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You know how most times, folks tell you not to judge a book by its cover, and it’s usually meant to encourage you to give things a try? Well, think of this as the opposite. The cover for A Feast of Sorrows by Angela Slatter is amazing. It is so creepy and inviting and wonderful looking; it seemed perfect for autumn. But, the stories within leave me wanting. They don’t drive me towards any strong feelings. They aren’t bad, they are good. They simply are.

I appreciate that all of the protagonists (not always the heroes) are women and that they need to be quick witted and strong in multiple ways. I loved that one of the characters that pops up in multiple short stories is a lesbian (though am horribly disappointed that she’s also shown to be equally as deviant as a pedophile mentioned in a latter story). So, why three stars? Because there were some real gems that had potential. I loved The Coffin-maker’s Daughter until we realize what sort of collection she holds (from a different story). I love the concept of there being a School for Poison Girls. Bluebeard’s Daughter was absolutely fantastic! But the rest, either seemed too identical to stories heard before (especially the Rumpelstiltskin ‘retelling’) or just didn’t seem to matter.

There is no doubt that she is a good author, A Feast of Sorrows by Angela Slatter simply did not capture my attention the way I wish it had. The way the cover made me wish to be whisked away by these short stories. If you’re looking for another collection of short stories and retellings that really left me with a great impression, perhaps try Sorrows and Wishes by Cindy Lynn Speer.

// I received this title for free // ( )

A Feast of Sorrows by Angela Slatter is a collection of short stories, almost all of them reprints. Long-term followers of this blog will know that I am a big fan of Slatter's stories and I have previously read and reviewed The Bitterwood Bible and Other Recountings and Sourdough and Other Stories, both of which I loved. A Feast of Sorrows contains some stories from those two collections, which I haven't reviewed a second time, as well as stories new to me and stories not set in the same universe.

Slatter's stories are always beautifully written and those included in this collection are no exception. I think, overall, I have preferred her "mosaic novel" volumes of stories, rather than those, like A Feast of Sorrows (or Black-Winged Angels), which are more thematically than literally linked. That doesn't stop the stories themselves from being gorgeous, of course, and I also suspect I would have enjoyed this volume more if all the stories had been new to me.

That said, I was delighted to learn, when reading the Afterword containing Slatter's notes on each story, that the last three stories in A Feast of Sorrows will form the opening of another mosaic novel, to be called The Tallow-Wife and Other Tales. Certainly something I'm looking forward to.

My notes on the individual stories, written as I read them and skipping most of those I'd read before:

"Dresses, three" — A tale of magical dresses, their maker, her son, and their wearer.

"Bluebeard’s Daughter" — A brew of fairytales. A poisoned Apple, a witch with a house made out of confectionery, and a girl too clever to be easily trapped.
"The Jacaranda Wife" — Similar in general ideas to a selkie story, but with a woman that comes from a jacaranda tree rather than a seal.

"Light as Mist, Heavy as Hope" — Rumplestiltskin, more or less. Read this one before, but reread it because I couldn't remember the ending. A tale of mother-daughter bonds.


"The Tallow-Wife" — A longer story that I think is set in the Bitterwood/Sourdough universe (or Angelia, as Theodora Goss dubs it in the introduction). I enjoyed the story about a wife and mother coming to terms/realisation with some of her life choices, but I didn't find the ending very satisfying as I have many of Slatter's same-world stories.

"What Shines Brightest Burns Most Fiercely" — To my delight, this story follows on with some of the characters from the previous one, "The Tallow-Wife", and improves it by association/continuation. It also gives a bit more insight into side characters as one gets a deserved comeuppance.
"Bearskin" — Another story linked with the previous two. An unfortunate tale about an unhappy child and his questionable fate.

As I keen saying, Slatter's stories are wonderful and I cannot recommend them enough to all fantasy fans. As far as collections of short stories to start with go, this one is a good a place as any and gives a reasonable cross-section of Slatter's work. As ever, I look forward to reading of Slatter's work as soon as I can get my hands on it.

4.5 / 5 stars

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