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Midnight Myths and Fairy Tales #1
Vasilisa the Terrible: A Baba Yaga Story
Fairy tales depict Vasilisa as beautiful, brave, and fair. But what if terrible was a better description? Baba Yaga has been called everything from a murderous witch to an ambivalent guardian between the living and the dead. But what if she was simply an observant, skeptical elderly woman who was cast out of society for being different?
A small village is filled with fear after Vasilisa reports seeing a witch in the nearby cursed woods. Neighbors turn on each other, the land turns bone dry, and bodies begin to pile up. Baba Yaga quickly becomes the primary suspect. Meanwhile, Vasilisa uses her beauty and charisma to bewitch the minds and hearts of every other villager. But is she truly a witch or is something else responsible for all of this mayhem?
This clever, dark reimagining of Vasilisa the Beautiful encourages readers to look beyond the attractive surface to find the ugly evil hidden within.
Vasilisa the Terrible is not intended for children. This dark, reimagined fairy tale was created with adults in mind, although it’s also suitable for most young adults.
Vasilisa the Terrible: A Baba Yaga Story is the first Kindle Short Read in the Midnight Myths and Fairy Tales series. This story is 11,000+ words.
A small village is filled with fear after Vasilisa reports seeing a witch in the nearby cursed woods. Neighbors turn on each other, the land turns bone dry, and bodies begin to pile up. Baba Yaga quickly becomes the primary suspect. Meanwhile, Vasilisa uses her beauty and charisma to bewitch the minds and hearts of every other villager. But is she truly a witch or is something else responsible for all of this mayhem?
This clever, dark reimagining of Vasilisa the Beautiful encourages readers to look beyond the attractive surface to find the ugly evil hidden within.
Vasilisa the Terrible is not intended for children. This dark, reimagined fairy tale was created with adults in mind, although it’s also suitable for most young adults.
Vasilisa the Terrible: A Baba Yaga Story is the first Kindle Short Read in the Midnight Myths and Fairy Tales series. This story is 11,000+ words.
52 pages, Kindle Edition
Published February 27, 2018
2 people are currently reading
122 people want to read
About the author
April A. Taylor
10 books117 followersApril A. Taylor is an award-winning, multi-genre author and dark art photographer. Her debut novel, The Haunting of Cabin Green, was featured on:
Popsugar's '13 Most Chilling Horror Books of 2018.'
Inquisitr's 'Best Horror Books of 2018.'
Ranker's '2018's Scariest Horror Books.'
BoredPanda's '7 Books That Scared Me Half to Death.'
BLGM's 'Best Gothic Horror Books.'
Sinkhole: A Horror Story and Missing in Michigan received 5-star ratings from Readers' Favorite. Corvo Hollows was named a 5-Star Must Read Book by Reedsy.
Sinkhole: A Horror Story was featured on:
Grit Daily's 'Horror Continues to Thrive with the Scariest Books of 2019'
Medium.com's 'Celebrate Halloween with These Macabre and Progressive Horror Books'
BuzzFeed Community's '7 New Horror Books That Will Actually Scare You'
The Haunting of Cabin Green was the #1 Amazon best seller in the U.S. New Horror Releases category for three straight weeks. It went on to become a #1 Best-Seller in Gothic, Ghosts, U.S. Horror, and LGBT Horror. Additionally, it was the Top Vote-Getter in the Horror/Suspense category of The Kindle Book Review's 2018 Reader's Choice Awards.
April is a proud member of the Horror Writer's Association. She lives in Michigan with the love of her life and their two cats. If her life was a cartoon, she'd be Lisa Simpson.
Popsugar's '13 Most Chilling Horror Books of 2018.'
Inquisitr's 'Best Horror Books of 2018.'
Ranker's '2018's Scariest Horror Books.'
BoredPanda's '7 Books That Scared Me Half to Death.'
BLGM's 'Best Gothic Horror Books.'
Sinkhole: A Horror Story and Missing in Michigan received 5-star ratings from Readers' Favorite. Corvo Hollows was named a 5-Star Must Read Book by Reedsy.
Sinkhole: A Horror Story was featured on:
Grit Daily's 'Horror Continues to Thrive with the Scariest Books of 2019'
Medium.com's 'Celebrate Halloween with These Macabre and Progressive Horror Books'
BuzzFeed Community's '7 New Horror Books That Will Actually Scare You'
The Haunting of Cabin Green was the #1 Amazon best seller in the U.S. New Horror Releases category for three straight weeks. It went on to become a #1 Best-Seller in Gothic, Ghosts, U.S. Horror, and LGBT Horror. Additionally, it was the Top Vote-Getter in the Horror/Suspense category of The Kindle Book Review's 2018 Reader's Choice Awards.
April is a proud member of the Horror Writer's Association. She lives in Michigan with the love of her life and their two cats. If her life was a cartoon, she'd be Lisa Simpson.
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Displaying 1 - 17 of 17 reviews
May 26, 2018
Interesting from beginning to end!
I don't usually give 5⭐'s! Couldn't put it down! I love a story that I cannot predict! Right to the end I was surprised with every page turn!
I don't usually give 5⭐'s! Couldn't put it down! I love a story that I cannot predict! Right to the end I was surprised with every page turn!
March 5, 2018
Vasilisa the Terrible is a postmodern fairy tale well worth reading. It “subverts” the Russian legend of Baba Yaga, a figure with whom I was familiar only through the movement, “The Hut on Hen’s Legs” in Mussorgsky’s Pictures at an Exhibition. This story “subverts” the legend of Baba Yaga by portraying her as an innocent old woman. The villain is a beautiful teenage girl, Vasilisa, who charms her psychopathic, evil self into people’s hearts while doing acts of unspeakable evil. She is a manipulative creature who blames witches for misfortunes falling on the village where she lives. Eventually Baba Yaga becomes the innocent victim and Vasilisa the evil accuser.
The story starts slowly and picks up the pace as it continues. Two-thirds of the way through, I was enthralled. The story is like a witch’s spell drawing the reader in. At first the story seems like a simple fairy tale for children. But it uses big words such as “exsanguination,” which are not usually found in a children’s tale. The story is set in the late seventeenth century, but a character refers to the “gene pool” at a time before genes were discovered. This playing with anachronisms is not unusual in postmodern literature (and in some television shows such as “Xena”). It also adds to the “fairy tale” feeling of the story.
Near the end of the story I couldn’t wait to turn the page. The ending is… interesting—I’ll leave it at that. The themes of looking beyond beauty and homeliness to a person’s character, of being careful about passing judgment, and of avoiding being part of a mob that destroys the innocent, are universal. This story is a short read and a good one. I highly recommend this story for both young adult and adult readers.
The story starts slowly and picks up the pace as it continues. Two-thirds of the way through, I was enthralled. The story is like a witch’s spell drawing the reader in. At first the story seems like a simple fairy tale for children. But it uses big words such as “exsanguination,” which are not usually found in a children’s tale. The story is set in the late seventeenth century, but a character refers to the “gene pool” at a time before genes were discovered. This playing with anachronisms is not unusual in postmodern literature (and in some television shows such as “Xena”). It also adds to the “fairy tale” feeling of the story.
Near the end of the story I couldn’t wait to turn the page. The ending is… interesting—I’ll leave it at that. The themes of looking beyond beauty and homeliness to a person’s character, of being careful about passing judgment, and of avoiding being part of a mob that destroys the innocent, are universal. This story is a short read and a good one. I highly recommend this story for both young adult and adult readers.
March 19, 2018
Vasilisa the Terrible is a dark fairy story based on two women and the whispers that one is a witch. These whispers have consequences and soon the whole village is consumed by the terror of having a witch in their midst. You will have to read the story to find out what happens to them!
It is a great fable which is very relevant to modern times too. The story is well written and flows quickly, building to an exciting, dramatic end.
I recommend this short story to anyone who likes dark fairy stories - you will not be disappointed.
It is a great fable which is very relevant to modern times too. The story is well written and flows quickly, building to an exciting, dramatic end.
I recommend this short story to anyone who likes dark fairy stories - you will not be disappointed.
March 25, 2019
I loved this well-written short story. Vasilisa was beautiful and beloved by everyone, while Yaga was old and disliked. The twist in this tale was who the good person was between the two women. It’s a cautionary tale of looking beneath the surface and what’s inside. I enjoyed how it ended. This is a new author to me, and I will be reading more from Ms. Taylor!
January 8, 2019
Beautifully bewitching. I enjoyed this dark fairy tale immensely. It's a fast-paced, captivating tale, and the writing is exquisite. I'll definitely be looking for more work from this author. Highly recommended!
February 28, 2018
I enjoy this clever re-imaging of the traditional Vasilisa fairy tale. Well written and immediately draws you into the story, with no lag in momentum!
March 24, 2018
Interesting interpretation and retelling of an old story. Rather let down by some poor editing.
October 21, 2018
This is an interesting take on the Baba Yaga fairy tale. Baba Yaga is usually a mysterious and scary witch in Russian mythology, but April A. Taylor's version is more of an "origin tale" that starts out with Baba Yaga as just a regular, harmless lady.
The story focuses on the rivalry between the evil young Vasilisa and the older Baba Yaga. The downside is it felt a little lacking in background. I would have liked to see more details of the magical world these characters inhabit.
Check it out if you enjoy surprising fairy tale retellings!
The story focuses on the rivalry between the evil young Vasilisa and the older Baba Yaga. The downside is it felt a little lacking in background. I would have liked to see more details of the magical world these characters inhabit.
Check it out if you enjoy surprising fairy tale retellings!
March 20, 2018
This is a very short story, almost like flash fiction. A lot happens in this story, quickly, and you almost have to suspend disbelief that murderous events can happen with the flip of a dime. As stated by the author, this is a fairy tale, but not one suitable for children. I recall, however, that such gruesome fairy tales were told to children hundreds of years ago. However, probably best not for children with modern sensibilities in a Disney-dominant age.
The characters aren't well developed, but the story is meant to convey a fable, and it serves its purpose. As in hundreds of other fables, the common folks are as dumb as rocks, but such fables have proven staying power in being vehicles of morality.
The characters aren't well developed, but the story is meant to convey a fable, and it serves its purpose. As in hundreds of other fables, the common folks are as dumb as rocks, but such fables have proven staying power in being vehicles of morality.
July 15, 2019
Vasilisa the Terrible by April A. Taylor won my heart with a superb rendition of an old tale of Baba Yaga. I couldn’t put it down, my eyes widened with each page click and my heart missed a beat with each evil act of Vasilisa whose allure is bewitching but manipulations are irrefutable. Taylor has handled her devilish character deftly, shifting all the compassion to Baba Yaga.
The style of writing, the rich prose and fast pace of this story makes it an enthralling experience of revisiting the world of fairy tales. It also makes a subtle comment at societal judgments and expectations, very less of which has changed since those times when spinsters were looked down upon and blamed for all horrid happenings. Highly recommended.
The style of writing, the rich prose and fast pace of this story makes it an enthralling experience of revisiting the world of fairy tales. It also makes a subtle comment at societal judgments and expectations, very less of which has changed since those times when spinsters were looked down upon and blamed for all horrid happenings. Highly recommended.
March 15, 2018
Actual rating 3.5
Vasilisa the terrible is a reimagining of the original Baba Yaga fable, but since I've never read the source material I cannot compare them.
As for the story itself, it is generally well written with an excellent vocabulary, but does suffer from and overabundance of telling, which unfortunately saps the characters of some of their potential nuance.
Beyond that, the story progresses at a good pace and the character fulfill their roles effectively, all of which combines for a very pleasing, and very dark conclusion.
Vasilisa the terrible is a reimagining of the original Baba Yaga fable, but since I've never read the source material I cannot compare them.
As for the story itself, it is generally well written with an excellent vocabulary, but does suffer from and overabundance of telling, which unfortunately saps the characters of some of their potential nuance.
Beyond that, the story progresses at a good pace and the character fulfill their roles effectively, all of which combines for a very pleasing, and very dark conclusion.
March 11, 2019
The story of Vasilisa and Baba Yaga is indeed an interesting folk tale. It is the story of witches and their wizardry. We all know that witches are never up to any good, and unless you catch them red-handed in the act, they will never admit to being who they are.
Baba Yaga, old and decrepit, is the only one in their village who knows who Vasilisa really is. Vasilisa knows this and frames her. She just wants Baba Yaga out of the way. The story has a beautiful resolution made of sweet revenge. It was well written
Baba Yaga, old and decrepit, is the only one in their village who knows who Vasilisa really is. Vasilisa knows this and frames her. She just wants Baba Yaga out of the way. The story has a beautiful resolution made of sweet revenge. It was well written
August 31, 2019
This is a short story about a beautiful young girl with a dark and twisted heart and soul. Baba Yaga is a simple woman and stays to herself in the village, but she is the one person that sees through Vasilisa's exterior into the darkness of her heart. The horrors Vasilisa exacts on many could only come from the blackest evil and vile magic. I won't spoil the ending, but it was satisfying. It reads much like a folk tale and is well-written. If you like to be entertained and prodded to feel something from a story, this one is for you!
September 26, 2018
I love Russian fairy tales, specially with Baba Yaga, so it's no surprise I liked this book. All the elements from the classic story are really well used here to tell a brand new (and quite scary) story. I love how Vasilisa and Baba Yaga seemed to play reversed roles, and I can't help but love them both!
September 28, 2018
This is a pretty good short story. I like how it uses Baba Yaga's POV, though the narrative style is a bit wonky because it varies so much to add other POVs, and overall the worldbuilding isn't explained. I also thought the ending was a bit confusing, but it's definitely an interesting read.
December 6, 2018
Vasilisa is terrible! Her actions, words, and physical being are well described and there is no sympathy for her. Her adversary, Baba Vaga captured my heart and sympathy. I loved the ending and look forward to reading more from this author.
May 6, 2022
Pretty great for only being 57 pages! Loved the dark fairytale!
Displaying 1 - 17 of 17 reviews