This book took me way longer than I thought it would. Most of the stories are intense and going from world to world was a struggle. We don't know it when we are young but later on we realize how grim fairy tales and nursery rhymes really are. Despite the long time it took me to read this book I enjoyed most of the stories. There were a couple where it was like eh but there was an even greater amount that impressed me. When I went back to look at some stories I wanted to show off and review individually I realized that there was a lot more stories I really enjoyed that I wanted to review. Overall most of the stories were tragic/tragically beautiful but some were sad but more than that they were hopeful. I don't know any of these authors and that needs to change. These stories were so well crafted that in some I was left in awe and in one in particular I was left happily crying. Here are five out of many great Mother Goose nursery rhymes turned into short stories:

Sing a Song of Six-Pence by Sarwat Chadda

"Sing a song of sixpence, A pocket full of rye; Four and twenty blackbirds Bakes in a pie.
When the pie was opened, They all began to sing.
Now, wasn't that a dainty dish To set before the King?
The King was in his counting house, Counting out his money; The Queen was in the parlor Eating bread and honey. The maid was in the garden, Hanging out the clothes.
Along there came a big black bird And snipped off her nose!"

Here a big black bird sits waiting for it's next victim. A maid enters and asks for a trade. The bird is used to souls as a trade but the maid isn't dumb. She wants something worth living to see. She must steal a dish filled with the brethren of the big black bird and in return he must take her over the wall where nothing but misery will befall her. She doesn't care. In the end they both get what they want but of course it ends in pain but it's such a great ending. This was the first short story I was truly impressed with. I knew after reading this one that this book was going to be great.

Life in a Shoe by Heidi R. Kling

"There was an old woman who lived in a shoe, Who had so many children she didn't know what to do. So she gave them some broth without any bread And whipped them all soundly and put them to bed."

I've never read the end of that poem. I guess most authors retelling nursery rhymes thought it too messed up to add it into a book for little kids. I actually thought this rhyme was very whimsical and fun...before. In this short story the setting seems very post-apocalyptic. Men are away at war but they come back fairly regularly and to get their women pregnant. So here's this woman, angry and uncaring that she has so many kids she can't feed in this tiny apartment. The kids are the ones that suffer the most. The kids make a decision. It's a very hopeful sort of ending. It's a story I won't soon forget.

The Well by K.M. Walton

"Jack and Jill Went up the hill. To fetch a pail of water. Jack feel down And broke his crown and Jill came tumbling after. Up Jack got And home did trot As fast as he could caper. Went to bed And plastered his head With vinegar and brown paper."

This one's crazy awesome. I mean of course it's going to be the bloodiest of them all. Jack breaking his crown has always meant him cracking his head open. This is another dystopian. A virus broke out and Jack and Jill are the only ones left in their town. They just happen to mention how their father racked with pain and sorrow after his wife died in childbirth threw himself in a well where his bones remain. Now with that terrifying image in your head aren't you worried what will happen with that well and the two siblings? I already knew. This wasn't going to be a hopeful ending. It's not exactly tragic. It's a horror story and it was unbelievable. Jill was such a pain throughout. She hates her brother for being the cause of her mother's death. Not only that, everyone treats him like he's the greatest person ever. Now boys and girls this is why envy is one of the seven deadly sins. Don't mess with envy because it's going to bite you back... hard. Craziness ensues. Loved it all.

The Wish by Suzanne Young

"Star Light Star bright, The first star I see tonight, I wish I may, I wish I might, Have the wish I wish tonight."

Lauren just had her relationship end not to long agonand she's not taking it well. Not only that but her parents are constantly fighting and don't see her so one day she wishes that she was dead. Pretty pathetic right? Peter, the mysterious boy who shows up by her certainly thinks so. It was a bit dramatic - her reasoning. I couldn't quite feel her pain so that part of the story wasn't very compelling but Peter made up for it all. He has a black bracelet or string to remind him of something. But before he needs to be reminded of anything he whisks her away and makes her feel happy and loved for the first time in a long time but then she reminds him... Loved the ending. I have questions about it too like what happens with them now? Their relationship I mean. It got me excited because that was the perfect ending. It's an ending that will give you goosebumps.

A Ribbon of Blue by Michelle Zink

"A Bunch of Blue Ribbons, Oh, dear, what can the matter be? Johnny's so long at the fair. He promised he'd buy me a bunch of blue ribbons, To tie up my bonny brown hair."

This was the last story. The story that made me cry. The story that I think some people might take offense to but I'm not one of those people. Ruby has cerebral palsy. She has a sort of limp or different way in which she walks that get people annoyed when they are behind her. I honestly didn't understand that. How some people looked at her like she was lower than them. She's not dumb. She just can't move as well. So already she had my heart. There is a fair that comes around every year. Years ago she went to the fortune teller who told her that she would meet a boy that would make her feel happy, free, something like that. He will give her a whistle, a ticket, and a blue ribbon. She finally meets that boy and every day he gives her something new but not just those tangible gifts but the gift of happiness. The end was a bit of a shocker for me. The controversy lies there but I absolutely loved it and it was the very best ending to these short stories possible. ( )

One of the better anthologies I've read. My absolute favourite story in this collection is Life in a Shoe by Heidi R. Kling, one of the more faithful stories to it's original nursery rhyme -"There Was an Old Woman Who Lived in a Shoe".

As Blue as the Sky and Just as Old by Nina Berry ★☆☆☆☆
Based on "Taffy was a Welshman".
I couldn't get past Aderyn's horror movie Too Stupid To Live nature, following a stranger into his car and motel room.

Sing a Song of Six-Pence by Sarwat Chadda ★★★☆☆
Based on "Sing a Song of Sixpence" (Four and Twenty Blackbirds).
A sad story revolving around the misery a king has caused and a deal made between the maid and the last free Blackbird.

Clockwork by Leah Cypress ★★★★☆
Based on "Hickory Dickory Dock".
The most well-rounded story so far, about a princess-turned-mouse, a magic-infused clock and knife, a witch, and a political coup.

Blue by Sayantani DaGupta ★★★☆☆
Based on "Little Boy Blue".
The Children of Ink reminded me of [b:Safe-Keepers|241976|The Safe-Keeper's Secret (Safe-Keepers, #1)|Sharon Shinn|http://d.gr-assets.com/books/1309210290s/241976.jpg|1391552] and [b:Truth-Tellers|97969|The Truth-Teller's Tale (Safe-Keepers, #2)|Sharon Shinn|http://d.gr-assets.com/books/1348752563s/97969.jpg|1153787] but they appear to be wraith-like Fates. Although the story is a little amorphous, I still liked it.

Pieces of Eight by Shannon Delany with Max Scialdone ★☆☆☆☆
Based on "Sleep, Baby, Sleep" (The Papa Guards the Sheep).
This one didn't interest me at all despite the mention of a prophecy, a human sacrifice and a journey. The writing style and structure of story didn't help. I'm unsurprised by my lack of enjoyment since I gave up on Delany's Twilight-esque 13 to Life series.

Wee Willie Winkie by Leigh Fallon [unrated]
Based on "Wee Willie Winkie".
I doubt I could give an unbiased opinion of this one so I skipped it due to Fallon's actions earlier this year.

Boys and Girls Come Out to Play by Angie Frazier ★★★★☆
Based on "Girls and Boys Come Out To Play".
Witches in the woods kidnap or call children to their den in the woods, where most are never heard from again. The protagonist finds the summoning in her catatonic sister's hands, knowing the consequences for not attending she goes in her sister's place. There's a dash of forbidden love and an ending that didn't quite satisfy. Reminded me of Sarah Jessica Parker's song calling children from their beds to their deaths in the movie Hocus Pocus.

I Come Bearing Souls by Jessie Harrell ★★★☆☆
Based on "Hey Diddle Diddle".
Egyptian mythology, yes! The protagonist is a reincarnation of Hathor with the duty to welcome the dead to the afterlife, her brother is Anubis and sister, Bast. The teens live and work in a funeral home doing their mythological duty.

The Lion and the Unicorn: Part of the First by Nancy Holder ★★★★☆
Based on "The Lion and the Unicorn".
Part one of the story. Reminiscent of Joan of Arc, our protagonist dresses as a boy and hears what she perceives as the word of God via an angel, telling her to serve King James I who has just been crowned King of England (the Lion) and is all ready King of Scotland (the Unicorn). While she serves him food, she witnesses his war on evil witches plotting to bring him down. He throws them in filthy cells and tortures them into confessing. But all is not as it seems...Although part two isn't included the ending is implicit: the king is a warlock sucking the life/souls out of the witches he kills. The girls vision might mean she one day poisons the king. At least that's my interpretation.

Life in a Shoe by Heidi R. Kling ★★★★★
Based on "There was an Old Woman Who Lived in a Shoe".
Brilliant. I practically highlighted the whole story. After the Rule was implemented, the two children one couple has turns into ten with an eleventh on the way. More children than they're able to feed, as the the eldest son says, "We're like crops to them, raised to fight in their never-ending wars." The eldest daughter replies, "You'd think if they wanted decent crops, they'd figure out a way to feed them better." She's the protagonist who reaches the end of her tether. This story has the feel of [b:The Handmaid's Tale|38447|The Handmaid's Tale|Margaret Atwood|http://d.gr-assets.com/books/1294702760s/38447.jpg|1119185] about it.

Interlude: Humpty Dumpty, a poem by Georgia McBride ~*not included in the ARC*

Candlelight by Suzanne Lazear ★★★☆☆
Based on "How Many Miles to Babylon?".
Take [b:Stardust|16793|Stardust|Neil Gaiman|http://d.gr-assets.com/books/1328433738s/16793.jpg|3166179]'s Babylon Candle and two typical naive teens fed up of the usual parental discipline, and you get this story. Travelling to Babylon, a paradise too good to be true, two teen sisters escape their mother. But when they come to miss her and return home, they find that thirty years have passed, and they've been declared dead.

One for Sorrow by Karen Mahoney ★☆☆☆☆ [DNF]
Based on "One for Sorrow".
DNF. Reads like it's from someone new to writing. Very simple, slow and dull. Seemed to be inspired by Poe's [b:The Raven|264158|The Raven|Edgar Allan Poe|http://d.gr-assets.com/books/1347398489s/264158.jpg|256076] but with a crow instead.

Those Who Whisper by Lisa Mantchev ★★★☆☆
Based on 'When I was a little girl, about seven years old, I hadn't got a petticoat, to cover me from the cold.'
When her mother dies, a girl is forced out of the village and ekes out her living in the woods with the birds. I'm unsure exactly how this one ended: whether the boy and girl went their separate ways or stayed together.

Little Miss Muffet by Georgia McBride ★★★★☆
Based on "Little Miss Muffet".
Were-spiders! That's a new one on me. A satisfying short story.

Sea of Dew (short version) by C. Lee McKenzie ★★★☆☆
Based on "Wynken, Blynken, and Nod".
Damn, that was depressing. I'm reminded of: Water, water, everywhere, and not a drop to drink. Surrounded by the salty sea, three boys and one girl are adrift in a small boat after their vessel capsized. Water becomes increasingly scarce and they all either kill themselves or die of thirst.

Tick Tock by Gretchen McNeil ★★★☆☆
Based on "There's a neat little clock, in the schoolroom it stands, and it points to the time with its two little hands."
One word: creepy. Good creepy, not bad creepy. But then children always are, especially identical ones with synchronised identical movements and words from their mouths.

A Pocket Full of Posy by Pamela van Hylckama Vlieg ★★☆☆☆
Based on "Ring a Ring o' Roses".
A teenage boy comes to with blood on his hands and jeans with no memory of what happened, until he finds his girlfriend dead and fears he might be a murderer. Turns out a vampire did it. Meh.

The Well by K.M. Walton ★★☆☆☆
Based on "Jack and Jill.
The Shiver Rash Virus is responsible for killing thousands and finally hits Alaska where Jack and Jill believe their the last living inhabitants of their town and are probably immune. Jack loses his marbles and tries to kill Jill. There is no happy ending.

The Wish by Suzanne Young ★★☆☆☆
Based on Star Light, Star Bright.
Can be summed up as the following: Be careful what you wish for.

A Ribbon of Blue by Michelle Zink ★★★★☆
Based on "Oh Dear! What Can the Matter Be?".
I'm surprised I liked Zink's story since I disliked her writing in [b:Prophecy of the Sisters|5271066|Prophecy of the Sisters (Prophecy of the Sisters, #1)|Michelle Zink|http://d.gr-assets.com/books/1327870738s/5271066.jpg|5338444]. The female protagonist, Ruby, has cerebral palsy causing her difficulty in walking. Her grandmother whom she lives with is suffering severe emphysema and could die at any moment causing Ruby to worry about what her life will be like after she dies, until she sees a fortune-teller at a carnival who gives her hope, telling her she'll meet a boy working at the carnival who'll bring light, freedom and love. So she visits the carnival every year to the day she finally meets him. A bittersweet ending.

Sea of Dew (extended version) by C. Lee McKenzie ~*not included in the ARC*

The Lion and The Unicorn: Part the Second by Nancy Holder ~*not included in the ARC*

*My thanks to Month9Books and Netgalley for the ebook in return for an honest review.* ( )

I assumed this was going to take the nursery rhymes of Mother Goose and expand them into short story form however these are mainly complete reinterpretations with elements of the original nursery rhyme. It was a little dissapointing if I'm honest. However, once I got over that, there are some good elements to this.

Wee Willie Winkie was without doubt the best story of the collection and it's no coincidence it's one of the few that actually took the rhyme and created a short story from it (as I'd been hoping).

All in all an interesting little collection of stories that, unfortunately, didn't quite deliver what I was hoping.

Full review here ( )

Anthologies are like a sampler, an assortment of boxed chocolates. You never know what are you going to get read but you get an opportunity to taste a lot of new flavors authors. I don’t know why I did not read many anthologies before, but I must admit I am getting addicted. I got a feeling 2013 is going to be my anthology-addiction year. :)

Two and Twenty Dark Tales is an anthology of horror and paranormal stories for young adults inspired by Mother Goose Rhymes. Francisco X. Stork said it all in Foreword:
“Who would want to transform innocent nursery rhymes into dark and scary fairy tales? What kind of perverse minds would twist words meant to put us to sleep into colorful and sometimes fun, but nevertheless scary, nightmares?”
Well, as a matter of fact – a lot of authors. 22 of them to be precise. The stories they wrote are not exact retellings since they sometimes just use motives from rhymes as inspiration or main plot elements. Of course there are a couple of stories that are literal retellings, but most of them are not.
If you are not familiar with Mother Goose Rhymes, don’t worry. Before each story there will be a song that was an inspiration. Since I only knew song about Jack & Jill, this was a great help to me. I loved reading these stories and finding out how writers mind ‘click’, how they make the connections and what they will make from a couple of simple rhymes.

I will not do review of each story separately because that will be too long. And since they are all short, it is very hard commenting without spoilers. So I will try to in general comment what to expect.
This anthology is for young adult audience. What does it mean? It means that main characters are coming of age teens and stories usually center at some crucial event in their life. As usual, most of the stories are told from female point of view except “A Pocket Full of Posy” by Pamela van Hylckama Vlieg which has a male main character.
The title of the book tells you to expect dark retellings, so there will be a lot of stories with gothic/dark fantasy or horror elements (although there is one lonely sci-fi dystopian). As for HEA it will happen in 50% of cases. So if you must have your happy ending, you will be disappointed sometimes.

Reading this anthology was fun and interesting adventure. I was not familiar with any of these authors before, although I recognized a lot of the names, but after tasting what are they able to do, I will be definitely reading more of their work. So if you don’t know what next to read, try this book and you will definitely find a couple of new authors that are worth checking out.

I recommend this book to fans of: ya paranormal, ya horror, ya fantasy, retellings or to those who contemplate reading something from these genres.

Disclaimer: I was given a free eBook by the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for a honest review. This text is also posted on Amazon and my blog. ( )

I'm afraid I was less than pleased. I wanted to like it. No, I wanted to love it, but so many of the stories fell flat. None of them made me shiver. None of them made me gasp. Very few had any strong connections to the rhyme chosen (okay, the one based on Hickory Dickory Dock did a pretty good job both at being interesting and connecting to its rhyme). Only a handful made me wish for a full-length tale based on the characters presented. In most cases, the authors seemed to think that having someone die qualified the tale as "dark." As someone who has read and reread Alfred Hitchcock Presents: Stories That Scared Even Me, I beg to differ. Now THAT is a dark anthology.

ORIGINALLY POSTED AT: http://shelversanon.blogspot.com/2013/02/4-in-1-review-techno-thriller-two.html ( )