The best spellbinding adult fairy tales of wolf mysteries and magick

Fairy tales of old grab me every time—the folklore and myth are compelling. Angela Carter has a cerebral way of writing fiction that harkens back to vintage voices and that is riveting for me. Her narratives carry an elegance of fine writing I applaud.

I especially admired The Company of Wolves and Wolf-Alice. There’s something about wolf stories that draws me in. I was keen on her style of description, heavy and ornate by most standards, but she does it brilliantly. Each word brought up clear images that I could almost see on the page. In stories, I want to be right there on the page with the characters, and Carter achieves this with convincing prowess.

These fairy tales practically bleed, but not offensively. Because Carter is such a bold writer, the stories make me feel like I am entering a new magickal world. This is a collection of short fiction that I can reread and enter her dreamy and daring fairyland.

The prose in this book felt like a wolf bite. Stories of destiny and power are juicy, and this has it in abundance. A young woman, Red, sacrifices herself for the good of all to the Wolf of the Wood. The woods are magickal, with haunted trees and shadows, creating an intense atmosphere that held me throughout. So moody! Murderous realms, too, which I sunk into easily.

Not quite like "Little Red Riding Hood," but the suspense certainly had me turning the pages. I admired how the author weaved in the emotional elements among the empowerment and disempowerment themes. The myth and folklore elements brought me back to my childhood nostalgia of curling up in bed, secretly turning the pages without regard for bedtime. 

This book, told from the perspective of wolves, had me mesmerized. The author’s keen sense of metaphors brought depth to the story that heightened the wolves' emotions, intelligence, desires, and survival. Despite a lot of killing, the romance between Kar and Lark is enchanting. There is unforgettable bravery going on here.

I learned a lot about the intelligence of wolves, their aggression, and family loyalty. I can’t imagine anyone reading this book and not being captivated.

Absolutely thought-provoking. Lots of shudders. Real chills. Famous fairy tales like Jack and the Beanstalk, Cinderella, and Goldilocks are wild, dark, and grim. I was haunted long after I closed the book. If it’s true that fairy tales are embedded in our subconscious minds, these stories pretty much ripped the darkness up so that I was cringing.

Some of it went a bit far into madness and disturbing, but the reach struck me as highly inventive. Macabre, yes indeedy. I actually don’t read this level of horror, but the experience of these extreme fairy tales was a new adventure. Blazing. This is a one-of-a-kind adult fairy tale book, for sure. 

I read this novel some years ago and really loved it. It is incredibly beautifully written. The story has a spell-binding effect, and at other times, I was cracking open to understanding wolves and the wild elements of their nature—and the brutality of hunters.

High suspense drives this plot as does the conflict of trust and fear that keeps propelling the characters. Wolves are amazing creatures; the narrative has you breathing with the wolves as they run. I loved being inside the forests and trees of Scotland. The action brought on an aching as I read it—adventure and intrigue, romance too, and domestic violence and sexual abuse as the underbelly. Powerful images here that don’t fade easily.