Fierce Fairytales

Fierce Fairytales was the July selection for Feminist Book Club. Fierce Fairytales is a collection of poetry diving into fairytales froma feminist perspective.  Reading this collection was a very meditative experience for me. They were the type of poems that I would lose myself into because of the magical imagery. Nikita Gill instilled a sense of enchantment with these familiar tales while making the women in the stories powerful. 

When Gill revealed the empowering images of women she would make insightful statements. I hesitate to classify the poetry as inspirational....that would imply a more syrupy, shallow tone that is eyebrow rolling. Empowering would be a more suitable word as upon finishing each poem as the insights encouraged women to meet the world authentically. 

 Lovers of fairy tale retellings and dark fantasy will love the enchantment the poetry offers. Feminists will appreciate the strong characters. Poetry fans will enjoy the way the poetry is crafted.  There is something for many types of readers in this collection.

This is not the type of poetry that can be read quickly. Readers will want to  read one or two poems at a time to savor the imagery and empowering messages. And a reader may come out feeling more fierce to take on the world.