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Once Upon a Rainbow
Once Upon a Rainbow, Volume Three
Your favorite stories from childhood have a new twist. Seven fairy tales of old with characters across the LGBTQIA+ spectrum.
Green Things Grow from Cinders by A.E. Ross – Glass slippers aren’t for everyone.
Gretel on Her Own by Elna Holst – This time around, Gretel Kindermann is on her own. Or is she?
Bremen Town Musicians by Mark Lesney – Loss and love on the road to Bremen Town.
The Scent of Magic by N.J. Romaine – Who can win a hunt against the Big Bad Wolf?
The Rescue by Sam Burns – Saving princesses is hard work. Getting out of marrying them is harder.
Loose in the Heel, Tight in the Toe by Valentine Wheeler – The shoe fits, the prince is won: now what?
Baile de la Marioneta by W.M. Fawkes – No one else can pull his strings.
Green Things Grow from Cinders by A.E. Ross – Glass slippers aren’t for everyone.
Gretel on Her Own by Elna Holst – This time around, Gretel Kindermann is on her own. Or is she?
Bremen Town Musicians by Mark Lesney – Loss and love on the road to Bremen Town.
The Scent of Magic by N.J. Romaine – Who can win a hunt against the Big Bad Wolf?
The Rescue by Sam Burns – Saving princesses is hard work. Getting out of marrying them is harder.
Loose in the Heel, Tight in the Toe by Valentine Wheeler – The shoe fits, the prince is won: now what?
Baile de la Marioneta by W.M. Fawkes – No one else can pull his strings.
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First published July 2, 2018
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About the author
W.M. Fawkes
58 books281 followersW.M. Fawkes is an author of LGBTQ+ urban fantasy and paranormal romance. With coauthor Sam Burns, she writes feisty Greek gods, men, and monsters in the Lords of the Underworld series. She lives with her partner in a house owned by three halloween-hued felines that dabble regularly in shadow walking.
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Displaying 1 - 10 of 10 reviews
July 2, 2018
The premise here is a fantastic one, it really makes me wonder why these age-old stories haven't been retold to include the LGBTQIA+ community before this. I love the idea of inclusive stories and I also adore fairytales as much as the next gal so these two things together is right up my street. I have been an avid reader of all of the retellings that have been published recently but none of them accomplish the objective of inclusivity like "Once Upon A Rainbow".
Each of these retellings puts a new spin on the stories we have been reading for decades. The fairytales that are featured in this book with their own special twists are as follows -
* Cinderella (x2)
* Hansel & Gretel
* Town Musicians of Bremen
* The Scent of Magic
* Rapunzel
* Pinocchio
This is well worthy of your time if you enjoy fairytales, folklore, myths and legends. The writing was sound and the characters were memorable. The twists are what really make this book stand out. I am positive that there is an appetite out there for LGBTQIA+ fiction. If you get the chance, pick this one up!
Many thanks to NineStar Press for an ARC. I was not required to post a review and all thoughts and opinions expressed are my own.
Each of these retellings puts a new spin on the stories we have been reading for decades. The fairytales that are featured in this book with their own special twists are as follows -
* Cinderella (x2)
* Hansel & Gretel
* Town Musicians of Bremen
* The Scent of Magic
* Rapunzel
* Pinocchio
This is well worthy of your time if you enjoy fairytales, folklore, myths and legends. The writing was sound and the characters were memorable. The twists are what really make this book stand out. I am positive that there is an appetite out there for LGBTQIA+ fiction. If you get the chance, pick this one up!
Many thanks to NineStar Press for an ARC. I was not required to post a review and all thoughts and opinions expressed are my own.
September 23, 2018
The latest edition of Ninestar Press's Once Upon a Rainbow series is thoroughly charming. The premise is simple: queer retellings of classic fairy tales, but the execution is, for lack of a better word, magical. I haven't read the first two volumes, but bought them immediately upon finishing this review copy. As with their Into the Mystic anthologies, Ninestar's editorial chops are on full display here - none of the stories stand out as "filler." Yes, there are a few that worked better for me than others, but most of that is personal preference, not objective quality issues.
There's something immeasurably satisfying about reading the stories I grew up with, turned into queer happily-ever-afters. Why shouldn't Cinderella be trans? Is that not the perfect story for a trans man? Why shouldn't Pinocchio be a lovingly-crafted sculpture come to life as a lover? And why must the Big Bad Wolf always be a man? Retelling fairy tales from a queer perspective brings something fresh to each of these stories, so much so that I didn't realize there were two Cinderella retellings until I was writing this review.
If you want a bit more on each of the stories, I've written the tiniest of reviews for each of the seven below. TL;DR: If you're looking for a palate cleanser, some delightfully queer fluff, or a story that makes you cry because you feel seen? This is an excellent volume.
Baile de la Marioneta, by W.M. Fawkes
Jose is an art student studying sculpture, and one day he crafts a man out of wood. This is a surprising Pinocchio retelling - when the wooden man lies, it's not his nose that grows. This little detail could have tipped the story from sweet to crass, but it doesn't. I think this was the most emotionally charged of the anthology, with an exploration of consent, ownership, and the power of love to transform.
Loose in the Heel, Tight in the Toe, by Valentine Wheeler
This is the first of two Cinderella retellings, this time with a lesbian Cinderella who wants to go to the ball but really doesn't want to marry the prince. Turns out... he's asexual and more than happy to make an arrangement with his bride-to-be. The author also works in a cast of secondary characters and story elements that make the whole thing come together very well. One of the best in the anthology.
Green Things Grow from Cinders, by A.E. Ross
I adored this story. The hero is a trans man who owns a florist shop and isn't out to his roommates. He has a huge crush on the man hosting a friend's wedding (that he's doing the flowers for) but doesn't want to go in the bridesmaid dress he ordered months ago. Cue the fairy godmother, who steps in to send this Cinderfella off to the ball in style.
The Scent of Magic, by N.J. Romaine
The wolf in this story is a soldier/hunter who's exiled herself to the woods after the kingdom she protected is cursed to go to sleep. A girl with a red cloak is walking through the forest and the wolf offers to escort her. But nothing is quite what it seems...
The Rescue, by Sam Burns
This one has a few twists, so I'll just say that it's the story of a gay knight who really doesn't want to marry the princess he's set off to rescue from the dragon. There's definitely an HEA, though!
The Bremen Town Musicians, by Mark Lesney
The classic folktale, but twisted to be about a ragtag group of teens who've been called by names like "Donkey" and "Hound" all their lives. I had issues with the use of the word g*psy and also with the fact that a band of said Romani were brutally killed by the robbers in the story. Not great to have a persecuted minority group in your book to provide an emotional arc for the main characters, and to refer to them by an ethnic slur... The folk tale itself has always been messed up, right? I knew this was going to be a dark story, with scaring off robbers and so on, but I think the slaughter of 10 innocent Roma could have been left out.
The queer pairing is m/m, in case you're curious.
Gretel on Her Own, by Elna Holst
As you can probably predict from the title, this is a Hansel and Gretel retelling that focuses on Gretel. The story is an f/f romance that explores themes mental illness, magic, and temptation. It was confusing in a wonderful sort of way.
There's something immeasurably satisfying about reading the stories I grew up with, turned into queer happily-ever-afters. Why shouldn't Cinderella be trans? Is that not the perfect story for a trans man? Why shouldn't Pinocchio be a lovingly-crafted sculpture come to life as a lover? And why must the Big Bad Wolf always be a man? Retelling fairy tales from a queer perspective brings something fresh to each of these stories, so much so that I didn't realize there were two Cinderella retellings until I was writing this review.
If you want a bit more on each of the stories, I've written the tiniest of reviews for each of the seven below. TL;DR: If you're looking for a palate cleanser, some delightfully queer fluff, or a story that makes you cry because you feel seen? This is an excellent volume.
Baile de la Marioneta, by W.M. Fawkes
Jose is an art student studying sculpture, and one day he crafts a man out of wood. This is a surprising Pinocchio retelling - when the wooden man lies, it's not his nose that grows. This little detail could have tipped the story from sweet to crass, but it doesn't. I think this was the most emotionally charged of the anthology, with an exploration of consent, ownership, and the power of love to transform.
Loose in the Heel, Tight in the Toe, by Valentine Wheeler
This is the first of two Cinderella retellings, this time with a lesbian Cinderella who wants to go to the ball but really doesn't want to marry the prince. Turns out... he's asexual and more than happy to make an arrangement with his bride-to-be. The author also works in a cast of secondary characters and story elements that make the whole thing come together very well. One of the best in the anthology.
Green Things Grow from Cinders, by A.E. Ross
I adored this story. The hero is a trans man who owns a florist shop and isn't out to his roommates. He has a huge crush on the man hosting a friend's wedding (that he's doing the flowers for) but doesn't want to go in the bridesmaid dress he ordered months ago. Cue the fairy godmother, who steps in to send this Cinderfella off to the ball in style.
The Scent of Magic, by N.J. Romaine
The wolf in this story is a soldier/hunter who's exiled herself to the woods after the kingdom she protected is cursed to go to sleep. A girl with a red cloak is walking through the forest and the wolf offers to escort her. But nothing is quite what it seems...
The Rescue, by Sam Burns
This one has a few twists, so I'll just say that it's the story of a gay knight who really doesn't want to marry the princess he's set off to rescue from the dragon. There's definitely an HEA, though!
The Bremen Town Musicians, by Mark Lesney
The classic folktale, but twisted to be about a ragtag group of teens who've been called by names like "Donkey" and "Hound" all their lives. I had issues with the use of the word g*psy and also with the fact that a band of said Romani were brutally killed by the robbers in the story. Not great to have a persecuted minority group in your book to provide an emotional arc for the main characters, and to refer to them by an ethnic slur... The folk tale itself has always been messed up, right? I knew this was going to be a dark story, with scaring off robbers and so on, but I think the slaughter of 10 innocent Roma could have been left out.
The queer pairing is m/m, in case you're curious.
Gretel on Her Own, by Elna Holst
As you can probably predict from the title, this is a Hansel and Gretel retelling that focuses on Gretel. The story is an f/f romance that explores themes mental illness, magic, and temptation. It was confusing in a wonderful sort of way.
August 16, 2018
Good collection of fairly long stories. The standouts (5 stars) were The Rescue by Sam Burns and the two Cinderella stories, Loose in the Heel, Tight in the Toe by Valentine Wheeler and Green Things Grow from Cinders by A.E. Ross. The first one was a twist on the new classic idea of a dragon hoarding a princess who may not really want to come home, and the Cinderella stories were right next to each other but completely different (marriage of convenience and a brand new suit, respectively).
4 stars:
The Scent of Magic by N.J. Romaine was great but ended kind of abruptly right when things were getting climactic -- it probably would have worked as a full novel. Gretel on Her Own by Elna Holst was very interesting but the climax was a little confusing. Finally, I really liked The Bremen Town Musicians by Mark Lesney, but at this point you just don't get a pass for using the word g*psy without a much clearer reason.
3 stars:
Baile de la Marioneta by W.M. Fawkes was an update on Pinocchio (with a little Pygmalion) and it was cute, but also just sillier than is to my taste in romance.
4 stars:
The Scent of Magic by N.J. Romaine was great but ended kind of abruptly right when things were getting climactic -- it probably would have worked as a full novel. Gretel on Her Own by Elna Holst was very interesting but the climax was a little confusing. Finally, I really liked The Bremen Town Musicians by Mark Lesney, but at this point you just don't get a pass for using the word g*psy without a much clearer reason.
3 stars:
Baile de la Marioneta by W.M. Fawkes was an update on Pinocchio (with a little Pygmalion) and it was cute, but also just sillier than is to my taste in romance.
July 22, 2018
Not so long ago I read Ninestar press' short story anthology 'Into the Mystic V.3" which I awarded 4 stars. Because of that I was really excited to read Once Upon A Rainbow V.3 when I saw it on Netgallery. But it turned out to be a disappointment. I didn't enjoy it half as much as I enjoyed Into the Mystic, the stories were less interesting and were not written as well as they were in the other anthology. This is for the reasons I will outline below.
Baile De La Marioneta - W.M. Fawkes
This story was a little slow, but it was very cute. José is an art student who carves a man out of wood. This man then comes alive in true Pinocchio fashion and wants to learn what it's like to be a real man. We read some parts from Tecún's (the wooden man) point of view which is pretty unique and interesting, however it is also frustrating. He's like a child discovering the world, not knowing what anything is one second, then he seems to know exactly what something is the next. It's a bit odd, he either knows about the world, or he doesn't. I did enjoy the plot of this story, there was a lot of action, but I do feel like it went on longer than it should have.
Loose In The Heel, Tight In The Toe - Valentine Wheeler
This story is set in the past and it's a take on Cinderella. This is my favourite story in the anthology and the only one I really enjoyed as much as the stories in 'into the mystic'. Our protagonist Catherine is living with her stepmother who has stolen both her inheritance of a house and woolmill from her and is forcing her into an arranged marriage to a fifty-year-old brute of a man called Pieter. She also lives with two stepsisters who she loves to bits, and two stepbrothers who she doesn't get on with, yet will inherit Catherine's business when their mother dies.
This story is so much more absorbing than the first and I really enjoyed Catherine's narration. Her rapport with her fairy-god-mother Eleanor was hilarious. In this story we get to see the transformation, the ball and the slipper but then we move swiftly on to what happens after Catherine's marriage to Prince Heinrich. The pace is good, it keeps your interest while providing all the backstory you need for what comes later.
Catherine is gay, Heinrich is asexual, it's a mutual marriage of friendship and convenience and not a traditional fairytale. I LOVED that about this story. Their friendship is adorable and it's a great take on the traditional Cinderella story. I would really like to read more about them one day.
This story also has a strong feminist message with Catherine's fight to claim her inheritance back from her stepmother and step brothers, and her fight to save as many women as she can, including her stepsisters, from forced marriages that they don't want to be in. It's a great story, but unfortunately it's the only fully-rounded and interesting story in this book.
Green Things Grow From Cinders- A.E. Ross
Don't get me wrong, I did like this story, it's the only other story I did like in this book. But the ending ruined it for me. Once again it's a take on Cinderella, different enough from the last, but still I wish it'd been placed later in the anthology so I didn't have to read two Cinderella stories one after the other. Our protagonist Ash is a transgender male struggling to adjust to his new identity and shake his old. His friends still see him as the girl he once was and he is struggling with how to tell them that he is no longer their 'girlfriend' any more. He is trapped inside his own body, and because of that this story is really emotional and heart-breaking to read. But the story is all about Ash finding himself and becoming comfortable in his own skin which is wonderful, however it all goes off on a tangent and instead we follow his romance with a high school crush. I do enjoy a romance and all, especially as the romance was a big part in Ash feeling confident in who he was. But the empowering transgender themes that I loved so much disappear from here. Before the romance, it was a compelling story about the struggles of what life is like as a transgender teen and the emotion that comes with the transition. But the romance distracts from it all rather than helps. The story ends with the climax of the romance, not of Ash finding himself. I wanted to see him find the courage to come out to his friends and accept himself for the person he is, but instead the story ends as soon as he begins his relationship. It seems like there was all build up and no conclusion to the story that really mattered- ash's.
The Scent of Magic- N.J.Romaine
Oh my, this story was boring. I actually DNFed this one. I thought I'd love it because it's a take on red riding hood mixed with a fantasy novel and the faerie world. But it was all world-building and no plot. It's impossible to fit an epic fantasy into a short story and keep it interesting, there just isn't enough word-count to allow you to really get into the story and the characters as much as you could in the first place. So this story started off bad in it's concept, and got worse through it's execution. It's so, so complex. Too complex for the world of a short story. Unlike 'into the mystic' these stories are so long, I prefer the short and snappy short stories than these long, but lacking detail ones. Everytime it felt like we were nearing the conclusion or some action, it would trail off onto yet another boring side quest that was all talking and no action. And after the characters met the Faerie queen and she set them on another side quest. I just gave up. Too bored to want to continue. all they ever did was talk. yawn! Although this story was set up like a cool epic fantasy, it still wouldn't work as a story at all, it's too boring, even if it wasn't all squashed into a short story and had more space for character development. I still wouldn't want to read it. Yawn.
The Rescue | Sam Burns
This story was a little better. It was still longer than it should have been though, a lot of these stories would work better if they were more concise. It was cute though, Brice a knight, goes to rescue a princess from a dragon. But he isn't a traditional knight, as he has no interest in marrying the princess, because he prefers princes. So his honour leads him to rescue her, not his selfishness, which was a refreshing take on the traditional knight-in-shining-armour story. To make things even better, Rose, the princess is really badass and cool and she knows how to fight her own battles. But the love story develops after the knight saves the princess, when he is captured in the cave with the dragon instead. Rose's escape means that he has to stay behind with the mysterious Aiden who also lives in the Dragon's caves. Aiden and Brice's budding romance was adorable and I liked reading the build up, but their first kiss really fell flat which was weird, after all the build up I was expecting, more? The twist at the end of the story was great though and made up for the weird romantic conclusion.
The Bremen Town Musicians - Mark Lesney
This story was weird. It starts when our four protagonists are children, escaping from their various horrible childhoods and going on the run together with dreams of becoming a travelling entertainment troop. Their stories are sad, and interesting to read about, but once again, there was just a lot of exposition and little action so it got boring fast. But then we jump into the future when they are all older and traveling with a group of actors. But the scene we jump into is just weird. We go from reading about them as children, to a more 'intimate' scene between two of the protagonists as teenagers. Without any build-up and warning. They were children one page ago, and it's just weird. Especially as this is the only scene of it's kind in the story and there is no real reason for it to even be placed there. Weird. And it gets stranger still. A lot of people die, suddenly, and with no ceremony. They are just killed off without warning and without any real purpose. This story just gets weirder after that when the protags go dark themselves. The only redeeming part is the ending, which is actually a cute 'happy ever after' even if the means to get there were just WEIRD.
Gretel On Her Own - Elna Holst
And finally, the most confusing story of the bunch. This is a modern take on Hansel and Gretel, set in Germany once they are all grown up. Their Mother is mentally ill, Hansel is mentally ill and their father has just left them all leaving Gretel to deal with the fallout on her own. It's then that she meets Dorophea, the niece of the lady who (maybe?) was the witch that ruined their childhood. But from here, I didn't really understand the rest of the story, it's just really confusing. The details I just told you are all I could really make out from the plot. There is a little too much mystery. So much so that we are never given many answers and hardly anything makes sense. And the ending was just weirder. I am so confused by this. I can't even make sense of it enough to write a proper review about the plot in this story, because I didn't really get the plot in this story.
So all in all. This anthology was boring, confusing and a little too stretched out and overcomplex. But there were a couple of shining lights that cut through, meaning that I didn't DNF the anthology completely. But unfortunately the bad outweighed the good, so I can only really give it two stars.
Baile De La Marioneta - W.M. Fawkes
This story was a little slow, but it was very cute. José is an art student who carves a man out of wood. This man then comes alive in true Pinocchio fashion and wants to learn what it's like to be a real man. We read some parts from Tecún's (the wooden man) point of view which is pretty unique and interesting, however it is also frustrating. He's like a child discovering the world, not knowing what anything is one second, then he seems to know exactly what something is the next. It's a bit odd, he either knows about the world, or he doesn't. I did enjoy the plot of this story, there was a lot of action, but I do feel like it went on longer than it should have.
Loose In The Heel, Tight In The Toe - Valentine Wheeler
This story is set in the past and it's a take on Cinderella. This is my favourite story in the anthology and the only one I really enjoyed as much as the stories in 'into the mystic'. Our protagonist Catherine is living with her stepmother who has stolen both her inheritance of a house and woolmill from her and is forcing her into an arranged marriage to a fifty-year-old brute of a man called Pieter. She also lives with two stepsisters who she loves to bits, and two stepbrothers who she doesn't get on with, yet will inherit Catherine's business when their mother dies.
This story is so much more absorbing than the first and I really enjoyed Catherine's narration. Her rapport with her fairy-god-mother Eleanor was hilarious. In this story we get to see the transformation, the ball and the slipper but then we move swiftly on to what happens after Catherine's marriage to Prince Heinrich. The pace is good, it keeps your interest while providing all the backstory you need for what comes later.
Catherine is gay, Heinrich is asexual, it's a mutual marriage of friendship and convenience and not a traditional fairytale. I LOVED that about this story. Their friendship is adorable and it's a great take on the traditional Cinderella story. I would really like to read more about them one day.
This story also has a strong feminist message with Catherine's fight to claim her inheritance back from her stepmother and step brothers, and her fight to save as many women as she can, including her stepsisters, from forced marriages that they don't want to be in. It's a great story, but unfortunately it's the only fully-rounded and interesting story in this book.
Green Things Grow From Cinders- A.E. Ross
Don't get me wrong, I did like this story, it's the only other story I did like in this book. But the ending ruined it for me. Once again it's a take on Cinderella, different enough from the last, but still I wish it'd been placed later in the anthology so I didn't have to read two Cinderella stories one after the other. Our protagonist Ash is a transgender male struggling to adjust to his new identity and shake his old. His friends still see him as the girl he once was and he is struggling with how to tell them that he is no longer their 'girlfriend' any more. He is trapped inside his own body, and because of that this story is really emotional and heart-breaking to read. But the story is all about Ash finding himself and becoming comfortable in his own skin which is wonderful, however it all goes off on a tangent and instead we follow his romance with a high school crush. I do enjoy a romance and all, especially as the romance was a big part in Ash feeling confident in who he was. But the empowering transgender themes that I loved so much disappear from here. Before the romance, it was a compelling story about the struggles of what life is like as a transgender teen and the emotion that comes with the transition. But the romance distracts from it all rather than helps. The story ends with the climax of the romance, not of Ash finding himself. I wanted to see him find the courage to come out to his friends and accept himself for the person he is, but instead the story ends as soon as he begins his relationship. It seems like there was all build up and no conclusion to the story that really mattered- ash's.
The Scent of Magic- N.J.Romaine
Oh my, this story was boring. I actually DNFed this one. I thought I'd love it because it's a take on red riding hood mixed with a fantasy novel and the faerie world. But it was all world-building and no plot. It's impossible to fit an epic fantasy into a short story and keep it interesting, there just isn't enough word-count to allow you to really get into the story and the characters as much as you could in the first place. So this story started off bad in it's concept, and got worse through it's execution. It's so, so complex. Too complex for the world of a short story. Unlike 'into the mystic' these stories are so long, I prefer the short and snappy short stories than these long, but lacking detail ones. Everytime it felt like we were nearing the conclusion or some action, it would trail off onto yet another boring side quest that was all talking and no action. And after the characters met the Faerie queen and she set them on another side quest. I just gave up. Too bored to want to continue. all they ever did was talk. yawn! Although this story was set up like a cool epic fantasy, it still wouldn't work as a story at all, it's too boring, even if it wasn't all squashed into a short story and had more space for character development. I still wouldn't want to read it. Yawn.
The Rescue | Sam Burns
This story was a little better. It was still longer than it should have been though, a lot of these stories would work better if they were more concise. It was cute though, Brice a knight, goes to rescue a princess from a dragon. But he isn't a traditional knight, as he has no interest in marrying the princess, because he prefers princes. So his honour leads him to rescue her, not his selfishness, which was a refreshing take on the traditional knight-in-shining-armour story. To make things even better, Rose, the princess is really badass and cool and she knows how to fight her own battles. But the love story develops after the knight saves the princess, when he is captured in the cave with the dragon instead. Rose's escape means that he has to stay behind with the mysterious Aiden who also lives in the Dragon's caves. Aiden and Brice's budding romance was adorable and I liked reading the build up, but their first kiss really fell flat which was weird, after all the build up I was expecting, more? The twist at the end of the story was great though and made up for the weird romantic conclusion.
The Bremen Town Musicians - Mark Lesney
This story was weird. It starts when our four protagonists are children, escaping from their various horrible childhoods and going on the run together with dreams of becoming a travelling entertainment troop. Their stories are sad, and interesting to read about, but once again, there was just a lot of exposition and little action so it got boring fast. But then we jump into the future when they are all older and traveling with a group of actors. But the scene we jump into is just weird. We go from reading about them as children, to a more 'intimate' scene between two of the protagonists as teenagers. Without any build-up and warning. They were children one page ago, and it's just weird. Especially as this is the only scene of it's kind in the story and there is no real reason for it to even be placed there. Weird. And it gets stranger still. A lot of people die, suddenly, and with no ceremony. They are just killed off without warning and without any real purpose. This story just gets weirder after that when the protags go dark themselves. The only redeeming part is the ending, which is actually a cute 'happy ever after' even if the means to get there were just WEIRD.
Gretel On Her Own - Elna Holst
And finally, the most confusing story of the bunch. This is a modern take on Hansel and Gretel, set in Germany once they are all grown up. Their Mother is mentally ill, Hansel is mentally ill and their father has just left them all leaving Gretel to deal with the fallout on her own. It's then that she meets Dorophea, the niece of the lady who (maybe?) was the witch that ruined their childhood. But from here, I didn't really understand the rest of the story, it's just really confusing. The details I just told you are all I could really make out from the plot. There is a little too much mystery. So much so that we are never given many answers and hardly anything makes sense. And the ending was just weirder. I am so confused by this. I can't even make sense of it enough to write a proper review about the plot in this story, because I didn't really get the plot in this story.
So all in all. This anthology was boring, confusing and a little too stretched out and overcomplex. But there were a couple of shining lights that cut through, meaning that I didn't DNF the anthology completely. But unfortunately the bad outweighed the good, so I can only really give it two stars.
September 12, 2021
Usually I find reading anthologies quite hit & miss, yes there will be a few great stories but there will also be some pretty lacklustre things thrown in too. Once Upon a Rainbow surprised me, because I enjoyed every short story, each had a decent plot and characters - there were even back to back Cinderella retellings that both stood up on their own as individual and non comparable. Yes there were ones that were better than others, but even my least favourite of the bunce weren't bad.
Baile de la Marioneta - fairy tale: Pinocchio - rep: gay
This was the opener but also one of the weaker stories, which I guess is good and bad. Good because everything gets better and the rest of the book isn't an anti climax, but also bad because I read this one then put the book down for a month. In here we follow an art student who carves a sculpture of a man for his final college project, which instantly comes to life. This was mostly a fun read, the story didn't really go anywhere for a while, we're just following this wooden man trying to figure out how life as a human works. There's a bit of a twist towards the end and it has a nice ending. I'm not /that/ familiar with the story of Pinocchio so I didn't clock the reference until a sex scene where ol' wood man lies and well...it wasn't his nose getting bigger. It did make me chuckle a bit though!
Loose in the Heel, Tight in the Toe fairy tale: Cinderella - rep: lesbian and ace
This story was wonderful! We follow Catherine, a woman living with her step mother and step siblings. She loves her sisters, but her step mother has robbed her inheritance and the business her late father created, and treats Catherine like crap. I really enjoyed her reaction to the fairy god mother, if a random stranger popped up in your home you would want to throw stuff at them and tell them to get out! Of course the ball happens, we all know the Cinder story, but when she finally gets with the Prince we find out he's ace and has no interest in her, which is great because Catherine isn't interested in guys anyway. The rest of the story is great, they make a good team and the side characters are interesting too.
Green Things Grow From Cinders fairy tale: Cinderella - rep: trans boy and bi boy
This one was a modern retelling, so even though it came straight after a different Cinderella story, it was different enough to not merge with the other one (although it probably would have been wise to space them out) In here we follow Ash, a trans boy who owns a plant shop. His best friends are going to their brother's wedding, but he doesn't want to go because he's not out to them and definitely doesn't want to wear a dress. The fairy god mother is an air plant, which was a unique touch, so dressed to the nines he heads to the wedding. An old school mate who he crushed on since way back when is the host of the reception, so when Ash is told this man recently came out as bi, maybe he just might have a chance.
The Scent of Magic fairy tale: Little Red Riding Hood (slight Sleeping Beauty side plot) - rep: sapphic and hir / zhe / Princet pronouns for off screen character
This story took a while to get into, it's the most high fantasy of the lot and we're bombarded with a lot of lore, names and places and background right from the get go, so it takes time to catch up. It definitely would work better as a full length novel, to give to room to breath. We follow Aletta, once a brave warrior but after too many years of being used as a hero to be paraded rather than a soldier she now lives on her own in the woods. Straight from the get go she finds a young woman walking alone in the dangerous forest so she offers her help to guide her through. During this story we learn of the past that made Aletta such a revered hero, there are fae, battles, twists and turns. I really liked how the two casually talk about the Princet (this is where the Sleeping Beauty comes in) who had a curse put on hir, and how a missing Prince is meant to save them.
The Rescue fairy tale: knight and dragon - rep: gay
This one I really loved our main character and his friendship with his horse. Straight away we start with Brice chatting to Rocinante, his steed and best friend. Rocinante is a great character, all the way through he gives Brice certain looks or shakes his head and Brice answers him like he's said full sentences - he even comes up with the main plan by looking at Brice, I loved him! Brice is a knight who just enjoys his job of saving people, he likes saving Princesses but he makes a habit of leaving before any Kings can marry them off to him because he likes men. In here Brice is on a mission to save a Princess from a dragon, when he finally manages to get into the lair though he finds that she's not alone. She has a handsome fellow as a friend. The twist was fun, I really thought one thing was the truth but then it turned out to be different so that was fun.
Bremen Town Musicians fairy tale: animal fables with human twist? - rep: gay
This story was the hardest to pin down in terms of fairy tale. It follows four young people who find each other on the road, each one having run away from a horrific life, they decide to band together and try to become part of a travelling act. Each character has an animal name (Donkey, Hound, Cat and Rooter) so I think the story is taking from animal fables and making them human. The story takes place over a few years, jumping forward 4 years half way through. The group go through a lot of different things, ups and downs. The relationships could have done with a bit more development, but I enjoyed the story.
Gretel on Her Own fairy tale: Hansel & Gretel - rep: sapphic
The final short story in this book follows Gretel. This is also a more modern retelling. Gretel is an adult now and a horrific thing happened to her and her brother as children. Their mother is in an inpatient ward because she believes a witch was responsible for the traumatic experience, while others say she left her kids alone in the woods. Hansel seems to have inherited his mother's mental illness and is soon locked up for trying to burn down the sweet store that is owned by Frau Heckscher - the 'witch' - so Gretel is all by herself, until the mysterious Dorothea shows up. Beautiful, sweet, flirty, mysterious and niece of Frau Heckscher. The atmosphere and tone of this story was really gripping, you're always second guessing whether Dorothea has ulterior motives, whether something creeping is happening, whether you should believe Gretel's mother did have some sort of psychotic break or whether she was telling the truth the whole time. I won't say which way the story ended up going because the ride was all part of the fun.
Baile de la Marioneta - fairy tale: Pinocchio - rep: gay
This was the opener but also one of the weaker stories, which I guess is good and bad. Good because everything gets better and the rest of the book isn't an anti climax, but also bad because I read this one then put the book down for a month. In here we follow an art student who carves a sculpture of a man for his final college project, which instantly comes to life. This was mostly a fun read, the story didn't really go anywhere for a while, we're just following this wooden man trying to figure out how life as a human works. There's a bit of a twist towards the end and it has a nice ending. I'm not /that/ familiar with the story of Pinocchio so I didn't clock the reference until a sex scene where ol' wood man lies and well...it wasn't his nose getting bigger. It did make me chuckle a bit though!
Loose in the Heel, Tight in the Toe fairy tale: Cinderella - rep: lesbian and ace
This story was wonderful! We follow Catherine, a woman living with her step mother and step siblings. She loves her sisters, but her step mother has robbed her inheritance and the business her late father created, and treats Catherine like crap. I really enjoyed her reaction to the fairy god mother, if a random stranger popped up in your home you would want to throw stuff at them and tell them to get out! Of course the ball happens, we all know the Cinder story, but when she finally gets with the Prince we find out he's ace and has no interest in her, which is great because Catherine isn't interested in guys anyway. The rest of the story is great, they make a good team and the side characters are interesting too.
Green Things Grow From Cinders fairy tale: Cinderella - rep: trans boy and bi boy
This one was a modern retelling, so even though it came straight after a different Cinderella story, it was different enough to not merge with the other one (although it probably would have been wise to space them out) In here we follow Ash, a trans boy who owns a plant shop. His best friends are going to their brother's wedding, but he doesn't want to go because he's not out to them and definitely doesn't want to wear a dress. The fairy god mother is an air plant, which was a unique touch, so dressed to the nines he heads to the wedding. An old school mate who he crushed on since way back when is the host of the reception, so when Ash is told this man recently came out as bi, maybe he just might have a chance.
The Scent of Magic fairy tale: Little Red Riding Hood (slight Sleeping Beauty side plot) - rep: sapphic and hir / zhe / Princet pronouns for off screen character
This story took a while to get into, it's the most high fantasy of the lot and we're bombarded with a lot of lore, names and places and background right from the get go, so it takes time to catch up. It definitely would work better as a full length novel, to give to room to breath. We follow Aletta, once a brave warrior but after too many years of being used as a hero to be paraded rather than a soldier she now lives on her own in the woods. Straight from the get go she finds a young woman walking alone in the dangerous forest so she offers her help to guide her through. During this story we learn of the past that made Aletta such a revered hero, there are fae, battles, twists and turns. I really liked how the two casually talk about the Princet (this is where the Sleeping Beauty comes in) who had a curse put on hir, and how a missing Prince is meant to save them.
The Rescue fairy tale: knight and dragon - rep: gay
This one I really loved our main character and his friendship with his horse. Straight away we start with Brice chatting to Rocinante, his steed and best friend. Rocinante is a great character, all the way through he gives Brice certain looks or shakes his head and Brice answers him like he's said full sentences - he even comes up with the main plan by looking at Brice, I loved him! Brice is a knight who just enjoys his job of saving people, he likes saving Princesses but he makes a habit of leaving before any Kings can marry them off to him because he likes men. In here Brice is on a mission to save a Princess from a dragon, when he finally manages to get into the lair though he finds that she's not alone. She has a handsome fellow as a friend. The twist was fun, I really thought one thing was the truth but then it turned out to be different so that was fun.
Bremen Town Musicians fairy tale: animal fables with human twist? - rep: gay
This story was the hardest to pin down in terms of fairy tale. It follows four young people who find each other on the road, each one having run away from a horrific life, they decide to band together and try to become part of a travelling act. Each character has an animal name (Donkey, Hound, Cat and Rooter) so I think the story is taking from animal fables and making them human. The story takes place over a few years, jumping forward 4 years half way through. The group go through a lot of different things, ups and downs. The relationships could have done with a bit more development, but I enjoyed the story.
Gretel on Her Own fairy tale: Hansel & Gretel - rep: sapphic
The final short story in this book follows Gretel. This is also a more modern retelling. Gretel is an adult now and a horrific thing happened to her and her brother as children. Their mother is in an inpatient ward because she believes a witch was responsible for the traumatic experience, while others say she left her kids alone in the woods. Hansel seems to have inherited his mother's mental illness and is soon locked up for trying to burn down the sweet store that is owned by Frau Heckscher - the 'witch' - so Gretel is all by herself, until the mysterious Dorothea shows up. Beautiful, sweet, flirty, mysterious and niece of Frau Heckscher. The atmosphere and tone of this story was really gripping, you're always second guessing whether Dorothea has ulterior motives, whether something creeping is happening, whether you should believe Gretel's mother did have some sort of psychotic break or whether she was telling the truth the whole time. I won't say which way the story ended up going because the ride was all part of the fun.
July 17, 2018
Anthology of works that took an LGBT twist on some fairy tales. There were gay men, lesbians, asexual, and trans stories included, and it was a nice collection overall.
Baile de la Marioneta by W.M. Fawkes
This was super awkward at times (with Tecun being wooden-lol), but a very interesting concept and twist on Pinocchio. It worked itself out in the end, and it was cool how it did. 3 stars me
Loose in the Heel, Tight in the Toe by Valentine Wheeler
I liked this take on Cinderella; one character was an asexual prince, the other a lesbian. There wasn’t really romance as this was mainly about friendship and asexuality, but I liked the relationship agreement between the Prince and Catherine. I do wish the story had a little more in the way of the Prince and Catherine developing a friendship and working together. It was more of a Catherine on her own story, and it could have had more depth with their friendship. It was a nice take on the Cinderella theme, though. 4 stars
Green Things Grow from Cinders by A.E. Ross
Another spin off of a Cinderella type story, but this was different. Ash is trans, but not out to his friends yet, and he meets the prince at a party. I liked how Ash being trans wasn’t a big deal in the romance, but I would’ve loved seeing more of the relationship between Ash and his friends develop as his own authentic self. There were a lot of comments about how close they were, but he didn’t share this important piece with them. They they made his roommates (or at least one) a bit nutty. She didn’t start out that way, but it went down that road. I would have liked to see the reaction when Ash got the prince instead of her. 4 stars
The Scent of Magic by N.J. Romaine
This was a really cool take on Little Red Riding Hood and the Big Bad Wolf (both females). I liked the story, and wish we had gotten to see the main event (it ended just as the quest began). 4 stars
The Rescue by Sam Burns
I loved this story-my favorite of the bunch. It was such a sweet story about an adorable knight who was sweet, caring, and honorable who set out to rescue a princess from a dragon. Brice and Aidan were great together, and it was nice to see them connect. I’d love a story about Princess Rose reconnecting with the boys for adventures! Rocinante was a fun horse friend. 5 stars
Bremen Town Musicians by Mark Lesney
4 outcasts come together to survive. There were some interesting moments, but mostly it wasn’t my favorite. There was a lot going on while not a lot went on. I liked watching the 4 become each other’s family, but it was a bit dry for me. 2.5 stars
Gretel on Her Own by Elna Holst
While this was an interesting story overall, I thought there were some parts that weren’t solid and cohesive. The story seemed to bounce around a bit without telling us what was really going on, and a bit confusing at times. Were they the real Hansel and Gretel, or was it all a dream/delusion? I didn’t really feel a connection between Gretel and Dorothea, especially since they were apart for most of the book, and when they did get together I was a bit over it. Not a bad story, but it didn’t captivate me like some of the others. 2.5 stars
I am voluntarily reviewing an ARC provided by IndiGo Marketing & Design
Baile de la Marioneta by W.M. Fawkes
This was super awkward at times (with Tecun being wooden-lol), but a very interesting concept and twist on Pinocchio. It worked itself out in the end, and it was cool how it did. 3 stars me
Loose in the Heel, Tight in the Toe by Valentine Wheeler
I liked this take on Cinderella; one character was an asexual prince, the other a lesbian. There wasn’t really romance as this was mainly about friendship and asexuality, but I liked the relationship agreement between the Prince and Catherine. I do wish the story had a little more in the way of the Prince and Catherine developing a friendship and working together. It was more of a Catherine on her own story, and it could have had more depth with their friendship. It was a nice take on the Cinderella theme, though. 4 stars
Green Things Grow from Cinders by A.E. Ross
Another spin off of a Cinderella type story, but this was different. Ash is trans, but not out to his friends yet, and he meets the prince at a party. I liked how Ash being trans wasn’t a big deal in the romance, but I would’ve loved seeing more of the relationship between Ash and his friends develop as his own authentic self. There were a lot of comments about how close they were, but he didn’t share this important piece with them. They they made his roommates (or at least one) a bit nutty. She didn’t start out that way, but it went down that road. I would have liked to see the reaction when Ash got the prince instead of her. 4 stars
The Scent of Magic by N.J. Romaine
This was a really cool take on Little Red Riding Hood and the Big Bad Wolf (both females). I liked the story, and wish we had gotten to see the main event (it ended just as the quest began). 4 stars
The Rescue by Sam Burns
I loved this story-my favorite of the bunch. It was such a sweet story about an adorable knight who was sweet, caring, and honorable who set out to rescue a princess from a dragon. Brice and Aidan were great together, and it was nice to see them connect. I’d love a story about Princess Rose reconnecting with the boys for adventures! Rocinante was a fun horse friend. 5 stars
Bremen Town Musicians by Mark Lesney
4 outcasts come together to survive. There were some interesting moments, but mostly it wasn’t my favorite. There was a lot going on while not a lot went on. I liked watching the 4 become each other’s family, but it was a bit dry for me. 2.5 stars
Gretel on Her Own by Elna Holst
While this was an interesting story overall, I thought there were some parts that weren’t solid and cohesive. The story seemed to bounce around a bit without telling us what was really going on, and a bit confusing at times. Were they the real Hansel and Gretel, or was it all a dream/delusion? I didn’t really feel a connection between Gretel and Dorothea, especially since they were apart for most of the book, and when they did get together I was a bit over it. Not a bad story, but it didn’t captivate me like some of the others. 2.5 stars
I am voluntarily reviewing an ARC provided by IndiGo Marketing & Design
July 2, 2018
I received this book as an ARC thanks to Net Galley and Nine Star Press!
once upon a rainbow is a collection of re-imagined fairy tales that were a wonderfully fun sweet read that I just flew right through in almost one sitting!
the first tale Balie de Marioneta is a great and original retelling of Pinocchio and I loved every second of this sweet and steamy tale!
Loose in the heel tight in the toe was an interesting and unique take on Cinderella!
Green things grow in the cinders was also a unique and uniquely gender bent retelling of Cinderella that I loved every second of!
The scent of magic was a beautiful retelling of red riding hood with a fae twist that asks who was really the hunter and who was the prey?
The rescue was was a great take on the knight rescuing the princess from the dragon and falling in love in a way you won't see coming!
The Bremen Town Musicians is about a ragtag band and the power of familial love!
Gretel on her own was a modern retelling of Hansel and Gretel and although I felt the weakest of the collection still a fun read!
thank you once again Nine Star Press!!
once upon a rainbow is a collection of re-imagined fairy tales that were a wonderfully fun sweet read that I just flew right through in almost one sitting!
the first tale Balie de Marioneta is a great and original retelling of Pinocchio and I loved every second of this sweet and steamy tale!
Loose in the heel tight in the toe was an interesting and unique take on Cinderella!
Green things grow in the cinders was also a unique and uniquely gender bent retelling of Cinderella that I loved every second of!
The scent of magic was a beautiful retelling of red riding hood with a fae twist that asks who was really the hunter and who was the prey?
The rescue was was a great take on the knight rescuing the princess from the dragon and falling in love in a way you won't see coming!
The Bremen Town Musicians is about a ragtag band and the power of familial love!
Gretel on her own was a modern retelling of Hansel and Gretel and although I felt the weakest of the collection still a fun read!
thank you once again Nine Star Press!!
June 26, 2018
A really nice collection of stories! I loved Green Things Grow from Cinders- a really neat take and a beautiful collection of characters. I wanted more of it! I also really liked The Rescue - I gasped out loud at the reveal and I loved Primrose especially. Great stuff!
Disclaimer: I also really like my own piece in here :)
Disclaimer: I also really like my own piece in here :)
August 22, 2018
This was an interesting collection of stories that follow the theme well, Some are difficult to tell where the inspiration comes from, while others are crystal clear. I don't usually enjoy Cinderella stories, but found that my favourite stories in the collection were the ones inspired by that story. There is a great mix of diversity and pairings, and I liked that Ace people were represented in my favourite story, where Cinderella marries an Ace prince who agrees she can see women in their marriage of social convience. It sounds a little forced, but working in the historical mindset of the story, it really is a happily ever after in many ways. A really enjoyable read.
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