Fierce Fairytales: poems and stories to stir your soul by Nikita Gill (2018)
Poetry | Fantasy
Blurb:
“Traditional fairytales are rife with cliches and gender stereotypes: beautiful, silent princesses; ugly, jealous, and bitter villainesses; girls who need rescuing; and men who take all the glory.
But in this rousing new prose and poetry collection, Nikita Gill gives Once Upon a Time a much-needed modern makeover. Through her gorgeous reimagining of fairytale classics and spellbinding original tales, she dismantles the old-fashioned tropes that have been ingrained in our minds. In this book, gone are the docile women and male saviors. Instead, lines blur between heroes and villains. You will meet fearless princesses, a new kind of wolf lurking in the concrete jungle, and an independent Gretel who can bring down monsters on her own.
Complete with beautifully hand-drawn illustrations by Gill herself, Fierce Fairytales is an empowering collection of poems and stories for a new generation.”
–Goodreads
pooled ink Review:
I admit I’m no poetry aficionado, all I know is whether or not I resonate with what I read or hear. When I noticed this poetry book on the shelf and read its intriguing title I took it down and held it at once. When I saw its lovely cover I stared in awe for a dazzled moment before opening to that first page. When I surprised at the poet’s signature scrawled onto the page I snapped the book shut and waltzed to the counter to pay at once. And so I did.
This collection of poems and stories is a quick read and as I read through the stories tucked between the pages, I smiled. Gill’s writing didn’t always flow for me personally, but even so I loved her vision for this work. Inspired by myths, fairy tales, and folklore, she manages to weave new thoughts and perspectives into each poem that not only makes one ponder the original tale in a new light but to reflect on our own lives as well as the world around us. Not only that but she includes quite a few drawings to go along with the stories being shared and they are a lovely addition that further brings it all to life.
While perhaps not my favorite poetry collection that I’ve ever read (not that that’s saying much seeing as I don’t read poetry often at all) I still enjoyed it and would encourage others to seek it out. It’s a good balance between fantasy and reality, all told in pages of interesting prose.
Cheers.
P.S. If you enjoyed this or this concept interests you then I’d highly recommend Leigh Bardugo’s short story collection: The Language of Thorns: Midnight Tales and Dangerous Magic
Purchase Here: Fierce Fairytales
Meet Nikita Gill!
Nikita Gill is a Indian Sikh writer brought up in Gurugram, Haryana in India. In her mid twenties, she immigrated to the South of England and worked as a carer for many years. She enjoys creating paintings, poems, stories, photos, illustrations and other soft, positive things.
-Goodreads
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