Author: Ron Koertge
Illustrator: Andrea Dezso
Published: July 2012
Synopsis from Goodreads
Yes it's blue and Yes it tickles and Yes
he's had a lot of wives
and nobody knows what happened to them
but he's fun at the party and omigod
that castle!
Once upon a time, a strung-out match girl sold CDs to stoners. Twelve impetuous sisters escaped Daddy’s clutches to jiggle and cavort and wear out their shoes. Bluebeard's latest wife discovered she'd married a serial killer. And Little Red Riding Hood confessed that she kind of wanted to know what it's like to be swallowed whole.
You see, Ron Koertge knows what really happened to all those wolves and maidens, ogres and orphans, kings and piglets of fairy tales, and he knows about the Ever After. So come closer--he wants to whisper in your ear.
I love fairytales.
I love retellings.
I love short stories.
I love free verse.
I love silhouettes.
I did not love this book.
I wanted to so badly to dive into this and squee with dark horror delight but it just wasn't for me.
I found the bits to be something I've seen before. And some of this just seemed thrown together. Rushed. That's not saying that it's bad... that's just saying that I'm picky. I just never got that WOW moment.
The pictures throughout the book are very nice.
In my opinion, if you are looking for a short fairytale retelling with a poetic side you should check out The Rose and the Beast: Fairy Tales Retold by Francesca Lia Block.
I will give you a warning: This book shouldn't be read by young ones that you don't want to hear cussing or sexual references. While I understand this is YA, the cover might make the little ones think it's for them.
