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Grimm Mistresses
REMEMBER THOSE GRIMM BROTHERS? Dark fairy tales that made you leave the light on long before Disney sanitized them? Well, we certainly do! And now the MISTRESSES GRIMM take back the night, five female authors who will leave you shuddering deliciously. Get ready to leave the lights on again with five pieces of short fiction bringing the Grimm Brothers' tales into the present. Be advised: these aren’t your children’s fairy tales!
GRIMM MISTRESSES contains the following tales:
• "The Night Air" by Stacey Turner
• "Little Dead Red" by Mercedes M. Yardley
• "Nectar" by Allison M. Dickson
• "Hazing Cinderella" by C.W. LaSart
• "The Leopard's Pelt" by S.R. Cambridge
Released in celebration of Women In Horror Month 2015
GRIMM MISTRESSES contains the following tales:
• "The Night Air" by Stacey Turner
• "Little Dead Red" by Mercedes M. Yardley
• "Nectar" by Allison M. Dickson
• "Hazing Cinderella" by C.W. LaSart
• "The Leopard's Pelt" by S.R. Cambridge
Released in celebration of Women In Horror Month 2015
232 pages, Kindle Edition
First published February 23, 2015
847 people want to read
About the author
Stacey Turner
37 books30 followersStacey Turner lives in West Central Illinois with her husband. Three wonderful, adult children call her “Mom,” and three beautiful little boys call her “Mimi” (Grandma). She is owned by cats. She spends her days writing and editing, but still finds time to review books & interview authors, as well as blog about her absolutely ridiculous family and other adventures.
She enjoys editing because she’s bossy. And also because she revels in helping an author polish their work. She has edited several anthologies, such as Fairly Wicked Tales and Fifty Shades of Decay, as well as many novels & novellas for a variety of authors. To contact her about editing, you can email her at princess.spot@gmail.com.
She has been published in several anthologies and online magazines. Most recently in Grimm Mistresses by Ragnarok Publications.
When not working, she enjoys photographing cemeteries, playing “what if,” and discussing the imminent zombie apocalypse. She does not enjoy scarecrows, creepy dolls, birds (of any sort), snakes, clowns, or garden gnomes.
She enjoys editing because she’s bossy. And also because she revels in helping an author polish their work. She has edited several anthologies, such as Fairly Wicked Tales and Fifty Shades of Decay, as well as many novels & novellas for a variety of authors. To contact her about editing, you can email her at princess.spot@gmail.com.
She has been published in several anthologies and online magazines. Most recently in Grimm Mistresses by Ragnarok Publications.
When not working, she enjoys photographing cemeteries, playing “what if,” and discussing the imminent zombie apocalypse. She does not enjoy scarecrows, creepy dolls, birds (of any sort), snakes, clowns, or garden gnomes.
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Displaying 1 - 28 of 28 reviews
February 11, 2023
I have read two of the retellings in this anthology, Mercedes M. Yardley's and S. R. Cambridge's. You can find the review for the former here, so this is going to be a review of the latter only.
The Leopard's Pelt retells the fairy tale "The Bearskinner" by the Brothers Grimm, in which a destitute soldier coming back from war meets the Devil on the road and gets the offer of riches in exchange for his soul, so long as he wears a stinky bear's skin and stays unwashed and hairy for seven years. If he fails, the Devil gets his soul; if he succeeds, he keeps his soul and his riches.
In Cambridge's take on the tale, an American soldier fighting in the Pacific has his ship blown up and sunk by the Japanese, survives it by miracle but isn't fished out of the water by the enemy like the few other survivors and ends up drifting on a rubber boat towards a deserted island. He manages to go Robinson Crusoe there for a bit, lucky to have found some stored food to live off of. But the island isn't as deserted as he thinks, there's something sinister there stalking him ready to pounce when he's with his guard down. Sure enough, he soon meets that sinister presence and, like in the original tale, gets an offer he can't refuse.
No, he literally can't refuse, the only alternative is to die and be eaten. That's the big difference with the tale, in which the soldier does have a choice to say no to the Devil. Henry, however, can't say no and live.
So our Henry has to live seven years being looked at as a madman to fulfill his end of the bargain. He meets this wonderful girl in one of the places he stays at to carry on with his duties as resident harmless madman with a generous heart and magical hands, who also thinks him touched in the head at first. Slowly, a relationship blooms, but due to the deal with the sinister being, that can't prosper.
I liked this retelling very much, for the characters most of all. Both Henry and Beatrice are well-developed for such a short novelette, both are likable and relatable, and Cambridge managed the time jumps well without making it feel like there's gaps and holes in-between the full seven years during which this story takes place. I liked that she kept the core of the original fairy tale: the soldier is no big name hero, no Captain America levels of derring-do, just a man doing his duty as well he can, average, loyal, hardworking, nice. And I liked that Cambridge gave the girl a personality and a story of her own, because in the tale she is merely a presence and hardly does anything. And above all, I liked that they gave each other time to grow separately until they meet again.
The only thing I didn't like much was the ending, I am not convinced the sinister being won't succeed this time round and I don't think the sisters deserved that temptation. I would've chosen a different ending and have Henry fix his oversight in this regard. Another thing I'd have liked to see was at least a mention of PTSD, because Henry is curiously devoid of any traces of PTSD, which I think he would've shown given his experiences in the war and his encounter with the sinister being.
Aside that, it was a lovely story. It gets 4.5 stars rounded up for enjoyment.
I received a free copy from the author in exchange for an honest review. Thank you so much!
The Leopard's Pelt retells the fairy tale "The Bearskinner" by the Brothers Grimm, in which a destitute soldier coming back from war meets the Devil on the road and gets the offer of riches in exchange for his soul, so long as he wears a stinky bear's skin and stays unwashed and hairy for seven years. If he fails, the Devil gets his soul; if he succeeds, he keeps his soul and his riches.
In Cambridge's take on the tale, an American soldier fighting in the Pacific has his ship blown up and sunk by the Japanese, survives it by miracle but isn't fished out of the water by the enemy like the few other survivors and ends up drifting on a rubber boat towards a deserted island. He manages to go Robinson Crusoe there for a bit, lucky to have found some stored food to live off of. But the island isn't as deserted as he thinks, there's something sinister there stalking him ready to pounce when he's with his guard down. Sure enough, he soon meets that sinister presence and, like in the original tale, gets an offer he can't refuse.
No, he literally can't refuse, the only alternative is to die and be eaten. That's the big difference with the tale, in which the soldier does have a choice to say no to the Devil. Henry, however, can't say no and live.
So our Henry has to live seven years being looked at as a madman to fulfill his end of the bargain. He meets this wonderful girl in one of the places he stays at to carry on with his duties as resident harmless madman with a generous heart and magical hands, who also thinks him touched in the head at first. Slowly, a relationship blooms, but due to the deal with the sinister being, that can't prosper.
I liked this retelling very much, for the characters most of all. Both Henry and Beatrice are well-developed for such a short novelette, both are likable and relatable, and Cambridge managed the time jumps well without making it feel like there's gaps and holes in-between the full seven years during which this story takes place. I liked that she kept the core of the original fairy tale: the soldier is no big name hero, no Captain America levels of derring-do, just a man doing his duty as well he can, average, loyal, hardworking, nice. And I liked that Cambridge gave the girl a personality and a story of her own, because in the tale she is merely a presence and hardly does anything. And above all, I liked that they gave each other time to grow separately until they meet again.
The only thing I didn't like much was the ending, I am not convinced the sinister being won't succeed this time round and I don't think the sisters deserved that temptation. I would've chosen a different ending and have Henry fix his oversight in this regard. Another thing I'd have liked to see was at least a mention of PTSD, because Henry is curiously devoid of any traces of PTSD, which I think he would've shown given his experiences in the war and his encounter with the sinister being.
Aside that, it was a lovely story. It gets 4.5 stars rounded up for enjoyment.
I received a free copy from the author in exchange for an honest review. Thank you so much!
July 28, 2020
Mercedes Yardley’s story, “Little Dead Red” was absolutely outstanding. A close second was “The Leopard’s Pelt” by S.R. Cambridge. Both stories were clever, enticing adaptations with new and delicious twists. Unfortunately I felt that the remaining three stories were mediocre at best. The authors are no-doubt talented, but the plots appeared forced and not terribly original. Ellen Datlow’s brilliant, “Snow White, Blood Red” series of dark fairy-tale adaptations still cannot be beat. While overall worthwhile, Grimm Mistresses fell quite short. 🍎
February 25, 2015
Review Copy
What a wonderful way to celebrate Women In Horror month. or any month for that matter.
The promise..."Five female authors who will leave you shuddering deliciously. Get ready to leave the lights on again with five pieces of short fiction bringing the Grimm Brother's tales into the present. Be advised: these aren't your children's fairy tales!" Grimm Mistresses is an anthology that delivers on it's promise. And then some.
Little Dead Red - Mercedes M. Yardley
Although I've known of Mercedes and her work in the Horror/Fantasy genres for a while, this is the first time I've actually read her work. Looks like I'll need to read more. A gifted story-teller who has taken the Red Riding Hood story and turned it on it's end. Here, Marie's daughter, Aleta, on her way to visit her grandmother in the hospital meets her fate at the hands of a creature much more terrifying than a wolf. Her mother is obsessed with finding her killer and will do whatever it takes. A dark trip into a brutal world with a terrific "Oh, Wow!" ending.
Nectar - Allison M. Dickson
I couldn't tell you which, if any of the original Grimm fairy tales was the inspiration behind this one, but it was a strange, yet oddly compelling story of two men who go on a blind double date and wind up captive under the strangest of circumstances. Used by their captors and fed with an unusual nectar to fatten them up. Hmm. they're being fattened up, like a rather bizarre twist on Hansel and Gretel. Yeah, I think that might be the inspiration.
The Leopard's Pelt - S. R. Cambridge
I would guess the inspiration here came from the Snow Leopard, although there is certainly a bit of Beauty and the Beast in this wonderfully woven and completely satisfying tale. Henry Lowery, is a Gunner's Mate, Second Class who is shipwrecked on a seemingly deserted island in the South Pacific. While there he meets an enchanted leopard who makes a deal to get him off the island, for a price. What happens next is a tale that is both fanciful and totally charming.
Hazing Cinderella - C. W. LaSart
Nasty. Certainly not something that would come from the Disney studios. As viscous as Katie's step-sister, Jamie and her friends could be, they are no match for Katie. And her mom is something else, too. Very dark and exceptionally violent.
The Night Air - Stacey Turner
Conversation that is natural, that actually sounds like the way people talk, is difficult, but Stacy Turner makes it look so easy. Maybe it's just knowing what people would say in a given situation, both adults and children. It may seem like a little thing, but when it doesn't feel right, it can be such a distraction. Marla and her husband Nick move from Chicago to the small town of Hubble, IL with their three young children, Sarah, Tommy, and Nicole. "The Night Air" is a sneaky story. Everything seems so normal, so peaceful, and then...wham! A parent's worse nightmare. I'll leave this one for you to discover the inspiration.
An anthology that hits on all cylinders is a rarely seen thing of beauty. Grimm Mistresses is just such an anthology. Available now from Angelic Knight, the horror imprint of Ragnarok Publications. You can pick up a copy at the Ragnarok website or through Amazon.com.
This gets my highest recommendation.
What a wonderful way to celebrate Women In Horror month. or any month for that matter.
The promise..."Five female authors who will leave you shuddering deliciously. Get ready to leave the lights on again with five pieces of short fiction bringing the Grimm Brother's tales into the present. Be advised: these aren't your children's fairy tales!" Grimm Mistresses is an anthology that delivers on it's promise. And then some.
Little Dead Red - Mercedes M. Yardley
Although I've known of Mercedes and her work in the Horror/Fantasy genres for a while, this is the first time I've actually read her work. Looks like I'll need to read more. A gifted story-teller who has taken the Red Riding Hood story and turned it on it's end. Here, Marie's daughter, Aleta, on her way to visit her grandmother in the hospital meets her fate at the hands of a creature much more terrifying than a wolf. Her mother is obsessed with finding her killer and will do whatever it takes. A dark trip into a brutal world with a terrific "Oh, Wow!" ending.
Nectar - Allison M. Dickson
I couldn't tell you which, if any of the original Grimm fairy tales was the inspiration behind this one, but it was a strange, yet oddly compelling story of two men who go on a blind double date and wind up captive under the strangest of circumstances. Used by their captors and fed with an unusual nectar to fatten them up. Hmm. they're being fattened up, like a rather bizarre twist on Hansel and Gretel. Yeah, I think that might be the inspiration.
The Leopard's Pelt - S. R. Cambridge
I would guess the inspiration here came from the Snow Leopard, although there is certainly a bit of Beauty and the Beast in this wonderfully woven and completely satisfying tale. Henry Lowery, is a Gunner's Mate, Second Class who is shipwrecked on a seemingly deserted island in the South Pacific. While there he meets an enchanted leopard who makes a deal to get him off the island, for a price. What happens next is a tale that is both fanciful and totally charming.
Hazing Cinderella - C. W. LaSart
Nasty. Certainly not something that would come from the Disney studios. As viscous as Katie's step-sister, Jamie and her friends could be, they are no match for Katie. And her mom is something else, too. Very dark and exceptionally violent.
The Night Air - Stacey Turner
Conversation that is natural, that actually sounds like the way people talk, is difficult, but Stacy Turner makes it look so easy. Maybe it's just knowing what people would say in a given situation, both adults and children. It may seem like a little thing, but when it doesn't feel right, it can be such a distraction. Marla and her husband Nick move from Chicago to the small town of Hubble, IL with their three young children, Sarah, Tommy, and Nicole. "The Night Air" is a sneaky story. Everything seems so normal, so peaceful, and then...wham! A parent's worse nightmare. I'll leave this one for you to discover the inspiration.
An anthology that hits on all cylinders is a rarely seen thing of beauty. Grimm Mistresses is just such an anthology. Available now from Angelic Knight, the horror imprint of Ragnarok Publications. You can pick up a copy at the Ragnarok website or through Amazon.com.
This gets my highest recommendation.
February 23, 2015
Grimm Mistresses is a collection of five of the most phenomenal tales I've ever read. They're not just fairy tale spin-offs.
Though all are amazing little gems, my two favorites are "Little Dead Red" and "The Leopard's Pelt." I do not want to give the endings away because then they would well and truly be spoiled. Though they are short stories, they speak volumes of the worlds in which they are set, and they truly capture the essences of the characters.
I would recommend this collection to everyone I know. A huge well done to all the authors whose stories are in this collection.
Though all are amazing little gems, my two favorites are "Little Dead Red" and "The Leopard's Pelt." I do not want to give the endings away because then they would well and truly be spoiled. Though they are short stories, they speak volumes of the worlds in which they are set, and they truly capture the essences of the characters.
I would recommend this collection to everyone I know. A huge well done to all the authors whose stories are in this collection.
Read
March 3, 2015I think the wrong short story collection got named Trigger Warning. Grimm Mistresses deals with some dark, dark stuff. A short and fairly solid five story collection; all by woman and all dealing with a modern take on an old classic story. I didn’t think there was a bad story in the collection but be warned; rape of men and women are included, as is a whole lot of bad things happening to children. Technically this is a collection of horror tales, with one excellent story full of hope hidden in the middle. With only five stories in the bunch I will do something I rarely do; say a few words about each of them.
Little Dead Red by Mercedes M Yardley – An obvious allusion to a famous young girl who just wants to get to Grandma’s house but there are no happy endings to be found this time. A compelling but nasty little story about a woman’s descent into a grief induced madness as she looks for the ‘wolf’ who took her little girl. It had an absolutely chilling opening, one of the best I have read. The only downer (outside of the dark and depressing story of course) was an ending that I could have done without. Some loose ends were tied up that actually hurt the overall feel in my opinion; it was better when I didn’t know some of the things revealed within the last few paragraphs.
Nectar by Allison M Dickson – I take back what I said up top, there was a fairly weak story in this collection. A trail of breadcrumbs story if you catch my meaning; also a story of wish fulfillment gone horrible wrong. Two middle age men go on a blind double date with women who possess goddess like good looks. And then everything goes wrong for those two men as they learn about the nature of houses made of candy. It was interesting for a while but I never really bought the overall premise and it moved into some science fiction weirdness that completely lost me.
The Leopard’s Pelt by S.R. Cambridge – Completely out of place in this collection yet for me it is the highlight. The Leopards Pelt takes place around World War II; before, during, but mostly after. But it is in no way a war story. A man’s time on a deserted island brings with it a magical binding that either a blessing or curse, and it will take the whole story to find out. I have no idea what old tale this is a take off form but I sure did love it; hopeful throughout and full of heart but without a pure fairly tale ending for everyone. Good stuff, if you only read on story from this collection skip right to the middle.
Hazing Cinderella by C.W. LaSart – When the head cheerleader decides to haze her new step-sister she drags a couple of friends along. Meanwhile back at home the newly married stepmother has a few secrets of her own. This story was pure horror. No suspense, no real twists, just nasty things happening to nasty people. Easy to read, pretty good, and would probably be a great movie Carrie style but ultimately a bit forgettable.
The Night Air by Stacy Turner – A family has moved to the country just outside of a strange but quite little town. The mother discovers and old graveyard during one of her walks. The graves have a real oddity to them; the times of death are all one of two dates. Asking around in town gets her nothing but a creepy feeling. Then the real nightmare begins. Heartbreaking more than scary, though again with a touch of hope that strangely feels right. Based on a well-known old tale, but to mention it would give away everything.
The copy for review was provided by the publisher.
Little Dead Red by Mercedes M Yardley – An obvious allusion to a famous young girl who just wants to get to Grandma’s house but there are no happy endings to be found this time. A compelling but nasty little story about a woman’s descent into a grief induced madness as she looks for the ‘wolf’ who took her little girl. It had an absolutely chilling opening, one of the best I have read. The only downer (outside of the dark and depressing story of course) was an ending that I could have done without. Some loose ends were tied up that actually hurt the overall feel in my opinion; it was better when I didn’t know some of the things revealed within the last few paragraphs.
Nectar by Allison M Dickson – I take back what I said up top, there was a fairly weak story in this collection. A trail of breadcrumbs story if you catch my meaning; also a story of wish fulfillment gone horrible wrong. Two middle age men go on a blind double date with women who possess goddess like good looks. And then everything goes wrong for those two men as they learn about the nature of houses made of candy. It was interesting for a while but I never really bought the overall premise and it moved into some science fiction weirdness that completely lost me.
The Leopard’s Pelt by S.R. Cambridge – Completely out of place in this collection yet for me it is the highlight. The Leopards Pelt takes place around World War II; before, during, but mostly after. But it is in no way a war story. A man’s time on a deserted island brings with it a magical binding that either a blessing or curse, and it will take the whole story to find out. I have no idea what old tale this is a take off form but I sure did love it; hopeful throughout and full of heart but without a pure fairly tale ending for everyone. Good stuff, if you only read on story from this collection skip right to the middle.
Hazing Cinderella by C.W. LaSart – When the head cheerleader decides to haze her new step-sister she drags a couple of friends along. Meanwhile back at home the newly married stepmother has a few secrets of her own. This story was pure horror. No suspense, no real twists, just nasty things happening to nasty people. Easy to read, pretty good, and would probably be a great movie Carrie style but ultimately a bit forgettable.
The Night Air by Stacy Turner – A family has moved to the country just outside of a strange but quite little town. The mother discovers and old graveyard during one of her walks. The graves have a real oddity to them; the times of death are all one of two dates. Asking around in town gets her nothing but a creepy feeling. Then the real nightmare begins. Heartbreaking more than scary, though again with a touch of hope that strangely feels right. Based on a well-known old tale, but to mention it would give away everything.
The copy for review was provided by the publisher.
February 23, 2015
Short Take: Move over Brothers Grimm, and let the ladies show you how it’s done.
What the world does not need is more fairy-tale reboots. We already get so many retellings via movies, tv, Broadway plays, and books, do we really need another “brand-new take” on something that’s worked just fine on its own for centuries? Fairy tales are classic for a reason. They are simple stories that give us invaluable life lessons, like, if a girl is just pretty and patient enough, and silently endures whatever abuse is thrown at her, eventually, Prince Charming will ride in and whisk her away from all of it. Or if a girl wants a man to love her, she just has to change everything about herself. Or that all step-parents are monsters. Or….
You know what? Never mind. Classic fairy tales are really great stories, but they could definitely use some tweaking for the modern world. And oh my stars and garters, does Grimm Mistresses deliver on that one.
The ride kicks off with “Little Dead Red” by Mercedes M. Yardley. It’s a new version of Little Red Riding Hood, one in which the Wolf kills the poor girl, and the girl’s mother is out for vengeance. Folks, this is a dark, dark, DARK story. I loved and hated every single page. Marie’s pain cuts into the reader’s own nerve centers, and it’s so hard to experience everything that happens to her, but at the same time, I HAD to know what happened. I found out in the end, and I think I’m still a little traumatized.
Nectar by Allison M. Dickson is the kind of balls-out crazypants take on Hansel and Gretel that only she could pull off. The essentials of the story are there, but there’s also a depressed IT worker, a few futuristic pagan vampire warrior women, some really sweet emotional connections, and a handful of definite squirm-inducing ick scenes. In short, it’s Allison doing what she does best, and she is at the top of her game in this one.
The Leopard’s Pelt by S. R. Cambridge is probably my favorite story in this collection. It’s a haunting Beauty and the Beast tale that manages to keep a lovely bright thread of romance intact through all the pain and gore and suffering in the rest of the story. The 1940’s setting was pure deliciousness, and I absolutely adored Beatrice in all her frazzled, frumpy, brilliant, kind, glory.
The fourth entry is Hazing Cinderella, by C. W. LaSart. I thought the “mean girls” aspect of the story was great, and the author isn’t afraid to go down some seriously twisted roads, particularly in Jamie’s backstory. There are a few sentences there that did a number on me. But I just didn’t quite get Cinderella from Katie. I mean, I know that there are some things that are definitely not what they appear to be, but other than some of the other girls referring to Katie as Cinderella, I wasn’t feeling it. She never gave off the victim vibe (even if she was faking it) that is pretty much a requirement for Cinderella.
Finally, we have The Night Air, by Stacey Turner. I don’t want to tell which story this is based on, because I didn’t figure it out until the end, and I think it would be a spoiler to put it here. So I’ll just say that it’s a very old story that’s been tossed around with a bit of Shirley Jackson and The Twilight Zone. Marla is a young wife and mother with three very young children who just moved to a new town and is trying to make the best possible life for all of them. I was on her side throughout, but when she reclaims her birthright, she becomes selfish and complacent and distinctly unlikeable. It’s a bold move, and I had to tip my hat to Ms. Turner.
Overall, this is a fantastic collection. Read it if you like horror, fairy tales, or just excellent storytelling. And for god’s sake, if a weird old woman tells you to close the windows, you keep those windows closed.
The Nerd’s Rating: FOUR HAPPY NEURONS (and a handful of spice gumdrops.)
What the world does not need is more fairy-tale reboots. We already get so many retellings via movies, tv, Broadway plays, and books, do we really need another “brand-new take” on something that’s worked just fine on its own for centuries? Fairy tales are classic for a reason. They are simple stories that give us invaluable life lessons, like, if a girl is just pretty and patient enough, and silently endures whatever abuse is thrown at her, eventually, Prince Charming will ride in and whisk her away from all of it. Or if a girl wants a man to love her, she just has to change everything about herself. Or that all step-parents are monsters. Or….
You know what? Never mind. Classic fairy tales are really great stories, but they could definitely use some tweaking for the modern world. And oh my stars and garters, does Grimm Mistresses deliver on that one.
The ride kicks off with “Little Dead Red” by Mercedes M. Yardley. It’s a new version of Little Red Riding Hood, one in which the Wolf kills the poor girl, and the girl’s mother is out for vengeance. Folks, this is a dark, dark, DARK story. I loved and hated every single page. Marie’s pain cuts into the reader’s own nerve centers, and it’s so hard to experience everything that happens to her, but at the same time, I HAD to know what happened. I found out in the end, and I think I’m still a little traumatized.
Nectar by Allison M. Dickson is the kind of balls-out crazypants take on Hansel and Gretel that only she could pull off. The essentials of the story are there, but there’s also a depressed IT worker, a few futuristic pagan vampire warrior women, some really sweet emotional connections, and a handful of definite squirm-inducing ick scenes. In short, it’s Allison doing what she does best, and she is at the top of her game in this one.
The Leopard’s Pelt by S. R. Cambridge is probably my favorite story in this collection. It’s a haunting Beauty and the Beast tale that manages to keep a lovely bright thread of romance intact through all the pain and gore and suffering in the rest of the story. The 1940’s setting was pure deliciousness, and I absolutely adored Beatrice in all her frazzled, frumpy, brilliant, kind, glory.
The fourth entry is Hazing Cinderella, by C. W. LaSart. I thought the “mean girls” aspect of the story was great, and the author isn’t afraid to go down some seriously twisted roads, particularly in Jamie’s backstory. There are a few sentences there that did a number on me. But I just didn’t quite get Cinderella from Katie. I mean, I know that there are some things that are definitely not what they appear to be, but other than some of the other girls referring to Katie as Cinderella, I wasn’t feeling it. She never gave off the victim vibe (even if she was faking it) that is pretty much a requirement for Cinderella.
Finally, we have The Night Air, by Stacey Turner. I don’t want to tell which story this is based on, because I didn’t figure it out until the end, and I think it would be a spoiler to put it here. So I’ll just say that it’s a very old story that’s been tossed around with a bit of Shirley Jackson and The Twilight Zone. Marla is a young wife and mother with three very young children who just moved to a new town and is trying to make the best possible life for all of them. I was on her side throughout, but when she reclaims her birthright, she becomes selfish and complacent and distinctly unlikeable. It’s a bold move, and I had to tip my hat to Ms. Turner.
Overall, this is a fantastic collection. Read it if you like horror, fairy tales, or just excellent storytelling. And for god’s sake, if a weird old woman tells you to close the windows, you keep those windows closed.
The Nerd’s Rating: FOUR HAPPY NEURONS (and a handful of spice gumdrops.)
February 23, 2015
Title fits the tone. There is some dark material here. In this collection of stories by female writers the standouts are "Little Dead Red" from Mercedes Yardley and "Hazing Cinderella.There is some dark material here. In this collection of stories by female writers the standouts are "Little Dead Red" from Mercedes Yardley and "Hazing Cinderella " by CW Lesart. In Yardley's take on Red Riding Hood, she shows us the depths of despair loss guilt can drive a person to. Lesart's story is gory and fun. I went out and found more from her just because of this story. The other stories are almost as good as these.
August 26, 2015
Little Dead Red:
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
This was super sad. I never ever suspected who the murderer was either. I felt so bad for Marie. I'll have to check out more from this author for sure.
Nectar:
⭐️⭐️⭐️
This was weird and gives me shudders lol. Cannibals always give me the creeps. I did like the way it ended though.
The Leopard's Pelt:
⭐️⭐️⭐️
This was probably my least favorite in the anthology. It was kind of boring and I kept trying to figure out what fairy tale it was suppose to resemble.
Hazing Cinderella:
⭐️⭐️⭐️
This was like a succubus Cinderella lol. It was a little short and didn't feel fleshed out well enough for me.
The Night Air:
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
This was my favorite! While very dark and sad it was totally riveting. The author did an amazing job making you identify with the characters which isn't easy when it's a short story like this. I will be looking for more of this author's work for sure.
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
This was super sad. I never ever suspected who the murderer was either. I felt so bad for Marie. I'll have to check out more from this author for sure.
Nectar:
⭐️⭐️⭐️
This was weird and gives me shudders lol. Cannibals always give me the creeps. I did like the way it ended though.
The Leopard's Pelt:
⭐️⭐️⭐️
This was probably my least favorite in the anthology. It was kind of boring and I kept trying to figure out what fairy tale it was suppose to resemble.
Hazing Cinderella:
⭐️⭐️⭐️
This was like a succubus Cinderella lol. It was a little short and didn't feel fleshed out well enough for me.
The Night Air:
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
This was my favorite! While very dark and sad it was totally riveting. The author did an amazing job making you identify with the characters which isn't easy when it's a short story like this. I will be looking for more of this author's work for sure.
March 4, 2015
Ragnarok Publications has gathered five short novellas and bundled them together, a collection based on Grimm's fairy tales. A modern take written from five women. Horror stories filled with rape, murder, torture, violence, hope, & despair. Not for the faint of heart but they will keep you turning the pages.
Little Dead Red by Merecedes M. Yardley is a short novellas about a child who loses her way while attempting to visit her grandmother. It is also about a mother who will do anything to find out what happened. Equal parts fairy tale and murder mystery. The big reveal in the final few pages had me slapping my forehead. One of those, should have seen it coming, which makes it all the more enjoyable.
Nectar by Allison M. Dickinson is the oddest story in this collection though that's not to say that it was written poorly. A twist on Hansel & Gretel with a little bit of Science Fiction thrown in as well. This one is hard to describe without spoiling the story. It is the most horrific of all the stories in this anthology. I had to set the book down at one point because I was grossed out. I didn't really know where this story was going on. It's not my favourite but it was definitely entertaining and surprising.
The Leopard's Belt by S. R. Cambridge is probably my favourite story in this entire collection. A soldier stranded on an island with a beast. A deal with the devil: seven years of poverty in exchange for unlimited wealth. "You would tell no one your name. And you would have to do only kindness, only good. If you do all these things, for seven years, I will give your soul back to you."
Hazing Cinderella by C.W. LaSart was creepy fun. Dark and twisted. It's exactly the kind of modern take on a traditional fairy tale that one would expect to find in an anthology like this one. And that is not a bad thing nor is it a complaint.
The Night Air by Stacey Turner is a kind of haunted house story blended in with a traditional fairy tale. I won't tell you which story this one adapts and expands upon. It's more fun if you just walk into it without any knowledge. It did give me some goosebumps.
These stories are all entertaining adaptations of traditional fairy tales. Just like the Brothers Grimm, there is a lesson to be learned at the end of each of these stories. And just like in the original stories, it is usually learned too late, the damage already done.
It's March and this is already a collection that I'll be keeping on the top of my best of 2015 list. Highly recommend you pick this up. You can purchase it directly from their website.
Little Dead Red by Merecedes M. Yardley is a short novellas about a child who loses her way while attempting to visit her grandmother. It is also about a mother who will do anything to find out what happened. Equal parts fairy tale and murder mystery. The big reveal in the final few pages had me slapping my forehead. One of those, should have seen it coming, which makes it all the more enjoyable.
Nectar by Allison M. Dickinson is the oddest story in this collection though that's not to say that it was written poorly. A twist on Hansel & Gretel with a little bit of Science Fiction thrown in as well. This one is hard to describe without spoiling the story. It is the most horrific of all the stories in this anthology. I had to set the book down at one point because I was grossed out. I didn't really know where this story was going on. It's not my favourite but it was definitely entertaining and surprising.
The Leopard's Belt by S. R. Cambridge is probably my favourite story in this entire collection. A soldier stranded on an island with a beast. A deal with the devil: seven years of poverty in exchange for unlimited wealth. "You would tell no one your name. And you would have to do only kindness, only good. If you do all these things, for seven years, I will give your soul back to you."
Hazing Cinderella by C.W. LaSart was creepy fun. Dark and twisted. It's exactly the kind of modern take on a traditional fairy tale that one would expect to find in an anthology like this one. And that is not a bad thing nor is it a complaint.
The Night Air by Stacey Turner is a kind of haunted house story blended in with a traditional fairy tale. I won't tell you which story this one adapts and expands upon. It's more fun if you just walk into it without any knowledge. It did give me some goosebumps.
These stories are all entertaining adaptations of traditional fairy tales. Just like the Brothers Grimm, there is a lesson to be learned at the end of each of these stories. And just like in the original stories, it is usually learned too late, the damage already done.
It's March and this is already a collection that I'll be keeping on the top of my best of 2015 list. Highly recommend you pick this up. You can purchase it directly from their website.
February 27, 2015
With this being Women in Horror Month, Ragnarok Publications’ imprint Angelic Knight Press has released the anthology, Grimm Mistresses. Upon hearing about this I became very excited, what with five female writers showcasing their talents with stories that run in the vein of the legendary Brothers Grimm.
Beyond the beautiful cover done by Brittany Smith lies the talents of Mercedes M. Yardley, Allison M. Dickson, S.R. Cambridge, C.W. LaSart and Stacy Turner.
Mercedes M. Yardley’s “Little Dead Red” is an absolute roller coaster ride of emotions that I believe the Brothers Grimm would have happily stood in line for. The main character, Marie has suffered horrible loss and goes to extreme measures to bring down a “wolf” that we all fear and hope we’re never confronted with. During most of the story I was left wondering what sort of dark ally I was being taken down and scared to see what I would encounter. But Mercedes has a way of taking your hand, making you trust her and wanting to know what lies around each corner.
Allison M. Dickson’s “Nectar” was my least favorite. While starting out with much promise it fell in a direction that I’ve read so many times in the past of an all female society. It’s not that I have issues with that, but I don’t feel the story had enough of a unique voice to really make it stand on it’s own.
“The Leopard’s Pelt” is one of the first stories from S.R. Cambridge and is beautifully written. While not scary, it does put the main character Henry in a unique position of choosing between being killed by a leopard that inhabits the island he’s been stranded on during World War II or accepting a seven year challenge. At the heart is a love story of two people who, while in separate places in their lives, grow and find one another.
“Hazing Cinderella” by C.W. Lasart is my second favorite story in this anthology and is a no holds barred look at what can happen when a step-mom and her daughter, who may not really be mother and daughter, and who both have special talents, move in with Don and his daughter Jamie. But when the daughters don’t get along, it causes the women to speed up their plans.
“The Night Air” by Stacy Turner is another good story and plays on the Pied Piper story we’ve all heard. While heartbreaking at times, Turner does well to build up the character’s emotions, especially with Marla. I really enjoyed the direction the story went in. It was well thought out and written.
Beyond the beautiful cover done by Brittany Smith lies the talents of Mercedes M. Yardley, Allison M. Dickson, S.R. Cambridge, C.W. LaSart and Stacy Turner.
Mercedes M. Yardley’s “Little Dead Red” is an absolute roller coaster ride of emotions that I believe the Brothers Grimm would have happily stood in line for. The main character, Marie has suffered horrible loss and goes to extreme measures to bring down a “wolf” that we all fear and hope we’re never confronted with. During most of the story I was left wondering what sort of dark ally I was being taken down and scared to see what I would encounter. But Mercedes has a way of taking your hand, making you trust her and wanting to know what lies around each corner.
Allison M. Dickson’s “Nectar” was my least favorite. While starting out with much promise it fell in a direction that I’ve read so many times in the past of an all female society. It’s not that I have issues with that, but I don’t feel the story had enough of a unique voice to really make it stand on it’s own.
“The Leopard’s Pelt” is one of the first stories from S.R. Cambridge and is beautifully written. While not scary, it does put the main character Henry in a unique position of choosing between being killed by a leopard that inhabits the island he’s been stranded on during World War II or accepting a seven year challenge. At the heart is a love story of two people who, while in separate places in their lives, grow and find one another.
“Hazing Cinderella” by C.W. Lasart is my second favorite story in this anthology and is a no holds barred look at what can happen when a step-mom and her daughter, who may not really be mother and daughter, and who both have special talents, move in with Don and his daughter Jamie. But when the daughters don’t get along, it causes the women to speed up their plans.
“The Night Air” by Stacy Turner is another good story and plays on the Pied Piper story we’ve all heard. While heartbreaking at times, Turner does well to build up the character’s emotions, especially with Marla. I really enjoyed the direction the story went in. It was well thought out and written.
February 25, 2015
This collection of fairy tales is far from the sanitized versions we are used to seeing in today's media. From big bad wolves to nectar seeping goddesses, spirits of leopards, witches with fierce lusts and things that haunt the night wind, these tales are not for the faint hearted.
1.) Little Dead Red – Mercedes M. Yardley
2.) Nectar – Allison M. Dickson
3.) The Leopard’s Pelt – S.R. Cambridge
4.) Hazing Cinderella – C.W. LaSart
5.) The Night Air – Stacey Turner
I enjoyed every single one of these dark jewels but my absolute favorite was Little Dead Red by Mercedes M. Yardley. An original re-write of the Red Riding Hood tale, you won't expect the ending of this twisted little story.
Nectar was a fantastical trip into the witches lair-futuristic style. Loved it!
The Leopard's Pelt was an exercise in the strength and weaknesses in all of us. Great story!
Hazing Cinderella was bold, sexy and diabolically thrilling. The raw imagery was page turning. Excellent read!
The Night Air is every parents' nightmare. When children go missing how do you live your life? I too was waiting for a lottery to appear. It reminded me of Victoria Holt novels and I was enveloped in no time.
1.) Little Dead Red – Mercedes M. Yardley
2.) Nectar – Allison M. Dickson
3.) The Leopard’s Pelt – S.R. Cambridge
4.) Hazing Cinderella – C.W. LaSart
5.) The Night Air – Stacey Turner
I enjoyed every single one of these dark jewels but my absolute favorite was Little Dead Red by Mercedes M. Yardley. An original re-write of the Red Riding Hood tale, you won't expect the ending of this twisted little story.
Nectar was a fantastical trip into the witches lair-futuristic style. Loved it!
The Leopard's Pelt was an exercise in the strength and weaknesses in all of us. Great story!
Hazing Cinderella was bold, sexy and diabolically thrilling. The raw imagery was page turning. Excellent read!
The Night Air is every parents' nightmare. When children go missing how do you live your life? I too was waiting for a lottery to appear. It reminded me of Victoria Holt novels and I was enveloped in no time.
April 17, 2015
The best-selling book lists might include the fairy tales of Brothers Grimm, but I believe they are the most famous stories out there. However, these old fairy tales hold not only fame, but also a power of transformation, they become something else while we journey from our childhood into adult life. They begin to reveal more than happy endings and merriment, their content becomes much darker. Of course, with modern entertainment spinning them into something new their power of transformation is enhanced. “Grimm Mistresses” aims for such changes, taking five fairy tales and giving them a new life, but without losing their dark core in the process.
My full review: http://darkwolfsfantasyreviews.blogsp...
My full review: http://darkwolfsfantasyreviews.blogsp...
January 8, 2016
Quite a nice little collection of horror stories, this one. Weirdly, the two stories I liked the best were the most disparate ones in the collection, "Little Red Dead" and "The Leopard's Pelt". The first is really gruesome, nihilistic and outright harsh on the senses, while the second one is not really a horror story as it's too hopeful. Definitely worth a read though, but perhaps not at night and especially not if you are worried about the little children and whether they will still be there in the morning.
March 24, 2015
I liked only 2 stories, Little Dead Red" by Mercedes M. Yardley and "Hazing Cinderella" by C.W. LaSart.
The last was the best. I would give the last one 5 stars, Little Dead Red 4.
The others I did not like, no stars.
So what should I give this book? Hmmmm, ok, only for the 2 I like, 3 stars.
The last was the best. I would give the last one 5 stars, Little Dead Red 4.
The others I did not like, no stars.
So what should I give this book? Hmmmm, ok, only for the 2 I like, 3 stars.
March 4, 2015
Originally published at Risingshadow.
We have always been captivated by dark fairy tales and dark bedtime stories. The fairy tales written by the Brothers Grimm are among the best and darkest fairy tales ever written, especially in their original and uncensored form. They're well-known and respected fairy tales that have quite a lot of darkness and style in them.
What is it that makes us admire these old fairy tales by the Brothers Grimm? Is it the captivating darkness of the stories? Or is it the threatening atmosphere of them? Or is it something else altogether? No matter what makes us admire and love them, they're classic fairy tales and we have come to love them. Some of us have even written our own modern versions of them.
In this anthology five talented female authors show their admiration and love to these old fairy tales. Mercedes M. Yardley, Allison M. Dickson, S. R. Cambridge, C. W. LaSart and Stacey Turner have written their own amazing dark fantasy and horror flavoured fairy tales based on them. Their modern visions of these old fairy tales will seduce the readers with deliciously macabre happenings, chilling atmosphere and originality.
Grimm Mistresses contains the following stories:
- Little Dead Red by Mercedes M. Yardley
- Nectar by Allison M. Dickson
- The Leopard's Pelt by S. R. Cambridge
- Hazing Cinderella by C. W. LaSart
- The Night Air by Stacey Turner
Because these stories contain plenty of adult material and shocking scenes, a word of warning may be in order: These stories are not fairy tales for children! They're dark and twisted stories for adults.
Here's a bit more information these stories and my thoughts about them:
Little Dead Red by Mercedes M. Yardley:
- This story is an amazing version of Little Red Riding Hood.
- This is a beautifully written story about Marie and how her life changes. It's a story of murder and a mother's quest for vengeance.
- The author has a wonderfully literary writing style and she writes well about Marie's feelings for her daughter. What Marie has to go through is both grim and shocking.
- An excellent story.
Nectar by Allison M. Dickson:
- A brilliant story about two men who go on a blind date with two women. Suddenly something goes wrong and the men find themselves in trouble.
- I'm not exactly sure which of the old fairy tales has been a source of inspiration to this story, but I think it may have been Hansel and Gretel, because this story has a few elements that can be found in Hansel and Gretel. It's possible to categorize this story as a bizarre and twisted version of Hansel and Gretel.
- A powerful story that is difficult to forget.
The Leopard's Pelt by S. R. Cambridge:
- In this well written story Henry Lowery, Gunner's Mate, is on a deserted island. He meets a leopard and makes a deal with the animal.
- It's interesting that the events in this story take place around World War II, because not many this kind of stories take place during WWII.
- The author writes well about Henry's life and what happens to him.
- A satisfying and well written story.
Hazing Cinderella by C. W. LaSart:
- This story is an interesting and surprisingly violent take on the Cinderella fairy tale.
- The author writes fluently and shockingly about what happens when teenage girls try to haze Katie, because Katie is not a normal kind of a teenager.
- I loved this story, because it was a fantastically twisted version of Cinderella full of raw and untamed power. This story reminded me a bit of Stephen King's Carrie.
- An excellent and wonderfully twisted story.
The Night Air by Stacey Turner:
- In this mesmerizing story a family has moved to live in a new area, because the parents want to raise their children in a safe place. One day the mother finds a graveyard and is puzzled by what she has found.
- It takes a bit of time to figure out which fairy tale this story is based on, but everything will be revealed at the end (the ending is worth waiting for).
- A captivating and well written story.
These five diverse stories are excellent stories that will fascinate and shock you. The authors have written original stories based on old fairy tales and have made sure that their stories differ from other new dark fantasy and horror stories.
There's enough dark happenings, surprises, sex and violence in these stories to please many horror readers and fans of dark fantasy. I was personally very pleased and satisfied with these dark stories, because I've always loved this kind of dark stories (there's something in this kind of stories that stimulates my imagination).
It's possible that it may take a while for some readers to warm up to these stories, but I can guarantee that once you warm up to them, you'll enjoy reading them. I can mention that it's been a while since I've been this excited about this kind of an anthology, because these five stories form a unique and unforgettable reading experience for adult readers who love the darker side of speculative fiction. There's something wonderfully chilling and unsettling in these stories that will satisfy many horror fans.
I was amazed at how original, diverse and beautifully written these stories were. Each author had come up with an original and unique story and paid attention to the atmosphere and details, which is great.
I give this anthology full five stars on the scale from one to five stars, because I was impressed by all the stories. I read these stories over a course of five days, because I wanted to enjoy each story separately from the others. When I had finished reading them, I re-read them in one sitting, because I wanted to see how it felt to read them again. When I had re-read them, I couldn't help but be impressed by them, because they were excellent stories.
In my opinion Mercedes M. Yardley, Allison M. Dickson, S. R. Cambridge, C. W. LaSart and Stacey Turner are authors to watch. I'm already familiar with Mercedes M. Yardley, because I've read a couple of novels written by her, but I'm not familiar with the other authors, so I'm tempted to take a look at what they have written.
I could write a lot more about these stories, but I think I've already praised them enough, so it's time to write the final words of this review.
If you're a fan of fairy tales, dark fantasy, horror and good storytelling, you should take a look at Grimm Mistresses, because it contains good and well written stories. It's one of the best anthologies of its kind and deserves to be read by readers who appreciate dark stories. Grimm Mistresses may not be to everyone's liking because of its dark and twisted contents, but it's perfect escapism for dark fantasy and horror readers.
My final words are:
This dark fairy tale anthology is an excellent anthology for dark fantasy and horror readers!
We have always been captivated by dark fairy tales and dark bedtime stories. The fairy tales written by the Brothers Grimm are among the best and darkest fairy tales ever written, especially in their original and uncensored form. They're well-known and respected fairy tales that have quite a lot of darkness and style in them.
What is it that makes us admire these old fairy tales by the Brothers Grimm? Is it the captivating darkness of the stories? Or is it the threatening atmosphere of them? Or is it something else altogether? No matter what makes us admire and love them, they're classic fairy tales and we have come to love them. Some of us have even written our own modern versions of them.
In this anthology five talented female authors show their admiration and love to these old fairy tales. Mercedes M. Yardley, Allison M. Dickson, S. R. Cambridge, C. W. LaSart and Stacey Turner have written their own amazing dark fantasy and horror flavoured fairy tales based on them. Their modern visions of these old fairy tales will seduce the readers with deliciously macabre happenings, chilling atmosphere and originality.
Grimm Mistresses contains the following stories:
- Little Dead Red by Mercedes M. Yardley
- Nectar by Allison M. Dickson
- The Leopard's Pelt by S. R. Cambridge
- Hazing Cinderella by C. W. LaSart
- The Night Air by Stacey Turner
Because these stories contain plenty of adult material and shocking scenes, a word of warning may be in order: These stories are not fairy tales for children! They're dark and twisted stories for adults.
Here's a bit more information these stories and my thoughts about them:
Little Dead Red by Mercedes M. Yardley:
- This story is an amazing version of Little Red Riding Hood.
- This is a beautifully written story about Marie and how her life changes. It's a story of murder and a mother's quest for vengeance.
- The author has a wonderfully literary writing style and she writes well about Marie's feelings for her daughter. What Marie has to go through is both grim and shocking.
- An excellent story.
Nectar by Allison M. Dickson:
- A brilliant story about two men who go on a blind date with two women. Suddenly something goes wrong and the men find themselves in trouble.
- I'm not exactly sure which of the old fairy tales has been a source of inspiration to this story, but I think it may have been Hansel and Gretel, because this story has a few elements that can be found in Hansel and Gretel. It's possible to categorize this story as a bizarre and twisted version of Hansel and Gretel.
- A powerful story that is difficult to forget.
The Leopard's Pelt by S. R. Cambridge:
- In this well written story Henry Lowery, Gunner's Mate, is on a deserted island. He meets a leopard and makes a deal with the animal.
- It's interesting that the events in this story take place around World War II, because not many this kind of stories take place during WWII.
- The author writes well about Henry's life and what happens to him.
- A satisfying and well written story.
Hazing Cinderella by C. W. LaSart:
- This story is an interesting and surprisingly violent take on the Cinderella fairy tale.
- The author writes fluently and shockingly about what happens when teenage girls try to haze Katie, because Katie is not a normal kind of a teenager.
- I loved this story, because it was a fantastically twisted version of Cinderella full of raw and untamed power. This story reminded me a bit of Stephen King's Carrie.
- An excellent and wonderfully twisted story.
The Night Air by Stacey Turner:
- In this mesmerizing story a family has moved to live in a new area, because the parents want to raise their children in a safe place. One day the mother finds a graveyard and is puzzled by what she has found.
- It takes a bit of time to figure out which fairy tale this story is based on, but everything will be revealed at the end (the ending is worth waiting for).
- A captivating and well written story.
These five diverse stories are excellent stories that will fascinate and shock you. The authors have written original stories based on old fairy tales and have made sure that their stories differ from other new dark fantasy and horror stories.
There's enough dark happenings, surprises, sex and violence in these stories to please many horror readers and fans of dark fantasy. I was personally very pleased and satisfied with these dark stories, because I've always loved this kind of dark stories (there's something in this kind of stories that stimulates my imagination).
It's possible that it may take a while for some readers to warm up to these stories, but I can guarantee that once you warm up to them, you'll enjoy reading them. I can mention that it's been a while since I've been this excited about this kind of an anthology, because these five stories form a unique and unforgettable reading experience for adult readers who love the darker side of speculative fiction. There's something wonderfully chilling and unsettling in these stories that will satisfy many horror fans.
I was amazed at how original, diverse and beautifully written these stories were. Each author had come up with an original and unique story and paid attention to the atmosphere and details, which is great.
I give this anthology full five stars on the scale from one to five stars, because I was impressed by all the stories. I read these stories over a course of five days, because I wanted to enjoy each story separately from the others. When I had finished reading them, I re-read them in one sitting, because I wanted to see how it felt to read them again. When I had re-read them, I couldn't help but be impressed by them, because they were excellent stories.
In my opinion Mercedes M. Yardley, Allison M. Dickson, S. R. Cambridge, C. W. LaSart and Stacey Turner are authors to watch. I'm already familiar with Mercedes M. Yardley, because I've read a couple of novels written by her, but I'm not familiar with the other authors, so I'm tempted to take a look at what they have written.
I could write a lot more about these stories, but I think I've already praised them enough, so it's time to write the final words of this review.
If you're a fan of fairy tales, dark fantasy, horror and good storytelling, you should take a look at Grimm Mistresses, because it contains good and well written stories. It's one of the best anthologies of its kind and deserves to be read by readers who appreciate dark stories. Grimm Mistresses may not be to everyone's liking because of its dark and twisted contents, but it's perfect escapism for dark fantasy and horror readers.
My final words are:
This dark fairy tale anthology is an excellent anthology for dark fantasy and horror readers!
March 24, 2015
Horror is not my genre. I used to love reading Stephen King as a teenager, and I went to a few horror films (and a few that weren't labelled as 'horror' but clearly are).... but, as I got older, I realized that real life can be scarier than fiction and stopped reading the genre. So, when a friend who knows some of the authors asked me to read this book, I agreed, reluctantly. So, I was given an ARC (advanced reader copy) before publication date and I told myself to read it before, but......
So, I finally had a day when I could start it in the daytime (because I just can't read horror after dark), and some happy romantic short stories/novellas lined up to intersperse if it got too heavy. My loins thus girded, I started reading the stories.
The first story "Little Dead Red", by Mercedes Yardley, is gut-wrenching, horrible (in the sense that the events in the story are horrific), but the writing is brilliant. I finished it, absolutely stunned. It's the kind of story that made me want to curl into a fetal position and sob for hours, and also go running into the streets with copies and telling unsuspecting passersby, "You MUST read this story." I was spent and ruined after reading it.
"Nectar," by Allison M. Dickson is another excellent story. Not as gut-wrenching as "Little Dead Red," but that's a good thing. I'm not sure I could've continued reading the anthology if it was. It was a delightfully creepy story, full of time and space travel, dystopian futures ruled by women.
"The Leopard's Pelt," by S. R. Cambridge, was delightful. Not scary, not spooky, not even horrific. As the middle story, it was placed perfectly to give you a safe haven before you get back to the spooky. I loved this story, too.
"Hazing Cinderella" by CW LaSart was a creepy twist on Cinderella. Think 'Carrie-before-Cinderella-goes-to-the-ball,' and you'll have a slight idea of what to expect. Well written and creepy.
"The Night Air" by Stacey Turner was the perfect bookend for Mercedes Yardley's opening story. In some ways, they are parallel stories, but with vastly different outcomes. Another one that made me want to curl up--and then hug my boys (not that my high schooler would tolerate it for long, but .....)
If you like creepy, psychological horror, this is the collection for you. If you don't like horror, but don't mind the occasional reminder, read this book.
So, I finally had a day when I could start it in the daytime (because I just can't read horror after dark), and some happy romantic short stories/novellas lined up to intersperse if it got too heavy. My loins thus girded, I started reading the stories.
The first story "Little Dead Red", by Mercedes Yardley, is gut-wrenching, horrible (in the sense that the events in the story are horrific), but the writing is brilliant. I finished it, absolutely stunned. It's the kind of story that made me want to curl into a fetal position and sob for hours, and also go running into the streets with copies and telling unsuspecting passersby, "You MUST read this story." I was spent and ruined after reading it.
"Nectar," by Allison M. Dickson is another excellent story. Not as gut-wrenching as "Little Dead Red," but that's a good thing. I'm not sure I could've continued reading the anthology if it was. It was a delightfully creepy story, full of time and space travel, dystopian futures ruled by women.
"The Leopard's Pelt," by S. R. Cambridge, was delightful. Not scary, not spooky, not even horrific. As the middle story, it was placed perfectly to give you a safe haven before you get back to the spooky. I loved this story, too.
"Hazing Cinderella" by CW LaSart was a creepy twist on Cinderella. Think 'Carrie-before-Cinderella-goes-to-the-ball,' and you'll have a slight idea of what to expect. Well written and creepy.
"The Night Air" by Stacey Turner was the perfect bookend for Mercedes Yardley's opening story. In some ways, they are parallel stories, but with vastly different outcomes. Another one that made me want to curl up--and then hug my boys (not that my high schooler would tolerate it for long, but .....)
If you like creepy, psychological horror, this is the collection for you. If you don't like horror, but don't mind the occasional reminder, read this book.
April 14, 2015
I bought this book for two reasons: I love anthologies, as they give me a chance to sample new authors. The other reason was that one of the tales, "Little Dead Red," was authored by Mercedes M. Yardley, who is quickly becoming a permanent fixture in my top five list of "must have" authors in the horror genre. This book does follow what seems to be a current trend, which is to pick up on some aspect of a well-known fairy tale and take it to very dark places. All of the authors succeed at their assigned task, none so well as Ms Yardley. I found this to be a very fast read as all the stories move along quite nicely. I'm not going to try to summarize all of them; I leave it to the reader to discover for him/herself.
I would have given the book five stars, but I held back on the fifth because it seemed that a couple of the authors could have gone deeper and into further development while remaining in the short story format.
I can't say it's a "must have" (unless you are a Yardley fan as am I), but this is a nice little addition to one's horror collection.
I would have given the book five stars, but I held back on the fifth because it seemed that a couple of the authors could have gone deeper and into further development while remaining in the short story format.
I can't say it's a "must have" (unless you are a Yardley fan as am I), but this is a nice little addition to one's horror collection.
May 1, 2015
I did not enjoy this book. As a fan of the Grimm brothers, I came to this book expecting perhaps an updated version of the original fairy tales...with a bit more of a gothic feel. What I did NOT expect was the sexuality and language within the stories.
I suggest if you are thinking about reading this book, go ahead...but be warned, it is NOT like the original stories.
I suggest if you are thinking about reading this book, go ahead...but be warned, it is NOT like the original stories.
April 5, 2015
The stories are of varying quality, but for the most part are quite good.
August 15, 2015
Well told macabre stories. A great, spooky read.
September 11, 2015
I'll be honest, I seized this book as a new formed Mercedes M Yardley addict. A second read of "Pretty Little Dead Girls" left me so hungry for more I'd probably pay to read Ms Yardley's shopping lists. A quick trawl through the amazon pages threw up this anthology as the best (indeed in the midst of a publishing hiatus the only) source of my next fix. To see a novella length short story lurking in this admirable anthology of fairy tales would have been enough to lure me in to the purchase, even if every other short story in it been Fifty Shades of Grey fan-fiction. In fact the other four stories were of an extremely high and enthralling quality so that the whole volume comfortably fitted into a working week of rather dark bedtime reading.
The premise of Grimm Mistresses is to have five female authors put an unconventional spin on some much loved Grimm's fairy tales. The result is a handful of very diverse stories that are most certainly not for children (unless perhaps the child in question was Wednesday Addams).
With some the original Grimm inspiration is more obvious than others - though it is possible that some picked a more obscure tale than others. For example, The Leopard's Pelt - fascinating and well written as it was - triggered no tremor of Grimm resonance in my admittedly under-read mind - unless that is, the Swiss Family Robinson were a Grimm tale. With all that, the stories still twist in quite convention defying ways.
Little Dead Red by Mercedes M Yardley
But let us start with the story that brought me to this book. "Little Dead Red" by Mercedes M. Yardley. Ms Yardley said of the story "I think that's the darkest thing I've ever written. It was tough to write..." This is a woman who routinely writes of serial killers, of death and mayhem all in a light lyrical prose that teeters on a tightrope above the abyss of hell. A woman who coined a term not so much convention defying as convention defining in the phrase "whimsical horror." So if this is the darkest thing she has ever written then know it will send shivers so deep your bones will tremble for days.
That is not to say this is horrific, there is no gratuitous gore, only a glimpse of real credible people, broken people who a cruel fate has not yet finished with. A guilt laden parent's harrowing search for redemption at any price. The writing is perfect. Economical lines that build vibrant pictures in the reader's mind, images that remain long after the story is finished - burned into the retina of the imagination. "...the flash of red Converse looking like fire flowing up the steps."
There was a film my wife and I watched once and she swore she could never watch it again. The film was Wolfcreek, set in the Australian outback and based on true events. It centred on a very bad man and the three foolish young backpackers who fell into his power. It was brilliantly convincing, the bad guy's contempt for humanity horrifically credible. It was just too good at doing what it did to bear a second viewing.
Little Dead Red evoked for me that same intensity of emotion in a story that haunts me as few others have, though I will tease and torture myself by picking at a few lines here and there and maybe, one day, I will be brave enough to read it all again.
Nectar by Allison M. Dickson
Henry goes on an unwise double date with his co-worker Greg. The fairy tale reference begins with the choice of names and becomes more overt as the date descends into and beyond a strangely depraved disaster.
The writing conjures up the jaded faded echo of a man that is Henry. His bleak black outlook on life bleeding out with every cynical thought we share. "I can tolerate a friendly dinner and head home, where Netflix, the only partner yet to disappoint me, awaits." This is a man who contemplated putting a bullet in his head but in searching the internet for the best shot to take instead "became distracted enough by irrelevant YouTube videos that the idea of suicide lost most of its allure."
However, when his unusual date draws him into a bizarre kind of honey trap, he finds a desire to carve out a new life for himself, before somebody does it for him ... or to him.
The Leopard's Pelt - S.R.Cambridge
This has the feel of a fairy tale, a promise extracted under duress which condemns a stranded sailor to an impossible quest. Henry Lowry, with his ship sunk beneath him by the Japanese, washes up on a deserted island haunted by something so dark that even the tress would have fled if they could but move.
Not since Tom Hanks was Cast Away with just a painted volleyball for a co-star has a story needed such a compelling central character to sustain it, and Cambridge delivers in the person of Henry Lowry. The shipwrecked sailor is vividly portrayed in the opening segment of this compact three part story. His childhood poverty; his love of stories heard through the charity of a kindly librarian; an unspent coin; the sadness of his last liaison before he went to war - a woman who never intended to wait for him. A man unlucky in all ways who deserves a better chance and a better mistress than the one fate gifts him.
Hazing Cinderella - C.W.LaSart
We are used to the wicked step mom with her dreadful daughters who persecute and enslave the poor little Cinderella. But what if Cinderella were the step-mom's daughter or indeed something older and more primal than a mere daughter. Neil Gaiman's "Ocean at the End of the Lane" had a charming trio of women possessed of strange powers, in communion with other worlds and in someway ageless. They too were woman whom you crossed at your peril, but Step-mom Diane and her daughter Katie are definitely two women you would not want to fuck with.
LaSart treads the line between sex and violence with the steady footedness of many a teen horror flick. The author darts to one side and then the other as a night heady with lust and vengeance goes decidedly tits up.
The Night Air - Stacey Turner
The anthology ends with another story about parenting. Marla the graphic designer and husband Nick are moving out of Chicago together with their three children.
The town of Hubble seems at first like a kind of Amish Stepford - an abhorrence of technology and an adherence to secret ways by its leading citizens foster suspicion in the reader, if not in the lead character. But then, as readers of such fiction, we are more conditioned to doubt, to seeing malignance in the benign, than the characters we read about.
Like a good horror story, the little pebbles of disaster are dislodged piece by piece until there is enough to trigger an avalanche and in the end, for all that she left the Windy City behind her, it is the wind which haunts Marla with its soft whispering breath.
The premise of Grimm Mistresses is to have five female authors put an unconventional spin on some much loved Grimm's fairy tales. The result is a handful of very diverse stories that are most certainly not for children (unless perhaps the child in question was Wednesday Addams).
With some the original Grimm inspiration is more obvious than others - though it is possible that some picked a more obscure tale than others. For example, The Leopard's Pelt - fascinating and well written as it was - triggered no tremor of Grimm resonance in my admittedly under-read mind - unless that is, the Swiss Family Robinson were a Grimm tale. With all that, the stories still twist in quite convention defying ways.
Little Dead Red by Mercedes M Yardley
But let us start with the story that brought me to this book. "Little Dead Red" by Mercedes M. Yardley. Ms Yardley said of the story "I think that's the darkest thing I've ever written. It was tough to write..." This is a woman who routinely writes of serial killers, of death and mayhem all in a light lyrical prose that teeters on a tightrope above the abyss of hell. A woman who coined a term not so much convention defying as convention defining in the phrase "whimsical horror." So if this is the darkest thing she has ever written then know it will send shivers so deep your bones will tremble for days.
That is not to say this is horrific, there is no gratuitous gore, only a glimpse of real credible people, broken people who a cruel fate has not yet finished with. A guilt laden parent's harrowing search for redemption at any price. The writing is perfect. Economical lines that build vibrant pictures in the reader's mind, images that remain long after the story is finished - burned into the retina of the imagination. "...the flash of red Converse looking like fire flowing up the steps."
There was a film my wife and I watched once and she swore she could never watch it again. The film was Wolfcreek, set in the Australian outback and based on true events. It centred on a very bad man and the three foolish young backpackers who fell into his power. It was brilliantly convincing, the bad guy's contempt for humanity horrifically credible. It was just too good at doing what it did to bear a second viewing.
Little Dead Red evoked for me that same intensity of emotion in a story that haunts me as few others have, though I will tease and torture myself by picking at a few lines here and there and maybe, one day, I will be brave enough to read it all again.
Nectar by Allison M. Dickson
Henry goes on an unwise double date with his co-worker Greg. The fairy tale reference begins with the choice of names and becomes more overt as the date descends into and beyond a strangely depraved disaster.
The writing conjures up the jaded faded echo of a man that is Henry. His bleak black outlook on life bleeding out with every cynical thought we share. "I can tolerate a friendly dinner and head home, where Netflix, the only partner yet to disappoint me, awaits." This is a man who contemplated putting a bullet in his head but in searching the internet for the best shot to take instead "became distracted enough by irrelevant YouTube videos that the idea of suicide lost most of its allure."
However, when his unusual date draws him into a bizarre kind of honey trap, he finds a desire to carve out a new life for himself, before somebody does it for him ... or to him.
The Leopard's Pelt - S.R.Cambridge
This has the feel of a fairy tale, a promise extracted under duress which condemns a stranded sailor to an impossible quest. Henry Lowry, with his ship sunk beneath him by the Japanese, washes up on a deserted island haunted by something so dark that even the tress would have fled if they could but move.
Not since Tom Hanks was Cast Away with just a painted volleyball for a co-star has a story needed such a compelling central character to sustain it, and Cambridge delivers in the person of Henry Lowry. The shipwrecked sailor is vividly portrayed in the opening segment of this compact three part story. His childhood poverty; his love of stories heard through the charity of a kindly librarian; an unspent coin; the sadness of his last liaison before he went to war - a woman who never intended to wait for him. A man unlucky in all ways who deserves a better chance and a better mistress than the one fate gifts him.
Hazing Cinderella - C.W.LaSart
We are used to the wicked step mom with her dreadful daughters who persecute and enslave the poor little Cinderella. But what if Cinderella were the step-mom's daughter or indeed something older and more primal than a mere daughter. Neil Gaiman's "Ocean at the End of the Lane" had a charming trio of women possessed of strange powers, in communion with other worlds and in someway ageless. They too were woman whom you crossed at your peril, but Step-mom Diane and her daughter Katie are definitely two women you would not want to fuck with.
LaSart treads the line between sex and violence with the steady footedness of many a teen horror flick. The author darts to one side and then the other as a night heady with lust and vengeance goes decidedly tits up.
The Night Air - Stacey Turner
The anthology ends with another story about parenting. Marla the graphic designer and husband Nick are moving out of Chicago together with their three children.
The town of Hubble seems at first like a kind of Amish Stepford - an abhorrence of technology and an adherence to secret ways by its leading citizens foster suspicion in the reader, if not in the lead character. But then, as readers of such fiction, we are more conditioned to doubt, to seeing malignance in the benign, than the characters we read about.
Like a good horror story, the little pebbles of disaster are dislodged piece by piece until there is enough to trigger an avalanche and in the end, for all that she left the Windy City behind her, it is the wind which haunts Marla with its soft whispering breath.
Read
January 3, 2016Little dead red: Well when they say these aren't your children's fairytales they are and aren't right. If they're talking disney fairytales yeah sure these are a whole lot darker. If they're talking original Grimm's well this is spot on. I have to say at first glance i wasn't a huge fan of this. Though i know its a retelling of little red riding hood it didn't feel believable in a modern world. The book seems to state that the daughter is 12 yet she has multiple piercings and her mother sends out out on a 30 minute bus ride by herself. Neither one of those things seems realistic to me. Then there was the writing style that also threw me off. Though it is in third person it felt more like someone talking about themselves in the third person rather than true third person narrative. It also makes the transition from happy marie to grim marie (which is already kinda weird) really fast and you don't find out why til much later which leaves you wondering rather than getting swept up in the story. However I have to say this was really dark and it had a twist at the end i never saw coming so extra marks for that.
Nectar: I'm like 80% sure this is supposed to be a retelling of hansel and gretel and while the author gets points for creativity and doing something new with it this story was WEIRD. It apparently take place in the future where women rule and men have died off so they have to steal them from the past to conceive then they eat the man. The writing was a little sloppy, there were mistakes and the overall story didn't have a lot of depth. The author seemed to rely on the shock value of which there was much rather than developing this strange world we are dropped in. Then there was the nectar this which was pretty gross and the tattoos that didn't really seem to have a purpose? All that and still a piss poor ending. Rather than go dark in true Grimm fashion or give us a proper HEA we get some cotton candy half ass off into the sunset without a real resolution.
The leopard's pelt: I'm not gonna lie i have no clue what this story was supposed to be...the closest i can get i beauty and the beast but even that is only part of it. This one is definitely my favorite of the bunch so far and was actually a really sweet little story. Set during and post WWII its the story of a man who made a deal with the devil and the woman who took pity on his hideous self. The writing was solid, it evoked feelings, and i liked the characters. We got a HEA which i'm torn about because i really like them but i expected this to be all dark material. But since it's rare that i like anything historical kudos to this author.
Hazing Cinderella: Another weird one. While this was clearly supposed to be cinderella the only thing those have in common are a mean stepsister. Except this time Cinderella has a mother and they're both...for lack of better explanation succubi. This story is utterly dark and i wouldn't have minded so much if the author hadn't spent time linking this bullshit to paganism which sucks for pagans who have to deal with being bullied because of portrayals like this.
Night Air: This story was nice enough to tell us what tale it came from-The pied piper-which was nice because though i've heard of it i was not at all familiar with the tale. I just looked it up though and what i find fascinating about this story is they used the fairy tale as the history of the world rather than simply modernizing and retelling it. What happened to the characters in this were heart wrenching no doubt but seriously have they never watched a horror movie? Creepy small town...no phones or Tvs...no newpapers os historical records? Uh uh hell no yo dumb ass needs to get the hell up outta there! The ending was really weird to me...after all that deciding to stay in the creepy ass town and have another kid just seemed like a bad decision.
Bottom line: I liked the idea of this a lot being a fan of fairy tale reboots (though i prefer people who put their own flavor on it rather than simply modernizing it). Some were scary/sad, some were not, some were just flat out weird. I'm not bummed I read this but i'm glad i got it from oyster rather than buying it because it's not something i'd reread.
Nectar: I'm like 80% sure this is supposed to be a retelling of hansel and gretel and while the author gets points for creativity and doing something new with it this story was WEIRD. It apparently take place in the future where women rule and men have died off so they have to steal them from the past to conceive then they eat the man. The writing was a little sloppy, there were mistakes and the overall story didn't have a lot of depth. The author seemed to rely on the shock value of which there was much rather than developing this strange world we are dropped in. Then there was the nectar this which was pretty gross and the tattoos that didn't really seem to have a purpose? All that and still a piss poor ending. Rather than go dark in true Grimm fashion or give us a proper HEA we get some cotton candy half ass off into the sunset without a real resolution.
The leopard's pelt: I'm not gonna lie i have no clue what this story was supposed to be...the closest i can get i beauty and the beast but even that is only part of it. This one is definitely my favorite of the bunch so far and was actually a really sweet little story. Set during and post WWII its the story of a man who made a deal with the devil and the woman who took pity on his hideous self. The writing was solid, it evoked feelings, and i liked the characters. We got a HEA which i'm torn about because i really like them but i expected this to be all dark material. But since it's rare that i like anything historical kudos to this author.
Hazing Cinderella: Another weird one. While this was clearly supposed to be cinderella the only thing those have in common are a mean stepsister. Except this time Cinderella has a mother and they're both...for lack of better explanation succubi. This story is utterly dark and i wouldn't have minded so much if the author hadn't spent time linking this bullshit to paganism which sucks for pagans who have to deal with being bullied because of portrayals like this.
Night Air: This story was nice enough to tell us what tale it came from-The pied piper-which was nice because though i've heard of it i was not at all familiar with the tale. I just looked it up though and what i find fascinating about this story is they used the fairy tale as the history of the world rather than simply modernizing and retelling it. What happened to the characters in this were heart wrenching no doubt but seriously have they never watched a horror movie? Creepy small town...no phones or Tvs...no newpapers os historical records? Uh uh hell no yo dumb ass needs to get the hell up outta there! The ending was really weird to me...after all that deciding to stay in the creepy ass town and have another kid just seemed like a bad decision.
Bottom line: I liked the idea of this a lot being a fan of fairy tale reboots (though i prefer people who put their own flavor on it rather than simply modernizing it). Some were scary/sad, some were not, some were just flat out weird. I'm not bummed I read this but i'm glad i got it from oyster rather than buying it because it's not something i'd reread.
January 17, 2020
Over the years I’ve discovered, bit by bit, that I have a weakness for fairy tale retellings, preferably with a dark element or an unusual twist. So when I was offered a copy of Grimm Mistresses, an anthology of fairy tale horror written by a collection of talented women, I couldn’t say no. It provided me some good and disturbing entertainment during a long bus ride across provinces.
As is true in just about every short story collection, not always stories are equal. Some are better than others. Fortunately all the stories in here are good, and they work well to chill you and make you feel a little bit sickened, bringing forth that perfect horror feeling from the pit of your stomach. Though a warning to those who haven’t read this: let’s just say I agree with Nathan of Fantasy Review Barn when he says that the wrong anthology got named Trigger Warning.
Little Dead Red – Mercedes M Yardley starts off the collection with a take on Little Red Riding Hood, told from the perspective of a troubled mother raising a daughter alone after her ex-husband was revealed to be abusive and thrown in jail. The disappearance and death of her daughter tips her over the ends into a desperate madness fuelled by grief and vengeance, and she does the unthinkable while searching for “the Wolf,” the despicable man who hurt and killed her only child. It’s disturbing, powerfully so, and doesn’t flinch away from some very brutal aspects of reality. While this adds to the story’s strength, it also pegs it as one of the hardest stories to read in the entire collection, and it’s thrown at you right off the bat, no time to adjust to the dark tone. You open the book and BAM, a story about rape and death and wolves in sheep’s clothing and I won’t lie, I actually shed some tears over this one because it was just such a visceral hit. (And I probably would have shed more had I not been on a bus surrounded by strangers whom I did not want to see me cry.)
Nectar – I’m going to be honest. I have no idea which fairy tale Allison M Dickson’s story was based on. That doesn’t mean it’s a bad story, though it probably was one of the weaker stories in the bunch. Largely due to the unsatisfying and quite inexplicable ending. The story starts off with 2 men going on a blind date with 2 gorgeous women, who kidnap them and reveal that they are people from a far-future earth that, for some reason, can only allow women to survive. Seriously. Something in the atmosphere makes men revert to a primal brutal animal state and they don'[t survive long. You see this quite disturbingly when 1 of the men goes into a rage and kills himself by smashing his own face in. The other man, our main character, doesn’t really seem affected by the atmosphere for reasons that are never actually explained. He also shares a bond with the woman he slept with after the blind date, who was ostensibly there to kidnap him and get sperm so that she and other women could get pregnant and continue their race. She apparently feels the same way toward him, since the story ends up her freeing him and stealing a spaceship and them running off together with their newborn son. Not exactly love at first sight, but something akin to it, since she was willing to leave her wife and her entire world behind for a guy she slept with once and bonded with because reasons. The setup was interesting, the premise could have yielded so much, but honestly, so much about the conclusion seems random and doesn’t get explained. It takes a lot of suspension of disbelief, and that rather spoiled it for me.
The Leopard’s Pelt – S R Cambridge’s story was probably my favourite of them all! It starts with a WWII soldier being stranded on a desert island, coming across a telepathic leopard (who may well be a demon) making a deal with him when he gets desperate. Kill her, wear her pelt and don’t wash or tell anyone his name and he can only live by the charity of others, in exchange for getting off the island. If he can’t follow through on this deal, she gets to claim his soul. He accepts. And ends up meeting a volunteer at a hospital, a woman who wants to become a doctor (which, in the 1940s, is impressive and I applauded her on determination alone). They bond, though he runs from her when she gets too close, fearful that their connection will force him into a situation where he’ll lose his soul, intentionally or inadvertently. This is another story where I’m unsure of the source material, the original idea this was a new spin on, but honestly, it didn’t matter. It was so stylishly written, so wonderfully told that it didn’t matter whether I was reading a fairy tale retelling or not. All that mattered was an amazing story told by a very skilled writer!
Hazing Cinderella – This story by C W LaSart made me feel a bit uncomfortable, largely due to the abundance of sexuality in the text. It centres around a duo of mother-daughter… succubi? Witches? A combination of both? They obtain life and youth by draining it from men during sex, which is what leads me to think succubi, but they’re not referred to as such in the text, so I’m not entirely sure. Either way. Most of the story takes place around the daughter, taking over-the-top revenge against her stepsister and her friends, who want to frighten and humiliate her. She responds by killing them. It’s not presented as justified. Merely expedient, cruel people being cruel on both sides of the coin. It’s visually quite impressive, but not a particularly strong story, and it largely stands out from the others due to the sex and gore.
The Night Air – Stacy Turner’s story is probably my second-favourite in the collection, tied with Yardley’s contribution, so this book banked on both sides by quality. (With a second slice of quality smack-bang in the middle. I think that makes it some sort of double-decker quality book-sandwich.) This is a retelling of the Pied Piper story, taking place around a family who has just moved to a small town. There’s some odd behaviour by the locals, which they pass off at first as just small-town mentality coming to light, but it turns out that the “old wives tales” have some merit after 2 of the children vanish into the night, never to be seen again. I admit, part of the reveal at the end stretched coincidence a bit for me, but otherwise this was a solid story, emotional and impressive, and I would definitely read more of Turner’s work in the future.
So over all, this double-decker is worth reading, though it’s definitely a “your mileage may vary” kind of book. There’s some very disturbing material contained within its pages, but then, that’s entirely the point. Fairy tales were cautionary tales wrapped in entertainment long before they were sanitized “happily ever after” tales that most of us have grown up with, and this brings them back to form with a host of talented women at the wheel. If horror is your thing, then definitely grab a copy of Grimm Mistresses while you can, and be prepared to feel some gut-shaking spine-tingling horror while you read.
(Book received in exchange for an honest review.)
As is true in just about every short story collection, not always stories are equal. Some are better than others. Fortunately all the stories in here are good, and they work well to chill you and make you feel a little bit sickened, bringing forth that perfect horror feeling from the pit of your stomach. Though a warning to those who haven’t read this: let’s just say I agree with Nathan of Fantasy Review Barn when he says that the wrong anthology got named Trigger Warning.
Little Dead Red – Mercedes M Yardley starts off the collection with a take on Little Red Riding Hood, told from the perspective of a troubled mother raising a daughter alone after her ex-husband was revealed to be abusive and thrown in jail. The disappearance and death of her daughter tips her over the ends into a desperate madness fuelled by grief and vengeance, and she does the unthinkable while searching for “the Wolf,” the despicable man who hurt and killed her only child. It’s disturbing, powerfully so, and doesn’t flinch away from some very brutal aspects of reality. While this adds to the story’s strength, it also pegs it as one of the hardest stories to read in the entire collection, and it’s thrown at you right off the bat, no time to adjust to the dark tone. You open the book and BAM, a story about rape and death and wolves in sheep’s clothing and I won’t lie, I actually shed some tears over this one because it was just such a visceral hit. (And I probably would have shed more had I not been on a bus surrounded by strangers whom I did not want to see me cry.)
Nectar – I’m going to be honest. I have no idea which fairy tale Allison M Dickson’s story was based on. That doesn’t mean it’s a bad story, though it probably was one of the weaker stories in the bunch. Largely due to the unsatisfying and quite inexplicable ending. The story starts off with 2 men going on a blind date with 2 gorgeous women, who kidnap them and reveal that they are people from a far-future earth that, for some reason, can only allow women to survive. Seriously. Something in the atmosphere makes men revert to a primal brutal animal state and they don'[t survive long. You see this quite disturbingly when 1 of the men goes into a rage and kills himself by smashing his own face in. The other man, our main character, doesn’t really seem affected by the atmosphere for reasons that are never actually explained. He also shares a bond with the woman he slept with after the blind date, who was ostensibly there to kidnap him and get sperm so that she and other women could get pregnant and continue their race. She apparently feels the same way toward him, since the story ends up her freeing him and stealing a spaceship and them running off together with their newborn son. Not exactly love at first sight, but something akin to it, since she was willing to leave her wife and her entire world behind for a guy she slept with once and bonded with because reasons. The setup was interesting, the premise could have yielded so much, but honestly, so much about the conclusion seems random and doesn’t get explained. It takes a lot of suspension of disbelief, and that rather spoiled it for me.
The Leopard’s Pelt – S R Cambridge’s story was probably my favourite of them all! It starts with a WWII soldier being stranded on a desert island, coming across a telepathic leopard (who may well be a demon) making a deal with him when he gets desperate. Kill her, wear her pelt and don’t wash or tell anyone his name and he can only live by the charity of others, in exchange for getting off the island. If he can’t follow through on this deal, she gets to claim his soul. He accepts. And ends up meeting a volunteer at a hospital, a woman who wants to become a doctor (which, in the 1940s, is impressive and I applauded her on determination alone). They bond, though he runs from her when she gets too close, fearful that their connection will force him into a situation where he’ll lose his soul, intentionally or inadvertently. This is another story where I’m unsure of the source material, the original idea this was a new spin on, but honestly, it didn’t matter. It was so stylishly written, so wonderfully told that it didn’t matter whether I was reading a fairy tale retelling or not. All that mattered was an amazing story told by a very skilled writer!
Hazing Cinderella – This story by C W LaSart made me feel a bit uncomfortable, largely due to the abundance of sexuality in the text. It centres around a duo of mother-daughter… succubi? Witches? A combination of both? They obtain life and youth by draining it from men during sex, which is what leads me to think succubi, but they’re not referred to as such in the text, so I’m not entirely sure. Either way. Most of the story takes place around the daughter, taking over-the-top revenge against her stepsister and her friends, who want to frighten and humiliate her. She responds by killing them. It’s not presented as justified. Merely expedient, cruel people being cruel on both sides of the coin. It’s visually quite impressive, but not a particularly strong story, and it largely stands out from the others due to the sex and gore.
The Night Air – Stacy Turner’s story is probably my second-favourite in the collection, tied with Yardley’s contribution, so this book banked on both sides by quality. (With a second slice of quality smack-bang in the middle. I think that makes it some sort of double-decker quality book-sandwich.) This is a retelling of the Pied Piper story, taking place around a family who has just moved to a small town. There’s some odd behaviour by the locals, which they pass off at first as just small-town mentality coming to light, but it turns out that the “old wives tales” have some merit after 2 of the children vanish into the night, never to be seen again. I admit, part of the reveal at the end stretched coincidence a bit for me, but otherwise this was a solid story, emotional and impressive, and I would definitely read more of Turner’s work in the future.
So over all, this double-decker is worth reading, though it’s definitely a “your mileage may vary” kind of book. There’s some very disturbing material contained within its pages, but then, that’s entirely the point. Fairy tales were cautionary tales wrapped in entertainment long before they were sanitized “happily ever after” tales that most of us have grown up with, and this brings them back to form with a host of talented women at the wheel. If horror is your thing, then definitely grab a copy of Grimm Mistresses while you can, and be prepared to feel some gut-shaking spine-tingling horror while you read.
(Book received in exchange for an honest review.)
March 15, 2015
The middle story was very good. The other for are ok.
September 3, 2022
Thanks to the gang at Ragnarok Publications, I was able to snag a copy of their new Grimm Mistresses collection, featuring retellings of Grimm's fairy tales by Stacey Turner, Mercedes M. Yardley, C.W. LaSart, Allison M. Dickson, and S.R. Cambridge.
Mercedes M. Yardley opens the collection with a sadly powerful tale called "Little Dead Red." If you've read Yardley before, then you know she pulls no punches, so don't go looking for happy endings here. This is a very dark tale of child abuse, brutal murder, and one mother's desperate quest for vengeance. It's an emotional tale, and one that really gets under your skin, with a final twist/reveal that sucker-punches you in the gut.
The next novel in the collection, "Nectar," by Allison M. Dickson isn't necessarily any lighter, but definitely more rooted in fantasy and wonder than cold, hard sorrow. Two men find themselves seduced, captured, and fed upon by two beautiful, unearthly beauties who smell and taste like an intoxicating blend of sweets and sugars. They're also very addictive, fattening up their captives even as they drive them slowly insane. As for why and how . . . well, that's not my place to say, but it's a fantastic twist on the fairy tale theme.
"The Leopard's Pelt" by S.R. Cambridge reminds me more of English horror stories like The Monkey's Paw than anything out of Grimm, but it was still one of my favorites in the collection. Henry Lowery, WWII survivor, ends up stranded on a strangely deserted island, with only an empty collection of huts and a single Japanese corpse to keep him company. Until, that is, 'she' arrives . . . a leopard who offers him salvation and infinite wealth in exchange for seven years penance. It's a simple story, but well-told, with more than one reward to be found before the end.
It takes a while to warm up to "Hazing Cinderella" by C.W. LaSart, with the endless bickering and empty threats of teenage girls growing more tedious by the page, but the set-up is necessary to justify the shift, and introduce the twist that follows. The magic here is as much black as it is fairy, and it leads to some of the strongest, creepiest, most imaginative death scenes in the collection. The ending lacks the power of the other tales, kind of fading away as it does, but it still makes for a guilty pleasure.
Stacey Turner, former owner and now Managing Editor of the Angelic Knight Press imprint, wraps things up with "The Night Air." While this one is very much rooted in fairy tale lore, it also has a distinctly surreal Twilight Zone feel to it. The small town of Hubble is as quaint as it is backward, with no love for technology or outsiders, and little to say about the small, children's tombstones found in the woods. All I'll say about this one is that Marla really should have listened when she was told to "keep those windows closed tight tonight" against "things that call to the children." Creepy, eerie, and surreal, but a fitting end to the collection.
Grimm Mistresses is a relatively short collection, with each tale entirely suitable for being read in a single sitting, but there's enough of diversity to the stories (and the story styles) to make it a compelling read. It's as much about the feel of the fairy tale as it is about the content, with warnings, lessons, and morals to be found in the darkness.
Originally reviewed at Beauty in Ruins
Mercedes M. Yardley opens the collection with a sadly powerful tale called "Little Dead Red." If you've read Yardley before, then you know she pulls no punches, so don't go looking for happy endings here. This is a very dark tale of child abuse, brutal murder, and one mother's desperate quest for vengeance. It's an emotional tale, and one that really gets under your skin, with a final twist/reveal that sucker-punches you in the gut.
The next novel in the collection, "Nectar," by Allison M. Dickson isn't necessarily any lighter, but definitely more rooted in fantasy and wonder than cold, hard sorrow. Two men find themselves seduced, captured, and fed upon by two beautiful, unearthly beauties who smell and taste like an intoxicating blend of sweets and sugars. They're also very addictive, fattening up their captives even as they drive them slowly insane. As for why and how . . . well, that's not my place to say, but it's a fantastic twist on the fairy tale theme.
"The Leopard's Pelt" by S.R. Cambridge reminds me more of English horror stories like The Monkey's Paw than anything out of Grimm, but it was still one of my favorites in the collection. Henry Lowery, WWII survivor, ends up stranded on a strangely deserted island, with only an empty collection of huts and a single Japanese corpse to keep him company. Until, that is, 'she' arrives . . . a leopard who offers him salvation and infinite wealth in exchange for seven years penance. It's a simple story, but well-told, with more than one reward to be found before the end.
It takes a while to warm up to "Hazing Cinderella" by C.W. LaSart, with the endless bickering and empty threats of teenage girls growing more tedious by the page, but the set-up is necessary to justify the shift, and introduce the twist that follows. The magic here is as much black as it is fairy, and it leads to some of the strongest, creepiest, most imaginative death scenes in the collection. The ending lacks the power of the other tales, kind of fading away as it does, but it still makes for a guilty pleasure.
Stacey Turner, former owner and now Managing Editor of the Angelic Knight Press imprint, wraps things up with "The Night Air." While this one is very much rooted in fairy tale lore, it also has a distinctly surreal Twilight Zone feel to it. The small town of Hubble is as quaint as it is backward, with no love for technology or outsiders, and little to say about the small, children's tombstones found in the woods. All I'll say about this one is that Marla really should have listened when she was told to "keep those windows closed tight tonight" against "things that call to the children." Creepy, eerie, and surreal, but a fitting end to the collection.
Grimm Mistresses is a relatively short collection, with each tale entirely suitable for being read in a single sitting, but there's enough of diversity to the stories (and the story styles) to make it a compelling read. It's as much about the feel of the fairy tale as it is about the content, with warnings, lessons, and morals to be found in the darkness.
Originally reviewed at Beauty in Ruins
February 10, 2024
DNF. Only read the first story and I wish I stopped sooner.
January 23, 2016
Just way too dark for me. These stories are all very well written, it just comes down to a matter of taste, and unfortunately these stories weren't to mine (though the Little Red Riding Hood story were better than the rest).
December 15, 2015
Stories are very dark. The writing is very beautiful.
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