Rhys Christopher Ethan

This story is so much more than a “simple retelling” of the original fairy tale with queer characters. The author has clearly thought about the message this “remastered” version is supposed to send, and the characters and plot line have been adapted to those needs. The result is a fresh look at the story of Snow White and her search for true love and a prince who will love her unconditionally. A mesmerizing tale that pulled me in on page one and didn’t let me go until a very happy THE END.

In this version of the age-old fairy tale, White is born a boy, but over the years realizes he is a girl on the inside. She meets a prince she immediately falls in love with, as they do in fairy tales, but is afraid the prince will never love her for who she really is. Reassured by the prince that who she looks like doesn’t matter, she finally comes out to her mother. But she does not get the blessing she had hoped for. On the contrary, she is banished from the kingdom and almost dies. After seven angels rescue the newly renamed Snow, her true search for identity begins, and what follows is a classic heroine’s journey – except with a few alterations.

If you like fairy tales with a new twist as imagined by creative authors, if you want to know what a “queered” version of what it means to look for (and find!) happiness feels like, and if you’re looking for a read that is as imaginative and original as it is beautiful, then you will probably like 'Snow White and the Seven Angels' as much as I did. I am glad there are more stories in this series for me to savor!


NOTE: This book was provided by the author for the purpose of a review on Rainbow Book Reviews.
… (més)

In the second story within the ‘Queerky Tales’ series, the author stays very close to the original Christian Anderson version of the fairy tale – which ends rather badly, at least as far as I am concerned. As I realized this was the case, I began to fear the ending, but I was lucky. Rhys came up with an ingenious way of staying true to the original, yet turning it into something even the incurable romantic in me was truly happy with. As a result, this version of the little mermaid is all about the search for acceptance when you’re different from everyone around you, the value of honesty, and the hope that true love, in the end, will be victorious even if in a somewhat unexpected way.

Shireen is the youngest of six daughters, and can’t wait to be finally allowed up to the surface to see “the dry lands”. But since she has to wait for her sixteenth birthday to be allowed to leave her father’s palace, she has a long time to wait and imagine all the wonders that might be waiting for her. Over the years, as she sees sister after sister make the trip, Shireen also begins to realize she is different not just from her sisters, but from all the other mermaids and mermen she knows. She is not interested in jewelry, dancing, or boys. She is convinced she will never fit into merfolk society, and will never be accepted and loved for who she really is. Once she does make the trip to the dry lands and falls for a beautiful princess, she is willing to do anything to be the prince her beloved wants.

As in the original version, Shireen trades her voice for legs – and in this case, a change in gender as well. Now a man, she does her best to make the princess realize how much Shireen loves her, but it is not meant to be… at least not the way Shireen expected. What she ends up learning is that being who you are and being true to yourself is more important than your species or your gender
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If you like fairy tales with a difference, if you want to know what might have happened if the little mermaid had fallen for a princess instead of a prince, and if you’re looking for a read that carries a powerful message about acceptance (internal and external alike) as it is imaginative and beautiful, then you will probably like 'The Little Mermaid and the Dry Lands' as much as I did. I’m looking forward to reading the next story!


NOTE: This book was provided by the author for the purpose of a review on Rainbow Book Reviews.
… (més)

Cinderella, the fourth book in the ‘Queerky Tales’ series I am quickly becoming a fan of, again offers some interesting and fitting departures from the original version of the fairy tale. For one thing, Cinderella has two stepbrothers (instead of stepsisters}, one of whom is actually nice. For another, there is a shoe, but it plays a different role. Then there is the fact that she falls for a princess rather than a prince. Those are just the major differences, but I loved discovering these little details as I read.

Cinderella has a secret which she inherited from her mother. That comes into play later in the story, but before that, she has to deal with the loss of her mother, the nasty stepmother cruelly making her into a servant, and being forbidden to go to the ball – when did that ever stop a teenager? Once she and the princess decide they are it for each other, nothing will stop them. Not the king forbidding them to get married, and not the fact they are both women. From there on out there is a whole new piece to the story, and it fits the idea of Cinderella and what she might do with her life really well. I loved it!

If you like classic fairy tales but prefer them in a more modern, queer interpretation, if you enjoy reading about the downtrodden getting their own, and if you’re looking for a read that is sweet and great to share with the children in your life, then you will probably like this creative retelling of Cinderella.


NOTE: This book was provided by the author for the purpose of a review on Rainbow Book Reviews.
… (més)

This third “queerky tale” has as much charm as the first two, and adds some nice new touches to the more traditional version of the story of Sleeping Beauty. For example, in this world there are seven fairies of the rainbow instead of the traditional three fairy godmothers – which I thought very fitting for a queer adaptation. One other change I thought was interesting is that the role of the “villain” is questioned, and while the original curse still comes from one of the fairies, the motivation is different, and the way the magic sleep comes over the kingdom is entirely new. The result is a wonderful fairy tale in its own right, with an inclusive message of love and acceptance.

Summer is a charming prince, born to parents who have waited for a long time to have a child. He is also somewhat unusual for a royal, and develops his own ideas about social justice, what it means to be king, and whom he wants to marry. Not just is his chosen a commoner instead of a royal, the person he wants to marry is Bryar - a boy. The king is disgusted, protesting the lack of an heir carrying the royal bloodline if that happens, and Summer’s arguments fall on deaf ears. Of course, this being a fairy tale it all ends well, but the obstacles Summer and Bryar have to overcome and how they go about it are very “modern”.

If you like fairy tales with a “queerky” touch, if you enjoy reading about social rebels of royal descent, and if you’re looking for a read that is as creative as it is beautiful, then you will probably like this imaginative short story.


NOTE: This book was provided by the author for the purpose of a review on Rainbow Book Reviews.… (més)