There was much to enjoy here, but I found I couldn't connect with it. I'd read more from this author in the future though.

HA! I love these little gems! Just perfect twisted tales of fairytales and short like the Grimms intended! They are all so dark and wonderful. Just the right size for a quick break, or a short bus trip, or a bedtime story (but not for kids!). These are meant, I think for tens and adults. great writing! I hope Lizella Prescott writes some more!

Milk Teeth is a collection of short stories, each taking approximatley 5 minutes or so to get through, and in all only about 58 pages long. The stories are re-tellings of the classic stories that we all know and grew up with as well as new ones, but these all have dark twists, some quite strange, others pretty creepy. I loved that the girls all had a lot of daring and fight in them, which is just what some fairy tale characters need. A good read with lots of imagination, but I do wish some had a bit more length and detail.

I didn't love this creepy collection of "fairy tales". The stories were not developed as much as I would have liked to see. Not to mention... They were creepy.
The titular story Milk Teeth talks about a child's teeth falling out. Which is a perfectly normal occurance. But then it included the line "why are you planting my teeth? ' he asked through a gummy, bloody grin". That seems.... Less normal.were the teeth yanked out of this kids head all at once???

The entire collection has strange disjointed moments like that. It's creepy, it's weird, it's under developed. Not the collection for me.

(Side note, if you are looking for a collection of creepy short stories, give Slasher Girls and Monster boys a chance. It is an incredible anthology)

If you need a quick smile or a giggle, you'll love this book. Strong female leads who don't take shit from anyone, be they man, woman, or child. Heroines for a modern age ensconced in the drapery of a fairy tale. A must read!

Interesting collection of short stories. I liked the twists and turns in theses takes on classics.

This is a clever set of short stories that are based on familiar fairy tales but which will surprise and amuse. Each is different but may contain characters we know and remember from the nursery or our Disney movies.
In part this is the weakness of the book as it lacks a degree of originality or fresh dimensions that bring either a cautionary tale or a moral perspective. We are told that fairy tales were often more violent and brutal than the sanitised ones passed down to us in childhood. Lizella certainly counters that with both course language and sexual themes to show her stories are for an adult audience.
However, apart from enjoying the manipulation of a few stories I did not reach the enjoyment others have found in reviews I have read.
I will say though that I enjoyed immensely "What the Queen didn't say" as it captures the crux of political intigue from the Romans to the Borgias. "Beautiful Beast" was also a commendable work as it offers hope and a happily ever after ending but provides the reality of a heart's desire and questions what is true beauty.
Finally "The worst mistake of his life" is a brilliant piece and would suit all female students if they had similar powers to offset the unwanted leering and advances of the inebriated and the lecherous. The ending is a perfect put down to the egotistic who think they're the business and can't recognise the social necessity of a second date.
I would welcome the chance to explore more of this author's writing and feel this collection was a good introduction to her work.

I enjoyed a couple of the stories and it was a quick read.

“She did not escape the king, after all. Her heart smashes itself against her rib cage, fluttering like a dying bird. Perhaps it will burst before she can feel the first bites.”
-Lizella Prescott, Milk Teeth
Are you one that loves retelling of old classic fairytales such as, Cinderella or the Frog Prince? If so, you may like this book; I on the other hand, did not. Milk Teeth, written by Lizella Prescott, is a collection of short stories that are retellings of some of the classic fairytales we grew up with as children but with dark, unusual twists.
From a sorcerer whose magic comes from his teeth, a very hungry little mermaid, or a retelling of Hansel and Gretel, and many other classic stories and new, your brain will be filled with a raw, crude feeling. The retelling of Beauty and the Beast, of a young girl who is so ugly her family calls her Beast and is shocked when a young boy thinks she’s beautiful. Or the story of a Queen who is preparing her daughter to rule the kingdom and the dark secret she holds about the dead King. There are many more short stories to indulge in.
I usually love retellings of stories since they are typically a refreshing view on the classic story, but with the dark twists and plots of these short stories it left me speechless and honestly a little numb. I quickly looked up others’ reviews on the book and was shocked! This book was rated 4.4 stars with 25 reviews thus far on GoodReads! Yes, it’s a quick read and I can see the appeal if you love gothic-esque fairytales but it simply wasn’t for me. Disclaimer: I received this book for free through NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

This will be posted on my blog, InkTeller.com, on Monday, September 4th at 11 AM.

A riveting take on folklore as original as the infamous Brom himself. Prescott reinvigorates the classic folk tales known throughout the globe such as The Little Mermaid, Princess and the Frog, and even giving fresh concepts to characters like Hansel and Gretel - among others.

If you wanted to, you could skim through the mere 40-page novella in an hour. However, if you're like me, you'll eek out every grimly detailed scene and piece of narrative to properly enjoy these scarce works of fiction not often come across every day. I couldn't help but grin to myself each time Prescott gave a character a rather morose demise: there are scenes in which my naive childhood memories were briliantly dashed aside as witches turn the teeth (freshly torn from bloody gums) into porcelain minions eager to please the commands of their master.

Sure, Melissa Marr, Rachel Caine, Brom - these guys can write folklore, but give Prescott a try as well.

She might be your favorite.

I love fairy tales that flip the script. Where good is evil and evil is good. Where the big bad wolf is the good guy.

Milk Teeth by Lizella Prescott is this time of book. It's a short 50 something pages, but packs a punch with each story. I wanted to live in each story a little longer.

This isn't your grandma's Cinderella.

Thanks to NetGalley, the publisher and Lizella Prescott for the opportunity to read and review this book.

Milk Teeth: Stories with Bite
by Lizella Prescott
I requested this book from NetGalley and the review is voluntary.
I liked this quirky book, it has several short stories that are very clever. The stories are all fantasy and all have a unique twist to them. The book itself is short too. A great little read before bed, on the beach, on the bus, or at the doctor's office. A great anytime read. I liked that they were short and different. Great job!

Intriguing evil twist on fairytales and some new additions in a succinct, interesting manner. What else do you need to make such a short book more fun? Some of my favourite pieces included; "Milk Teeth", "Every fairy is born with three curses", "What the Queen didn't say", "Beautiful Beast".

Thoroughly enjoyed reading this!

(Also, this cover is so damn aesthetically pleasing!!)

Great collection of unexpected short stories. Wished it could have been a bit longer, but fingers crossed there is a book 2 instead!

Cinderella’s mental state is fixed somewhere between empty pain and smoldering rage. She holds two embers, one in each palm, and coaxes them to grow.

In Prescott’s collection of biting, dark fairy tales the reader never knows what darkness awaits. At 58 pages it’s a condensed escape into strange, dark tales. As the author plays with classic fairy tales, the characters are much more feral and the perfect blend of beautiful and dangerous. From a starving mermaid to a burning girl, these short tales are for the grown ups. Gretel sacrifices and the witches she meets are nothing like the witch trying to fatten children up in other versions. Maybe, just maybe some of the ‘evil’ women within conjure have their own rhyme and reason. They are short and not so sweet, easily read in one sitting. Just what are curses, really? What if you don’t want to be the giver of kisses, or would rather be eaten by bugs than be some man’s play-thing, king or not?

A mention has to be made about the cover too, it’s a beauty.

Available Now

Hungry Lizard Press

I enjoyed this quirky collection of fairy tales.
Can be enjoyed at any age.
I was given this book by NetGalley and the publisher. This is my voluntary review.

There were so so many good, short, fairy tales in this collection. Lizella honestly had me at 'fairy tales'. Oh wow, where do I even start?

There were stories in here from Sleeping Beauty to Snow White, from Beauty and the Beast to Hansel and Gretel. And, in every case, the story was not one such as you would expect.

My favourite thing was the way this all felt as though it happened within the same world. The connection between the story "Every fairy is born with three curses" and the throwback to that story that happens in "Oversleeping beauty" added to that feeling. Of course, these two were both Sleeping Beauty stories from two different angles.

"Cinderella, the girl who loved fire" and "The hungry little mermaid" were spins on the old classics that I liked, where the heroines of each of them were not strictly good guys. Likewise with the horrible Frog Prince seen in "The worst mistake of his life".

Similarly, Snow White's mother in "What the Queen didn't say" seemed quite reasonable in killing the king given that he was a terrible ruler and she brought the kingdom to prosperity in his absence.

Sadly, this one had a bit of a weak last couple of stories after the rest had been so stunning.

Everyone needs to read this book!
It's imaginative, original, and satisfying (bite-sized is indeed the perfect description).

Whether you're into the glossy, romantic fairytale, or the darker, more realistic fairytale, this collection is for you because it has something for everyone: lyrical descriptiveness for fans of light-hearted fairytales, and dark, suspenseful fantasy for those who find Disney fairytales to be a little lacking.

My absolute favorites were "Milk Teeth," "Cinderella, the Girl Who Loved Fire," and "Beautiful Beast." To me, all 12 of the fairytales featured in Milk Teeth were well-written and creative with fantastic endings, but these three in particular were better than the rest.

One of the most lyrical and descriptive parts, in my opinion at least, came from "Every Fairy is Born with Three Curses":
'Puberty comes to all girls, even fairies. Grounded by their increasingly soft and unpredictable bodies, Vivian and Mirth drink elderflower spirits while their parents sleep. Running through the humid, moonlit forest, half-drunk on stolen liquor and hormones, is almost as fun as hurtling through a rain-choked cloud.'

Prescott is clearly a clever, original, and talented writer. I'm thrilled to have had the chance to read this book, and I am looking forward to reading other books written by her in the future.

Take a chance on this one! You won't be disappointed!


*A copy of this book was kindly provided to me by NetGalley and the publisher in exchange for an honest review.*

I found this book while poking around on Netgalley. The starkly beautiful woman on the cover caught my eye and the description sounded like exactly what I was searching for – fairytale retellings that could be read entirely in one sitting. I received a free copy in exchange for an honest review, and I really enjoyed it.

The stories are not the one you’ve heard your whole life. There are 12 stories and they’re all about 3 pages long. Some stories interconnect, while others stand alone. But, no matter what, they definitely put a new spin on the familiar stories. From Cinderella being a pyromaniac, to a darker direction to the Little Mermaid or the Frog Prince, to a few that were new to me. This book was a very fast read and very enjoyable. If you like fairy tales, give it a try! Just be aware that there are no guarantees it will give you a happy ending or sweet dreams!

This book has a terrible flaw: it is too short! Lizella's tales, which sometimes take inspiration from classics of literature of mythopoietic nature and then leave, gloriously, to themselves, are addictive. Their acidic, corrosive nature, without any do-goodism, is so adherent to what should be the human reality if we were not convinced that go against our wishes has a saving role, to be refreshing and even reassuring. The fact is that, after you read the last line, you regret that there are no other.
Thank Hungry Lizard Press and Netgalley for giving me a free copy in exchange for an honest review.