“I was not made to be lovely for you. I was made to eat monsters for me”
– Wonderland Villains
This book is filled with magic.
These are the fairytales, myths and legends we grew up with. We meet again the Princes and Princesses, Queens and Stepmothers, Wonderland Creatures, Mythical Gods and Heroes. All the stories of our childhood brought back to teach us new lessons in different ways.
“… the older the ex-princesses get, the more we find ourselves in a cautionary tale instead of a fairytale”
– Seven
My Thoughts
First this book makes you think about the fictional villains of your childhood.
The evil stepmother was once a young and happy girl who grew up to marry the love of her life, before he was taken too soon and suddenly.
Her daughters were young girls who grew up with the notion they were unfortunate looking – branded early on as ‘the ugly step-sisters’
“… this is what happens when girls are taught other girls are their competition instead of their sisters”
– Two Misunderstood Stepsisters
Each and every villain, the cautionary tale, the envious and evil – the woman alone and without a man branded a witch. They all have their stories too.
These are fairytales for adults, I think. The book says they’re for the young and the old but I wonder how much I would have understood when I was young? Or perhaps I would have understood the meaning as a whole or on a surface level however, I feel this is for adults because you can relate to the stories. You can see them played out every day in the real world.
This book almost re-teachers you things that you should hopefully already know, but in the way you grew up learning – through stories.
A Few Favourite Quotes:
“Find one another in the fog realm and wake each other up instead”
– Take Back Your Fairytale“After all, the deepest love you can ever have is the love you have for yourself”
– Waking Beauty“Remind yourself that there is more to you than the flaws that scream from the looking glass”
– The Looking Glass
This book delves into so many topics like anxiety and depression, internet trolls and how to cope with them. Divorce and how lucky we are that it exists.
This book is empowering. It teaches you not to give up your voice or lose yourself, or your hopes and dreams in someone else.
There are so many wonderful quotes scattered throughout the pages.
Don’t get me wrong, I love the fairytales I grew up with. However, as we grow up those tales are no longer that relevant to the lives we live. I know some people say that we should revise the stories we use to teach children.
Yes kids need to be taught lessons and it’s up to adults to teach them, but in the meantime, why can’t children dream of fairytales?
I understand how this could come across as ‘man-hating’ but I don’t think that was the intent. I think it’s about showing women and girls everywhere that, before anything else, value yourself and your mind. Respect yourself. Turn to your friends in your time of need, not an empty relationship. Be resourceful, don’t rely on someone else to save you.
Through everything, stay true to yourself and be your own person, not the person society wants or expects you to be.
