Title: Crown Tourney: Ten Tales of Deadly Damsels, Cursed Castles, and Edged Weapons
Publisher/Author: Tansy Rayner Roberts
Pages: 388pp

A cursed princess must battle the champions of the realm to regain her rightful crown. An adventurous duchess investigates a fairy tale-haunted castle. Snow White and Cinderella cross paths with unexpected results. The daughter of a Dark Family has a one night stand with the son of a Bright Family, which might turn into something more … if their interfering families don’t get in the way. A bored fae king kidnaps a mortal woman and forces her to spin endless tales to entertain his court. Two best friends pluck different colored roses at graduation, sending one into the celestial realm to battle demons while the other remains earthbound.

These are just a few of the haunting, exciting, heart-breaking, love-affirming tales that fill the pages of Crown Tourney. Roberts is one of my favorite authors, so I knew that I would enjoy Crown Tourney — I just didn’t realize I would enjoy it this much. Because, yes, Crown Tourney easily falls into my Top Five for the year.

Collections can vary in quality, but, for me, there wasn’t a dud in the bunch. I loved all the stories, though some stuck with me longer than others, and some penetrated more deeply into my brain and heart, and some were just rousing fun. I wanted to savor the title story, pick out all the hidden fairy tale details, revel in the growing love between the princess and the wicked fairy, so I was forced to slow down and take my time. “Waking Flora” was a riot of a queer reimagining of Sleeping Beauty. “A Daredevil Duchess’s Guide to Castle Hauntings” left me howling in frustration when I discovered it was the only story about said Duchess (but — huzzah! — there are books about her two sisters!). And I was absolutely sobbing by the end of “Crimson as a Ruby (was the heart).”

Plus all of Roberts’ notes about fairy tales and how impossible yet important they are, especially now.

That’s all I’m going to say: I loved Crown Tourney and you will, too.

[Reviewed by Rebecca Buchanan.]