Joseph Coelho (text) and Freya Hartas (illustrator), Frankenstiltskin (Fairy Tales Gone Bad #2), Walker Books, September 2021, 240 pp. RRP $18.99 (pbk), ISBN 9781406389678
For her fingers are long,
her fingers are quick.
They’re magical fingers,
that stitch, stitch, stitch!
Bryony, a young taxidermist, has skills that are almost miraculous. Almost. Her father however, promotes her as entirely so. When the king hears of Bryony’s skills, he sends guards to capture her. Trapped in the castle, Bryony must bring the King’s beloved wolf back to life. The King is not kind, and Bryony fears what will happen when she is revealed as the not entirely miraculous taxidermist that she is.
Enter Frankenstiltskin, a child-sized creature with a patchwork skin – a frightful mix of animals and man. For a small price, he brings the King’s wolf back to life. Thrilled, the King begins to demand more of Bryony and each time the cost is greater. Not only must she pay the creature his fee, but as she stitches each animal together, Bryony learns how they each met their fate.
Soon Bryony knows much of the King’s cruelty and she vows revenge. When he demands she do the unthinkable and bring his son back to life, Bryony makes a bargain with the patchwork creature that will change the kingdom forever.
A fun and creepy twist on a classic fairy tale gone Gothic. Author Joseph Coelho delivers a delightfully eerie story with an enchanting message about the power of a word. Freya Hartas’s illustrations mix slightly gruesome elements with those which are heart-breaking and beautiful.
They have previously collaborated on another Fairy Tales Gone Bad compilation this one called Zombierella. Together, in both of these texts, they create a world of magic, cruelty, and justice.
Reviewed by Fiona Miller-Stevens
