Series Info/Source: This is a stand alone book. I got a copy of this as an ebook through Netgalley to review.

Thoughts: I didn't realize when I got this book that it is two books combined in one. The first section of this book is weird and obscure fairy tales with Kingfisher's snarky comments sprinkled throughout. The second half of the book is a collection of original fairy tales that was originally published as the "Toad Words" story collection. Kingfisher has been hit-and-miss for me. I really loved her Clocktaur War series and have loved a lot of her more recent novels like "Nettle & Bone" and "Nine Goblins". However, there are other books she's written I just haven't enjoyed as much, like "The Twisted Ones" and "The Saint of Steel" series.

Initially I found the collection of weird obscure fairy tales fascinating and really enjoyed Kingfisher's comments on them. However, this part started to drag on and I think I would have enjoyed it more if I was reading a this a little bit at a time over a longer period of time (unfortunately I got this from the library, so I had a limited time to read it). There are only so many weird stories that make absolutely no sense that I can read one after another. The snarky comments also got a bit predictable and repetitive. So, while this was kind of fun...it's not something I would read again and I thought it was a bit long.

I enjoyed the "Toad Words" section of the book more. This is a collection of short poems and short stories; each is a twist on a known fairy tale. There is a longer, nearly novella, length story, "Boar and Apples", which was my favorite of the bunch. I always love fairy retellings and some of these were very fun, while others were so-so.

My Summary (3.5/5): Overall I wasn't sure what I was getting into when I picked this up and it ended up being okay. When I started out I really enjoyed the weird fairy tales and the snarky comments but this section of the book got very long and I struggled to get through it (3 stars). I would recommend reading the first part of this book gradually over time to enjoy it more. The second half I liked more (4 stars). The second half included some short stories I liked and some poems that were so, so. All in all this was a mixed bag for me. However, if you love fairy retellings, it's worth at least picking up the "Toad Words" portion of it. ( )

It's enjoyable, but I wasn't as in the mood for fairy tales as I once would have been. I do appreciate the fine editorial eye that managed to find these particularly bonkers tales, and I love the commentary. I've read Toad Words before and loved it, but I only got through The Wonderful Sheep. Might get it out again for the original work at the end.

Did check it out again and the second half made up for my ambivalence about the first. I can’t express how much I love the original fairy tales at the end — some of them are just astonishing. Not only are they entertaining but they are a commentary on fairy tales in themselves. Delightful! ( )

This contains Toad Words And Other Stories, which I have read already. I did not bother re-reading those, so I've read the commented fairy tales. Which was fun.
Sometimes comments are truly hilarious. Sometimes it gets repetitive.
Overall, good fun. ( )

The first half of the book is a collection of Vernon's blog posts telling and analyzing some unusual fairy tales. I found it a bit annoying - each piece, individually, was interesting (some more than others), but en masse it was a bit much. I've asked some of the same questions about fairy tales; some she matched me, some I thought of but she didn't, and a good many were new thoughts to me. Fairy tales don't make sense at the best of times, but some of them make less sense than others...
The second half consisted of the stories from Toad Words and Other Stories, which I'd read before, plus a new (to me) longish piece called Boar and Apples. That one is a Snow White story, with a lot of interesting twists. I like a lot of the stories from Toad Words, especially the title story and the Bluebeard's Wife one...but I've read them already. Boar and Apples is good, though. Overall I enjoyed it (well, it is an Ursula Vernon book), but less than I expected to. ( )

A series of excellent shorts. ( )