The Rose and the Beast – Francesca Lia Black

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Read for the Once Upon a Time Reading Challenge.

These short stories take nine traditional fairy tales and translate them into modern day Los Angeles.    The language is poetic, and still very much of the traditional fairy tale.    This means that even though most of the tales are not supernatural, the writing keeps that fairy tale atmosphere alive.    They’re really interesting stories – definitely worth a read if you enjoy fairy tale retellings.

My favorite was probably ‘Snow’, which takes Snow White to a canyon outside LA, where she’s brought up by circus freaks.    Definitely an interesting way to take the tale into the real world, and it’s still surprisingly magical.