Book Review: She is a Beast by Christina Rosso

Feminist Fairytales for the Disenchanted

By Danielle Arze

She is a Beast by Christina Rosso is a new, inventive short story collection featuring new twists on classic fairy tales. From page one, they are sure to make you hungry for more.
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In every adaptation of each classic fairy tale Rosso picks, the moments in the original stories where women were portrayed as weak and powerless and completely flips it. Inventive and empowering, this work shows off the creativity and interest surrounding fairytale adaptations.

As someone who grew up on fairytales, I found it fun (and not always easy!) to pick out which fairytale was being adapted, and even more enjoyable to see the princesses I’d grown up with morph into badass women. Challenging some difficult topics that women face, She is a Beast manages to weave them through this fantastical adventure to create a lovely well-written story of empowering women. 

​The book is officially out today and you can order it from APEP Publications or Rosso's own Philadelphia-based bookstore A Novel Idea.