Remember the fairy tales you put away after experience taught you that no princess is as beautiful as common sense and happy endings are just the beginning?

Black Pearls had two things I love most about fairy-tale retellings: it was dark and its stories were from the POV of a character often overlooked in traditional versions. Hawes' brilliantly shifted the perspective of classic fairy tales so that we're forced to see the story from a whole new angle. Loved it!!

"Dame Nigran's Tower" - 5 stars - I absolutely loved reading the tale of Rapunzel from the "evil witch" POV. I'm sure many parents would read this version and think, "But Tabby was only trying to protect Rampion." I had to wonder, was the narrator (Tabby) entirely honest/reliable? Did Rampion exaggerate the situation to land a prince?

"Pipe Dreams" - 3 stars - A retelling of the Pied Piper which was okay for me. However, I've never really been a fan of the original or its many variations.

"Mother Love" - 4 stars - A dark yet touching retelling of Hansel and Gretel. I could really envision this being the "true" story of such a family. Did Gretel eat her brother to stay alive? Or did they really encounter the witch in a gingerbread house? Whatever the answer, Gretel survived, and she did so because of her guardian angel, whether real or imagined.

"Ashes" - 5 stars - Okay, when it comes to Cinderella, I'm not the biggest fan. There have been a few retellings over the years that draw me closer to liking the fairy tale, but I'm never really sold on it. Hawes' version was the first time I was all-in. Beginning at the night of the ball and told from the POV of Prince Charming who, yes, is reeled in by Cinderella's beauty, but falls in love with her laugh, joy and honesty. In other words, it's who she is not what she looks like. Well, he's not the first person to get suckered by a clever mask and a long con.

"Evelyn's Song" - 5 stars - Jack, the Giant Killer, from the perspective of the magical harp, which is actually an enchanted girl, who, after having failed to obey her aunt, was cursed to do as commanded. The downside being she was transformed into the instrument required to carry out her final order, "Play!"

"Diamonda" - 4 stars - A retelling of Snow White in which one of the dwarfs, Erin, battles his unrequited love for Diamonda. Once she's found her happily ever after, he has to decide if he can live without her.

"Naked" - 3 stars - Combines the nursery rhyme, "Banbury Cross," with the legend of Lady Godiva. However, instead of it being tax relief for the peasants, she's riding naked to atone for her husband's infidelity. I liked this story the least of all the tales in this collection.

Lastly, I don't want to leave out the beautiful illustrations by Rebecca Guay. There was only one per tale but they captured the essence of each perfectly.

5 stars ( )

Reviewed by The Compulsive Reader for TeensReadToo.com

In this mesmerizing book, seven classic fairy tales have been retold; presented in a mature, yet still very magical, way.

Learn the truth behind Rapunzel's imprisonment, and what really happened to Hansel and Gretal in the candied house in the woods. You'll discover what happened to the children the Pied Piper stole away, and how Cinderella and her prince lived after "Happily Ever After." Find out why the harp wanted to stay with her monstrous giant of a master rather than go with Jack, and how the Seven Dwarves fared after Snow White left to be with her prince. And, most intriguing of all, you'll learn the true reason behind Lady Godiva's legendary ride.

So immerse yourself in this wonderfully written collection of some of the best known tales of all time and their wonderfully human characters, who are passionate, fallible, and not all as they seem. They are different, a bit more true to life, and better suited for the more mature and thoughtful reader, but won't fail to evoke the same feelings they did when you heard first heard them as a child.

Stirring, sad, triumphant, and poignant, you'll devour each and every artfully portrayed tale. ( )

Wow, talk about dark and dizzying! Warning: This book is not bed-side reading. Through clearly drawn characters with complexity and depth, Hawes lures the reader into the "Bizarro World" versions of classic fairytales. You just have to pick up this page turner to find out if Rapunzel really was the poor prisoner of a wicked witch or if perhaps Rapunzel is wicked. Hawes' version of Cinderella is equally shocking and gritty. Was Cinderella the perfect "Stepford" wife or did she marry the prince with grisley revenge in mind. ( )

I really enjoyed reading these redone fairy tales, some extending from the ending of them and others simply changing them. It's nice to see a different perspective on the tales we have heard so many times. ( )

Mesmerizing dark retellings of many standard fairy tales. For example, in this Cinderella, the prince finds out that his fairy princess is really a self-absorbed brat and they most definitely do not live happily ever after. I loved this book! ( )