Once Upon A Ghost: 20 Eerie Faerie Tales (Once Upon Series) Paperback – March 6, 2020

There are 20 fab spooky fantasy fairytale retellings in this set. You do get tired about half-way through (it is 620 pages), so I suggest reading it on 2-3 nights, not in 1 go, but 90% of stories were stellar! Also, this is book 5 of 7 out of the Once Upon series, which is getting decommissioned in Oct 2022, so it’s the last few months to grab this series, peeps. 6/20 stories were YA & all stories were clean.My favourites in “loved them hopefuls more” order:5/5 Immortal Portrait by Colleen Gleason is a retelling of Oscar Wilde’s short novel The Picture of Dorian Gray. Though not a fairytale, I quite enjoyed this altenrate version of the story. In present day Hollywood, Dorian Gary needs a male escort. It was a fab & rather enjoyable action-adventure tale with vamps, hunters & super efficient assistants. Can’t wait to read more stuff by this author, especially about Ms Frost & Chad the vamp / vamp hunter.5/5 Ella and the Haunted House by Sarra Cannon - yes, what if 18yo Ella & her family of fake ghost-hunters moved into a house where a guy killed half the guests at his wife’s birthday party? Please, please, please tell me there is a continuation of Ella’s & Charlie’s stpry in the works?!? Beg beg beg.5/5 Snow White Between Time by Julia Crane is the part of teen Snow’s tale while she’s out cold. Ooh, loved the HEA in this one, very clever & hopeful.5/5 The Devil’s Due by Melissa Marr is a Bluebeard retelling with an epoch feel of Bram Stroker’s Dracula to it. A guy goes from village to village, pretending to wed women that then perish - well, he wasn’t expecting an angry sister, that’s for sure. A tale of a female vigilante, loved it!5/5 Faerie Song by Anthea Sharp is a Pied Piper retelling, the original story was based on true events (200 kids did go missing for real). This was a spooky YA variation of the tale, answering the questions I had: 1. but where do the pipers come from? 2. are you sure it was just the rats & kids? And 3. What is the price the piper pays to be able to play quite like that? I liked the irony of the heartbreaking ending.5/5 What Magic Lies Beneath by Shawntelle Madison - is what happens to adult Greta after the PTSD she got from the gingerbread witch. A lovely, hopeful story despite the darkness. Also loved the names Everbelle Amberglass and Madame Never Past Midnight.5/5 Little Flame by Devon Monk is a YA Match Girl retelling with magical match sticks, the fight between good and evil and the seasons and a HEA - loved this version tho the original always made me cry.5/5 The Ghost of Beilstein Castle by Alethea Kontis is a post-WW2 tale, where a Rapunzel retelling is crossed with a story similar to Bluebeard (but not, it was a local German legend, apparently). Heartbreaking, really & it was touch and go as to how it would end for a while, but I liked the hopeful note in the end and the reference to the Monuments men.5/5 Forgiven by Christine Pope is a hopeful post-apocalyptic tale of how a trophy wife’s ghost falls for a jinn. It had the vibe of Little Mermaid towards the end and I’d certainly read up on Celia & Khalil in the Jinn war books.5/5 Rapunzel Dreaming by Yasmine Galenorm - what if Rapunzel, cursed by beauty, was the one who at 18 asked to be tucked away, unwilling to marry? This is the antidote to the serialized Rapunzel cartoon; brilliant!5/5 A Hunter’s Memory by Annie Bellet - a short, dark tale of sorrow and revenge along the Slavic fairytales about rusalka (mermaids). No ghosts, except in memories.5/5 Haunted by Kay McSpadden is a loose but chilling kids’ retelling of Goldilocks & the Three Bears, a haunting story of a haunted house & what truly happened there.5/5 Queen Joanna by Kate Danley is a retelling of Bloody Mary; poor looping Joanna is all I’m sayin.4/5 The Bremen Shifter Band by Debra Dunbar - a curious case of musician shifters in a retirement home haunted by Elvis. Yes THAT Elvis. Earning his wings as aband manager, if you will. I want to go to Pistol Pete’s bar with all the paranormals, please!4/5 The Ghost Queen by Nikki Jefford is a retelling of sorts of the Emperor’s New Clothes. After his 4th “fairest in the land” wife dies, the king needs to look to other kingdoms for a queen. So, two illusionists hatch a brilliant plan to bring back Templado’s most famed beauty - courtesan Ysabella la Poeta. I loved the snark of this satirical retelling.4/5 To Be Remembered by Jamie Ferguson is a tale along the lines of Slavic folklore about mavkas, the vengeful water spirits who lure men to their death. Except this one doesn’t.4/5 What Tales Spectres Tell by Kasey Mackenzie is a retelling of necromancer Rumpelstiltskin (Tracassin in French). You knew the miller’s daughter was a witch, right?4/5 The Thorn King by Alexia Purdy is a YA retelling of Sleeping Beauty. Ghostly boyfriends popping through vanity mirrors at unsuspecting teens - I liked the HEA.Recommended if you love dark, spooky but hopeful YA & NA fairytale retellings.

I decided to purchase this anthology because it has a story by Yasmine Galenorn, one of my favorite authors. The only story I’ve read, so far, is “Rapunzel Dreaming” by Yasmine Galenorn. I’m definitely looking forward to reading the other works in this anthology."RAPUNZEL DREAMING" by Yasmine GalenornRapunzel just wants to be left alone with her books, ignored by the outside world, so her adoptive mother, Bertie, grants her wish to be locked away in a tower. A long time later, James is drawn to a strange house and we find out just how long a mother’s devotion lasts. I thought this story was a very clever spin on Rapunzel’s story as a ghost story. It was darker than I expected and the plot was really unpredictable. Though I loved the story, the world-building felt limited by the short story format. I wanted to see more of Rapunzel’s life, more of Bertie’s devotion to her daughter, and more of James’ experience with his new house.I was given an Advance Reader Copy as a gift from author without obligation. I am providing an honest review.

Short stories and novellas are fun to read if you are looking for a quick read. Add a ghost or two and then they become suspenseful, quick reads. I loved reading Once Upon a Ghost. An anthology of 20 spectacular stories. I skipped around in the book. Picking which stories I wanted to read first. Another thing I loved about the book. You don't have to read it in order.I bought the book because the author Nikki Jefford is one of the authors. I love all her work, so it was a one-click for me to buy this one. Again, she delivers an amazing tale set in a different world then our own. Although this is one I do not wish to visit this time. Ghosts I read about, not visit with.I have found several new-to-me authors and their books to add to my TBR list. If you enjoy a great ghost story, I recommend Once Upon a Ghost.

I love this series of books. I have found some new favorite authors hidden among the pages of the well thought out stories and ghostly re-tellings of the fairy tales we all know and love. Each of these stories is unique, there are no two ghostly snowflakes alike in this volume. I am not your typical ghostly story fan, but because I have had good luck in the past, I picked this up. There are more than ghosts haunting these pages, y'all. I learned some new legends about new fantastical creatures. You will not finish this volume without adding at least one or two new authors to your TBR pile. Enjoy!

This was not my favorite in the Once Upon a series . That said, it is still a good read. I generally like faerie tales retold and (most of) these don't disappoint. The ones I didn't care for were simply personal preference. All the tales are well written and well paced; it didn't feel like I had to "just get through" any of them. My favorite thing about this series is the discovery of authors I might otherwise not find. I recommend all of the books in the series.

Lots of different flavors. I knew of more than half the authors, several I have not read for a while; a welcome reuniting! Thank you all for the joy. (Here at the end of 2020.) And the last story resonates right now, with/about The Hollow Man.

This is a fun and imaginative collection of reimagined fairy tales and folklore. Looking forward to reading the rest of the series.

I really enjoyed this anthology. It was one of my favorites.