This is such a wonderful collection of stories and poetry on what's a dangerously tired subject - retelling of fairy tales. Many stories here seem to take place where the normal world casually overlaps the magical fairy tale world; characters travel between them, if not live in spaces where the workings of both worlds co-exist.

While the fairy tale inspirations are fairly obvious. Theodora Goss often approach it from a different perspective, and very often, it is about girls and women taking charge of their own story instead of waiting for rescue. Some of my favourites include Snow White Learns Witchcraft, Blanchefleur, Seven Shoes, The Other Thea, A Country Called Winter, and Conversations with the Sea Witch.

Not sure what's up with all the women marrying bears though.

ARC courtesy of NetGalley.

This was definitely a very different book then I am use to reading. I am glad that I gave it a chance because it was fun and entertaining to read. Thank you NetGalley for allowing me to read this book.

An very entertaining collection with a unique and oft intriguing twist on fairy tale retellings. These aren't your standard Disney stories - most of them focus on what happened after the 'happily ever after' and as another reviewer pointed out... there does seem to be quite a few instances of girls/women literally marrying bears. It might sound odd, but it's a lot more intriguing than it sounds. Highly recommended.

I approached this book with some trepidation, as fairy tale retellings can vary in quality perhaps more than any other genre. However, I ended up discovering one of my favourite reads of the year, and making Theodora Goss an insta-buy author.

This is a collection of short stories and poems which play with conventional fairy tales. Some have been previously printed elsewhere, and some are original to this collection; some are based on the well-known tales, and some are more obscure. All of these reworkings, whatever their influences, have the dark, magical feel of classic tales, and that spark of magic that makes a story feel like it has a life and personality of its own. The language in every story is just enthralling. I devoured the whole book without paying any attention to the time, which I think is the true touch of Faerie.

My favourite thing about this whole collection is how Theodora Goss is constantly recentering women’s experiences in each story. Classic fairy tales say so much about being a woman, but they are still fairly formulaic in the roles that they provide: maiden, mother, or witch. These stories explore the grey areas, showing maidens who have grown old, and witches who remember their times as mothers, and women who have hundreds of facets alongside their Grimm-given roles. I loved the multiplicity of each woman in each of these stories – there’s so much power in all these women.

To go into detail about any of the stories would spoil them, because I feel like they should be savoured as their own selves, rather than explained. Some of my favourites were “Blanchefleur”, “A Story in Twelve Petals”, and “The Other Thea”, but there wasn’t a single duff note in the whole collection. I generally trust Jane Yolen’s opinion on fairy tale works, but even her glowing words in the preface couldn’t prepare me for how wonderful I found this collection.

An obvious 5 out of 5 stars.

I love fairy tales. I love Ms. Goss' work. I was pretty sure I would love this book. I adored it!!!! There was exquisite poetry and there were scary retellings of old favorites and there were even some fun new tales I had not thought could happen. It was truly a delight from beginning to end.

I love fairy tales. I love Ms. Goss' work. I was pretty sure I would love this book. I adored it!!!! There was exquisite poetry and there were scary retellings of old favorites and there were even some fun new tales I had not thought could happen. It was truly a delight from beginning to end.

I would like to thank Netgalley and Mythic Delirium Books for the chance of reading this book in exchange of a honest review.

Snow White Learns Witchcraft is a book full of short stories and poems that take you back to the fairy tales we all know and probably love, and take a twist on it. Snow White Learns witchcraft? Is years after what we last see our Snow Beautie as she makes plans for the future.

They are all enjoyable, easy and fast to read. For those who love short stories and poems, as well as a twist in our childhood stories, this is the book for you!

I am a big fan of Theodora Goss' The Extraordinary Adventures of the Athena Club series, so when I saw this ARC being offered on Netgalley, I knew I had to read it if I could. I'm not a huge fan of short stories or poetry. I read only one short story collection in 2018 and no poetry. But I like the short stories and poetry I've read of Goss' before, so I thought I'd give this a try.

One of my favorite short stories by Goss was included in this collection: "Red as Blood and White as Bone." But I think it was the short stories and poems that were semi-autobiographical that I really enjoyed the most, like "Seven Shoes" and "The Other Thea." While they were clearly about Goss, they felt vaguely familiar and hit home somehow, reminding me of my own life.

"A Country Called Winter" had to be inspired by The Princess Diaries, and I loved it. And "Conversations with the Sea Witch" reminded me that I need to get around to reading some of "The Little Mermaid" retellings and mermaid books that came out in 2018. I really liked Goss' version of the little mermaid and the sea witch. I want more from the perspective of the so-called "villains" in fairy tales.

As another reviewer pointed out, there were an abnormal number of poems and short stories about girls and women literally marrying bears, which was a little unnerving, even though I'm fairly certain that these stories were metaphors (or similes; like the narrator in "The Other Thea," I mix these two things up too).

Still, Snow White Learns Witchcraft—which she does—was a fairly enjoyable read, especially since I've been in a bit of a reading slump. It was the perfect book to read in little pieces, like a box of chocolates. It was the perfect book to curl up with under a warm blanket on a cold winter day. It would be an excellent book to read to one's daughters, since the girls and women in the stories always won out in the end. Empowering stories in which the princesses save themselves—I wish I had more of these when I was a little girl.

This collection of stories was very entertaining, engaging and easy to read. I loved the writing style and I will be looking to read a full book by this author. I would get it as a present for any Disney lover. Different picture on a well known stories.

My favorite story was definitely The Ogress Queen- what can I say... I like weird and creepy stories!

Thank you to NetGalley and Mythic Delirium Books for the eARC in exchange for an honest review!

This book is complicated and left me with a love-hate feeling. I loved the stories and all of the characters, however, I hated the sense that the stories were incomplete. When I say incomplete, I mean that the stories could have kept going instead of abruptly ending like most of them did.
4.5/5 stars
For a full review check out my blog at https://bookgirlreviewsbooks.blogspot.com

With Snow White Learns Witchcraft, Theodora Goss focuses her vast affinity for myth and fairy tales on stories that are both familiar and unexpected. Combining stories and poems, this collection contains characters that are easily recognized--though maybe not quite as we are used to seeing them--and others that are less familiar. In the retellings, Dora finds fresh life and striking power in the insights and presentations that are gathered here. And in the stories that stem from more original places, Dora proves her ability to craft striking fairy tales drawn from all the rich past of the genre and full of wealth suited to the modern era.

In her care and craft, Dora allows fresh voices and perspectives to take the page, painting pictures full of fantasy and mystery--while ensuring that the stories are simultaneously intimate and relatable. With rich language and a fantastic style of her own, Dora's newest collection truly highlights her strengths as a writer, while also providing a collection of stories and poems--retellings and original tales alike--that are delightful to read in their own right.

I have tried my best below to say something about all the stories, but I loved quite a few of them and don't want to spoil them! I don't think I missed one, but I might have - if I did, my bad, it was all memorable but I feel a little too full of all the good stories perhaps. I liked that they were set in times that felt fluid, it could all have happened a hundred years ago, or maybe just yesterday.

Snow White Learns Witchcraft
A short story on what plans Snow White makes after looking into the mirror later in life.

The Orgess Queen
She wonders what each would taste like, Helios, Aurora and the Sleeping Beauty her husband "woke".

The Rose In Twelve Petals
Madeline casts a spell on another sleeping beauty-to-be Alice, her more modern day tale told in twelve parts like tarot. I like this one and hope there might be more. I like that Madeline was sympathetic and might have waited for her to wake.

Thorns and Briars
A good girl who knows how to keep her heart safe.

Rose Child
A sad story of small wild children in a garden, and the gardener who sees them and learns why they can't be tended to.

Thumbelina
Well...why wouldn't you like to be small?

Blanchefleur
Ivan becomes a apprentice to Owl, Lizard and Wolf, led by a white cat his dear cousin and his fairy aunt into the dangerous business of Dragon slaying and kingship. More please!

Mr. Fox
The many faces of men and the dangerous tools of courting are more alike than you might think.

What Her Mother Said
Red Riding Hood's instructions.

Snow, Blood, Fur
What if Red Riding Hood's wolf was a werewolf, or Rosie a witch able to make his fur skin turn her own?

The Red Shoes
The dancing Red Shoes as a desire to write, or not.

Girl, Wolf, Woods
The girl who meets the wolf is more generous than Red Riding Hood and met perhaps a kinder fate.

Red as Blood and White as Bone
The woodcutter's daughter Klara has many tales to tell, of wolves, princesses, war and deals done in the wood.

The Gold Spinner
The beginning of the adventure of the Miller's daughter and her touch of gold.

Rumpelstiltskin
We can not part the saint from the thief within ourselves, but a look at what might Rumple and Stiltskin do because he could.

Goldilocks and the Bear
She gets the life of a happy women, our girl thief Goldilocks.

Sleeping With Bears
Roselie marries a bear and Blanche follows in her sisters footsteps.

The Stepsister's Tale
What if Cinderella's step sister became a podiatrist, fighting shoe fashions for the sake of the bones and beauty of women's feet.

The Clever Serving Maid
Who switches places with a princess and walks away free to go where she pleases.

Seven Shoes
A witch's deal with a girl who wants to write books.

The Other Thea
A witch must find her shadow in Mother Night's castle in the Other Country or fade, I quite loved it and hope there's more some day!

The Sensitive Woman
A reminder to have care, that others suffer too.

The Bear's Wife
A sort of Cupid and Psyche to the Bear and his wife, where the wife, abandoned because of dripping wax, chooses to follow him into the woods, rather than going home and marrying another man.The

The Bear's Daughter
A sort of Hades and Persephone take, where the Bear daughter is a child of winter north and summer south.

A Country Called Winter
The Queen of Winter grows up in America not knowing who she is. Taking to college life and literature until she discovers she is Queen of Winter, Snow Queen Vera or Veriska, and a part of the balance of the seasons chosen by Lady Moon. I would like to read Rudi meeting Vera, or Kay and Edrik the Ice King of Trollheim meeting, or if they meet Gerda again.

How to Make it SnowI
Holle, a kind girl, makes it snow for the old woman.

Diamonds and Toads
What be more useful to come out of your mouth? Diamonds or frogs? Does it depend on who you are? What you do? Or perhaps both are useful in unexpected ways.

The Princess and the Frog
They switch places with a kiss, the princess and the frog, and are happier did it.

Conversations with the Sea Witch
I truly liked this take on the little mermaid, Melusine grown old, and the sea witch who is perhaps wiser to cherish friendship over power. I hope to read something of the story of Eglantine her granddaughter and the Sea witch who is partly octopus.

The Nightingale and the Rose
The rewards of art and love and sacrifice, Mother Night and home.

Mirror, Mirror
Snow White and the winter of old age, or not...

Thank You to NetGalley and Mythic Delirium Books for a free copy.

In all honesty I did not finish reading this but that is not because of bad writing. The writing was really well done. The problem is me. I hate short stories. I saw the title and requested this book without reading the description.

Snow White Learns Witchcraft is a collection of short stories and poems based on our favorite fairy tales. The writing and descriptions were great. Since these are short stories it is hard to really get in the story ( hence my dislike of short stories).

If you are fine with short stories, yes you should read this. If you don't like short stories you may still like this because Ms. Goss does great job.

So I love Fairy tales in any form. Like all short story collections there is always some stories you like more than others which is why I gave this book 4 stars. I enjoyed how the tales were reinvented! I enjoyed that there were links to things from our world like Shakespeare, Keats and Mobile which made the tales feel like they were part of our world rather than separate to it. The stories were quick reads and they flow really well. This is a book I would happily reread over and over again. It made me smile with the sort of dry humour it had in places.
Basically this reinvents classic fairy tales and makes them new classics! There are 31 tales and I wont go though them all but I will list the ones I liked the most and the few I didn't really enjoy. The tales are made to fit in between the 18th and 21st century and they feature magic, cannibalism, talking animals and all the other classic fairytale tropes that I love.

My favourite stories are;
Snow White Learns Witchcraft - After the classic fairy-tale from Snow's POV. Snow grows old and it asks what should women do when women grow old and useless? Become witches is the obvious answer which is what Snow does, she creates her own story after following the classic one.
The Ogress Queen - This one was short and creepy! It still became a favourite of mine though.
The Rose in Twelve Petals - retelling Maleficent and Sleeping Beauty so of course I enjoyed it.
Blanchefleur - Talking cats? yes please! I love tales about cats, there's also wolves and a dragon in this story.
Mr Fox - Moral of the story is to have your own set of Lock Picking tools.
Red as Blood and White as Bone - girl meets a magic princess who gets revenge on the Prince. She then goes on to help a resistance in ww2. It mixes fairy-tales and realism really well.
Goldilocks and the Bear - The bear helps the girl and then helps her again later in life and it is a wonderful tale with a happy ending. Loved the twists in this. It is my new favourite version of this story.
Other stories - The Gold-spinner, The Stepsisters tale (Cinderella) and the Clever Serving Maid were some of my favourites. The Princess and the Frog, What her Mother Said and Conversations with the Sea Witch were also great and had twists on the original tales that I liked better.

I found that I enjoyed the stories I have always liked more than the ones I did not know! I still enjoyed all of them but a few I found were just strange or didn't have enough of the original fairy-tale in them. I would still recommend this book for those who love fairy-tales or those who ant to try new fairy-tales. I will reread a few of the tales in this book multiple times.

Thank you to the publisher, Mythic Delirium Books , for providing me this advanced copy if the book via Netgalley.

These stories and poems were all enjoyable, though some appealed to me more than others. Definitely a worthwhile collection for anyone who likes a new twist on familiar fairytales (and who doesn't?!)

Snow White Learns Witchcraft is a highly enjoyable collection of reworked fairy tales in the form of short stories and verse. While each story is its own, the collection itself manages to be cohesive--I found myself charging through each story at quick clip, wanting to know "what happens next?" A few of the stories, also, were modernized without pulling me from the fantasy; Goss builds upon the framework of each tale expertly. All in all this collection is very well done, with gorgeous language, and quite a fun read.

Thank you for the arc of this book, it’s not usually the type of book I enjoy, but I found myself really enjoying this book.

This is not my normal type of read. I'm not a fan of poetry and rarely like to read short stories. So in full disclosure I have to say I didn't read the full book. With that being said I'll get to the point of this review. For all those readers out there who appreciate this genre, and enjoys short tales and a few nice poems thrown in for good measure, you should give it a go. I found the author' style of writing easy going and flowing and found myself quite entertained during more than one of those to short (for me) stories. I have little doubt that a novel by Goss would hold me captive till the very end.

This was a lovely collection of stories and poems that strongly reminded me of Jane Yolen's work. Appropriately, Yolen wrote the introduction to this volume.

Goss puts delightful twists on classic fairy tales such as Snow White, Sleeping Beauty, Goldilocks and the Three Bears, the Little Mermaid, Thumbelina, and the Frog Prince, reimagining them in different settings and eras, tweaking the plots to give characters new choices and opportunities, or extending them to explore what happens to the characters after their stories traditionally end.

I'll admit I'm not usually a huge fan of poetry, but I did enjoy the ones in this collection.

I love retelling of fairytales. Theodora Goss definitely put an interesting, more modern, twist on them.