Beautiful. Powerful. Lyrical. Moving. Thought-provoking.
A must-read.

It is a series of short-short stories interleaved with poems. Dip in and out or read in one sitting. The joy is not diminished. ( )

This was lovely.
Favourites are "Sea Witch" and "Snow White".
All works included are very good, though some worked better and some worse.

FINAL VERDICT : TRY IT! ( )

I received a copy of Snow White Learns Witchcraft from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

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. ( )

I had been meaning to read anything by Theodora Goss for the longest time (The Strange Case of the Alchemist’s Daughter has been on my bookshelf for far too long.) Now, after reading Snow White Learns Witchcraft, I really need to read more by Goss. It was an amazing anthology that struck such deep emotion, whether through its poems or short stories.

The very first poem in the anthology, and also its namesake, set the tone instantly – Snow White Learns Witchcraft. In bringing back the term witchcraft to its origin — of wise women that were both revered for their ability to heal and help and feared for their refusal to fall in line — and pairing it with fairy tales of damsels in distress, Goss subverts the genre. There is no clearer warning about what to expect in the rest of the anthology than one of the ending stanzas of this first piece:

I’ll walk along the shore collecting shells,
read all the books I’ve never had the time for,
and study witchcraft. What should women do
when they grow old and useless? Become witches.
It’s the only role you get to write yourself.

The short stories that follow, along with additional poetry, all feel fresh and are enjoyable, and yes, I did cry at least once while reading the anthology (Conversations with the Sea Witch destroyed me.) The writing is superb, as is the pacing. That Goss is able to draw so much emotion with each short story (I mean, it’s only 224 pages long total with 31 short stories and poems) speaks to her abilities as an amazing writer. Not once did I feel as though a story was rushed, or that I was missing a piece of it. They felt complete and whole, just as they are, which is hard to do with shorts.

I know buying anthologies is always a bit of a gamble. You never know if it’s going to be full of goodies or duds. But please, let me tell you, Snow White Learns Witchcraft by Theodora Goss is an absolute hit and so worth taking a leap of faith on!

// I voluntarily reviewed a complimentary copy of this book. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review. // ( )

If you're into imaginative short stories that give a new take on old fairy tales, than this is the book you need to pick up next. Though I'm not a big fan of short story books in general, this one really changed my mind about them, and now I'm thinking I'm really missing out by skipping over them. If you're like me, then definitely check this out.

Check out my full review here!

https://radioactivebookreviews.wordpress.com/2019/02/05/snow-white-learns-witchc... ( )