely recommend this read during any time of year and especially during the Halloween season. Happy Reading 😉 and enjoy 👻. Thank you to NetGalley for an opportunity to read this book early.
September 15, 2025
Thanks to Netgalley for gavoing me access to an audiobook copy for an honest review:
Stories are as Follows:
Snow White / Ashenputtel (Cinderella) / Hansel and Gretel / Rapunzel / Rumpelstiltskin / The Children of Hamond (Pied Piper) / The Juniper Tree / Herr Korbes / Frau Trude / Three Army Surgeons / The Robber Bridegroom / Ungrateful Son / The Goose Girl / Fitcher's Bird / How Some Children Played At Slaughtering / Mother Holle / Girl Without Hands / Little Mermaid / The Red Shoes / The Story Of the Thumb Sucker / The Very Sad Tale With The Matches / The Flea / Penta Of The Chopped-Off Hands / Little Red Riding Hood / Bluebeard / Donkey Skin / The Crucifix Priest / The Story of Three Bears / Vasilisa and Baba Yaga / Tatterhood / The Satin Frock / My Mother in Fold ("The Little Ghost") / The Plague Swarm / The Two Corpses / The Snow Child / The Griffin's Feather and the Speaking Bone / The Enchanted Pig / The Tale of Scheherazade 1001 Nights / The Merchant and the Two Shoppers 1001 Nights / The Place Where There Were No Graves /The Foolish Friend Panchatantra / The Daughter Who Married a Skull / Boton Doro The Peony Lantern / Halibut the Hunter / The Boy Devoured By A Stone / The Old Woman Who Was Kind to Insects / The Timbo Tree / Boitata / La Llorona
The Narrator they chose for the Audiobook is interesting, he has a voice that reminds me of Tim Curry from Clue so it sets the tone as whimsical. The stories themselves are short and feel shorter than I remember them being in their originals. I do have to say I laughed in the very first story at snow white, that she dies 3 times and comes back to life each time, but always says "okay" every time a 'NEW' person (the same witch altering her appearance) keeps handing her various items saying "try this dear" like she didn't just die from something like this 2 minutes ago. I jokingly asked a Co-worker, "Snow white's a teenager right? It shows," to which she replied, "yeah that prefrontal cortex not fully developed yet".
The rest of the stories were short, some very familiars, while others weren't. However the unfamiliar ones, some seemed too short to even really feel like a "full story". I did appreciate that there were other nationalities folklores in it as well, but I wish there was more as half the book was Grims Fairy Tails.
Solid 4/5 for rating, felt like it would be good for tweens or teenagers wanting to know these stories.
Stories are as Follows:
Snow White / Ashenputtel (Cinderella) / Hansel and Gretel / Rapunzel / Rumpelstiltskin / The Children of Hamond (Pied Piper) / The Juniper Tree / Herr Korbes / Frau Trude / Three Army Surgeons / The Robber Bridegroom / Ungrateful Son / The Goose Girl / Fitcher's Bird / How Some Children Played At Slaughtering / Mother Holle / Girl Without Hands / Little Mermaid / The Red Shoes / The Story Of the Thumb Sucker / The Very Sad Tale With The Matches / The Flea / Penta Of The Chopped-Off Hands / Little Red Riding Hood / Bluebeard / Donkey Skin / The Crucifix Priest / The Story of Three Bears / Vasilisa and Baba Yaga / Tatterhood / The Satin Frock / My Mother in Fold ("The Little Ghost") / The Plague Swarm / The Two Corpses / The Snow Child / The Griffin's Feather and the Speaking Bone / The Enchanted Pig / The Tale of Scheherazade 1001 Nights / The Merchant and the Two Shoppers 1001 Nights / The Place Where There Were No Graves /The Foolish Friend Panchatantra / The Daughter Who Married a Skull / Boton Doro The Peony Lantern / Halibut the Hunter / The Boy Devoured By A Stone / The Old Woman Who Was Kind to Insects / The Timbo Tree / Boitata / La Llorona
The Narrator they chose for the Audiobook is interesting, he has a voice that reminds me of Tim Curry from Clue so it sets the tone as whimsical. The stories themselves are short and feel shorter than I remember them being in their originals. I do have to say I laughed in the very first story at snow white, that she dies 3 times and comes back to life each time, but always says "okay" every time a 'NEW' person (the same witch altering her appearance) keeps handing her various items saying "try this dear" like she didn't just die from something like this 2 minutes ago. I jokingly asked a Co-worker, "Snow white's a teenager right? It shows," to which she replied, "yeah that prefrontal cortex not fully developed yet".
The rest of the stories were short, some very familiars, while others weren't. However the unfamiliar ones, some seemed too short to even really feel like a "full story". I did appreciate that there were other nationalities folklores in it as well, but I wish there was more as half the book was Grims Fairy Tails.
Solid 4/5 for rating, felt like it would be good for tweens or teenagers wanting to know these stories.
September 23, 2025
50 short horror stories, many of them reimagined children's classics with a spooky twist. These weren’t exactly terrifying, but they were definitely engaging and easy to read.
I would’ve enjoyed them even more if they were longer though, there was real potential for the stories to shine with more detailed scary endings.
I would’ve enjoyed them even more if they were longer though, there was real potential for the stories to shine with more detailed scary endings.
August 16, 2025
TLDR: A short international collection of fairytales. I really recommend this on audio it’s a great way to revisit the mostly familiar stories, and the lack of author voice input makes it great for a quick recap.
A wonderful collection of translated fairytales -with their “original” endings. I loved the international selection, from the inclusion of regional Yorkshire folklore to tales from Japan, and Africa. Whilst it is largely made up of tales from the Grimm brothers, it was a treat to realise the collection went beyond Western Europe whilst remaining minimal.
Personally, I wish the author had inserted their voice in some way -introductions or footnotes perhaps- or added to the conversation. I’d have liked to know known why each tale was included, or why one version is selected over another. A little historical context or discussion on modern relevance would’ve made this book more unique, without it, I wonder why one would recommend this collection over the very many others on the market. Usually illustrations or special editions come in to play here, but do consider the audiobook experience. You’re likely revisiting these tales, why not experience them in the oral tradition this time around?
This book was a winner for me due to the narration. The narrator has the perfect voice for this type of book, mature, clear and verging on haunting. With the book being a collection of back to back (very short) short stories, the narration is at risk of overflowing from one tale to the next, but I loved the slight change in intonation at the opening and closing of each new story to set them apart, without a complete change in tone. 🎧⏩Perfect for those who listen to their audiobooks sped up, though I recommend listening at normal speed to appreciate the rhythm of the texts. 🎧
Please note, this is not a collection of fairytale retellings.
Thank you to HCCP & HCF Audio, NetGalley, and Cider Mill Press for the free ALC in exchange for sharing an honest review.
A wonderful collection of translated fairytales -with their “original” endings. I loved the international selection, from the inclusion of regional Yorkshire folklore to tales from Japan, and Africa. Whilst it is largely made up of tales from the Grimm brothers, it was a treat to realise the collection went beyond Western Europe whilst remaining minimal.
Personally, I wish the author had inserted their voice in some way -introductions or footnotes perhaps- or added to the conversation. I’d have liked to know known why each tale was included, or why one version is selected over another. A little historical context or discussion on modern relevance would’ve made this book more unique, without it, I wonder why one would recommend this collection over the very many others on the market. Usually illustrations or special editions come in to play here, but do consider the audiobook experience. You’re likely revisiting these tales, why not experience them in the oral tradition this time around?
This book was a winner for me due to the narration. The narrator has the perfect voice for this type of book, mature, clear and verging on haunting. With the book being a collection of back to back (very short) short stories, the narration is at risk of overflowing from one tale to the next, but I loved the slight change in intonation at the opening and closing of each new story to set them apart, without a complete change in tone. 🎧⏩Perfect for those who listen to their audiobooks sped up, though I recommend listening at normal speed to appreciate the rhythm of the texts. 🎧
Please note, this is not a collection of fairytale retellings.
Thank you to HCCP & HCF Audio, NetGalley, and Cider Mill Press for the free ALC in exchange for sharing an honest review.
October 24, 2025
The Scary Book of Fairy Tales: The Haunting Endings to 50 of Your Favorite Stories by Tim Rayborn with illustrations by Neil Evans(2025)
144-page Kindle Ebook story pages 10-140
Genre: Fantasy - Fairytales & Folktales; Children's Fiction
Featuring: Old Stories, Abridged and to the Point, Drops of Blood, Cannibalism, Murder, Evil, Sexual Innuendos, Versions, Incest, Misogyny, Ghosts, Angels, Devils, Author’s Links
Rating as a movie: PG-15 for gruesome violence
My rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️½🧚🏻♀️📚
My thoughts: Introductíon - This was very good although I would have appreciated some explanation of the difference between a fairytale and a folktale.
❄️🍎🇩🇪 Snow Whíte (Brothers Grímm) - This is pretty much the way I heard it before except her being warned not to open the door to strangers. However, I do not recall the shoes at the end of the story but maybe it was there because I do remember thinking that some of the stuff they took from Hans Christian Andersen, and the end of this story sounds very reminiscent of The Red Shoes.
🔥🇩🇪 Aschenputtel, the Líttle Cínder Gírl (Brothers Grímm) - I do not recall the shoes at the end of the story but maybe it was there because I do remember thinking that some of the stuff they took from Hans Christian Andersen, and the end of this story sounds very reminiscent of The Red Shoes.
🥖🍭🇩🇪 Hansel and Gretel (Brothers Grímm) - Same
💇🏼♀️🇩🇪Rapunzel (Brothers Grímm) - They left out the part about her tummy getting fat, but mentioned lovemaking at the end.
🪙🇩🇪 Rumpelstíltskín (Brothers Grímm) - This was the same, I guess the tearing himself into is supposed to be the scary part. This illustration is the ugliest version I've ever seen of this character.
📯🇩🇪 The Chíldren of Hameln (Brothers Grímm) - Same, actually these versions seem shorter than the "original" I heard before.
🌲🇩🇪 The Juníper Tree (Brothers Grímm) - Same but this is definitely an abridged version.
🐓🐔🇩🇪 Herr Korbes (Brothers Grímm) - First time and meh.
🪵🇩🇪 Frau Trude (Brothers Grímm) - Meh. Not much of a plot
🩺🤚🫀👀🇩🇪 The Three Army Surgeons (Brothers Grímm) - Crazy and lacks purpose.
🌭🇩🇪 The Strange Feast (Brothers Grímm) - I knew the minute I read that a blood sausage invited a liver sausage to dinner, this was not going to be a good story.
💍🇩🇪 The Robber Brídegroom (Brothers Grímm) - Same just short.
🍗🐸🇩🇪 The Ungrateful Son (Brothers Grímm) -
🦆👸🏼🇩🇪 The Goose Gírl (Brothers Grímm) - Same but shorter.
🥚🧺🇩🇪 Fítcher’s Bírd (Brothers Grímm) - Odd, but okay! 👍🏾
🔪🥩🇩🇪 How Some Chíldren Played at Slaughteríng (Brothers Grímm) - Gross and sad.
🏠🇩🇪 Mother Holle (Brothers Grímm) - Same
👿🇩🇪 The Gírl Wíthout Hands (Brothers Grímm) - Same but super short.
🧜🏼♀️🇩🇰 The Líttle Mermaíd (Hans Chrístían Andersen) - Like a ¼ of the story, this was practically a quick summary. They left out the part where the sea witch made a potion out of her own blood, and erased the part about doing good deeds to get a soul and the mercy of children’s behavior.
👠🇩🇰 The Red Shoes (Hans Chrístían Andersen) - This is very different than the version I originally heard where she is dancing in the forest and dropping dead I'm not sure which one is more grim this one had a semi-happy ending so I'm gonna go with the version I heard first.
👍🇩🇪 The Story of the Thumb Sucker (Heínrích Hoffmann, Der Struwwelpeter, 1845) - 😆 my grandpa threatened to cut off my thumb when I was 4, he probably heard this story as a kid.
🔥🇩🇪 The Very Sad Tale wíth the Matches (Heínrích Hoffmann, Der Struwwelpeter, 1845) - The original: Don’t play with matches.
☠️🇮🇹 The Flea (Gíambattísta Basíle, the Pentamerone, 1634) - I didn't like this one.
🤪👐🇮🇹 Penta of the Chopped-Off Hands (Gíambattísta Basíle, the Pentamerone, 1634) - This is pretty much a different version of the girl with no hands.
🥮🧈🐺🇫🇷 Líttle Red Rídíng Hood (Charles Perrault, Hístoíres ou contes du temps passé, 1697) - I prefer the brother Grimm's version.
🧔🏻🇫🇷 Blue Beard (Charles Perrault, Hístoíres ou contes du temps passé, 1697) - Very similar to Fítcher’s Bírd.
🐴🇫🇷 Donkeyskín (Charles Perrault, Hístoíres ou contes du temps passé, 1697) - Just another story about incestuous desires and deception.
✝️🇫🇷 The Crucífíx Príest (Medíeval French fablíaux) - I heard a different version of this story by Hans Christian Anderson as well as by The Grimms where the guy was in the cupboard and talking. This was actually not a bad story, and it was very dark.
👩🏻🦳🐻🐻❄🧸🏴 The Story of the Three Bears (Robert Southey, 1839) - LMBO at Silverlocks.
💀🧙🏻♀️🪆🇷🇺 Vasílísa and Baba Yaga (Russían faíry tale) - This story is often compared to Cinderella but I think it's more original than that.
🌹🥀🇳🇴 Tatterhood (Norwegían faíry tale) - I didn't care for this one, it was all over the place and predictable.
🧣🏴 The Satín Frock (Yorkshíre folktale) - Smh. This is getting ridiculous.
🤰🐑🇮🇸 My Mother ín the Fold (Icelandíc folktale)
💀👻🇵🇱 The Plague Swarm (Polísh folktale) - I didn't like this one.
🪖🧟♀️🧟♂️🇷🇺 The Two Corpses (Russían folktale) - This one reminded me of the troll scene in The Hobbit.
❄️👶🇫🇷🇩🇪 The Snow Chíld (French/German folktale) - I wonder if this is where Olaf came from.
🪶🦴🇮🇹 The Gríffín’s Feather and the Speakíng Bone (Italían folktale) - I heard a longer version of this tale in the Grimms' Book it was an epic adventure filled with betrayal and a princess.
🐖🇷🇴 The Enchanted Píg (Romanían folktale) - Meh. It shouldn't have been rushed because the second part made little sense. Although the ending explained the curse.
💍🕌🇮🇳🇮🇷 The Tale of Scheherazade (1001 Níghts) - Same and too short.
🛍🕌🍛🇮🇳🇮🇷 The Merchant and the Two Sharpers (1001 Níghts) - This is okay, very predictable.
🇪🇬 The Place Where There Were No Graves (Egyptían folktale) - This was good but dark. They actual practiced this in the ancient islands of the Pacific.
🐒🐝🇮🇳 The Foolísh Fríend (The Panchatantra, Indían folktale) - Well, that was different. It could have been longer.
💀🕷🇳🇬 The Daughter Who Marríed a Skull (Nígerían folktale) - 😆 Poor girl.
☠️👻🇯🇵Botan Dōrō, the Peony Lantern (Japanese folktale) - This was good.
🐉🪨🇲🇳 Haílíbu, the Hunter (Mongolían folktale) - Not bad but very reminiscent of other tales.
🦜🪨🇵🇭 The Boy Devoured by a Stone (Tínguían folktale, Phílíppínes) - Too short and no moral lesson.
🇨🇦🇺🇸 🪲🐞🦋 The Old Woman Who Was Kínd to Insects (Inuít folktale) - Weird but it did remind me of Island of the Blue Dolphins.
🌴🇵🇾 The Tímbo Tree (Guaraní folktale, Paraguay) - Just okay.
🐍🇧🇷 Boítatá (South Amerícan/Brazílían legend) - Meh.
🌊👻🇲🇽 La Llorona (Mexícan and Central Amerícan ghost story) - I knew this was going to be Woman Hollering Creek.
I read Grimm's Fairytales by Jacob and Wilhelm Grimm (1812) and those stories went on and on and on about nothing in between the action scenes so these stories are definitely abridged versions that just happen to tell you the horror they might have cut out of the 1900s version but nothing is shocking here. It didn’t really get interesting until I moved on from the European fairytales. Although some of the stories were interesting the way the stories are told and this book was very disappointing they are pretty much summaries of stories. They skip all of the details and just give you the bones. I did not learn anything new from the stories I was already familiar with. I think I have already heard the so-called original versions and it certainly was not scary.
Recommend to others: Probably not unless you're in it for the historical value. These stories aren't told well.
Memorable Quotes: Most of us listened to fairy tales as young children, and many might have had their introduction to them via Disney or other child-friendly versions. Tales like Snow White, Cinderella, and Rapunzel are timeless classics that transport young listeners into fantasy worlds of young love, adventure, evildoers, strange creatures, and more. But there is a much darker side to many of these beloved tales than most people realize. And many of these darker tales were found in the original collections themselves. The famous tales collected by Jacob and Wilhelm Grimm are the most obvious examples. Indeed, a few of these stories, which they collected from various tellers in early nineteenth-century Germany, were so dark and depressing that they removed or modified them in later editions. Stories of murder, cannibalism, incest, torture, kidnapping, and more abound in these allegedly children’s tales. But why is that? Why are some of them so horrible? Well, these kinds of fairy tales were often intended as teaching tools for young children. Warning them about a cannibalistic witch who lived in a nearby forest was a good way to show them the peril of wandering off on their own. The world had plenty of its own very real dangers, then and now, and impressing on a child from a young age not to talk to strangers, or get lost somewhere, was valuable for keeping them safe. Cloaking these dangers in fantastical stories only made them more meaningful. It’s fair to say that the times in which these stories arose were more violent, people’s lifespans tended to be shorter, and their lives were harder overall. Children were not coddled and often had to grow up much more quickly, especially those who were poor. So, a tale that offered some important lesson or gave a reason for why certain things were the way they were made good sense. And often, these stories used very violent and bloody examples!
144-page Kindle Ebook story pages 10-140
Genre: Fantasy - Fairytales & Folktales; Children's Fiction
Featuring: Old Stories, Abridged and to the Point, Drops of Blood, Cannibalism, Murder, Evil, Sexual Innuendos, Versions, Incest, Misogyny, Ghosts, Angels, Devils, Author’s Links
Rating as a movie: PG-15 for gruesome violence
My rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️½🧚🏻♀️📚
My thoughts: Introductíon - This was very good although I would have appreciated some explanation of the difference between a fairytale and a folktale.
❄️🍎🇩🇪 Snow Whíte (Brothers Grímm) - This is pretty much the way I heard it before except her being warned not to open the door to strangers. However, I do not recall the shoes at the end of the story but maybe it was there because I do remember thinking that some of the stuff they took from Hans Christian Andersen, and the end of this story sounds very reminiscent of The Red Shoes.
🔥🇩🇪 Aschenputtel, the Líttle Cínder Gírl (Brothers Grímm) - I do not recall the shoes at the end of the story but maybe it was there because I do remember thinking that some of the stuff they took from Hans Christian Andersen, and the end of this story sounds very reminiscent of The Red Shoes.
🥖🍭🇩🇪 Hansel and Gretel (Brothers Grímm) - Same
💇🏼♀️🇩🇪Rapunzel (Brothers Grímm) - They left out the part about her tummy getting fat, but mentioned lovemaking at the end.
🪙🇩🇪 Rumpelstíltskín (Brothers Grímm) - This was the same, I guess the tearing himself into is supposed to be the scary part. This illustration is the ugliest version I've ever seen of this character.
📯🇩🇪 The Chíldren of Hameln (Brothers Grímm) - Same, actually these versions seem shorter than the "original" I heard before.
🌲🇩🇪 The Juníper Tree (Brothers Grímm) - Same but this is definitely an abridged version.
🐓🐔🇩🇪 Herr Korbes (Brothers Grímm) - First time and meh.
🪵🇩🇪 Frau Trude (Brothers Grímm) - Meh. Not much of a plot
🩺🤚🫀👀🇩🇪 The Three Army Surgeons (Brothers Grímm) - Crazy and lacks purpose.
🌭🇩🇪 The Strange Feast (Brothers Grímm) - I knew the minute I read that a blood sausage invited a liver sausage to dinner, this was not going to be a good story.
💍🇩🇪 The Robber Brídegroom (Brothers Grímm) - Same just short.
🍗🐸🇩🇪 The Ungrateful Son (Brothers Grímm) -
🦆👸🏼🇩🇪 The Goose Gírl (Brothers Grímm) - Same but shorter.
🥚🧺🇩🇪 Fítcher’s Bírd (Brothers Grímm) - Odd, but okay! 👍🏾
🔪🥩🇩🇪 How Some Chíldren Played at Slaughteríng (Brothers Grímm) - Gross and sad.
🏠🇩🇪 Mother Holle (Brothers Grímm) - Same
👿🇩🇪 The Gírl Wíthout Hands (Brothers Grímm) - Same but super short.
🧜🏼♀️🇩🇰 The Líttle Mermaíd (Hans Chrístían Andersen) - Like a ¼ of the story, this was practically a quick summary. They left out the part where the sea witch made a potion out of her own blood, and erased the part about doing good deeds to get a soul and the mercy of children’s behavior.
👠🇩🇰 The Red Shoes (Hans Chrístían Andersen) - This is very different than the version I originally heard where she is dancing in the forest and dropping dead I'm not sure which one is more grim this one had a semi-happy ending so I'm gonna go with the version I heard first.
👍🇩🇪 The Story of the Thumb Sucker (Heínrích Hoffmann, Der Struwwelpeter, 1845) - 😆 my grandpa threatened to cut off my thumb when I was 4, he probably heard this story as a kid.
🔥🇩🇪 The Very Sad Tale wíth the Matches (Heínrích Hoffmann, Der Struwwelpeter, 1845) - The original: Don’t play with matches.
☠️🇮🇹 The Flea (Gíambattísta Basíle, the Pentamerone, 1634) - I didn't like this one.
🤪👐🇮🇹 Penta of the Chopped-Off Hands (Gíambattísta Basíle, the Pentamerone, 1634) - This is pretty much a different version of the girl with no hands.
🥮🧈🐺🇫🇷 Líttle Red Rídíng Hood (Charles Perrault, Hístoíres ou contes du temps passé, 1697) - I prefer the brother Grimm's version.
🧔🏻🇫🇷 Blue Beard (Charles Perrault, Hístoíres ou contes du temps passé, 1697) - Very similar to Fítcher’s Bírd.
🐴🇫🇷 Donkeyskín (Charles Perrault, Hístoíres ou contes du temps passé, 1697) - Just another story about incestuous desires and deception.
✝️🇫🇷 The Crucífíx Príest (Medíeval French fablíaux) - I heard a different version of this story by Hans Christian Anderson as well as by The Grimms where the guy was in the cupboard and talking. This was actually not a bad story, and it was very dark.
👩🏻🦳🐻🐻❄🧸🏴 The Story of the Three Bears (Robert Southey, 1839) - LMBO at Silverlocks.
💀🧙🏻♀️🪆🇷🇺 Vasílísa and Baba Yaga (Russían faíry tale) - This story is often compared to Cinderella but I think it's more original than that.
🌹🥀🇳🇴 Tatterhood (Norwegían faíry tale) - I didn't care for this one, it was all over the place and predictable.
🧣🏴 The Satín Frock (Yorkshíre folktale) - Smh. This is getting ridiculous.
🤰🐑🇮🇸 My Mother ín the Fold (Icelandíc folktale)
💀👻🇵🇱 The Plague Swarm (Polísh folktale) - I didn't like this one.
🪖🧟♀️🧟♂️🇷🇺 The Two Corpses (Russían folktale) - This one reminded me of the troll scene in The Hobbit.
❄️👶🇫🇷🇩🇪 The Snow Chíld (French/German folktale) - I wonder if this is where Olaf came from.
🪶🦴🇮🇹 The Gríffín’s Feather and the Speakíng Bone (Italían folktale) - I heard a longer version of this tale in the Grimms' Book it was an epic adventure filled with betrayal and a princess.
🐖🇷🇴 The Enchanted Píg (Romanían folktale) - Meh. It shouldn't have been rushed because the second part made little sense. Although the ending explained the curse.
💍🕌🇮🇳🇮🇷 The Tale of Scheherazade (1001 Níghts) - Same and too short.
🛍🕌🍛🇮🇳🇮🇷 The Merchant and the Two Sharpers (1001 Níghts) - This is okay, very predictable.
🇪🇬 The Place Where There Were No Graves (Egyptían folktale) - This was good but dark. They actual practiced this in the ancient islands of the Pacific.
🐒🐝🇮🇳 The Foolísh Fríend (The Panchatantra, Indían folktale) - Well, that was different. It could have been longer.
💀🕷🇳🇬 The Daughter Who Marríed a Skull (Nígerían folktale) - 😆 Poor girl.
☠️👻🇯🇵Botan Dōrō, the Peony Lantern (Japanese folktale) - This was good.
🐉🪨🇲🇳 Haílíbu, the Hunter (Mongolían folktale) - Not bad but very reminiscent of other tales.
🦜🪨🇵🇭 The Boy Devoured by a Stone (Tínguían folktale, Phílíppínes) - Too short and no moral lesson.
🇨🇦🇺🇸 🪲🐞🦋 The Old Woman Who Was Kínd to Insects (Inuít folktale) - Weird but it did remind me of Island of the Blue Dolphins.
🌴🇵🇾 The Tímbo Tree (Guaraní folktale, Paraguay) - Just okay.
🐍🇧🇷 Boítatá (South Amerícan/Brazílían legend) - Meh.
🌊👻🇲🇽 La Llorona (Mexícan and Central Amerícan ghost story) - I knew this was going to be Woman Hollering Creek.
I read Grimm's Fairytales by Jacob and Wilhelm Grimm (1812) and those stories went on and on and on about nothing in between the action scenes so these stories are definitely abridged versions that just happen to tell you the horror they might have cut out of the 1900s version but nothing is shocking here. It didn’t really get interesting until I moved on from the European fairytales. Although some of the stories were interesting the way the stories are told and this book was very disappointing they are pretty much summaries of stories. They skip all of the details and just give you the bones. I did not learn anything new from the stories I was already familiar with. I think I have already heard the so-called original versions and it certainly was not scary.
Recommend to others: Probably not unless you're in it for the historical value. These stories aren't told well.
Memorable Quotes: Most of us listened to fairy tales as young children, and many might have had their introduction to them via Disney or other child-friendly versions. Tales like Snow White, Cinderella, and Rapunzel are timeless classics that transport young listeners into fantasy worlds of young love, adventure, evildoers, strange creatures, and more. But there is a much darker side to many of these beloved tales than most people realize. And many of these darker tales were found in the original collections themselves. The famous tales collected by Jacob and Wilhelm Grimm are the most obvious examples. Indeed, a few of these stories, which they collected from various tellers in early nineteenth-century Germany, were so dark and depressing that they removed or modified them in later editions. Stories of murder, cannibalism, incest, torture, kidnapping, and more abound in these allegedly children’s tales. But why is that? Why are some of them so horrible? Well, these kinds of fairy tales were often intended as teaching tools for young children. Warning them about a cannibalistic witch who lived in a nearby forest was a good way to show them the peril of wandering off on their own. The world had plenty of its own very real dangers, then and now, and impressing on a child from a young age not to talk to strangers, or get lost somewhere, was valuable for keeping them safe. Cloaking these dangers in fantastical stories only made them more meaningful. It’s fair to say that the times in which these stories arose were more violent, people’s lifespans tended to be shorter, and their lives were harder overall. Children were not coddled and often had to grow up much more quickly, especially those who were poor. So, a tale that offered some important lesson or gave a reason for why certain things were the way they were made good sense. And often, these stories used very violent and bloody examples!
September 10, 2025
The Scary book of Fairy Tales was a dark anthology of some original fairytales. These include more graphic and violent material often with no happy ending. Common themes of these stories included evil stepmothers and stepsiblings, evil old women, magical items, people coming back to life after dying, and many more. The stories come from countries all over. Some you will recognize from Grimm brothers or Hans Christian Anderson. While others come from folktales from all over the world.
This dark collection of fairy tales was really interesting. Many of the stories I have heard before but not in their original, darker form. The gritty nature of many of them made me devour these stories. I read the entire book in one sitting. The stories are quick but the reason they have been around for so long is because the stories are enchanting. I found the darker versions even more compelling and an interesting twost on stories that I have known my whole life.
This dark collection of fairy tales was really interesting. Many of the stories I have heard before but not in their original, darker form. The gritty nature of many of them made me devour these stories. I read the entire book in one sitting. The stories are quick but the reason they have been around for so long is because the stories are enchanting. I found the darker versions even more compelling and an interesting twost on stories that I have known my whole life.
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