How to Fracture a Fairy Tale by Jane Yolen offers a creative and refreshing take on classic fairy tales, breathing new life into stories we think we know. Yolen expertly reimagines familiar tales with humor, darkness, or a fresh perspective, making each one feel both familiar and entirely new.

What stands out is Yolen’s ability to surprise the reader—just when you think you know how the story will unfold, she introduces an unexpected twist or deeper meaning. The variety in tone, ranging from playful to more serious, keeps the collection engaging and thoughtful.

For anyone who enjoys fairy tales with a clever twist, or simply appreciates imaginative storytelling, this collection is a wonderful read. Yolen’s ability to reshape these timeless stories makes How to Fracture a Fairy Tale an intriguing and enjoyable journey through the world of folklore.

This is a collection of Ms. Yolen’s stories, all having to do with fairy tales or legends. They span the gamut from the traditional European Cinderella tale, to China, to the Cheyenne plains, to a concentration camp, to Ninety-Sixth near Central Park. All of the stories were published previously, though the notes and some of the poems at the end of the book are new. There are quite a few of them, some only a few pages and a few near novella length. Some I enjoyed more than others, but overall a satisfying book

I wasn’t able to finish this book. Because of this, it is my policy not to review the book on my site or on Goodreads/Amazon. I also didn’t mark it DNF.

Loved this dive into folklore! The writing was lush and immersive. Would definitely recommend to friends.

There is nothing by Jane Yolen that I have not enjoyed. This is no exception. So riched and varied and vibrant, both painful and beautiful at once. These tales speak with the gravitas of tales of old, but in the author's unique voice. Not an easy or quick read, but without a doubt worth it..

I was really intrigued by the synopsis of this book, so I was really excited when I was approved for this book. I loved the idea of a series of short fairytales with a twist, as I feel like there's so much you can do with these tales.

As with most anthologies I read, there are some stories I loved, some I didn't, and some I simply enjoyed. I feel like this collection overall had a decent balance, and I generally enjoyed the time spent reading. There were definitely a few stories here and there that felt like they could have been expanded upon, and I was sad to see them end so quickly. Overall, this was a really intriguing collection to read, as I love fairy tales and the ways different authors twist them to make them their own.

Super interesting story collection! As with most anthologies, I liked some stories more than others, but overall, this is a great book for fairytale lovers.

Can I be honest, I only wanted to read this book because the introduction was written by an author I love, but while I kept reading the rest, I regret I didn't finish this book earlier.

And of course thank you to the publisher for giving me the opportunity to read this book even if it took me so long.

What amused me the most was the use of classical stories in a different way, the use of details never thought before. Fairy tales from old to new, to change sometimes the usual and create a variation that amuse.

I really recommend this book. The plot is nice, it gives a wide idea of the story, but the story itself is next level.

I generally love Jane Yolen's writing but I had a hard time with this book. I think that it is more an issue with my tastes than the book itself as I tend to struggle with short story collections. I liked the premise in that she tried to re-imagine fairy tales for a more modern audience. The stories were good for the most part but just when I was getting into them the story would end and we would be onto a new one. I would still recommend this to anyone who likes fairy tales and short stories.

I received an eARC via Netgalley; all opinions are my own.

I am not usually a fan of short story collections but this one was highly enjoyable! In each of the tales a fairy tale was turned upside down or backwards or in a couple cases completely rethought and while those I had familiarity with were recognized, what really made each story complete was the author’s notes at the end of the book that explained the inspiration and fracturing of each. As always with collections there were some
I loved more than others, but if you have any affinity for fairy tales I would say this is worth your time.

I thought this book was definitely different. I caught on with some of the stories and which I was reading. And I liked the different concept of how they changed the stories

I was unable to provide an accurate review of this book due to it being unreadable on my device.

I was very excited to read this book when first requested and will be purchasing my own copy shortly.

I started reading this one but didn't hold my interest. I though the concept was good but I wish I could have connected with the characters more.

An anthology of fairy-tale retellings. When it comes to these, I feel you love them or you don't. I happen to love a retelling so I loved this book. If you love them, I highly recommend this book. It is not your usual retellings. I give this book a solid 4 star review.

Jane Yolen is an amazing author, and everything she has done with these fairy tales (some familiar, some not) is wonderful. I want to look for the originals of the tales that I wasn't familiar with, just to know where these stories diverge. I highly recommend!

I don't think I knew what I was getting into when I requested this book. I had never heard of Yolen before so I'd had no preface as it were as to what her work was like. She certainly had some very interesting takes on the classics but some just weren't to my taste. it's an anthology, which is always a mixed bag for me. I'd never read an anthology by a single author before so I wasn't sure if that feeling would still be as prevalent but it was. Some of her takes just weren't to my taste and I didn't really like the twists she chose but others just failed to capture my attention. I found my mind wandering with a few of them. I wanted to like more of them but her writing style just wasn't my cup of tea. it's definitely a case of to each their own but I just wish I'd had a better time reading this because I remember being so excited when I was granted access, but alas, it was not the case.. I may give Yolen another chance down the road because a couple of these really captured my imagination and my attention, but I guess we'll just have to see.

I received a complimentary copy of this title from the publisher through NetGalley. Opinions expressed are my own.

I LOVE fairy tale retellings, so I immediately requested this one! Even better that it was an anthology.

Yolen definitely has a unique voice, and I appreciated it. I haven't read a ton of anthologies from a single author, so it was nice to see one person try their hand at so many things.

I also really liked that this collection harkened back to some of the original, darker tales and ones Disney hasn't covered. Great collection!

Jane Yolen's How to Fracture a Fairy Tale is full of inventive takes of various fairytales we thought we knew!

I really liked this collection of short stories. They are retellings of fairy tales, and some are twists of different fairy tales together. I really enjoyed the wolves version of three classic wolf stories - three pigs and the wolf, red-riding hood, and Peter and the wolf. I also really liked the dragon story where the grandfather dragon told about humans. All in all a really fun read. I received this book via Netgalley.

While I have always been fascinated by fractured fairy tales, I am always weary of picking them up because writers oftentimes mess up a classic, rather than honor the source in the reshaping. In this collection Yolen shows that she knows her way around a classic tale. Readers will understand her appreciation for the original sources while admiring these new twists to old tales.