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A Twist of Fate: A Collection of 11 Twisted Fairy Tales
What happens when you let eleven authors twist classic fairy tales?
MAGIC
Weave your way through imagination as Fate takes an interesting turn in your favorite childhood stories. From The Frog Prince to The Six Swans, see what happens when fairy tales are … twisted.
A king struggles to find someone who can love him despite his flaws. A musician works to reverse his curse. A queen wants to keep her crown. The singing bard plans an escape, and Red might have bitten off more than she can chew. These stories and more await you.
Let the magic of these tales sweep you away with mischief, mayhem, and a good dose of snark.
Open the door to A Twist of Fate.
MAGIC
Weave your way through imagination as Fate takes an interesting turn in your favorite childhood stories. From The Frog Prince to The Six Swans, see what happens when fairy tales are … twisted.
A king struggles to find someone who can love him despite his flaws. A musician works to reverse his curse. A queen wants to keep her crown. The singing bard plans an escape, and Red might have bitten off more than she can chew. These stories and more await you.
Let the magic of these tales sweep you away with mischief, mayhem, and a good dose of snark.
Open the door to A Twist of Fate.
- GenresAnthologiesShort Stories
277 pages, Kindle Edition
First published January 1, 2017
7 people are currently reading
147 people want to read
About the author
C.L. Cannon
20 books5,806 followers✨ C.L. Cannon is a USA Today Bestselling Author ✒️ publisher 📚 marketer 📢 editor🩸designer 🖥️ & lots of other occupations with the -er sounds at the end!
She's a woman of many talents who never gives up, even when she probably should. She enjoys writing about love and friendship. She loves it even more when she can add Fantasy and Sci-Fi aspects to those themes!
She's an awkward AF, neurospicy spoonie who lives in fandom and band t-shirts, collects too many books and merch, and has a deep obsession with David Tennant, Tolkien, and Kaz Brekker. (I mean, can you blame her?)
She spends her days trying to #bookstagram/#Booktok (and probably failing), helping other authors grow and succeed (I love my job), and loving on her two human children/velociraptors, Seth and Petey, and a hoard of black cats.
Visit her website for more content, including book reviews, new release announcements, and weekly giveaways! https://clcannon.net ✨
✨Her publishing company Fiction-Atlas Press, releases two ⚔️ Fantasy & 🛸 Scifi multi-author anthologies every year. One is always for charity.✨
✨Fiction-Atlas also offers a variety of services & opportunities for ✒️ Authors & 📚 Readers! Visit here: https://fiction-atlas.com ✨
She's a woman of many talents who never gives up, even when she probably should. She enjoys writing about love and friendship. She loves it even more when she can add Fantasy and Sci-Fi aspects to those themes!
She's an awkward AF, neurospicy spoonie who lives in fandom and band t-shirts, collects too many books and merch, and has a deep obsession with David Tennant, Tolkien, and Kaz Brekker. (I mean, can you blame her?)
She spends her days trying to #bookstagram/#Booktok (and probably failing), helping other authors grow and succeed (I love my job), and loving on her two human children/velociraptors, Seth and Petey, and a hoard of black cats.
Visit her website for more content, including book reviews, new release announcements, and weekly giveaways! https://clcannon.net ✨
✨Her publishing company Fiction-Atlas Press, releases two ⚔️ Fantasy & 🛸 Scifi multi-author anthologies every year. One is always for charity.✨
✨Fiction-Atlas also offers a variety of services & opportunities for ✒️ Authors & 📚 Readers! Visit here: https://fiction-atlas.com ✨
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Displaying 1 - 10 of 10 reviews
January 10, 2018
Fantastic collection of short retellings! There were two stories that really stood out from the mix. One being Peter, Peter; which is a retelling of Peter, Peter Pumpkin Eater. It was probably the most unique twist of the stories in the anthology. It had heartbreak, a guy named Peter, and a pumpkin patch! It was cute and well written. The second story that stood out to me was East of the Bronx, a retelling of East of the Sun, West of the Moon. This particular story was great with lots of twist and some mystery and a great plot line. Overall this anthology kept me turning pages until the very end. I truly loved it it!! All the stories were fantastic and I have several new authors on my watch list now!
April 25, 2020
Amongst the 11 stories that are part of this anthology of dark fairy tale retellings, there's six that stand out for me for the creative twists inserted as well as the writing:
THE DRAGON PRINCE by Mirren Hogan
4 stars
The first of the two retellings of "The Frog Prince" in this collection, it's clearly a prequel short story for a longer series, so it's probably going to need a bit of context for some. As purely a retelling of the fairy tale, however, it works just fine on its own as it's pretty much self-contained, and maybe it'll pick your curiosity about the series. It sure did pick mine.
What I liked about this story was a couple of details: that the "frog" here is a water dragon instead of the traditional amphibian, and that there's no happy ending but the unhappy ending is earned and not just subversion for subversion's sake or to be edgy. Might be worth checking out the series, seeing all this!
EAST OF THE BRONX by C. L. Cannon
2 stars
The plotline in this retelling of "East of the Sun and West of the Moon" is rather close to glorified prostitution, with a disfigured millionaire paying for a companion to spend a year with him on his luxury penthouse in the Upper East Side, and that the companion is poor and in need of money makes this more unpalatable as a "romance," if you ask me. On top of this awkward premise, the millionaire is way, way, WAY too unfazed at losing all to the villain. Honestly, no person would be so blasé about such a tremendous loss and justify it all with the delusional self-talk that he didn't care for it anyway. The author does need a wee bit more realism in her depiction of both human nature and what wealth means to people who have it.
So this is one story that stands out for bad reasons. Doesn't help that the main antagonist in this story is cartoonish and the secondary antagonist appears onstage without a prelude, when it's time for a bit of unasked for drama. Neither protagonists nor antagonists are believable as characters, but what do you know? Looking at other reviews, the romance makes up for lack of plausibility, apparently.
RAMPAGE by K. Matt
3 stars
If Rapunzel were an arsehole Rock singer... That'd be a good summary of the plot here.
Honestly, neither the Rocker nor the "witch," who happens to be his insanely jealous songwriter, are likable. Both deserve each other, basically. So what makes this stand out? The creative interpretation of Rapunzel's hair, and the sinister consequences of using magic. As a horror version of the fairy tale, it's a fine work.
THE PRE-MED AND THE FROG PRINCE by Rebecca D. Bruner
5 stars
The second retelling of "The Frog Prince" in this anthology, and my second favourite story. It rewrites the fairy tale in a modern setting, with the "princess" as a medical student and the Frog Prince as a literal frog she must dissect for her anatomy class.
I liked the mix of the humorous with the disenchanted, the relatable main character, the quirky side characters, and the satisfying ending.
FIONA FAE SILVERTONGUE AND THE KING by Stephanie Barr
5 stars
My favourite story, that is a retelling of "The Nightingale" (Lately, I seem to have stumbled upon a series of excellent retellings of this particular tale!) in which the eponymous character is a travelling female bard, a rare sight in itself, but rarer still is that her voice is extremely good. So good that she, and her alchemist fellow travel companion, end up as forced guests (i. e. prisoners) of a tone deaf king more interested in the prestige of owning an unique singer than in hearing her sing.
That there isn't any romance here as well as that it's the nightingale, Fiona, who frees herself was a lovely touch, too; different and that fit the plot and characters.
PETER, PETER by Chandra Trulove Fry
4 stars
I didn't love this retelling of "Peter, Peter, Pumpkin Eater" exactly, but that doesn't preclude that I can see how well-crafted the story is. This is perhaps the creepiest, most Horror and gory of all the stories, too. But it also has an underlying touch of sad, because, in the end, it's the story of a decent man corrupted by too many betrayals in a row and by dark magic. I'd have wished the ending was a bit less abrupt, though.
THE DRAGON PRINCE by Mirren Hogan
4 stars
The first of the two retellings of "The Frog Prince" in this collection, it's clearly a prequel short story for a longer series, so it's probably going to need a bit of context for some. As purely a retelling of the fairy tale, however, it works just fine on its own as it's pretty much self-contained, and maybe it'll pick your curiosity about the series. It sure did pick mine.
What I liked about this story was a couple of details: that the "frog" here is a water dragon instead of the traditional amphibian, and that there's no happy ending but the unhappy ending is earned and not just subversion for subversion's sake or to be edgy. Might be worth checking out the series, seeing all this!
EAST OF THE BRONX by C. L. Cannon
2 stars
The plotline in this retelling of "East of the Sun and West of the Moon" is rather close to glorified prostitution, with a disfigured millionaire paying for a companion to spend a year with him on his luxury penthouse in the Upper East Side, and that the companion is poor and in need of money makes this more unpalatable as a "romance," if you ask me. On top of this awkward premise, the millionaire is way, way, WAY too unfazed at losing all to the villain. Honestly, no person would be so blasé about such a tremendous loss and justify it all with the delusional self-talk that he didn't care for it anyway. The author does need a wee bit more realism in her depiction of both human nature and what wealth means to people who have it.
So this is one story that stands out for bad reasons. Doesn't help that the main antagonist in this story is cartoonish and the secondary antagonist appears onstage without a prelude, when it's time for a bit of unasked for drama. Neither protagonists nor antagonists are believable as characters, but what do you know? Looking at other reviews, the romance makes up for lack of plausibility, apparently.
RAMPAGE by K. Matt
3 stars
If Rapunzel were an arsehole Rock singer... That'd be a good summary of the plot here.
Honestly, neither the Rocker nor the "witch," who happens to be his insanely jealous songwriter, are likable. Both deserve each other, basically. So what makes this stand out? The creative interpretation of Rapunzel's hair, and the sinister consequences of using magic. As a horror version of the fairy tale, it's a fine work.
THE PRE-MED AND THE FROG PRINCE by Rebecca D. Bruner
5 stars
The second retelling of "The Frog Prince" in this anthology, and my second favourite story. It rewrites the fairy tale in a modern setting, with the "princess" as a medical student and the Frog Prince as a literal frog she must dissect for her anatomy class.
I liked the mix of the humorous with the disenchanted, the relatable main character, the quirky side characters, and the satisfying ending.
FIONA FAE SILVERTONGUE AND THE KING by Stephanie Barr
5 stars
My favourite story, that is a retelling of "The Nightingale" (Lately, I seem to have stumbled upon a series of excellent retellings of this particular tale!) in which the eponymous character is a travelling female bard, a rare sight in itself, but rarer still is that her voice is extremely good. So good that she, and her alchemist fellow travel companion, end up as forced guests (i. e. prisoners) of a tone deaf king more interested in the prestige of owning an unique singer than in hearing her sing.
That there isn't any romance here as well as that it's the nightingale, Fiona, who frees herself was a lovely touch, too; different and that fit the plot and characters.
PETER, PETER by Chandra Trulove Fry
4 stars
I didn't love this retelling of "Peter, Peter, Pumpkin Eater" exactly, but that doesn't preclude that I can see how well-crafted the story is. This is perhaps the creepiest, most Horror and gory of all the stories, too. But it also has an underlying touch of sad, because, in the end, it's the story of a decent man corrupted by too many betrayals in a row and by dark magic. I'd have wished the ending was a bit less abrupt, though.
March 17, 2019
It was an interesting variety of tales. I would definitely recommend this collection.
September 18, 2019
Sometimes readers need a break from novels and long series, so what better way than to pick up an anthology of short stories? Fiction-Atlas Press has published a few anthologies covering various genres that will reach out to a wide variety of audiences. For fans of fantasy and fairy tales, A Twist of Fate: A Collection of 11 Twisted Fairy Tales may be that next collection of short stories to read.
Adults who grew up with Brother’s Grimm, Hans Christian Andersen, Aesop’s Fables, and so many more fairy tales from around the world are in for twisted takes on these childhood fantasies. The keyword for this collection is “twisted”, meaning these stories are more for adults to enjoy, not children, as readers never know what kind of twist the author will put on their story. Some stories really do read like the old classic fairy tales, a few read like a modern-day fantasy, and others take a surprisingly dark and morbid turn. No matter what the twist, readers are in for a treat as they will come across tales they know all too well, tales they may have only heard of, and tales they may not even know.
A fairy tale everyone knows is “The Frog Prince” by Brothers Grimm. In this collection, two authors chose to put their own twists on this particular story in two unique ways. Author Mirren Hogan set her story, “The Dragon Prince,” in more of a fairy tale setting with the frog being replaced by a small dragon. While her story is perhaps one of the shortest in the collection, Hogan makes a change that offers an excellent new moral to the classic tale. Author Rebecca D. Bruner put a modern-day twist on the tale in her story “The Pre-Med and the Frog Prince.” Bruner almost combined two fairy tales into one with her story, placing elements of “Cinderella” within it, as well. Witty, heart-wrenching, and sweet, readers will have no idea what to expect with this take on “The Frog Prince.”
In any classic fairy tale, what are princes without princesses? Three well-known princess stories are tackled in this collection and these three definitely go beyond what any reader would expect of a princess story… definitely no Disney versions here. Author Nanea Knott took on Hans Christian Andersen’s “The Princess and the Pea” with her version, “The Princess Tests.” Another story told in the classic fairy tale setting, readers will be able to tell that Knott just had fun writing her story which, in turn, paints a very entertaining picture in readers’ minds. To not spoil the entertainment, all readers need to know just to get their interest peaked is the fact that the story is told from the perspective of a “character” one would least expect.
Author Kayla Matt takes a rather dark turn on another Brothers Grimm tale with “Rampage,” her twisted version of “Rapunzel.” “Rampage” follows a present-day musician with beautiful hair. However, once some modern day magic takes a hold of it, it develops a mind of its own and not in the best of ways. And the final princess story is Charles Perrault’s “Sleeping Beauty.” Author Damian Connolly most certainly impresses with his twist on this well-known princess in his “The Lost City.” Readers won’t even recognize the story within the first couple of pages, but with his excellent use of description, Connolly gives readers a rather clever fairy tale that goes horribly wrong for its characters.
A few more fairy tales readers will know more than others also include Brothers Grimm “The Elves and the Shoemaker,” Charles Perrault’s “Little Red Riding Hood,” and the nursery rhyme “Peter, Peter, Pumpkin Eater.” Author Sarah Buhrman’s “Free Gift with Purchase” puts a fascinating modern twist on “The Elves and the Shoemaker.” This story offers a cute classic twist where a modern-day human aids a certain creature only read about in fairy tales. “Raulin and Red” is author Aziz Sphinx’s take on “Little Red Riding Hood” and what a modern crazy twist she takes. Sphinx leads readers along, making them believe one thing, then does a complete twist to lead readers down a different clever path. And saving the most morbid for last, author Chandra Trulove Fry’s “Peter, Peter.” From the title alone, readers already know what this tale is based on; however, they may not be prepared for the dark twist Fry puts on her modern day story.
With so many of the aforementioned fairy tales being ones readers will most likely recognize, there are other tales that may not be as well-known. Yet another Brothers Grimm story is added to the list as author A.F. Stewart wrote “The Quest of the Sixth Swan,” her take on “The Six Swans.” This story was fascinating for it was a continuation of what could happen after the original tale and is the only story in the collection to take place in more of a steampunk setting while still holding elements of a fantasy. Author Stephanie Barr wrote “Fiona Fae Silvertongue and the King,” her take on Hans Christian Andersen’s “The Nightingale.” Taking place in a more fairy tale fantasy setting, this is another story in the collection to briefly hint at a second fairy tale within it, mentioning something along the lines of another Andersen tale, “The Emperor’s New Clothes.” Barr’s use of description for her character’s performance as a bard is absolutely beautiful. Then there is author C.L. Cannon’s “East of the Bronx,” a modern day retelling of Peter Christen Asbjørnsen and Jørgen Engebretsen Moe’s “East of the Sun, West of the Moon.” This may be the one story in the collection that sounds the least familiar of the fairy tales; however, once readers begin to read it, it will sound very similar to another well-known French fairy tale. And Cannon is to be commended for doing an amazing job forming an excellent bond between two very likeable characters within just a short story.
Upon completing each short story in this collection, readers will be excited to see what the next tale has in store. While it will always be known what fairy tale readers will be diving into on page one, they will have no idea what will happen. The characters could possibly live happily ever after just like the old tales. The characters could be heading down a good road, then take a very bad turn or vice versa. Or the events of the story could be doomed from the start. It is easy to see these eleven enjoyable new takes on old tales were carefully crafted by these eleven talented authors and this anthology is definitely one to lose oneself in if one simply needs a break from reading novels or series. Perhaps the only downer is the fact that there are only eleven stories in this anthology. With so many fairy tales told all over the world, what other amazing ideas could be formed? What other clever twists could be written? If anything, after reading these fun new tales, readers may just find themselves delving into those old fairy tale books, revisiting childhood for old time’s sake.
**Originally published on my blog, Roll Out Reviews, on September 17, 2019**
Adults who grew up with Brother’s Grimm, Hans Christian Andersen, Aesop’s Fables, and so many more fairy tales from around the world are in for twisted takes on these childhood fantasies. The keyword for this collection is “twisted”, meaning these stories are more for adults to enjoy, not children, as readers never know what kind of twist the author will put on their story. Some stories really do read like the old classic fairy tales, a few read like a modern-day fantasy, and others take a surprisingly dark and morbid turn. No matter what the twist, readers are in for a treat as they will come across tales they know all too well, tales they may have only heard of, and tales they may not even know.
A fairy tale everyone knows is “The Frog Prince” by Brothers Grimm. In this collection, two authors chose to put their own twists on this particular story in two unique ways. Author Mirren Hogan set her story, “The Dragon Prince,” in more of a fairy tale setting with the frog being replaced by a small dragon. While her story is perhaps one of the shortest in the collection, Hogan makes a change that offers an excellent new moral to the classic tale. Author Rebecca D. Bruner put a modern-day twist on the tale in her story “The Pre-Med and the Frog Prince.” Bruner almost combined two fairy tales into one with her story, placing elements of “Cinderella” within it, as well. Witty, heart-wrenching, and sweet, readers will have no idea what to expect with this take on “The Frog Prince.”
In any classic fairy tale, what are princes without princesses? Three well-known princess stories are tackled in this collection and these three definitely go beyond what any reader would expect of a princess story… definitely no Disney versions here. Author Nanea Knott took on Hans Christian Andersen’s “The Princess and the Pea” with her version, “The Princess Tests.” Another story told in the classic fairy tale setting, readers will be able to tell that Knott just had fun writing her story which, in turn, paints a very entertaining picture in readers’ minds. To not spoil the entertainment, all readers need to know just to get their interest peaked is the fact that the story is told from the perspective of a “character” one would least expect.
Author Kayla Matt takes a rather dark turn on another Brothers Grimm tale with “Rampage,” her twisted version of “Rapunzel.” “Rampage” follows a present-day musician with beautiful hair. However, once some modern day magic takes a hold of it, it develops a mind of its own and not in the best of ways. And the final princess story is Charles Perrault’s “Sleeping Beauty.” Author Damian Connolly most certainly impresses with his twist on this well-known princess in his “The Lost City.” Readers won’t even recognize the story within the first couple of pages, but with his excellent use of description, Connolly gives readers a rather clever fairy tale that goes horribly wrong for its characters.
A few more fairy tales readers will know more than others also include Brothers Grimm “The Elves and the Shoemaker,” Charles Perrault’s “Little Red Riding Hood,” and the nursery rhyme “Peter, Peter, Pumpkin Eater.” Author Sarah Buhrman’s “Free Gift with Purchase” puts a fascinating modern twist on “The Elves and the Shoemaker.” This story offers a cute classic twist where a modern-day human aids a certain creature only read about in fairy tales. “Raulin and Red” is author Aziz Sphinx’s take on “Little Red Riding Hood” and what a modern crazy twist she takes. Sphinx leads readers along, making them believe one thing, then does a complete twist to lead readers down a different clever path. And saving the most morbid for last, author Chandra Trulove Fry’s “Peter, Peter.” From the title alone, readers already know what this tale is based on; however, they may not be prepared for the dark twist Fry puts on her modern day story.
With so many of the aforementioned fairy tales being ones readers will most likely recognize, there are other tales that may not be as well-known. Yet another Brothers Grimm story is added to the list as author A.F. Stewart wrote “The Quest of the Sixth Swan,” her take on “The Six Swans.” This story was fascinating for it was a continuation of what could happen after the original tale and is the only story in the collection to take place in more of a steampunk setting while still holding elements of a fantasy. Author Stephanie Barr wrote “Fiona Fae Silvertongue and the King,” her take on Hans Christian Andersen’s “The Nightingale.” Taking place in a more fairy tale fantasy setting, this is another story in the collection to briefly hint at a second fairy tale within it, mentioning something along the lines of another Andersen tale, “The Emperor’s New Clothes.” Barr’s use of description for her character’s performance as a bard is absolutely beautiful. Then there is author C.L. Cannon’s “East of the Bronx,” a modern day retelling of Peter Christen Asbjørnsen and Jørgen Engebretsen Moe’s “East of the Sun, West of the Moon.” This may be the one story in the collection that sounds the least familiar of the fairy tales; however, once readers begin to read it, it will sound very similar to another well-known French fairy tale. And Cannon is to be commended for doing an amazing job forming an excellent bond between two very likeable characters within just a short story.
Upon completing each short story in this collection, readers will be excited to see what the next tale has in store. While it will always be known what fairy tale readers will be diving into on page one, they will have no idea what will happen. The characters could possibly live happily ever after just like the old tales. The characters could be heading down a good road, then take a very bad turn or vice versa. Or the events of the story could be doomed from the start. It is easy to see these eleven enjoyable new takes on old tales were carefully crafted by these eleven talented authors and this anthology is definitely one to lose oneself in if one simply needs a break from reading novels or series. Perhaps the only downer is the fact that there are only eleven stories in this anthology. With so many fairy tales told all over the world, what other amazing ideas could be formed? What other clever twists could be written? If anything, after reading these fun new tales, readers may just find themselves delving into those old fairy tale books, revisiting childhood for old time’s sake.
**Originally published on my blog, Roll Out Reviews, on September 17, 2019**
January 11, 2018
Fantastic collection of short retellings! There were two stories that really stood out from the mix. One being Peter, Peter; which is a retelling of Peter, Peter Pumpkin Eater. It was probably the most unique twist of the stories in the anthology. It had heartbreak, a guy named Peter, and a pumpkin patch! It was cute and well written. The second story that stood out to me was East of the Bronx, a retelling of East of the Sun, West of the Moon. This particular story was great with lots of twist and some mystery and a great plot line. Overall this anthology kept me turning pages until the very end. I truly loved it it!! All the stories were fantastic and I have several new authors on my watch list now!
February 24, 2018
Absolutely worth the read. 11 short twisted fairy tales. Five star review for thinking out of the box with these stories.
They are really twisted but you can still get the hint of the original fairy tale.
I liked this box set and can recommend it to others.
They are really twisted but you can still get the hint of the original fairy tale.
I liked this box set and can recommend it to others.
January 21, 2018
Very twisted
A good variety of tales and talent. I enjoyed learning about the various authors. Would recommend for anyone that enjoys dark humor.
A good variety of tales and talent. I enjoyed learning about the various authors. Would recommend for anyone that enjoys dark humor.
Read
May 31, 2018some of the stories were good while others just bored me.
July 28, 2023
I love short stories. They are perfect, bite-sized treats when you have a taste for escape, but only so much time to indulge. This collection, A Twist of Fate, has some lovely, dark surprises in its re-imaginings of classic fairytales and nursery rhymes. I enjoyed each one for different reasons, making it hard to pick a favorite.
So why did I give it 3 stars? First, because 5 stars are only given to books that are life changing for me; 4 is normally my highest rating. If anything is wrong, like missing, incorrect, or misspelled words in several places, or a romance angle is rushed, or an author ends their story awkwardly, then the stars start going down.
Even with those flaws, I liked the book and would recommend it to those who like a dark twist on familiar tales.
So why did I give it 3 stars? First, because 5 stars are only given to books that are life changing for me; 4 is normally my highest rating. If anything is wrong, like missing, incorrect, or misspelled words in several places, or a romance angle is rushed, or an author ends their story awkwardly, then the stars start going down.
Even with those flaws, I liked the book and would recommend it to those who like a dark twist on familiar tales.
June 1, 2020
I loved these twisted tales on fairy tales. I wasn't sure what to expect either since it was by several different authors, but I enjoyed each tale and couldn't wait to get to the next one. The authors took the most basic beginning of the fairy tale and from start to finish swept us into a completely different direction, that wonderful twist of their imagination, one that transported it to a whole other place. Different in this case was a pleasure to read! I'll be checking out what each of these authors write based on their work in this book. I'm eager to read more from each of them!
Displaying 1 - 10 of 10 reviews