The Snow Queen by Hans Christian Andersen

The Snow Queen by Hans Christian Andersen
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

This is my favorite fairy tale, hands down. If I'm honest, I'm such a huge fan of snow and cold weather. The idea of snow becoming personified makes a lot of sense, because winter does seem to have a life of its own. I love in Texas, and we don't get much winter, but I grew up with it. I miss it so much! Reading this book makes me long for a good winter.

Along with the evocative imagery of winter, there is a very emotional and spiritual love story. Kay and Gerda share a strong emotional bond, but that bond is damaged by Kay's infection with the slivers from the shattered evil mirror. His eye and his heart are pricked, and it changes the way he sees the world, and makes his loving heart grow cold towards poor Gerda. But Gerda doesn't give up on him. When the Snow Queen steals away Kay, she goes searching for him, going on quite an odyssey and meeting some very unusual people along the way. But she never gives up on him.

The lesson of sacrificial love never gets old. That kind of love can melt the fiercest frozen heart and claim back those who are lost. I loved rereading this, and the illustrations I had in my version was a lovely adjunct.

If one has not ever read this book, I highly recommend it. It's available as a free ebook as part of Hans Christian Andersen's Fairy Tale collection.

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Cinderella, Rumpelstiltskin and Other Stories by Charles Perrault and Brothers Grimm

Cinderella, Rumpelstiltskin and Other Stories by Charles Perrault

My rating: 3 of 5 stars


This is another very late review that I am posting.  I don't have much to say about this audiobook except that it was rather mundane.  I didn't care much for the narrator.  She didn't give the stories the vivacity that I would have hoped for. As such, the stories felt rather boring. I was starting to question that my love for fairy tales had waned. Thankfully, I have also been reading the Fables series by Bill Willingham, and that series has shown me that I love fairy tales just as much as I ever did. It's just a matter of execution.

I don't think I would pick this one up if I had kids.  Most likely, the narrator's voice would not keep their interest.  She didn't keep mine.  It might put them off the magnificent timeless gems of the stories within. We can't have that.

This book is just so-so!



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Tales From the Arabian Nights: Ali Baba and the Forty Thieves and Other Stories

Tales From the Arabian Nights: Ali Baba and the Forty Thieves and Other Stories by Anonymous

My rating: 3 of 5 stars


The fact that British actor Toby Stephens narrates this was definitely a nudge to check out this audiobook from my trusty library.  Of course, I appreciate the Arabian Nights, so that's another plus.

Overall, I was a tad disappointed with this audiobook. I enjoyed Ali Baba, Aladdin and the frame story about Scheherazade, but I was bored with the seven tales of Sinbad, and the tale about the greedy man who ended up becoming blind.  They were too monotonous.  I felt my mind wandering as I listened and did my Wii Fit exercises. I wish they had picked different stories besides these two for the collection, honestly. And I could have done with more narration about Scheherazade herself as well. At least I had Toby's lovely voice to narrate for me.  Maybe a pet peeve for some, but all the voices sounded British, so it didn't feel as 'atmospheric' to me. 

This will be a short review because it's kind of a ho-hum read for me.  Nothing spectacular or really awful about it.  Although I did like that they included Rimsky-Korsakov's Scheherazade within the production. I love that music!  I think my standard was higher since I read the Andrew Lang adaptation, and I absolutely adore the TV miniseries that came on ABC with Dougray Scott, Mili Avital, Rufus Sewell, Jason Scott Lee, and other great actors. I plan to read the huge, unexpurgated version of 1001 Arabian Nights someday before I die.



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Grimm's Fairy Tales

Grimm's Fairy Tales: Wolf and the Seven Little Kids/Pack of Ragamuffins/Brother and Sister/Three Snake-Leaves/Boots of Buffalo-Leather/Drummer and Others by Jacob Grimm

My rating: 4.5 of 5 stars


What an enjoyable quick audiobook! A nice mix of short fairy tales from the Grimms' collection.  I haven't read any of these particular stories, although I am familiar with plot devices and archetypes from more than a few of them.  The narrator was great. She brought these stories to life. There is also classical music to accompany parts of the stories.  I could see this audiobook being very good for kids to expose them to fairy tales. They would enjoy the stories and the narrator's different voices.  I would say these are pretty kid-friendly stories, especially for the Grimms, which can be dark.  Overall, each story has a good lesson about morals and ethics, from hard work, to keeping promises, and not giving up when things get rough.

Listening brought back the joy of reading fairy tales, that I have not ever gotten over, even into my 4th decade.  I'd recommend it!

Overall rating:  4.5/5.0 stars.





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The Night Dance by Suzanne Weyn

The Night Dance: A Retelling of "The Twelve Dancing Princesses" by Suzanne Weyn


My rating: 5 of 5 stars
The Night Dance is a wonderful combination of the fairy tale, The Twelve Dancing Princesses, and King Arthur legend. I was captivated at the first page, but at the same time wondering how the author could successfully tell this story and use the death of King Arthur and the sole remaining knight Bedivere's quest to return Excalibur to the Lady of the Lake. Well Ms. Weyn did an excellent job.

The Twelve Dancing Princesses has always been one of my favorite fairy tales. I was excited to read a fantasy story built around this tale. Ms. Weyn preserved the aspects of this story that I really liked, and gave them a different spin. I found I wanted to know more about the twelve princesses' dad, Sir Ethan Colchester, because we meet him and his wife, Vivienne, who happens to be the Lady of the Lake long before we meet the daughters. It was interesting seeing how the girls' parents met, and how this tied into the King Arthur myth. They are both shown as sympathetic characters who have reasons for why their actions have led to the princesses being motherless and locked away from the world. We also get to see the youngest daughter, Rowena find true love with the sole remaining knight, Bedivere. I don't want to tell you the whole story, and give too much away. It's short, but a rewarding read, especially if you like fairy retellings and King Arthur.


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