In this anthology, 20 authors explore the dark and hidden meanings behind some of the most beloved Mother Goose nursery rhymes through short story retellings. The dark twists on classic tales range from exploring whether Jack truly fell or if Jill pushed him instead to why Humpty Dumpty, fragile and alone, sat atop so high of a wall. The authors include Nina Berry, Sarwat Chadda, Leigh Fallon, Gretchen McNeil, and Suzanne Young.
(Excerpt from GoodRead)
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A riddle.
What’s better than Mother Goose Rhymes and a gorgeous cover?
Well, the list of names below. That’s what!
Nancy Holder (Wicked Series and Teen Wolf)
Sarwat Chadda (The Devil’s Kiss Series)
Leigh Fallon (Carrier of the Mark Series)
Suzanne Lazear (The Aether Chronicles)
Angie Frazier (Suzanna Snow Mystery)
Gretchen McNeil (Possess & Ten)
Suzanne Young (A Want So Wicked & A Need So Beautiful)
Karen Mahoney ( The Iron Witch Series)
Leah Cypess (Nightspell & Mistwood)
Shannon Delany — (A 13 to Life Series) with Max Scialdone — (Two and Twenty Dark Tales: Dark Retellings of Mother Goose Rhymes)
C. Lee McKenzie (The Princess of Las Pulgas)
Lisa Mantchev (Theatre Illuminata)
Jessie Harrell (In His Eyes Anthology & Destined
Sayantani DasGupta (The Demon Slayers and Other Stories: Bengali Folk Tales (International Folk Tales & Her Own Medicine: A Woman’s Journey from Student to Doctor)
I’m not going to review each story or tell you which story I liked best because that’s an impossibility. With their writing, their beautiful weaving of words and intricately crafted characters, each of these authors made me fall in love with their work, making me desperate to read more from them. Each story was too short, a morsel that was both delicious on the pallets and too rich to consume all at once. I absolutely hated reaching the end, but it gave me a reason to hunt down more from these lovely authors so I can’t complain.
Moving past the authors.
This book was deliciously dark and twisted. Each story is based off a Mother Goose Rhyme, but these stories are not something your mother read to you at night while tucking you into bed. This was a war between Mother Goose and The Grimm Brothers. As a lover of all things sinister, I was delighted by this retelling. Well done, authors.
So, in conclusion:
Will I read more from these authors? Yes!
Will I tell my friends about this book? Yes.
Did I enjoy it? Yes.