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7th out of 58 books
—
113 voters
Two and Twenty Dark Tales: Dark Retellings of Mother Goose Rhymes
by
Nina Berry (Goodreads Author),
Sarwat Chadda, Shannon Delany (Goodreads Author), Max Scialdone, Karen Mahoney (Goodreads Author), Lisa Mantchev (Goodreads Author), Georgia McBride (Goodreads Author), C. Lee McKenzie (Goodreads Author)
,
more…
In this anthology, 20 authors explore the dark and hidden meanings behind some of the most beloved Mother Goose nursery rhymes through short story retellings. The dark twists on classic tales range from exploring whether Jack truly fell or if Jill pushed him instead to why Humpty Dumpty, fragile and alone, sat atop so high of a wall. The authors include Nina Berry, Sarwat...more
Paperback, 340 pages
Published
October 16th 2012
by Month9Books
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Also appears on my blog, The YA Kitten! I received an ARC from the publisher via NetGalley.
Note: There are five stories I did not review. Three of them were not in my ARC but will be in the finished copy and two were stories I chose to skip due to personal reasons regarding their authors.
"As Blue as the Sky and Just as Old" by Nina Berry: 2.5/5. Berry had a great idea, but a lack of development and a heroine whose levels of dumb break the scale ruin it. Am I really supposed to go with it when Gi...more
Note: There are five stories I did not review. Three of them were not in my ARC but will be in the finished copy and two were stories I chose to skip due to personal reasons regarding their authors.
"As Blue as the Sky and Just as Old" by Nina Berry: 2.5/5. Berry had a great idea, but a lack of development and a heroine whose levels of dumb break the scale ruin it. Am I really supposed to go with it when Gi...more
Great short story collection! Allegorical, interpretive, and entertaining. Except for a few confusions here and there, I enjoyed it very much. Here are my comments for each tale, in the order they are presented:
As Blue as the Sky and Just as Old
Meh. Not a strong opening story. Perhaps it was because I wasn't familiar with the rhyme this one is based on, or perhaps it was a pile of rubbish.
Sing a Song of Six-Pence
Dark, haunting, and eventually rewarding: A story about the lengths a mother will go...more
As Blue as the Sky and Just as Old
Meh. Not a strong opening story. Perhaps it was because I wasn't familiar with the rhyme this one is based on, or perhaps it was a pile of rubbish.
Sing a Song of Six-Pence
Dark, haunting, and eventually rewarding: A story about the lengths a mother will go...more
I received an ARC from NetGalley.
I don't usually read anthologies, but I've seen this one around quite a bit and thought it sounded interesting. I love fairytale retellings, so dark retellings of Mother Goose rhymes definitely piqued my interest, even though I don't know many of the originals (they're included though!). I wasn't familiar with any of these authors, although I did recognize several names. I do think I'll check out some of their other works now that I've gotten a little taste.
Overa...more
I don't usually read anthologies, but I've seen this one around quite a bit and thought it sounded interesting. I love fairytale retellings, so dark retellings of Mother Goose rhymes definitely piqued my interest, even though I don't know many of the originals (they're included though!). I wasn't familiar with any of these authors, although I did recognize several names. I do think I'll check out some of their other works now that I've gotten a little taste.
Overa...more
1 like · like · see review
For the most part I really enjoyed this anthology. All of these authors told very interesting, creepy and highly imaginative stories. There were a few that confused me, but that was mostly because of the fact that I had never read the original rhymes they were based on and had no springboard because of it. This review will give a few insights into my opinions of the individual stories. Beware that as this was an advance copy, some of the stories that will be in the final published version were o...more
1 like · like · see review
This was an anthology with 20 tales based on Mother Goose rhymes. Some very excellent and some I didn't love. I'll share my thoughts on each short story. I did overall enjoy all these tales. Some were really dark and downright creepy while others were more of the fluffy side.
Based on eARC provided by NetGalley.
As Blue as the Sky and Just as Old by Nina Berry:
I wasn't familiar with this rhyme before reading it. It wasn't a strong beginning to the anthology. Felt cliched.
Sing a Song of Six-Pence...more
Based on eARC provided by NetGalley.
As Blue as the Sky and Just as Old by Nina Berry:
I wasn't familiar with this rhyme before reading it. It wasn't a strong beginning to the anthology. Felt cliched.
Sing a Song of Six-Pence...more
Special thanks to Month9Books for giving me a digital ARC provided through NetGalley! Please note that two stories, part two of "The Lion and the Unicorn" and "Sea of Dew", have not been read & reviewed since they were not included in my edition.
This cover has a striking resemblance to Abandon 's. No, really. It's an amazing coincidence since Meg Cabot had the rare photo shoot done for hers, instead of the usual stock image. But I like Two and Twenty Dark Tales's version better.
"As Blue as...more
This cover has a striking resemblance to Abandon 's. No, really. It's an amazing coincidence since Meg Cabot had the rare photo shoot done for hers, instead of the usual stock image. But I like Two and Twenty Dark Tales's version better.
"As Blue as...more
4.5/5
An eerie collection of stories adapted from famous Mother Goose Rhymes, Two and Twenty Dark Tales gave me chills and some of the stories will haunt me for some time! It's amazing how authors have subverted the nature of the rhymes to something even darker than I could have ever imagined, and there are some stories that I wish were longer, or had full length novels accompanying them!
Very short notes on each of the stories follow:
As Blue as the Sky and Just as Oldby Nina Berry
A brilliant choi...more
An eerie collection of stories adapted from famous Mother Goose Rhymes, Two and Twenty Dark Tales gave me chills and some of the stories will haunt me for some time! It's amazing how authors have subverted the nature of the rhymes to something even darker than I could have ever imagined, and there are some stories that I wish were longer, or had full length novels accompanying them!
Very short notes on each of the stories follow:
As Blue as the Sky and Just as Oldby Nina Berry
A brilliant choi...more
I can’t believe how long it took me to get to Two and Twenty Dark Tales, but finally I have read it! This anthology intrigued me from the moment I heard about it, and though I heard mixed reviews, when I won it I was still pretty excited to dive in. For whatever reason it has been sitting on my shelves buried under other books since, but as I said, I finally have taken the time to read it.
I did enjoy the anthology quite a bit, though of course I have my favorites. As with most books of this natu...more
I did enjoy the anthology quite a bit, though of course I have my favorites. As with most books of this natu...more
Review:
I love fairy tale retellings, I never get tired reading stories I love being reworked and remastered by Authors today. Sometimes the stories are hit, sometimes they are miss. That being said, I was a bit underwhelmed with Two and Twenty Dark Tales.
This anthology has 20 stories included in it, many of them told by well known Authors. Still I felt many of the stories fell flat. I also believe since a couple were lesser known tales that could of led to some of the disappointment as the stor...more
I love fairy tale retellings, I never get tired reading stories I love being reworked and remastered by Authors today. Sometimes the stories are hit, sometimes they are miss. That being said, I was a bit underwhelmed with Two and Twenty Dark Tales.
This anthology has 20 stories included in it, many of them told by well known Authors. Still I felt many of the stories fell flat. I also believe since a couple were lesser known tales that could of led to some of the disappointment as the stor...more
Two and Twenty Dark Tales: Dark Retellings of Mother Goose Rhymes
Georgia McBride (editor), Michelle Zink (editor)
Month9Books
Independent Book Publishers Association (IBPA)
Pub Date Oct 16 2012
This is an anthology of – as the title says – twenty-two dark tales. Each tale told here is based on nursery rhymes, some well known and others not so much. Some of the stories did not catch my interest too much so I skipped them – that is the good thing about anthologies – you can skip parts of the book you...more
Georgia McBride (editor), Michelle Zink (editor)
Month9Books
Independent Book Publishers Association (IBPA)
Pub Date Oct 16 2012
This is an anthology of – as the title says – twenty-two dark tales. Each tale told here is based on nursery rhymes, some well known and others not so much. Some of the stories did not catch my interest too much so I skipped them – that is the good thing about anthologies – you can skip parts of the book you...more
Dec 08, 2012
Faye (The Social Potato)
rated it
4 of 5 stars
Shelves:
anthology,
dystopian,
fairy-tale,
horror,
mystery,
paranormal,
young-adult,
stand-alone,
2012,
net-galley
Can also be read on The Social Potato.
Dark retellings of Mother Goose rhymes? Well, sign me up, s'il vous plaît! Thank you NetGalley for the copy :)
There are a lot of stories in this anthology written by many talented authors who I applaud for successfully adapting nursery rhymes into dark stories that would keep the readers at the edges of their seats. Not all of them five-star stories, but most are solid four-stars whose elements range from dystopian, horror, and paranormal, among many others....more
Dark retellings of Mother Goose rhymes? Well, sign me up, s'il vous plaît! Thank you NetGalley for the copy :)
There are a lot of stories in this anthology written by many talented authors who I applaud for successfully adapting nursery rhymes into dark stories that would keep the readers at the edges of their seats. Not all of them five-star stories, but most are solid four-stars whose elements range from dystopian, horror, and paranormal, among many others....more
Four and Twenty Blackbirds sitting in a row , or in this case Two and Twenty Dark Stories sitting in a book waiting to be read by anyone who can handle their dark retellings. Some are gruesome and trust me, once you read this book you can say goodbye to all your favourite nursery rhymes as you really will see them in a different light. This book is a collection of tales from 22 of your favourite authors, each author has chosen to re-tell a classic favourite Nursery Rhyme from Mother Goose from W...more
The first book I ever read on my own was a book of Mother Goose nursery rhymes. According to my mom, I could recite most of the rhymes by heart and would often recite them in a very overdramatic fashion to anyone who would listen. These rhymes have stuck with me well into adulthood, and it was a lot of fun reading this collection. To have rhymes that I loved as a child retold as dark and sinister tales totally captivated me.
It’s kind of hard to grade this one, because there were several stories...more
It’s kind of hard to grade this one, because there were several stories...more
Reason for Reading: I love fairytale retellings and this was too compelling a prospect to pass up!
I was quite excited to read this collection as these retellings are right up my alley with the type of short stories that I enjoy, being based on Mother Goose was rather unique as well since most such anthologies stick to traditional fairy tales. First taking a look through the Table of Contents I was a bit disappointed as I'd only heard of 3 of the authors and only read 2 of them (McBride, Stork &...more
I was quite excited to read this collection as these retellings are right up my alley with the type of short stories that I enjoy, being based on Mother Goose was rather unique as well since most such anthologies stick to traditional fairy tales. First taking a look through the Table of Contents I was a bit disappointed as I'd only heard of 3 of the authors and only read 2 of them (McBride, Stork &...more
It’s always hard to decide what to rate anthologies. Some stories are amazing and others bore me. So, I decided to to highlight the short stories that were dark, disturbing, and make this anthology worth buying. 5/23 lived up to their promise to be haunting. These 5 stories were A+++.
Clockwise by Leah Cypress – A retelling of the hickory dictory dock rhyme. Amarind was a princess transformed into a mouse and only the magic of a clock switched her back to a human. She has to unravel the mystery b...more
Clockwise by Leah Cypress – A retelling of the hickory dictory dock rhyme. Amarind was a princess transformed into a mouse and only the magic of a clock switched her back to a human. She has to unravel the mystery b...more
The stories found within the pages of this glorious collection are full of murder, mayhem, mystery, and magic; taking readers back to a time before Disney and the white washing of our childhood rhymes in the rivers of "happily ever after".
The tales told here pull back a long untouched curtain revealing the nursery rhymes we know so well as the cautionary tales they are. Warnings against all manner of witch, demon, spell, killer, or other bad thing that goes bump in the night.
This book is a magi...more
The tales told here pull back a long untouched curtain revealing the nursery rhymes we know so well as the cautionary tales they are. Warnings against all manner of witch, demon, spell, killer, or other bad thing that goes bump in the night.
This book is a magi...more
I really love anthologies. Probably because a short story can hold so much potential and reading a book full of them can be as good as reading that many books. That was why I was so, so happy to have the opportunity to read this. I'm already in love with retold fairy tales; why not Mother Goose rhymes?
I can't say that I expected this to turn out the way that it did. Some of the stories were much scarier than I anticipated, like the Jack and Jill one and especially Wee Willie Winkie. The latter d...more
I can't say that I expected this to turn out the way that it did. Some of the stories were much scarier than I anticipated, like the Jack and Jill one and especially Wee Willie Winkie. The latter d...more
This collection of short stories contains tales exploring the dark side of Mother Goose nursery rhymes. There were many good ones in this. Some of my favorites include Gretchen McNeil’s “Tick Tock,” about a babysitter who’s sent to a house full of creepy children and a questionable grandfather clock, Leah Cypress’ “Clockwork” which retold Hickory Dickory Dock, and Karen Mahoney’s romantic and magical “One for Sorrow."
There were more that I liked, but I was so caught up with reading that I slack...more
There were more that I liked, but I was so caught up with reading that I slack...more
Review courtesy of Dark Faerie Tales
Quick & Dirty: 22 stories (from fantasy to modern to mythology) inspired by Mother Goose Rhymes that aren’t the simple poems we think we know.
Opening Sentence: (First sentence of first story) When the girl sneaked in at midnight, he used his penlight to make a note.
The Review:
Twenty-two authors. Twenty-two stories. Twenty-two rhymes. This is an anthology of twenty-two Mother Goose Rhymes that will have you shuddering in your reading nook, crying in public...more
Quick & Dirty: 22 stories (from fantasy to modern to mythology) inspired by Mother Goose Rhymes that aren’t the simple poems we think we know.
Opening Sentence: (First sentence of first story) When the girl sneaked in at midnight, he used his penlight to make a note.
The Review:
Twenty-two authors. Twenty-two stories. Twenty-two rhymes. This is an anthology of twenty-two Mother Goose Rhymes that will have you shuddering in your reading nook, crying in public...more
I love fairytales and their retellings. Granted, I prefer the re-tellings with happy endings, but there's something beautiful with the sad, darker ones. This collection, Two and Twenty Dark Tales takes the familiar Mother Goose rhymes and expands each of them into a short story. The advance version from NetGalley didn't have all the stories to be published, but I want to talk about some of the stories.
As Blue As The Sky And Just As Old, a re-telling of the Taffy rhyme and Sing A Song of Six Pen...more
As Blue As The Sky And Just As Old, a re-telling of the Taffy rhyme and Sing A Song of Six Pen...more
It’s a misconception that nursery rhymes and fairy tales are for the innocent. Nursery rhymes contain a good deal of violence and mayhem; the rhymes seem to have come from a variety of sources, including traditional riddles, proverbs, ballads, lines of medieval plays, drinking songs, historical events, and, possibly, ancient pagan rituals.
There have been numerous short story anthologies and novels based on fairy tales (which also can be very violent). This book, Two and Twenty Dark Tales, edited...more
There have been numerous short story anthologies and novels based on fairy tales (which also can be very violent). This book, Two and Twenty Dark Tales, edited...more
This review also appears on my blog at http://www.thegoldenruleof666.blogspo...
I'm going to keep this short, since there really isn't much to say.
Okay, this book is wonderful. I love retellings and none of these disappointed. They were all dark and imaginative. In other words, I loved it.
If I were to say one thing against this anthology, it would be that I don't think that any one person will like every one of the short stories. Unless they are remarkably familiar with Mother Goose Rhymes. Let...more
I'm going to keep this short, since there really isn't much to say.
Okay, this book is wonderful. I love retellings and none of these disappointed. They were all dark and imaginative. In other words, I loved it.
If I were to say one thing against this anthology, it would be that I don't think that any one person will like every one of the short stories. Unless they are remarkably familiar with Mother Goose Rhymes. Let...more
Originally posted here: http://theloyalbook.blogspot.it/2012/...
“We are meant to be heroes. We are meant to fight witches and monsters and evil spirits, even if it appears that we will not survive the encounter. In short, we are meant to hope and to believe in the impossible. The meaning comes from the fight itself, from fighting against such great odds and such great powers, regardless of whether there is a great victory at the end, or not. Our victory is in the trying.”
Two and Twenty dark tale...more
“We are meant to be heroes. We are meant to fight witches and monsters and evil spirits, even if it appears that we will not survive the encounter. In short, we are meant to hope and to believe in the impossible. The meaning comes from the fight itself, from fighting against such great odds and such great powers, regardless of whether there is a great victory at the end, or not. Our victory is in the trying.”
Two and Twenty dark tale...more
The idea behind transforming Mother Goose rhymes into creepy short stories is an excellent one. It was definitely the reason I bothered to pick up this anthology in the first place, and I thought it would also serve me well in previewing all the authors’ prose so I would be better able to make an informed decision as to whether or not I would read anything further by a particular author.
Sadly, for the most part I was rather disappointed by Two and Twenty Dark Tales. A few stories, like Gretchen...more
Sadly, for the most part I was rather disappointed by Two and Twenty Dark Tales. A few stories, like Gretchen...more
Last semester I was fortunate enough to take a seminar in the uncanny. This class introduced stories from the Grimm Brothers along with tales of creepiness from Kafka, Geothe, and other romantic, strange fairytales. We applied Freud's theory of the uncanny and Kristeva's theory of the abject to these stories and came out richer for it.
So I was excited when I got my hands on these dark retellings of Mother Goose Rhymes - because these rhymes ARE dark and I wanted to see what some well-known autho...more
So I was excited when I got my hands on these dark retellings of Mother Goose Rhymes - because these rhymes ARE dark and I wanted to see what some well-known autho...more
We all know our Mother Goose. For centuries kids have been learning these nursery rhymes and most of them seem pretty light and harmless. But when you really look into them, some of these stories have a dark undercurrent. Two and Twenty Dark Tales is an anthology of work from some of the best YA authors out there that puts a dark twist on our classic nursery rhymes. This book is a great collection of creepy stories that is sure to keep you up. The best part about the anthology, though, is that i...more
A mixed bag.
The premise is one I like a lot--I'm always up for retellings of fairy tales and nursery rhymes!--but the execution is uneven. (Then again, it's an anthology. Few dodge that trap.) I did like that many of the rhymes used were more obscure--it not only seemed like it gave the authors more creative leeway, it was also just plain fun to read unfamiliar rhymes.
There are some real gems: As Blue as the Sky and Just as Old by Berry is the opener and definitely pretty dark, but also a terse...more
The premise is one I like a lot--I'm always up for retellings of fairy tales and nursery rhymes!--but the execution is uneven. (Then again, it's an anthology. Few dodge that trap.) I did like that many of the rhymes used were more obscure--it not only seemed like it gave the authors more creative leeway, it was also just plain fun to read unfamiliar rhymes.
There are some real gems: As Blue as the Sky and Just as Old by Berry is the opener and definitely pretty dark, but also a terse...more
I received an ARC from Net Galley:
Originally, what drew me to read this anthology was author Leigh Fallon. I loved Carrier of the Mark and couldn't wait to read more of her writing!
The stories in this anthology are dark & sometimes twisted retellings of nursery rhymes we all remember from childhood. The stories are wonderful, not one leaves you bored.
This is a book I will definitely purchase a physical copy of. It is perfect for the YA readers right now who crave worlds with a supernatural t...more
Originally, what drew me to read this anthology was author Leigh Fallon. I loved Carrier of the Mark and couldn't wait to read more of her writing!
The stories in this anthology are dark & sometimes twisted retellings of nursery rhymes we all remember from childhood. The stories are wonderful, not one leaves you bored.
This is a book I will definitely purchase a physical copy of. It is perfect for the YA readers right now who crave worlds with a supernatural t...more
I I loved the idea of this anthology. I love dark retellings so I was very excited to read this anthology which is filled with retellings of the Mother Goose nursery rhymes. Many of the original nursery rhymes were already creepy so I was expecting a lot.
My high expectations of this anthology went down when I started reading the first short story. It was a pretty bad opening to the anthology. Unfortunately, there were many stories that had a lot of potential but were not executed very well. The...more
My high expectations of this anthology went down when I started reading the first short story. It was a pretty bad opening to the anthology. Unfortunately, there were many stories that had a lot of potential but were not executed very well. The...more
Actual rating: 3.5
(This review was originally posted at My Library in the Making.)
Two and Twenty Dark Tales is probably the best title ever because it tells exactly what the book is. And although I didn't grow up to Mother Goose rhymes - except for Jack and Jill because, seriously, what kid hasn't even heard of it? - I really enjoyed this dark take on them. But before I get to specifics, let me tell you my three favorites from these twenty-two tales of awesome:
Blue - Sayantani DasGupta
Lyrical a...more
(This review was originally posted at My Library in the Making.)
Two and Twenty Dark Tales is probably the best title ever because it tells exactly what the book is. And although I didn't grow up to Mother Goose rhymes - except for Jack and Jill because, seriously, what kid hasn't even heard of it? - I really enjoyed this dark take on them. But before I get to specifics, let me tell you my three favorites from these twenty-two tales of awesome:
Blue - Sayantani DasGupta
Lyrical a...more
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Nina Berry grew up bodysurfing in Hawaii, learned to snowball fight at college in Chicago, and now lives and works in Hollywood, pretending to lead the glamorous life.
When she’s not traveling, reading or tweeting links to save the tiger, she writes all kinds of things, some of which might surprise you.
Nina blogs at ninaberry.com, and you can follow her on Twitter @Ninaberry or hang out with her on...more
More about Nina Berry...
When she’s not traveling, reading or tweeting links to save the tiger, she writes all kinds of things, some of which might surprise you.
Nina blogs at ninaberry.com, and you can follow her on Twitter @Ninaberry or hang out with her on...more
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“We are meant to be heroes. We are meant to fight witches and monsters and evil spirits, even if it appears that we will not survive the encounter. In short, we are meant to hope and to believe in the impossible. The meaning comes from the fight itself, from fighting against such great odds and such great powers, regardless of whether there is a great victory at the end, or not. Our victory is in the trying.”
—
4 people liked it
“Bad things cycle round and round. Those who were harmed seek to harm. Those who were blamed seek to blame. If we all choose to do otherwise, maybe someday it will stop.”
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3 people liked it
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It's for sale on a bunch of different websites like Amazon...more
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