Perrault's Fairy Tales

Title: Perrault's Fairy Tales
Author:Charles Perrault
Genre: Classic lit, Chidlren's lit
Source: Kindle Ebook
Rating: 4 out of 5


Collection of early versions classic fairy tales such as "Cinderella", "Puss In Boots," "Blue Beard" and more.  Each story contains a moral at the end to help readers know what the intention of the stories were.  These are the stories before they were touched by companies like Disney that changed things around to make them more....fairy talesuqe instead of the gruesome tales they may be.  Perrault is credited with laying the groundwork for fairy tales, and can be seen rewritten numerous times including the Grimm Brothers.

This collections holds about 8 or 10 classic fairy tales, some we know well some not so much.  Many we have seen reappear from other authors such as the Brothers Grimm and made into movies by the likes of Disney, but Disney changed quite a bit from these tales.  I liked being able to read the original versions of the stories and see how they became different throughout time from 1697 to now 2018 there are a lot of differences for example, Little Red Riding Hood does not get rescued, but devoured by the wolf.  Each of the stories have some sort of gore to them, not intended to really scare the children, but for the ew factor, though I do admit some stories I wondered how they were considered children stories.


Some of the stories I have read before in Brother's Grimm, other stories like Puss In Boots, I have not read before and enjoyed finally getting the chance to read them in their original format.  Children do enjoy stories with ogres and things and in the years that follow the publication of this book, children are protected more from things people think might be too scary like an ogre eating children, not to mention to tell the morals and convey the themes involved some of the stories needed to have a little gore and what some would consider adult themes.


While the author included morals of the story, they do seem to be morals that HE thought the story told and have room for each reader to form their own opinions of what the fairy tales are supposed to convey.  Some people may say classic fairy tales are no longer relevant especially with the movies and adaptations we've seen throughout the years, but I believe they are still relevant and convey the same if not different morals to an audience in today's society no matter how different things may be.


I recommend everyone read this collection, it may open your eyes to some beloved stories you thought you knew or rekindle a love for a story you loved as a child.  Pick up a copy from amazon.

Woodcutter

A man known as The Woodcutter stumbles upon a maiden's dead body, with no trace of foul play, nor who could have caused her tragic fate.  The only thing left behind were her glass slippers.  The Woodcutter seeks to find her killer before other maidens suffer the same fate.  The Woodcutter is not your average man, he is the keeper of peace between the kingdoms of man and the realm of the faerie.  He searches the realms for clues to the mysterious events happening around the kingdoms and the forest, along with three axes blessed by the River God, he begins to find clues to lead to the truth.  Shortly into his search he discovers information that is troubling: one of Odin's hellhounds has escaped, a nefarious mansion appears and disappears and princes and princesses along with it, pixie dust being turned into a drug ring, and more young woman proceed to go missing without a trace.  The Woodcutter must find the truth to all of these before it is too late, as task proven more difficult with an evil queen lurking in the shadows intent on stopping his every effort.  Will he be able to stop the queen before she destroys the kingdoms and the fae or will it be too late?

I love fairy tales.  Everything about them brings me back to my childhood.  I love reading retellings and other author's takes on the different stories.  When I picked this book up I expected it to be along the lines of the woodcutter in Snow White or Red Riding Hood, but was pleasantly surprised when it turned out to be something completely different.  I love the idea of a mysterious protected of the realms that no one knows his name, his name never gets revealed and leaves the read in as much a mystery as the characters.  It almost makes you as frustrated as the queen in not knowing his name.  That adds an air of mystery around this character, and at the same time the reader knowing he cannot bear children but must wait until the fates bring a child to him and his wife makes your heart break especially after he comes across young children.  You can almost feel the fatherly desire in his heart.

Danley creates a world where the characters come to life, without specifically referring to the characters by name or tale, readers can get an idea of who is supposed to be who based off minor descriptions such as the glass slippers left behind when the maiden was killed.  Readers get the idea that someone harmed Cinderella without specifically being told.  It was also interesting that Danley incorporated some mythology in the tale with the use of Odin and the hellhounds.  That was a great touch though I wanted more from that storyline, it almost takes a backseat to the other events of the tale. This was a great story, one that I finished in a few short days.

I highly recommend this novel if you enjoy fairy tales, fantasy, young adult, and a good story.  As for a rating I will give this a 5 out of 5, pick it up today.  You won't regret adding this to your book shelf.