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Andrea Blythe
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Twelve: Poems Inspired by the Brothers Grimm Fairy Tale Kindle Edition

by Andrea Blythe (Author) Format: Kindle Edition
4.2 4.2 out of 5 stars 37 ratings
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Twelve is a poetic retelling of the Brothers Grimm fairytale "The Twelve Dancing Princesses." Bewitching and beguiling, this short series of linked poems takes the reader to the underground realm and back, following the stories of twelve princesses and their life after the magic shoes.

The heroine's journey is vast with possibilities, the roads fork and then fork again. The power comes in the choosing.
Previous page
  1. Print length
    64 pages
  2. Language
    English
  3. Sticky notes
    On Kindle Scribe
  4. Publication date
    September 7, 2020
  5. File size
    3586 KB
  6. Page Flip
    Enabled
  7. Word Wise
    Not Enabled
  8. Enhanced typesetting
    Enabled
  9. See all details
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Can You Sign My Tentacle?

Cthulhu meets hip-hop in this book of horror poems that flips the eldritch genre upside down. Lovecraftian-inspired nightmares are reversed as O'Brien asks readers to see Blackness as radically significant. Can You Sign My Tentacle? explores the monsters we know and the ones that hide behind racism, sexism, and violence, resulting in poems that are both comic and cosmic.

Field Guide to Invasive Species of Minnesota

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Local Star is a polyamorous space opera with a fast-paced, action-packed adventure that's sure to punch you in the feels. It follows guttergirl Triz as she saves her hub from invaders from the Cyberbionautic Alliance, all the while negotiating her rekindled romance with Kalo, her ex who's returned from battle and won't stop hanging around the wrenchworks.

Editorial Reviews

Review

"Andrea Blythe's collection of the retold (and often feminist) Brothers Grimm fairytale, 'The Twelve Dancing Princesses, ' is a breath of air at the bottom of the ocean. It's not only fresh, but it's so different and unique that it deserves multiple reads. One of my favorite lines in the book is also something we should all ask ourselves, 'Do you mean it?'"-Joanna C. Valente, author of Marys of the Sea and editor of A Shadow Map: Writing by Survivors of Sexual Assault"Hearkening back to when Grimm's tales were less fairy, more formidable, Andrea Blythe offers a rhythmic, alliterative retelling of traditional stories that reveal a stark imbalance between genders. An engaging and eerie tribute to the young girls and women who read, dance, and keep things clean, Twelve does exactly what her storyteller suggests of her characters: it 'see[s] the truth beneath the pretty surface.'"-Christina M. Rau, Elgin Award-winning author of Liberating The Astronauts"A delightful deviation from the known tale 'The Twelve Dancing Princesses, ' Blythe's retelling offers an inspiring and poetic account of what can happen when women take back their power. The language is beautifully selected for each sister's story -- and each one has been carefully crafted to have an individual voice, yet we feel the strength of the bond that ties them. Within, we are granted glances into enchantment and passion, to lyrical attractions that will have you spinning breathless from page to page."-Sara Tantlinger, Bram Stoker Award-winning author of The Devil's Dreamland"The prose poems of Twelve shimmer like precious stones, each reflecting the original fairy tale in strange, beautiful, and unsettling ways-- and when set together, they become a mosaic of womanhood in all its forms."-Cassandra Rose Clarke, Rhysling Award-winning author of Sacred Summer

About the Author

Andrea Blythe bides her time waiting for the apocalypse by writing speculative poetry and fiction. She is the author of Your Molten Heart / A Seed to Hatch (2018) a collection of erasure poems created from the pages of Trader Joe's Fearless Flyers, and coauthor of Every Girl Becomes the Wolf (Finishing Line Press, 2018), a collaborative chapbook written with Laura Madeline Wiseman. She is a cohost of the New Books in Poetry podcast and is a member of the Science Fiction and Fantasy Poetry Association and the Horror Writers Association. Find her on Twitter @AndreaBlythe or at www.andreablythe.com.

Product details

  • ASIN ‏ : ‎ B088SM8327
  • Publisher ‏ : ‎ Interstellar Flight Press (September 7, 2020)
  • Publication date ‏ : ‎ September 7, 2020
  • Language ‏ : ‎ English
  • File size ‏ : ‎ 3586 KB
  • Text-to-Speech ‏ : ‎ Enabled
  • Screen Reader ‏ : ‎ Supported
  • Enhanced typesetting ‏ : ‎ Enabled
  • X-Ray ‏ : ‎ Not Enabled
  • Word Wise ‏ : ‎ Not Enabled
  • Sticky notes ‏ : ‎ On Kindle Scribe
  • Print length ‏ : ‎ 64 pages
  • Page numbers source ISBN ‏ : ‎ 1733886257
  • Customer Reviews:
    4.2 4.2 out of 5 stars 37 ratings

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Andrea Blythe

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Customer reviews

4.2 out of 5 stars
4.2 out of 5
37 global ratings

Top reviews from the United States

Eloisa Perez-Lozano
5.0 out of 5 stars Absolutely magical
Reviewed in the United States on April 27, 2021
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Absolutely riveting retelling of a classic fairy tale. It was such a joy to jump back into this world reimagined in this feminist way. Highly recommend!
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Kindle Customer
5.0 out of 5 stars Nice work. Thoughtful. Well written.
Reviewed in the United States on November 1, 2021
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Written to allow you to visualize every character, every setting.
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Mimi
5.0 out of 5 stars Loved it!
Reviewed in the United States on November 12, 2021
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Visceral prose that leaves you wanting more
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Barb Hegreberg
4.0 out of 5 stars Fun
Reviewed in the United States on October 6, 2020
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Interesting read
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allie marini
5.0 out of 5 stars Fairy Tale Prose-Poems With a Feminist Twist
Reviewed in the United States on September 14, 2020
*I received a copy of this book for free in exchange for a fair and honest review *

"There is power in the fact that they enjoyed pleasure for pleasure’s sake and never apologized."

I'm already a fan of Andrea Blythe's work, and I've been meaning to preorder this (which I will now be doing promptly, as the layout and section art is very attractive and I prefer my poetry chapbooks in print.) However, seeing it available as an ARC, I couldn't wait to get a sneak peek.

A few months ago, I'd read a compilation of short fiction called Trolls Eye View, which contained a 12 Dancing Princesses story, so this fairy tale was fresh in my mind and I was eager to see how Blythe handled the tale. Blythe is a talented writer, but nowhere does her talent burn brighter than her work in the realm of revisionist, feminist fairy tales.

From poisoner to mother to adventurer to ghosts of their own making, the word I'd use to thread together these vignettes is "haunted" -- how do you return to a life of obligation that you never chose, knowing the pleasures that exist when you are given (or take) the option of choice ?

The same way the sisters chose to dance in the fairy realm -- so do they choose their own wildly divergent lives after the dancing ends. I favored the Third, Sixth, and Tenth sisters tales -- take from that what you will. I think every reader will see some fraction of their own tempestuous spirit -- and how it might react to its freedom being taken away -- in at least one of these vignettes.

I call them vignettes because they're not quite poetry and they're not quite prose either, so maybe "proems" is the word to describe these tales. In a way, it reminds me of the structure of Gayle Brandeis Many Restless Concerns, in that it brings a life to a woman who's never been given a name, and exists in the liminal space between poetry and prose.

I love the art that introduces each sister, and the Author's Note was a fascinating read that honestly, I wish had been longer. I love the idea of an essay that corresponds to a themed creative project.

Andrea Blythe's work never disappoints me, and it makes me eager to read what her next project will be.
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Jordan
5.0 out of 5 stars A must read!
Reviewed in the United States on October 1, 2020
*clears throat* *cracks knuckles* Ok, get ready for me to gush about HOW MUCH I LOVE THIS! This book starts with a prologue giving an explanation of what happens in the story of the twelve Dancing Princesses (hence the name of the work) then is followed by an explanation of what happens to each sister after the soldier discovers their dancing in fairy-land and the king stops their fun.

I loved each sister's story. Each had their own unique tale following the loss of fairy-land, and not every one was a perfect and magical princess happy ending, at least in the tradition sense. There is a clear underlying theme of feminism throughout this work and I LOVED it, and the author's intent is clear reading her Author's Note. I think my favorite stories were definitely of sisters 8 & 9 who are badass and I would gobble a whole story just about those two and the Black Fox. I also loved the stories of sisters 3 (books <3), 10 (LESBIANS AND BAKING), and 4.

Honestly the only thing I didn't like about this book was the length; I WISH THERE WAS MORE!!! it was wonderful and an easy read, and as explained in the author's note, there is no clear hero or villain; each of the sisters take life into their own hands and explore their interests, no matter how dark and sinister (or pure and sweet) it may be.

I would TOTALLY RECOMMEND you pick this up, and I might just buy a copy for myself.

Rating: 5/5 stars

*I received an e-arc of this book via NetGalley in exchange for my honest review*
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Noirgirl
4.0 out of 5 stars Innovative and dark
Reviewed in the United States on September 14, 2020
As a kid, I was obsessed with the illustrated book of Grimm’s fairy tales that my mother read to me. As an adult, it’s a little insane to note that we read things this dark to children. I enjoyed this author’s lyrical tale on Grimm, usually from the princess or sister’s point of view. I was not as familiar with this particular fairy tale, “The Twelve Dancing Princesses.” I think you might want to read or reread the original tale first - I was intrigued enough that I will read it now. I also really enjoyed the author’s note which tied it all together and let me know I was not the only dark little girl who enjoyed these tales.

Thanks to NetGalley, Andrea Blythe and Interstellar Flight Press for the advance copy of this cool and piercing little book.

Four stars for great writing - but I bet I might have given it five if I knew the original fairytale better.
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StaticGirl
3.0 out of 5 stars Fun and creative
Reviewed in the United States on September 8, 2020
A fun, fast twist on the "Twelve Dancing Princesses" fairy tale, outlining what *really* happened to those 12 ladies after their door to the fairy underworld was sealed off. I'm not sure I would call them "poems," maybe more like short descriptive stories, but they were creative and well done nonetheless.
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Top reviews from other countries

bigbrentime
4.0 out of 5 stars T child friendly.
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on January 6, 2022
Verified Purchase
I purchased it for my 11yr old granddaughter , not suitable for her age.
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