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Once Upon a Dream
A compilation of many of the fairytales I've written over the years, gathered tidily in one place. This volume is compiled from free works on my website, stories written for various challenges and prompts, and other straggling tales. Some of these are my spins on familiar tales, like Cinderella and Ivan and the Wolf, others are simply based on well-known types of fairytales. Stories included in this True Chivalry If the Shoe Fits Deeds Great & Small Challenge of Quests The Shining Knight The Prince's Champion The King's Challenges Knight of the Rose Three Questions The Witch in the Woods Ivan the Heartless Blood in the Water The Stable Boy Three Goats The Gardner The Good Son Play Me a Song 100 Words
176 pages, Kindle Edition
First published October 24, 2016
152 people are currently reading
546 people want to read
About the author
Megan Derr
283 books2,945 followersMegan is a long time resident of queer romance and keeps herself busy reading and writing it. She is often accused of fluff and nonsense. When she’s not involved in writing, she likes to cook, harass her wife and cats, or watch movies. She loves to hear from readers and can be found all over the internet.
meganderr.com
patreon.com/meganderr
meganderr.blogspot.com
facebook.com/meganaprilderr
meganaderr@gmail.com
@meganaderr
meganderr.com
patreon.com/meganderr
meganderr.blogspot.com
facebook.com/meganaprilderr
meganaderr@gmail.com
@meganaderr
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Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 30 of 76 reviews
February 8, 2018
I am rounding it up to 4* because this kind of fairy tales made me genuinely happy, and definitely helps with my current reading slump, even if some of the shorts are just so-so
Story #1 to #10 are previously released in this free collection: Fairytales Short & Sweet ... and my review for each of the individual stories is right here
Story #11 - Ivan the Heartless: 3.75*
In the true nature of a fairy-tale, this tells a story about Ivan the Heartless, on how Ivan comes into the name and the things Ivan really did in order to save his friends and true love. WONDERFUL ... simply wonderful...
Story #12 - Blood in the Water: 3.5*
Review can be found here
Story #13 - The Stable Boy: 4*
Review can be found here
Story #14 - three GOATS: 4*
Awww, this is SO SWEET!!! I love Megan Derr's grumpy characters, I really do. And Cornelius, the wood sprite, alias Troll Lord, has this in stride but at the same time the story shows how gentle he is towards the younger goats brothers (they're not REALLY goats! they are boys tending goats), treat them kindly, because well, he's in love with the oldest brother :). Put a smile to my face this one.
Story #15 - The Gardener: 3.5*
I liked the fairy-tale set-up ... complete with Once upon a time... but it ended WAY too abruptly!!
Story #16 - The Good Son: 3*
Sort of like a new tale of Cinderella, but this short is pretty much only telling the LAST scene *pout* I want more of the build-up!
Story #17 - Play Me a Song: 3*
I think it's the one of the longest stories in this collection -- a retelling of Pied Piper and a city infested by rats, but this time it also has DRAGON. I couldn't get into the story much ... but maybe it's also I read it when I was already very sleepy *haha*
Story #18 - 100 Words: 3*
Collection of drabbles (a.k.a. 100-words story). I had quite fun figuring out which fairy tale the stories were all about.
Story #1 to #10 are previously released in this free collection: Fairytales Short & Sweet ... and my review for each of the individual stories is right here
Story #11 - Ivan the Heartless: 3.75*
In the true nature of a fairy-tale, this tells a story about Ivan the Heartless, on how Ivan comes into the name and the things Ivan really did in order to save his friends and true love. WONDERFUL ... simply wonderful...
Story #12 - Blood in the Water: 3.5*
Review can be found here
Story #13 - The Stable Boy: 4*
Review can be found here
Story #14 - three GOATS: 4*
Awww, this is SO SWEET!!! I love Megan Derr's grumpy characters, I really do. And Cornelius, the wood sprite, alias Troll Lord, has this in stride but at the same time the story shows how gentle he is towards the younger goats brothers (they're not REALLY goats! they are boys tending goats), treat them kindly, because well, he's in love with the oldest brother :). Put a smile to my face this one.
Story #15 - The Gardener: 3.5*
I liked the fairy-tale set-up ... complete with Once upon a time... but it ended WAY too abruptly!!
Story #16 - The Good Son: 3*
Sort of like a new tale of Cinderella, but this short is pretty much only telling the LAST scene *pout* I want more of the build-up!
Story #17 - Play Me a Song: 3*
I think it's the one of the longest stories in this collection -- a retelling of Pied Piper and a city infested by rats, but this time it also has DRAGON. I couldn't get into the story much ... but maybe it's also I read it when I was already very sleepy *haha*
Story #18 - 100 Words: 3*
Collection of drabbles (a.k.a. 100-words story). I had quite fun figuring out which fairy tale the stories were all about.
December 10, 2019
I'm getting a Megan Derr complex. Like the one I had with Jeffrey Archer. The short stories are so much better. My favorite short story of this collection was Blood In The Water. A Little Mermaid retelling. It was rather original and had me caring what happens outside the short story. But after my last experience with an extended universe from a short I'd rather accept it as it is.
May 26, 2017
This is such a wonderful collection. I adore Megan Derr and have enjoyed a number of her short stories over the years, yet most of these were new to me. I think I had maybe read The Stable Boy previously. I love her ability to craft an MM story out of a fairytale and make it seem effortless. There was such a sense of sweetness and wonder in all of these stories that fit with the general premise of fairytales the world over. Well ok, the Disney versions of them all. ;)
I enjoyed all of these. I was astounded over and over how Ms. Derr was able to compact each of the stories into such quick tales and yet still have the fairytale clear and for love to triumph. This was just a wonderful way to start my day and put a smile on my face.
I enjoyed all of these. I was astounded over and over how Ms. Derr was able to compact each of the stories into such quick tales and yet still have the fairytale clear and for love to triumph. This was just a wonderful way to start my day and put a smile on my face.
July 31, 2017
3.5 Stars. Lovely!
These short stories, many based on fairytales, were a delight to read. Each had a unique, unexpected twist. While short, Derr used our own knowledge of these timeless tales to her advantage in helping to add some depth to these timeless characters. Some tales I enjoyed more than others, and some endings were rather abrupt. Overall, however, this is a lovely anthology and quite easy to read. Some tales I even considered reading to my 7 year old since they were very G rated!
These short stories, many based on fairytales, were a delight to read. Each had a unique, unexpected twist. While short, Derr used our own knowledge of these timeless tales to her advantage in helping to add some depth to these timeless characters. Some tales I enjoyed more than others, and some endings were rather abrupt. Overall, however, this is a lovely anthology and quite easy to read. Some tales I even considered reading to my 7 year old since they were very G rated!
February 11, 2018
This reminds me a little of my childhood favorite book of fairy tales. The stories vary wildly in length, style, and world, but none of them are hard to follow or understand. They range from sweet to rather dark, and employ every trope I've ever seen in fairy tales, while at the same time subverting many of the tropes in question.
On the whole, a great collection. Inspiring, even.
On the whole, a great collection. Inspiring, even.
Want to read
April 21, 2018💝 FREE on Amazon today (4/21/2018)!💝
September 6, 2021
Megan Derr writes beautiful fantasy❤️ This is my review 😄 good night 😘
January 5, 2017
This is a collection of fairytales, sometimes even stories I already knew but now told in a gay version.
The stories are rather short, between 2 and maybe 20 pages and not very surprisingly the longer ones usually work better than the short ones.
There is absolutely no sex and also not much romance in those tales, I would rate them between 1 and 4 stars. As a "book" this does not work but it is not bad to fill a little waiting time, like on a short break or on a quick train ride.
Some of the main characters were quite loveable and if the stories had been better developed and a little longer, I could easily have fallen in love with a few of them. However, as it was, this really just served as a teaser, never enough to really satisfy which was a pity.
A sweet and fun read and an overall rating of 3 stars, nice if you remember and loved those bedtime stories when you were young!
The stories are rather short, between 2 and maybe 20 pages and not very surprisingly the longer ones usually work better than the short ones.
There is absolutely no sex and also not much romance in those tales, I would rate them between 1 and 4 stars. As a "book" this does not work but it is not bad to fill a little waiting time, like on a short break or on a quick train ride.
Some of the main characters were quite loveable and if the stories had been better developed and a little longer, I could easily have fallen in love with a few of them. However, as it was, this really just served as a teaser, never enough to really satisfy which was a pity.
A sweet and fun read and an overall rating of 3 stars, nice if you remember and loved those bedtime stories when you were young!
November 17, 2016
The marvelous Megan Derr has done it again.
Only one of the stories did I recall reading elsewhere, and it was great re-reading it.
I'm also not going to attempt to rank the stories, in whole or in part, because I was just having so much fun reading them. Not one struck me as "off," or left me feeling disappointed when the story was done.
If you like MM versions of fairy tales known and new, you ought to enjoy this one.
Good bang for your ebook buck.
Just my USD. 02.
Eric-the-ever-pennies-distributing
Only one of the stories did I recall reading elsewhere, and it was great re-reading it.
I'm also not going to attempt to rank the stories, in whole or in part, because I was just having so much fun reading them. Not one struck me as "off," or left me feeling disappointed when the story was done.
If you like MM versions of fairy tales known and new, you ought to enjoy this one.
Good bang for your ebook buck.
Just my USD. 02.
Eric-the-ever-pennies-distributing
July 13, 2017
I adore her collections of mini fairy tales. Beautiful and sweet and hopeful and delightful to read.
Favorite Quote:
"It is easy, in the glory of slaying a great dragon, to forget that not everyone needs a dragon slain."
Favorite Quote:
"It is easy, in the glory of slaying a great dragon, to forget that not everyone needs a dragon slain."
February 26, 2022
Cornelius looked up from the book he was reading, frowning at the silver bell above his door as its soft ringing filled his little three-room cabin. Someone had stepped onto his land. They’d be at the bridge in minutes. It was snowing miserably out, with strong winds and growing dark to match. Who would venture out on a bad day to see him when he rarely got visitors on a good day?
Leaving the book open on the table, he tugged on his heavy, fur-lined boots then pulled down his white and blue cloak from where it hung near the fireplace.
[…]
He walked a few steps onto the bridge, folded his arms across his chest, and waited in the heavily falling snow for the intruder to appear. “Who dares to trip trap over my bridge?”
(Megan Derr, Once Upon a Dream [Three Goats], p.189-190)
Once Upon a Dream is such a fantastic collection of LGBT+ fairy tales that, after reading it, I went on a Megan Derr shopping spree and now have several of her books and short story collections.
True Chivalry isn’t about heroism and grand acts, but small acts of kindness and thoughtfulness. This is a favorite of mine, and you’re going to be hearing variations of that a lot. The knight is so sweet and I loved the idea that Derr ran with of what would be an act of chivalry for a differently aged princess.
If the Shoe Fits is a Cinderella retelling from the point of view of the prince, specifically the final search section. I love that Derr has a gift for poking fun at fairy tale staples without being mocking of them. The shoe search is acknowledged as a ridiculous idea and makes its conclusion both romantic and comical.
Sticking with the moral of True Chivalry, in Deeds Great & Small a knight-hopeful is tasked with completing three acts of service in order to earn his knighthood, but none of the tasks he is rewarded for could possibly be seen as worthy enough. A little cheesy but sweet.
It takes a Challenge of Quests for a stubbornly loyal knight to accept what his prince has been offering. An adorable and clever romantic tale that twists around the 3 Quests fairy tale trope a little. It’s one of the best of the book. It’s a little similar to If the Shoe Fits but only in the best way.
The Shining Knight stands apart from the crowd when all he wants is to find someone willing to get close to him. The romantic partner in this story is particularly memorable to me because he’s the only one of the book that isn’t sweet and romantic. He’s uncomfortable with emotions, and misreads social cues to the point where he sees that the knight doesn’t like it when he’s treated as an untouchable hero and overcompensates in the other direction. He’s upset and frustrated about being misunderstood by someone he thought he’d been building a connection with, and I’m genuinely happy that the knight is interested enough to be patient with him and coax communication out of him. It’s pretty easy to read this romantic partner as autistic. My only criticism is that Derr used the word ‘knight’ 4 times in the first 5 sentences and it’s super noticeable.
The Prince's Champion is commanded to complete a strange request for his prince’s favor. It’s a conclusion without a story and I really hate this bratty prince; 2/10.
The King's Challenges are a chance for his citizens to win prizes from his majesty on the merit of their own cleverness and resourcefulness. I enjoyed this one and felt it was long enough that the romance seemed genuine, but the contestant has a habit of explaining his answers to the challenges to the point of droning and it got quite boring. By the second challenge I was just skipping the explanations.
Two knights compete for the hand of the youngest prince: the resplendent Knight of the Sun, and the wayworn Knight of the Rose. It’s a basic competition story: one contender strives to make himself look impressive and the other strives to do his best. It reminded me of the saying “A knight in shining armor is man who has never had his metal truly tested.”
It was decided that the person who could answer the Three Questions of the Scholar Prince would be worthy of his hand in marriage. Meh. It was cute until I heard the questions. I was expecting the prince to throw the contender softballs to prove that the contest was just a way to choose his own partner, or even that the questions would be ones only the contender would be able to answer, but the first two started with ‘Once upon a time’. It was as though the prince was quizzing their knowledge of fairy tales, which would be a weird choice for someone whose entire persona was built around how super smart they were. But if the events had actually happened and he really was testing them on history, why would he choose to word the questions like that?
Two princes demand a spell from The Witch in the Woods to find them their true loves before their brother the king can exile them. Thought this one was quite sweet, though I feel the second brother’s wife got a short stick and it ended quite abruptly.
Ivan the Heartless is the only one who can save the royal family now. Oh. Oh. Oh this was lovely! A retelling of Tsarevich Ivan, the Firebird and the Gray Wolf! And it even has a surprise second fairy tale thrown in! It’s a charming story and has a fine romance, and it’s all woven so well that I wasn’t sure which direction it would go in.
There’s going to be Blood in the Water if the royal assassin has anything to say about it when yet another of his airhead sisters manages to get herself locked into a mess with a human prince. But when the time comes to spill the young prince’s life, the killer merman sees no reason not to put it off for a day, and another, and another. This is a retelling of The Little Mermaid if Eric were gay and Ariel has access to some well-timed help to get her out of Ursula’s contract. It’s a pretty cute story and I got a kick out the Sea King trying to talk sense into his stubborn assassin.
The Stable Boy is one of the longer stories and has a strong, exciting plot, fixes the more unbelievable elements of the original fairy tale (The Goose Girl), and the romance is sweet. It’s an all-around great story and stands up as a very enjoyable reread.
But to be honest I love this next one even more and I’m delighted to see other Goodreads reviews that agree with me. Three Goats is a retelling of The Three Billy Goats Gruff and while the characters are lovable and the romance is believable, it also ends on a note that leaves me occasionally thinking of it and daydreaming about their happily ever after. It’s not something grand with princes and knights in shining armor, just a quiet small-town life in a comfy little home surrounded by the people you love.
The Gardner has a secret, and it’s one that may kill everyone around him. I wanted to like this one. It has a little Catskin and odds and ends from other fairy tales, so I really should have loved it. But I didn’t; the plot was scattered and nothing was solved. It’s great that the gardener and the king are happy but people are still going to die.
A man dies and leaves behind a bitter, angry wife, an entitled son, and The Good Son. Another case of the conclusion without the story, the plot is told as a proper fairy tale before breaking into the real time story where the good son and the royal lover are reunited. It wasn’t terrible but there wasn’t much to it that was interesting. Derr tried her best to convey a sense of betrayal but they fall back into each other’s arms far too quickly. It would have been a great opportunity to write a little story of the rejected good son writing them all off and leaving to pursue his own happiness, with his royal lover one day finding him and crawling back for forgiveness.
A Pied Piper of Hamelin retelling, the magic of Play Me a Song is used cleverly and written extremely well. The piper is deliciously competent at his job and his relationship with the travelling soldier is interesting, and I appreciate how the soldier is well aware of how skilled his partner is and happily supports him however he needs. The story also has the book’s only sex scene, though others ended suggestively (*cough*If the Shoe Fits*cough*). There was a lot in this story that reminded me of The Innkeeper's Song , and the conclusion between the couple was delightful.
A drabble is the word for a piece of writing that is 100 Words long. This chapter is a collection of drabbles, not all LGBT+ (though I suppose you could always handwave the characters as bi) but all manage to put a twist on a traditional tale, like Snow White poisoning herself and framing her stepmother since no other accusation seemed to stick.
EDITING:
Blood in the Water was really confusing me because I just couldn’t seem to find it after the fact. Eventually I did by caving and checking the page in the table of contents (I was going through the book to where it should have been in the story order). So it’s losing a star for Blood in the Water having the running head (the chapter title at the top of the right-hand page) for Ivan the Heartless and messing with my brain! To be totally honest there might be other errors than this. I read the book a month ago and am only skimming the stories to jog my memory, and I’ve noticed that Megan Derr’s books tend to have a lot of small editing mistakes in them, but I didn’t think to take note of them in this book and I didn’t find any more while skimming, so I’ll let her off the hook.
ENJOYABILITY:
Loved most of the stories. I’ll give it a firm 4.5.
THEME:
Fairy tales. I mean, technically everything but most of the drabbles at the end are also LGBT+ fairy tales, but it doesn’t advertise that anywhere on the book. It even surprised me when I first read it.
THE VERDICT?
The book that started my Megan Derr shopping spree.
Leaving the book open on the table, he tugged on his heavy, fur-lined boots then pulled down his white and blue cloak from where it hung near the fireplace.
[…]
He walked a few steps onto the bridge, folded his arms across his chest, and waited in the heavily falling snow for the intruder to appear. “Who dares to trip trap over my bridge?”
(Megan Derr, Once Upon a Dream [Three Goats], p.189-190)
Once Upon a Dream is such a fantastic collection of LGBT+ fairy tales that, after reading it, I went on a Megan Derr shopping spree and now have several of her books and short story collections.
True Chivalry isn’t about heroism and grand acts, but small acts of kindness and thoughtfulness. This is a favorite of mine, and you’re going to be hearing variations of that a lot. The knight is so sweet and I loved the idea that Derr ran with of what would be an act of chivalry for a differently aged princess.
If the Shoe Fits is a Cinderella retelling from the point of view of the prince, specifically the final search section. I love that Derr has a gift for poking fun at fairy tale staples without being mocking of them. The shoe search is acknowledged as a ridiculous idea and makes its conclusion both romantic and comical.
Sticking with the moral of True Chivalry, in Deeds Great & Small a knight-hopeful is tasked with completing three acts of service in order to earn his knighthood, but none of the tasks he is rewarded for could possibly be seen as worthy enough. A little cheesy but sweet.
It takes a Challenge of Quests for a stubbornly loyal knight to accept what his prince has been offering. An adorable and clever romantic tale that twists around the 3 Quests fairy tale trope a little. It’s one of the best of the book. It’s a little similar to If the Shoe Fits but only in the best way.
The Shining Knight stands apart from the crowd when all he wants is to find someone willing to get close to him. The romantic partner in this story is particularly memorable to me because he’s the only one of the book that isn’t sweet and romantic. He’s uncomfortable with emotions, and misreads social cues to the point where he sees that the knight doesn’t like it when he’s treated as an untouchable hero and overcompensates in the other direction. He’s upset and frustrated about being misunderstood by someone he thought he’d been building a connection with, and I’m genuinely happy that the knight is interested enough to be patient with him and coax communication out of him. It’s pretty easy to read this romantic partner as autistic. My only criticism is that Derr used the word ‘knight’ 4 times in the first 5 sentences and it’s super noticeable.
The Prince's Champion is commanded to complete a strange request for his prince’s favor. It’s a conclusion without a story and I really hate this bratty prince; 2/10.
The King's Challenges are a chance for his citizens to win prizes from his majesty on the merit of their own cleverness and resourcefulness. I enjoyed this one and felt it was long enough that the romance seemed genuine, but the contestant has a habit of explaining his answers to the challenges to the point of droning and it got quite boring. By the second challenge I was just skipping the explanations.
Two knights compete for the hand of the youngest prince: the resplendent Knight of the Sun, and the wayworn Knight of the Rose. It’s a basic competition story: one contender strives to make himself look impressive and the other strives to do his best. It reminded me of the saying “A knight in shining armor is man who has never had his metal truly tested.”
It was decided that the person who could answer the Three Questions of the Scholar Prince would be worthy of his hand in marriage. Meh. It was cute until I heard the questions. I was expecting the prince to throw the contender softballs to prove that the contest was just a way to choose his own partner, or even that the questions would be ones only the contender would be able to answer, but the first two started with ‘Once upon a time’. It was as though the prince was quizzing their knowledge of fairy tales, which would be a weird choice for someone whose entire persona was built around how super smart they were. But if the events had actually happened and he really was testing them on history, why would he choose to word the questions like that?
Two princes demand a spell from The Witch in the Woods to find them their true loves before their brother the king can exile them. Thought this one was quite sweet, though I feel the second brother’s wife got a short stick and it ended quite abruptly.
Ivan the Heartless is the only one who can save the royal family now. Oh. Oh. Oh this was lovely! A retelling of Tsarevich Ivan, the Firebird and the Gray Wolf! And it even has a surprise second fairy tale thrown in! It’s a charming story and has a fine romance, and it’s all woven so well that I wasn’t sure which direction it would go in.
There’s going to be Blood in the Water if the royal assassin has anything to say about it when yet another of his airhead sisters manages to get herself locked into a mess with a human prince. But when the time comes to spill the young prince’s life, the killer merman sees no reason not to put it off for a day, and another, and another. This is a retelling of The Little Mermaid if Eric were gay and Ariel has access to some well-timed help to get her out of Ursula’s contract. It’s a pretty cute story and I got a kick out the Sea King trying to talk sense into his stubborn assassin.
The Stable Boy is one of the longer stories and has a strong, exciting plot, fixes the more unbelievable elements of the original fairy tale (The Goose Girl), and the romance is sweet. It’s an all-around great story and stands up as a very enjoyable reread.
But to be honest I love this next one even more and I’m delighted to see other Goodreads reviews that agree with me. Three Goats is a retelling of The Three Billy Goats Gruff and while the characters are lovable and the romance is believable, it also ends on a note that leaves me occasionally thinking of it and daydreaming about their happily ever after. It’s not something grand with princes and knights in shining armor, just a quiet small-town life in a comfy little home surrounded by the people you love.
The Gardner has a secret, and it’s one that may kill everyone around him. I wanted to like this one. It has a little Catskin and odds and ends from other fairy tales, so I really should have loved it. But I didn’t; the plot was scattered and nothing was solved. It’s great that the gardener and the king are happy but people are still going to die.
A man dies and leaves behind a bitter, angry wife, an entitled son, and The Good Son. Another case of the conclusion without the story, the plot is told as a proper fairy tale before breaking into the real time story where the good son and the royal lover are reunited. It wasn’t terrible but there wasn’t much to it that was interesting. Derr tried her best to convey a sense of betrayal but they fall back into each other’s arms far too quickly. It would have been a great opportunity to write a little story of the rejected good son writing them all off and leaving to pursue his own happiness, with his royal lover one day finding him and crawling back for forgiveness.
A Pied Piper of Hamelin retelling, the magic of Play Me a Song is used cleverly and written extremely well. The piper is deliciously competent at his job and his relationship with the travelling soldier is interesting, and I appreciate how the soldier is well aware of how skilled his partner is and happily supports him however he needs. The story also has the book’s only sex scene, though others ended suggestively (*cough*If the Shoe Fits*cough*). There was a lot in this story that reminded me of The Innkeeper's Song , and the conclusion between the couple was delightful.
A drabble is the word for a piece of writing that is 100 Words long. This chapter is a collection of drabbles, not all LGBT+ (though I suppose you could always handwave the characters as bi) but all manage to put a twist on a traditional tale, like Snow White poisoning herself and framing her stepmother since no other accusation seemed to stick.
EDITING:
Blood in the Water was really confusing me because I just couldn’t seem to find it after the fact. Eventually I did by caving and checking the page in the table of contents (I was going through the book to where it should have been in the story order). So it’s losing a star for Blood in the Water having the running head (the chapter title at the top of the right-hand page) for Ivan the Heartless and messing with my brain! To be totally honest there might be other errors than this. I read the book a month ago and am only skimming the stories to jog my memory, and I’ve noticed that Megan Derr’s books tend to have a lot of small editing mistakes in them, but I didn’t think to take note of them in this book and I didn’t find any more while skimming, so I’ll let her off the hook.
ENJOYABILITY:
Loved most of the stories. I’ll give it a firm 4.5.
THEME:
Fairy tales. I mean, technically everything but most of the drabbles at the end are also LGBT+ fairy tales, but it doesn’t advertise that anywhere on the book. It even surprised me when I first read it.
THE VERDICT?
The book that started my Megan Derr shopping spree.
February 21, 2019
A sweet little collection, Ideal for when I need a Hero/Knights fix
February 20, 2017
Some really good stories. A lot of the stories start to feel very similar half-way through though.
September 4, 2024
Re-read 9/3-4/24 just becasue I wanted to see how it held up -- not as annoyed with the grammar errors (and found a few I hadn't noticed the first time), but I think I liked the stories more this time through. Upping my rating to 4.25 stars
Original review: Wow! This collection was amazing! Despite some annoying missing apostrophes and the occasional missing word, I enjoyed all but one story and loved many of them! Here's my run-down of the stories:
True Chivalry: 5 stars, a perfect little bijou!
If the Shoe Fits: 5 stars, lovely twist!
Deeds Great and Small: 4 stars, so sweet!
Challenge of Quests: 3 stars, not my favorite -- annoying typos and somewhat awkward
The Shining Knight: 4 stars, short and sweet-tart!
The Prince's Champion: 4 stars, wonder if she had just watched Heath Ledger in A Knight's Tale?
The King's Challenges: 3 stars
The Knight of the Rose: 3 stars
Three Questions: 5 stars, love Brenim!
The Witch in the Woods: 4 stars, very sweet
Ivan the Heartless: 5 stars, beautiful!
Blood in the Water: 4 stars, love it -- so subtle!
The Stable Boy: 3.5 stars, good...just not amazing...
Three Goats: 5 stars for each goat boy! Love the Troll Lord and all the goat boys -- biggest awwwww face ever!
The Gardener: 3 stars, feels a little unfinished...
The Good Son: 2 stars, meh...disappointing
Play Me a Song: 4 stars, very nice adaptation!
100 Words (10 super shorts): 5 stars because these take talent AND determination!
Original review: Wow! This collection was amazing! Despite some annoying missing apostrophes and the occasional missing word, I enjoyed all but one story and loved many of them! Here's my run-down of the stories:
True Chivalry: 5 stars, a perfect little bijou!
If the Shoe Fits: 5 stars, lovely twist!
Deeds Great and Small: 4 stars, so sweet!
Challenge of Quests: 3 stars, not my favorite -- annoying typos and somewhat awkward
The Shining Knight: 4 stars, short and sweet-tart!
The Prince's Champion: 4 stars, wonder if she had just watched Heath Ledger in A Knight's Tale?
The King's Challenges: 3 stars
The Knight of the Rose: 3 stars
Three Questions: 5 stars, love Brenim!
The Witch in the Woods: 4 stars, very sweet
Ivan the Heartless: 5 stars, beautiful!
Blood in the Water: 4 stars, love it -- so subtle!
The Stable Boy: 3.5 stars, good...just not amazing...
Three Goats: 5 stars for each goat boy! Love the Troll Lord and all the goat boys -- biggest awwwww face ever!
The Gardener: 3 stars, feels a little unfinished...
The Good Son: 2 stars, meh...disappointing
Play Me a Song: 4 stars, very nice adaptation!
100 Words (10 super shorts): 5 stars because these take talent AND determination!
November 23, 2016
4.5-5 stars
This is a very entertaining collection of short tales, every single one worth reading. Some of them I had read before, but this did not prevent me from fully enjoying them again. In these sweet stories, we find princes, kings and knights, but also peasants and witches who are all worthy of their suitors. Through hell and high water, they fight and struggle to get the heart of the beloved. There is a lot of romance, adventures, dragons to slay and quests to solve.
All the stories in this collection are, like their characters, worthy of their readers. For me, it would be really hard to choose just one favourite. If I had to, I would go for the Shining Knight, because of the sense of humour prevailing on it. But I'm certain other readers would find other favourites.
In short, a very recommendable collection, undoubtedly worth your time.
This is a very entertaining collection of short tales, every single one worth reading. Some of them I had read before, but this did not prevent me from fully enjoying them again. In these sweet stories, we find princes, kings and knights, but also peasants and witches who are all worthy of their suitors. Through hell and high water, they fight and struggle to get the heart of the beloved. There is a lot of romance, adventures, dragons to slay and quests to solve.
All the stories in this collection are, like their characters, worthy of their readers. For me, it would be really hard to choose just one favourite. If I had to, I would go for the Shining Knight, because of the sense of humour prevailing on it. But I'm certain other readers would find other favourites.
In short, a very recommendable collection, undoubtedly worth your time.
March 11, 2017
This collection of M/M fairy tales is certainly worth a read.
The stories differ in length, scope and tone as they were not originally meant to be collected in a single volume. They also differ in achievement, some of them being nice enough, some being very enjoyable and most lying somewhere inbetween.
None of them is a masterpiece, all of them lacking the purity of tone and the ineffable but soon discernible qualities that set out perfectly accomplished fairy tales. That said, writing is generally good -a couple of typos here and there- and the reading experience is pleasant if not memorable.
The stories differ in length, scope and tone as they were not originally meant to be collected in a single volume. They also differ in achievement, some of them being nice enough, some being very enjoyable and most lying somewhere inbetween.
None of them is a masterpiece, all of them lacking the purity of tone and the ineffable but soon discernible qualities that set out perfectly accomplished fairy tales. That said, writing is generally good -a couple of typos here and there- and the reading experience is pleasant if not memorable.
February 1, 2017
I have loved Megan Derr's stories from the start and discovering this collection of fairy tales was just perfect. Each one is a treasure based on an old tale. Her crafty way of creating multi-dimensional characters in a teeny tiny short story is always fascinating. I especially loved the Pied Piper and Ivan the Heartless stories.
December 28, 2020
See, this is what happens when I finish a collection of short stories and then wait two days to write a review. Just want to give you fair warning before I attempt to recall my thoughts on these stories.
The Good:
True Chivalry: Adorable, but far too short. It was the cutest little dip and then it was gone.
If the Shoe Fits: Also cute, also too short.
Deeds Great and Small: Yet another story about a too humble knight.
Challenge of Quests: Same.
The Shining Knight: Same.
The King's Challenges: The main character isn't a knight, but he's got the whole humble thing down. Cute.
Three Questions: Oh, the age-old story of the intellectual introvert and the well-traveled knight. Also cute. Also too short. There's definitely a theme happening here.
The Witch in the Woods: Eh. It was cute. The epilogue in Little Moments (I can't remember which volume) definitely should have been added to this story. It ends far too abruptly.
Ivan the Heartless: Interesting. I would have rather experienced the whole story rather than listened to it via "storytime with Ivan," but hey, it worked, I guess.
The Good Sin: Sweet, but short. So much story could have been explored but wasn't.
The Best:
Blood in the Water: Really interesting and mostly well done. I would have loved to see this expanded.
The Stable Boy: Also very good. I mean, they exchanged love letters before they met. Who isn't into love letters?
Three Goats: Actually really cute. Not my favorite story, but definitely up there.
Play Me a Song: Interesting idea and well done. Not my favorite of the collection, but more enjoyable than most.
The rest aren't really worth mentioning and even some of the ones I listed above I didn't remember until I had to go back and look at each story while I was writing this review.
One of my biggest complaints about Derr's writing is that there is so much opportunity for character and plot development that would truly create more depth in her stories, but instead, she often takes the easy route of "picking up" stories midway through or explaining away feelings and emotions rather than actually sketching them for the reader.
It's hard to read some of her books and short stories because there is the potential for so much more, and yet she often doesn't go there. The lack of editing and/or editing mistakes also goes without saying. I can overlook it, but it is highly annoying, especially as an educator and a writer myself.
Regardless, I am a sucker for the stories she is telling, no matter how flawed, so I'll stick around.
The Good:
True Chivalry: Adorable, but far too short. It was the cutest little dip and then it was gone.
If the Shoe Fits: Also cute, also too short.
Deeds Great and Small: Yet another story about a too humble knight.
Challenge of Quests: Same.
The Shining Knight: Same.
The King's Challenges: The main character isn't a knight, but he's got the whole humble thing down. Cute.
Three Questions: Oh, the age-old story of the intellectual introvert and the well-traveled knight. Also cute. Also too short. There's definitely a theme happening here.
The Witch in the Woods: Eh. It was cute. The epilogue in Little Moments (I can't remember which volume) definitely should have been added to this story. It ends far too abruptly.
Ivan the Heartless: Interesting. I would have rather experienced the whole story rather than listened to it via "storytime with Ivan," but hey, it worked, I guess.
The Good Sin: Sweet, but short. So much story could have been explored but wasn't.
The Best:
Blood in the Water: Really interesting and mostly well done. I would have loved to see this expanded.
The Stable Boy: Also very good. I mean, they exchanged love letters before they met. Who isn't into love letters?
Three Goats: Actually really cute. Not my favorite story, but definitely up there.
Play Me a Song: Interesting idea and well done. Not my favorite of the collection, but more enjoyable than most.
The rest aren't really worth mentioning and even some of the ones I listed above I didn't remember until I had to go back and look at each story while I was writing this review.
One of my biggest complaints about Derr's writing is that there is so much opportunity for character and plot development that would truly create more depth in her stories, but instead, she often takes the easy route of "picking up" stories midway through or explaining away feelings and emotions rather than actually sketching them for the reader.
It's hard to read some of her books and short stories because there is the potential for so much more, and yet she often doesn't go there. The lack of editing and/or editing mistakes also goes without saying. I can overlook it, but it is highly annoying, especially as an educator and a writer myself.
Regardless, I am a sucker for the stories she is telling, no matter how flawed, so I'll stick around.
December 10, 2016
I loved this wonderful collection of original and fractured fairytales! Derr is capable of weaving a spell with just a few words, setting the scene of the story in a storyteller's voice before bringing the story down to a very human focus. We start off most of the tales with a classic fairytale/folktale opening (in italics to set it off) before the characters of "the prince" or "the bodyguard" become real, named characters with emotions and lives and futures to flesh out the tale. Several of these stories are patterned on classic fairytales like The Pied Piper but fractured with several surprising twists. One thing I absolutely loved was that in every story being gay was not seen as wrong. A king might be holding a tournament for a lucky knight to win a prince's hand in marriage or a stable boy might bestow a kiss upon a king. It was so refreshing to have bigotry taken out of the equation. There are tons of short stories in the collection, some of which have been available individually before (The Stable Boy, Ivan the Heartless). It allows for plenty of enjoyment when read straight through or the pleasure of picking the book up and putting it down for little bites of the whole (great for bookmarking favs to return later). I rarely give 5 stars but I this collection really cast a spell over me and I know that I will return to it often, especially for a cozy retreat after a lousy day or week. I hope that others enjoy it as much as I do.
July 12, 2023
I had never read a Megan Derr, I’m not sure why, and now I see what I had been missing.
This book was captivating, it was entertaining, it kept me engaged in some stories, emotional in others, but never bored, even in the stories that didn’t strike me as deep as others.
I LOOOOOVVVEEEDDDD ‘The King’s Challenges, Cowan’s endearing awkwardness stole my heart. The Knight of the Rose, the Witch in the Woods, Blood in the Water; I loved the story, but I also really loved Seree’s relationship with Meris 💜, and The Gardener were some of my absolute favorites!!!
Needless to say, I shall be reading more Megan Derr in future. ❤️
Side note: I don’t usually like anthologies in general, mainly because there’s usually a few books in the mix that I don’t generally care for, but I don’t know what they are until I’m smack-dab in the middle of the book. I especially resist reading anthologies from one author, I sometimes feel like the book ends-up reading one-note. But I’m glad I read this one. ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️
This book was captivating, it was entertaining, it kept me engaged in some stories, emotional in others, but never bored, even in the stories that didn’t strike me as deep as others.
I LOOOOOVVVEEEDDDD ‘The King’s Challenges, Cowan’s endearing awkwardness stole my heart. The Knight of the Rose, the Witch in the Woods, Blood in the Water; I loved the story, but I also really loved Seree’s relationship with Meris 💜, and The Gardener were some of my absolute favorites!!!
Needless to say, I shall be reading more Megan Derr in future. ❤️
Side note: I don’t usually like anthologies in general, mainly because there’s usually a few books in the mix that I don’t generally care for, but I don’t know what they are until I’m smack-dab in the middle of the book. I especially resist reading anthologies from one author, I sometimes feel like the book ends-up reading one-note. But I’m glad I read this one. ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️
May 7, 2017
4 stars!
This is a great collection of fairytale retellings from Megan Derr. Some are based on very well-known tales like Cinderella, The Little Mermaid and the Pied Piper of Hamelin. Some weren't as familiar to me like the story of Ivan the Heartless and it's nice to discover new tales. My favorites from this collection are:
Deeds Great and Small - in which a knight-hopeful is rewarded for seemingly ordinary deeds
Challenge of Quests - in which a stubborn man tries out quests for his love
The King's Challenges -in which a peasant tries his luck in meeting the kings's challenges (this reminded me of Tournament of Losers)
Blood in the Water - in which a warrior of a the Deep goes to land to rescue his sister
Play Me A Song - in which the Pied Piper is not a bad guy
This is a fast read and all tales have happy endings. Especially useful whenever you need a pick-me-up.
This is a great collection of fairytale retellings from Megan Derr. Some are based on very well-known tales like Cinderella, The Little Mermaid and the Pied Piper of Hamelin. Some weren't as familiar to me like the story of Ivan the Heartless and it's nice to discover new tales. My favorites from this collection are:
Deeds Great and Small - in which a knight-hopeful is rewarded for seemingly ordinary deeds
Challenge of Quests - in which a stubborn man tries out quests for his love
The King's Challenges -in which a peasant tries his luck in meeting the kings's challenges (this reminded me of Tournament of Losers)
Blood in the Water - in which a warrior of a the Deep goes to land to rescue his sister
Play Me A Song - in which the Pied Piper is not a bad guy
This is a fast read and all tales have happy endings. Especially useful whenever you need a pick-me-up.
October 11, 2018
1.5* ok
Not sure if this is free or promo but they're previously free online stories, compiled with a very pretty cover. Quite a few typos.
I rarely have success with anthols. and while I like fairytale stories I do prefer them to be expanded and given some depth so in fairness this is was a poor match for me from start-off. The first two stories here were short enough for whiplash . There were two stories I remember reading previously and liked, but overall the stories were too thin for me; whiny royalty, smirks and the odd profanity to prove them not tales for children.
Overall I found the collection sadly charmless, but if you're after a light undemanding read and have a penchant for fairy-tales ignore my grouchiness and snatch this up.
Not sure if this is free or promo but they're previously free online stories, compiled with a very pretty cover. Quite a few typos.
I rarely have success with anthols. and while I like fairytale stories I do prefer them to be expanded and given some depth so in fairness this is was a poor match for me from start-off. The first two stories here were short enough for whiplash . There were two stories I remember reading previously and liked, but overall the stories were too thin for me; whiny royalty, smirks and the odd profanity to prove them not tales for children.
Overall I found the collection sadly charmless, but if you're after a light undemanding read and have a penchant for fairy-tales ignore my grouchiness and snatch this up.
December 29, 2016
Once Upon a Dream is a lovely bind-up of fairy tales, leaning heavily on romance. I might've enjoyed them more if I didn't binge read them. It'd be better to read one at a time because they are quite similar to one another. I did like them but I got tired of the same princes-kings-challenges-insta-fairytalish-romance thing going on and on.
My favorite tales were Three Questions, The Witch in the Woods, Ivan the Heartless and Three Goats.
I recommend to read this collection of novellas, especially as it's currently free to download on Amazon, you just better pace them to be able to enjoy the tales more.
My favorite tales were Three Questions, The Witch in the Woods, Ivan the Heartless and Three Goats.
I recommend to read this collection of novellas, especially as it's currently free to download on Amazon, you just better pace them to be able to enjoy the tales more.
May 21, 2022
Not a bad read. I appreciated the m/m take on various fairy tales that I still feel like you don't see enough of. The author mentions these were collected works from her blog and you can sort of tell. There were some spelling errors, etc. Some of the stories were for sure better than others. A few were a bit too overly simple and they got to be a bit same-y by the end. But several I very much enjoyed.
November 27, 2023
It’s fabulous for what it is.
Is it the best writing I’ve seen from Meghan? No, but it’s very good for the price - free.
It was a fantastic read, loved each story for how simple and effortless it feels to read them. Each chapter is cute and charming in its own way. Time lovely spent.
Is it the best writing I’ve seen from Meghan? No, but it’s very good for the price - free.
It was a fantastic read, loved each story for how simple and effortless it feels to read them. Each chapter is cute and charming in its own way. Time lovely spent.
Read
July 25, 2024Pull quote/note
"When the time came for the prince to marry, he called for a challenge of lies—whosoever could fool him, he would marry. And so the people came by thousands, eager for a chance at the handsome, clever prince. All who challenged him told the prince two truths, and one lie," (75/259) this fool really wants to choose his spouse with two truths and a lie
August 4, 2024
Some of the stories got a bit repetitive but that is to be expected in fairy tales, even those of the LGBTQ kind. It was lovely to read about lands where anyone could love freely. I want more stories of good dragons, helpful witches and kings and queens celebrating their son who's in love with another prince.
5 Stars for:
Play me a Song
Three Goats
Blood in the water
Ivan the heartless
5 Stars for:
Play me a Song
Three Goats
Blood in the water
Ivan the heartless
October 29, 2016
Okay, it's an anthology, so not every story is a hit. It's not her best collection and actually I knew some of them already but it's Megan Derr and her matchless sense for fairytales and sweetness and for her 100 words versions of someone most known fairytales I always round the rating ups to 4.
February 5, 2017
Fairy tales with a twist
What a wonderful book of fairy tales, some short and some a few pages but all truly great to read.
I'm a big fan of these stories but to change it slightly made them even more enjoyable.
What a wonderful book of fairy tales, some short and some a few pages but all truly great to read.
I'm a big fan of these stories but to change it slightly made them even more enjoyable.
March 1, 2018
Fantastic quick stories
The best stories are ones that make you warm and fuzzy inside and this set did just that. Loved all of the happy moments in each one. This book has encouraged me to read more of her books.
The best stories are ones that make you warm and fuzzy inside and this set did just that. Loved all of the happy moments in each one. This book has encouraged me to read more of her books.
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