Book Review: At Midnight by Dahlia Adler

About the Book:

Title: At Midnight

Author: Various

Page Length: 496

Publication Date: Nov. 22, 2022

Publisher: Flatiron Books

Synopsis: Fairy tales have been spun for thousands of years and remain among our most treasured stories. Weaving fresh tales with unexpected reimaginings, At Midnight brings together a diverse group of acclaimed YA writers to breathe new life into a storied tradition.

Fifteen celebrated authors reclaim classic fairy tales for a new generation:

Dahlia Adler, “Rumplestiltskin”
Tracy Deonn, “The Nightingale”
H.E. Edgmon, “Snow White”
Hafsah Faizal, “Little Red Riding Hood”
Stacey Lee, “The Little Matchstick Girl”
Roselle Lim, “Hansel and Gretel”
Darcie Little Badger, “Puss in Boots”
Malinda Lo, “Frau Trude”
Alex London, “Cinderella”
Anna-Marie McLemore, “The Nutcracker”
Rebecca Podos, “The Robber Bridegroom”
Rory Power, “Sleeping Beauty”
Meredith Russo, “The Little Mermaid”
Gita Trelease, “Fitcher’s Bird”
and an all-new fairy tale by Melissa Albert

LINKS: Goodreads | Amazon

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My Review:

Even though I’m well into adulthood, I still enjoy a good fairy tale retelling, and I was excited to read this collection when I saw it included authors like Tracy Deonn, Melissa Albert, and Hafsah Faizal. They’re all such great storytellers, and I was eager to see what kind of fairy tale reimagining they would come up with. Overall, I liked most of the stories. They are unique and interesting, and so much more layered and nuanced than the originals.

Like many anthologies, this is one where you can pick and choose the stories you want to read. Each of the fifteen stories is a standalone reimagining of a classic fairy tale. So, we have the same tropes, but everything is totally transformed and modern. I like how varied the stories are and how well each was transformed into a contemporary setting with unique and diverse characters. Instead of the all-white characters we usually encounter in fairy tales, these include Chinese, Muslim, Apache, Mexican-American, LGBTQ characters and more. The stories also had much more depth, more detailed backstories, and new complications, struggles, and conflicts.

Of course, I enjoyed some stories more than others, especially since these are all written by different authors. The writing styles and voices are all different, and I particularly liked Sharp as Any Thorn by Rory Power, Once Bitten, Twice Shy by Hafsah Faizal, and Just a Little Bite by Roselle Lim. I also liked that the book included the original stories at the end of the book. That way, if you don’t know the story and want to read the original, you can!

I would definitely recommend checking out the content warnings before reading the book. There are definitely subjects and situations that could trigger readers, including gore, death, abuse, and more. Special thanks to Flatiron Books and NetGalley for providing me with a copy of the book. All thoughts are my own.