The Bibliophile's Bookshelf

Title: A Twisted Tale Anthology

Series: Twisted Tale (standalone within series)

Edited by: Elizabeth Lim

Genre: Retelling, Disney, Fairy Tale, Story Collection

Rating: 4 stars

Review:

This book has sixteen short stories where classic Disney movies are twisted to answer a “what if.”

Out Cast– What if Snow White learned magic?

This story was interesting, though quick and a little convenient. I wished Snow had to work a little longer and harder to learn magic. I was also a little curious as to the role the Magic Mirror played. Why did it choose to help Snow? It was a nice story, but I wished it was a little longer and was able to explore the process of learning magic and the possible ramifications.

A First Mission– What if Mulan became the Emperor’s advisor?

I love Mulan- she is probably one of my favorite Disney “princesses.” This wasn’t quite a retelling so much as an extension of the movie if Mulan had made a slightly different choice. It was fun and quick. Li Shang was there, as well as the Emperor’s advisor, though not other characters from the main movie made it in. It was cute and I liked it.

Et Voila– What if Remy had met Colette first?

I enjoy the movie Ratatouille, but it isn’t my favorite. I liked this story and seeing Remy have more control over a kitchen. It was also nice to get Colette’s perspective, especially as the only female chef in the restaurant. This one wasn’t my favorite, but it wasn’t the worst.

The Envelope– What if Anastasia had a change of heart?

I have read quite a few retellings of Cinderella, some from the Stepmother’s and Stepsisters’ point of view. However, in none of those (to my recollection) is the death and relationship of the first Stepmother’s husband really discussed. I love that this story asks these questions. It explores what the relationship between the girls’ father and mother was like, as well as if the father would agree with how Anastasia behaved. Then Anastasia went out and tried to become something, away from what happened to Cinderella. I actually really loved this take!

A New Dawn– What if Mufasa gave up his throne?

I really loved this idea. What if Mufasa had survived the fall, but was too injured to continue to rule? A very fascinating idea and I loved the result. Mufasa is a much beloved Disney character, but this book made him flawed which I loved. I wish that this story had been even longer, so I got to see more of this idea!

Rattle the Stars– What if Jim Hawkins joined the pirates?

I have to admit I have only watched this movie once and it was years ago, so I am not very familiar with it. I do love pirates though, so I enjoyed the storyline from that perspective. It would have probably helped if I had watched the movie more recently, because I was a little confused. This was a good quick story about a character who maybe chooses the wrong path and how they got there, along with how they struggled with this decision.

A Royal Game of Chess– What if history wasn’t quite right about the legend of Robin Hood?

I have never seen Robin Hood, and, in general, am not familiar with his story. I did like how the story was twisted. It was a lot of fun and more believable, as the person who was actually Robin Hood actually had connections to Prince John. I will not spoil the twist, but it was a lot of fun. I wish this was a full-length book!

The Secret Exchange– What if Eric meet Ariel after she rescued him?

As many know I am not a huge fan of The Little Mermaid (ironic given my name), but I do love the original twisted tale Part of Your World. So, I was hopeful for this story and I wasn’t disappointed. One of the things I have realized that I didn’t love about the movie was the love at first sight trope. I find that trope incredibly unrealistic and I struggle rooting for the characters to get together if the only reason they like each other was because they saw each one time! This story fixed it by having the characters meet and interact and learn about each other- all things that are actually vital to a relationship. And it ended with Ariel not completely giving up her world, but Ariel learning about the human world and Eric learning about the mermaid world. All of the Twisted Tale books that have taken on The Little Mermaid have made them so much better!

Dust to Dust– What if Tinker Bell was working for Captain Hook?

I love the Tinkerbell movies. It has long since been a question of mine how Tinkerbell came to live with Peter Pan and not be in Pixie Hollow. This story answers that question which I really appreciated. There was a small time jump in this book that I felt needed to be there to make the story make sense. I also hope this one can be made into a full-length book, because it has potential, it just needs a little more time.

Gonna Take You There– What if Naveen had to get home to Maldonia?

This story was fun and quick. There were no frogs, alligators, fireflies, or villains though, which was a disappointment. We did get to see more of Lottie, who I think is a lot of fun. It was also very road trip-y, and I love a good road trip montage.

Fates, Three– What if the triplets visited the Witch?

I love Brave. I have also been curious about the triplets and who they are. This story was very good and really explored how the triplets are when they are teenagers. I wish Merida had been in it, but it was also nice just getting the triplets. I will say they don’t see the Witch until the very end of the story, so the story wasn’t necessarily about them going to the Witch.

A Dragon in the Snow– What if Madam Mim and Merlin went to school togehter?

I have actually never watched this movie, so the story was a little confusing. The author did a good job on writing vivid descriptions though. I enjoyed the story, but I didn’t entirely understand it. Also, this is one story where I feel like it was rushed because it was so short.

The Journey Home– What if Belle had to take her father’s place at the fair?

This was actually a very interesting take. The Beast wasn’t even in this story. At first that bothered me a little bit, but as I thought about it more, I liked it. While I will always support Belle and the Beast, I liked that in this version Belle was able to take care of herself and do other things. While I love princess Belle, the idea of independent, self-sufficient Belle is one I also love.

Call it a Hunch– What if Hercule’s first day as a god didn’t go as planned?

This story was just okay. The writing was good and the story intriguing, though a little slow, especially pertaining to Hercules. I was more engrossed and intrigued with Meg’s part of the short story.

The Reluctant Prince– What if Bambi didn’t want to be the next Great Prince of the Forest?

I haven’t seen Bambi since I was like five. It has been a while! I did enjoy this story as it had Bambi grow up and wonder about how he is going to be as a father, think about his relationship with his father, and what it means to be the Great Prince. This is definitely a more introspective piece rather than action heavy, which is right up my alley. I actually really liked that this was short story form.

The Rose and the Thorns– What if Auroura knew the truth about her curse?

I really enjoy Sleeping Beauty retellings. There have been a few that I have read where Auroura knows about the curse, and they all follow a similar path of the parents being super overprotective. But in this story, it allowed Auroura and Phillp to know each other and be friends. Again, no more love at first sight! It makes me so happy that these two characters got to know each other and build a foundation before they fell in love. I am also happy it wasn’t necessarily Auroura that fell asleep.

A Twisted Tale Anthology was a lot of fun and had some interesting perspectives and ideas pertaining to some of the most loved Disney movies!

Quotes:

“You’re going to rattle the stars, you are.”