Faerytale - Rachael Fuller

'Twisted tales, giant monsters, burning silver rain,

Girls with wings and evil witches out to cause you pain.'

Faerytale is a story about two young sisters, Ellie and Lucy. They are playing hide and seek, when Lucy realises that Ellie has vanished down a rabbit hole. She quickly follows her, and finds herself in a strange land, a place where fairy tales are not what you would traditionally expect. They are darker, and twisted, and the fairies are no longer friendly and kind. The three classic tales of Rapunzel, Little Red Riding Hood, and Snow While are taken here, and given a fresh, dark twist. 

Lucy must try and discover where Ellie is and rescue her before they are trapped forever in this strange, dark land. It is written in narrative rhyme throughout, and it also features black and white illustrations. Lucy is the elder of the two sisters, and she teases Ellie for her love of fairytales, as do the other children. Ellie wishes she could escape the world and step into the fairy stories she reads:


'How she longed to live within the pages of her books,
To challenge evil witches and take back what they took,
Swim in silver seas with mermaids, listen to fairies sing,
And soar across the golden skies, on unicorns with wings.'

But little does she realise that there is a darker side to the three fairy tales contained here, with 'fairytales now brought to life, far darker than they'd seemed.' They are altered, and it's interesting and entertaining to remember these classic tales from childhood, and then find out how they are employed here. As Lucy journeys through each of the tales, the search for Ellie progresses.

A genuine sense of fear is created, there is an atmosphere of tension, as unexpected elements appear, frightening the sisters:


'Overhead she heard the screams of monsters taking flight,
The ground beneath began to shake with creatures of the night,...'

It's enjoyable to read passages aloud, to yourself or to others, and enjoy the poetry even more. The author has a really nice use of language, and has created an unusual, intriguing take on what we think of as fairy tales. This makes for a very clever, fun and magical read. 

Visit the website for the book here and find out more about the story and the author.

Published by Safkhet Publishing and available now in paperback and ebook formats. 82 pages.

Thank you very much to the publisher and the author for the opportunity to read and review this book.