What do you think?
Rate this book
Never Afters #5
By The Moon's Good Grace
By the Moon’s Good Grace is a wild and gothic re-imagining of a classic story from the award-winning Kirstyn McDermott. Ideal for fans of Kelly Link, Angela Carter, and Catherynne M. Valente.
The night after the tumultuous events at her grandmother’s house, Little Red ventures into the woods to find her missing grandmother. Instead, she discovers a stranger who claims to be her aunt…and learns a startling secret. Her family are wolves, changing form in phase with the moon, and the beast slain in grandmother’s cottage means she’ll not be home again.
With the full moon overhead, Red learns she can undergo the change herself, but life as a wolf is not so easy as it might appear. The villagers distrust fanged beast and fell magic in equal measure, and every transformation places her family in peril. The secret her grandmother kept close could now bring death to her mother, her aunt, and even Red herself. There are paths that need to be chosen, and no decision will come without sacrifice.
By the Moon’s Good Grace is the fifth novella in Kirstyn McDermott's Never Afters series. Dark, powerful, and brimming with magic, these tales weave a reimagined world in which fairy-tale girls grow up to find both love and heartbreak, family and friendship, loss and forgiveness.
The night after the tumultuous events at her grandmother’s house, Little Red ventures into the woods to find her missing grandmother. Instead, she discovers a stranger who claims to be her aunt…and learns a startling secret. Her family are wolves, changing form in phase with the moon, and the beast slain in grandmother’s cottage means she’ll not be home again.
With the full moon overhead, Red learns she can undergo the change herself, but life as a wolf is not so easy as it might appear. The villagers distrust fanged beast and fell magic in equal measure, and every transformation places her family in peril. The secret her grandmother kept close could now bring death to her mother, her aunt, and even Red herself. There are paths that need to be chosen, and no decision will come without sacrifice.
By the Moon’s Good Grace is the fifth novella in Kirstyn McDermott's Never Afters series. Dark, powerful, and brimming with magic, these tales weave a reimagined world in which fairy-tale girls grow up to find both love and heartbreak, family and friendship, loss and forgiveness.
36 pages, Kindle Edition
First published October 25, 2022
About the author
Kirstyn McDermott
50 books104 followersKirstyn McDermott is an Australian author of two award-winning novels, Madigan Mine and Perfections, as well as a collection of short fiction, Caution: Contains Small Parts. Until recently, she produced and co-hosted a literary discussion podcast, The Writer and the Critic, and is currently undertaking a creative PhD at Federation University with a research focus on retold fairy tales.
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 of 1 review
June 8, 2026
Summary
I recently read fairytale reimagining By The Moon’s Good Grace (NeverAfters, #5) by Australian author Kirstyn McDermott.
Review
McDermott succeeds in another unique, short reimagining of classic fairytales. By The Moon’s Good Grace tackles the “Little Red Riding Hood” fairy tale and the cunning wolf.
Here, the fairy tale wolf is one of a pack and discovering transformation and running as a wolf among the female relatives of her family. There is a fascinating i prospector and dread within the protagonist who awaits her first transformation with trepidation and desire to belong to her family pack and bloodline. While this might seem reminiscent of Angela Slatter’s short story in Black Winged Angels, the familiarity yet McDermott’s unique tone make this work a standalone piece.
Conclusion
A well recommended read for fans of dark fantasy, gothic fiction, fairy tales, folklore, werewolf lore. A strong heroine, well-written tale and an atmospheric short fiction.
** This is my personal opinion and does not reflect any judging decisions **
I recently read fairytale reimagining By The Moon’s Good Grace (NeverAfters, #5) by Australian author Kirstyn McDermott.
Review
McDermott succeeds in another unique, short reimagining of classic fairytales. By The Moon’s Good Grace tackles the “Little Red Riding Hood” fairy tale and the cunning wolf.
Here, the fairy tale wolf is one of a pack and discovering transformation and running as a wolf among the female relatives of her family. There is a fascinating i prospector and dread within the protagonist who awaits her first transformation with trepidation and desire to belong to her family pack and bloodline. While this might seem reminiscent of Angela Slatter’s short story in Black Winged Angels, the familiarity yet McDermott’s unique tone make this work a standalone piece.
Conclusion
A well recommended read for fans of dark fantasy, gothic fiction, fairy tales, folklore, werewolf lore. A strong heroine, well-written tale and an atmospheric short fiction.
** This is my personal opinion and does not reflect any judging decisions **
Displaying 1 of 1 review