• The Good: Atmospheric and sweet fairy tale with a homely protagonist
  • The Bad: A simple reversal of the antagonist
  • The Literary: Modern retelling of the “Sleeping Beauty”

Toadling is a young woman raised by fairies, stolen at birth to from her family. But Toadling had a good childhood, loved by her amphibian fairies in the warm shallow river they call home in faireland. As an adult, Toading is given a task to return to the human world and offer a blessing to a newborn child.

Toading is such a sweet and earnest protagonist, and she’s definitely the reason you want to keep reading. When she returns to the human world, there are multiple reveals, including that the baby is a princess and that it’s also a changeling. She so nervous she bungles the spell, and has to stick around to help ensure the desirable outcome.

If the story maybe seems familiar, that’s because it’s a retelling of the classic fairy tale Sleeping Beauty. So there’s not too much to spoil here. A century later, a knight approaches a towering wall of brambles surrounding a castle, and it’s Toadling that tells her story as the “wicked” fairy godmother of a sleeping princess under a spell.

I really enjoy this cute little novella. There have been a lot of retellings of classic fairy tales in recent years, and this one is quite enjoyable, following the trend of cozy fiction with characters who are all trying to make the best decisions. Unfortunately, this is a strict reversal of roles without much nuance. Instead of a wicked fairy godmother, there’s a wicked princess. It’s dark in that the princess is kills living things and plays with their corpses, but it’s not near as deliciously dark as others I’ve read.

Recommended as a sweet fairy tale reversal, complete with frog fairies.