Review: Just as good as the others!
Rating: 5 out of 5
Date: 09 17, 2013
"Happy Valentine's Slay" was also one of my favorite stories, mainly because it brought together some of my favorite characters. It's always fun to see Peter Pan, Wendy/Sleeping Beauty, Jack Madly, Marmalade, Wolfy and Ladle Rat together. I think they make a great team, even if sometimes they can't really stand each other. I also liked how the story ended by introducing the Pied Piper, a very interesting character and a villain that even the Devil fears.The story of the Pied Piper is developed in the next Prequel, "Children of Hamlin", which is narrated by the Devil, who apparently hates humans, but loves the kiddos he stole from them to turn them into the next generation of devils. What he tells them is the legend of the Pied Piper and the disappearance of all the children in the town of Hamelin, but with a nice twist that makes the connection between these children and the popular fairytale characters in the series. I liked that it shed light on the background story of these characters, and that it made the connection with the Black Death, explaining why so many people were killed."Tooth & Nail & Fairy Tale" tells a fun adventure of Jack Madly, Wendy, Hansel and Gretel, but an adventure that ends quite badly. I loved the fact that the author introduced Sweeney Todd, and now I'm curious to find out what exactly happened to Wendy. I must say that with every appearance she makes, she becomes more and more interesting and intriguing. Also, in the notes to this story, the author says that Wendy's story is grander and crazier.In "Ember in the Wind" I liked how the author combined Andersen's story of the Little Match Girl with the story of Cinderella. The fact that Cinderella was the Match Girl in a previous life gives depth to the character. Because right now I'm reading "Cinderella Dressed in Ashes", I know that this is one of the most interesting characters in the series. Oh, and it was nice to see Scrooge mentioned in this story. The Little Match Girl was unfortunate enough to meet him and ask him for help.In "Jar of Hearts" we learn more about the Lost Seven, and the clues about their identity pile up. I love clues! Well, I already knew who some of them were before reading the story, and at the end of it I knew all of them, but it was still very fun to read, especially the part where Cassandra tells the Queen about each of the Lost Seven. What I didn't like about this story (and not only, because the author tends to repeat this... "mistake") is that in the notes he drew attention to something that, normally, it's up to the readers to figure out. He throws in the idea that, maybe, the Queen shouldn't believe everything Mary told her. I mean, what is the point in telling the readers HOW to read a story? It was quite obvious that whether Mary is trustworthy or not is the first thing that will cross the readers' mind after they finish it. So, why spell it out for them? I don't like it when the author spells out things for me, the reader. I like to ask my own questions and find my own answers based on the clues he gives me. I like to be wrong, and then reconsider my conclusions. That's the whole fun in reading such tangled stories. And I think he does it a couple of more times in "Snow White Sorrow" and "Cinderella Dressed in Ashes"... He makes his characters explain things that are pretty obvious to the readers.Finally, "Welcome to Sorrow" presents the town of Sorrow a bit, helping the readers become familiar with the setting of the main novels. After I finished reading this last Prequel I dived right into "Snow White Sorrow", which I'm going to review next.