Review: Dark Fairy Tales

Dark Fairy Tales by C.J. Roberts
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

I love fairy tale retellings and I love dark romances, which made Dark Fairy Tales the perfect read for me. Add in the fact there are several authors whose work I’ve previously enjoyed in this one, and I was eager to see how this would play out. Although this links in with a universe I know nothing about, each story works perfectly fine without any prior knowledge of the bigger picture.

The first story in this collection, King Midas by Skye Warren, was a two-star rating. I’m sure this will work for many people, but this one didn’t work for me. I never felt the connection between the characters, and the development was never as much as I would have liked. It had potential, but it was over too quick for me to feel a connection with the story.

The second story in this collection, Rumpelstiltskin by Celia Aaron, was a three-star rating. This one had me hooked throughout, although I do feel the end happened a wee bit too quickly. Despite the quick ending, I enjoyed watching the way things came together and was hooked on the characters.

The third story in this collection, The Princess and the Pea by Sierra Simone, was a four-star rating. This was my favourite of the first three stories. It was insanely hot, and I could not put it down. I loved the characters, their chemistry was insane, and there was plenty packed into the pages. In fact, this has me even more desperate to dive into the New Camelot trilogy.

The fourth story in this collection, Little Red Riding Hood by Karina Halle, was a four-star rating. This was the most twisted of the stories thus far. There has been deception and lies, along with some revenge, but this one went all out in terms of having a twisted little romance. It hooked me right away, and I could not put it down. In fact, I’d be happy to read more of this couple and dig deeper into their twisted story.

The fifth story in this collection, The Ugly Duckling by CJ Roberts, was a three-star rating. This one wasn’t quite the romance that the other books were, but it had me curious to see how the pieces came together. At first, I wasn’t crazy about it, but it certainly grew on me. The story was dark, the pieces came together well, and I’m certainly curious about the rest of the world.

The sixth story in this collection, Beauty and the Beast by Willow Winters, was a two-star rating. I’m sure many will enjoy this one, but it didn’t work for me. It was all too quick and didn’t quite have the depth I would have liked. I wanted a lot more information that I was given and felt like I never fully understood the elements of the story.

The seventh story in this collection, Jack & the Beanstalk by Marley Valentine, was a four-star story. This one pulled me in with ease, and I devoured it in no time. The dark elements were more in the background with this one, compared to some of the other stories, but that wasn’t enough to prevent my enjoyment. I quickly fell for the characters and was eager to see the pieces come together.

The eighth story in this collection, King Thrushbeard by Cora Reilly, was a four-star rating. I was a wee bit unsure about this one at first, but it quickly pulled me in. Although it was obvious how the pieces were going to play out, it was not enough to lessen my enjoyment. The story hooked, I fell for the characters, and it came together in an addictive way.

The ninth story in this collection, The Swan Princess by Natasha Knight, was a three-star rating. I feel this one is best enjoyed if the reader is aware of the universe in which the story is set. It’s a cute background piece for the characters, and I feel things were left a bit too open for those unaware of the story to really appreciate all the details. Nevertheless, it was an enjoyable story.

The tenth story in this collection, Cinderella by Aleatha Romig, was a two-star rating. I’m sure many will enjoy this one, but it was too slow for me. There were a lot of links and refences to other work by the author, and all were lost on me. I felt like I was thrown into the middle of a story, and it prevented me from enjoying the pieces that came together in this one.

The eleventh story in this collection, Snow White by T.M. Frazier, was a three-star rating. This one had me conflicted. It was an interesting take on a well-known tale, but I never fell as in love with it as I could have. The individual elements were interesting, but together I felt like something was missing and would have liked a bit more.

All in all, this was a fun collection. Not all the stories were for me, but that’s always going to be the case with these types of collection.

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