Twenty dark and ghostly faerie tale retellings from the NYT, USA Today and internationally bestselling authors in the award-winning Once Upon Anthologies series! Push open the creaky cellar door and prepare for chilling re-imaginings of Sleeping Beauty, Goldilocks, Rapunzel, and Bloody Mary. Or breathe a sigh of relief with brighter twists on The Little Match Girl, Hansel & Gretel, and The … Gretel, and The Bremen Town Musicians.
But beware! Blood and revenge, creepy haunted houses, and evil magic lurk within the pages. Are you brave enough to venture in?
A HUNTER’S MEMORY OF WINTER – Annie Bellet
Ka is a hunter for hire. She’ll kill anything, for a price. When her latest client wants her to kill a legendary being, she’s up for the challenge. But this job will require more than just a bullet… for her prey is already dead…
HAUNTED – Kay McSpadden
The old Bayer house might be haunted, but that doesn’t keep the little golden-haired girl from going inside—again, and again, and again.
FAERIE SONG – Anthea Sharp
The Pipers have rid the city of vermin, but their music hides a dark magic that only one courageous girl can break.
FORGIVEN: A Djinn Wars Story – Christine Pope
Celia Graham might have survived a deadly plague, but that didn’t prevent her from becoming a ghost doomed to haunt her opulent home for all eternity. The situation becomes even more complicated when she encounters an unexpected house guest….
WHAT MAGIC LIES BENEATH – Shawntelle Madison
Long ago, a bog witch killed Everbelle’s brother. Now the memories of him haunt her—as well as his ghost. An opportunity arises to fix the past and bring everyone inner peace, but is Everbelle willing to sacrifice herself in the process?
THE GHOST OF BEILSTEIN CASTLE – Alethea Kontis
From a riverside castle in post-war Germany, a tormented young American widow recounts her ghostly adventures with a dead bride, a fiery-eyed hellfrog, and a lost treasure.
SNOW WHITE BETWEEN TIME – Julia Crane
Once the cursed apple has been eaten, Snow White awakens in a strange land. The sun and moon have disappeared, and her only friend is a red-eyed wolf. She must find a way to return to her former life or be forever stuck between worlds.
QUEEN JOANNA.- Kate Danley
Thrust into a loveless marriage of state, Queen Joanna discovers her new palace is home to dark secrets. When a ghostly face in the mirror confronts her with a dire warning, she must discover if she has been struck by madness… or awakened a curse.
RAPUNZEL DREAMING – Yasmine Galenorn
Sometimes beauty—and the obsession with that beauty—doesn’t fade. It just transforms with time…
WHAT TALES SPECTERS TELL – Kasey Mackenzie
Amelie Baudelaire faces off against the cruel Necromancer who saved her life two years earlier. Now that the life and soul of her most precious prize of all—her firstborn child—hangs in the balance, she’ll show her villainous savior just how much he’s underestimated her.
THE DEVIL’S DUE – Melissa Marr
Never cross a devoted sister, especially one fond of sword fights and sea-faring.
THE BREMEN SHIFTER BAND – Debra Dunbar
Geriatric shapeshifters in an assisted living facility discover with the help of Elvis’ ghost that they’re never too old to Rock and Roll.
THE BANSHEE OF LIATH WOOD – Jenna Elizabeth Johnson
In order to keep his home, Kye of Haebach Heath must enter one of the most haunted places in all of Eile in order to free a maiden from her dark curse.
THE GHOST QUEEN – Nikki Jefford
When the King of Gloria offers gold to anyone who can present him with the fairest bride in all the kingdoms, two young necromancers resurrect the loveliest woman to have ever lived. Can they fool the king and his entire kingdom?
IMMORTAL PORTRAIT – Colleen Gleason
When Frost Elite escort service’s Shep arrives to meet a new client in the hills of Hollywood, he poses for a photograph with his client’s camera. Unfortunately, this simple portrait taken by Mr. Dorian Gray might just mean his death…
TO BE REMEMBERED – Jamie Ferguson
After her brutal murder centuries ago, Ilona became a nyavka. She haunts the forest with her newfound sisters, luring men into the woods—and to their deaths. And then one day a young man comes into the forest on a mission that catches Ilona by surprise.
THE SOUL CAGES – Phaedra Weldon
When her treasure is stolen, the vengeful Sea Goddess destroys the country’s ships and takes the souls of their crews. Only one woman can save them, but will she succeed, or be damned to live in the Sea Goddess’ palace forever?
ELLA AND THE HAUNTED HOUSE – Sarra Cannon
Descended from a long line of ghost hunters, Ella is forced to spend her birthday in a haunted house with her horrible stepmother and stepsisters, but the night is redeemed when a handsome stranger arrives.
THE THORN KING – Alexia Purdy
Haunted by the ghost of his best friend, Riley decides to search for her once more. Heading through the scorched rose gardens where she disappeared, he finds himself in the domain of a malevolent creature cursed by a dark magic ready to claim him as well.
LITTLE FLAME – Devon Monk
Avens is not powerful, she is not a witch. But she is the last hope to save the world.
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Wow, wow wow.
This is an amazing collection of stories. Each one is truly unique and errie. This collection has introduced me to some new authors that I plan on reading more by and some of my authors that I have read for years. This collection needs to be read no doubt about it.
From pipers and witches to kings, queens, princesses, ghost and so much more, you’re sure to find the perfect tale waiting for you! Some are spooky, a bit frightening but all weave a twisty tale!
FAERIE SONG – Anthea Sharp
This short story was imaginative! I felt pulled in from its beginning! Linnet was so very intriguing as was the world in which she lived. I loved the darker elements.
THE GHOST QUEEN – Nikki Jefford
This was perhaps my favorite of all! Super spooky and absolutely riveting! I loved the variation of it’s original tale and throwing necromancy into the mix was sheer brilliance! I love a fairytale where the unexpected takes place!
SNOW WHITE BETWEEN TIME – Julia Crane
This was a superb retelling with twists and turns and gave us a whole new way to envision Snow White! I couldn’t stop reading until it’s very end because I had to know what came next!
Once Upon A Ghost is the latest Anthology from the “Once Upon” series of Anthologies. I didn’t have time to read very many of the stories, but believe me when I say I’ll be going back to this repeatedly to read the other stories! The thing I love about Anthologies is the ready introduction to new (to me) authors!
This review focuses (for now) on Yasmine Galenorn’s story, Rapunzel Dreaming. Fairytale retellings, “Dark Fairytales” or “Twisted Fairytales” are very popular right now, and it’s evident to me that Anthologies like this are some of the reasons.
Why is there such emphasis placed on beauty? Who gets to say what constitutes beauty, and how far is too far to go to get it? These are just some of the things you think about when reading this wonderful short. I highly recommend this story, and from the parts of the other stories I’ve read, all 20 stories are easily recommended. I can’t wait to finish all of them!!
Ghostly retellings re-emagine!
Heres a short review on some of the stories in no specific order:
A hunters memory of winter by Annie Bellet
This was all girl power: revenge spirit meets hunter. The person who hired the hunter…well lets just say KARMA .
Forgiven; A djinn Wars story by Christine Pope
This had all the feels !!! from strangers to friends to lovers . I loved how the romance blossom and the heartache of a ghost in love. It was super cute and not scary at all.
The banshee of liath wood by Jenna Elizabeth Johnson
This was such a cool remake of the banshee! It was a little creepy and gory! Sleeping Beauty in the black forest and one brave man who has “everything to loose”must free her. Loved it! one of my faves!
The Ghost Qeen by Nikki Jefford
Creepy! Fits well with this anthology! This shallow king gets what he deserves. Goosebumps all around!
Im having fun reading all these stories!
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.
Wow, so many great short stories/novellas in this anthology (20), all with a dark twist on some of the classic fairytales, some might even cause nightmares for those faint of heart. This was well worth reading, & I highly recommend it. I think my favorite three were THE GHOST QUEEN by Nikki Jefford, THE THORN KING – Alexia Purdy, & FORGIVEN: A Djinn Wars Story by Christine Pope. Quite a few of these authors are new to me, too (haven’t read books from them before), & it was fun to read their stories & get a feel for their writing style. I’ll be checking out some of them for other books, too. I enjoyed this, even though I’m not much into the scary side of books normally. The nice part of these, is you can read a story in a short amount of time when you don’t have time to sit & read for long.
The retelling of these fairytales was amazing, each author put their vibe to their stories and it was so much fun to read and get to experience it all. If you’re looking for a retelling done wonderfully I definitely recommend this one! And hopefully you’ll find new authors to read like I did!