Hansel & Gretel (Down the Rabbit Hole) Anthology – Review by Anantha Rusum

Hansel & Gretel: Down the Rabbit Hole by Autumn Sand
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Hansel and Gretel: Down the rabbit hole is a collection of seven short stories based on the actual fairy tale deftly written by different authors. Each author unleashes their imagination a different way and it was interesting to see those fragments weave into seven lovely creations.
Each story has different flavors, romance, horror, fantasy, fear and conceit. I liked the first and the last one the best. The first is when the witch is more like a namesake guardian to the two children who are sent to Earth from another realm. The witch is also banished as the king’s son suspects that the witch loves his father. It has a fairy tale romance ending where the witch and the king are reunited and show children the happy way of life.
Another story which I liked was the Dragon and the Phoenix by Rachel Pudsey. In this story, the prince and the princess in a realm are expected to gain their super powers after a certain age. The prince gains it and shapeshifts into a dragon, but there are several side effects which occur because of this. This is supposed to be neutralized by the Phoenix, the shape shifting form of the princess. But unfortunately, the princess does not gain the powers which leaves the prince, the king and his kingdom in great misery.
One more story which strikes the chord in lieu with the current pandemic is The Surface by Cee Cee Elaine. People in this story wear masks and head to the bunkers for the lockdown.
Overall it is a very enjoyable read and I really liked it ! Looking forward for more such anthologies !

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