This is a great anthology of stories from many different authors some of whom I've enjoyed before and some that are new to me. I enjoyed that these were spins on classic fairytales.

The whimsical cover and promise of fairytale style short stories left me stunned (in the best way) at just how dark some of these tales run!

Twice Cursed makes magic with a heavy dose of murderous violence and body horror on the side.

As is to be expected with such a range of authors not all of the stories sang to me, but for the most part I was enthralled by the creations from some of my favourite authors.

To touch upon the two I enjoyed most;

Gaiman's retelling of Snow White from the stepmother's perspective is surprisingly dark and disgusting! A whole new spin on the old fairytale that I thoroughly enjoyed.

The unique storyline of Slatter's circus tale topped the chart for me- a beautifully described, bittersweet short about magic, childhood and death.

Twice Curse is weird and wonderful, packed with stories of the perfect length to fill in those little gaps in your day; on your lunchbreak or stuck in a waiting room- pick up this book and main vein some imagination.

Twice Cursed is the sequel anthology to Cursed and delivers 16 new short stories around curses - the majority of which are spins on traditional fairy tales and fables.
While packed with an ensemble of heavy hitters, this one didn't really connect with me as much as I'd hoped it would.
Many of the stories felt like fragments of a larger tale or failed to enrich the characters beyond their legends.
But there are also some gems.
Tales that struck a chord for me included Adam L.G Nevill's The Angels of London about a man who runs afoul of a landlord at a grimy apartment block run by a sinister "family" and Joe Hill's Dark Carousel about a strange carnival ride that triggers an evening of horror for a group of friends.

For those familiar with the works (or world) of Angela Carter, many of the retellings seem to follow the same path in taking the fairy tales and reimagining them into something darker and modern. Whether this works for all is essentially up to the reader's taste but personally seems to be an excellent curated anthology of both indie and well-known writers. I personally loved 'The Bell' by Joanne Harris which seemed to emulate that much-loved dark gothic fantasy with the same tone that many of our much-loved classics seemed to carry; a timeless read.
Kelley Armstrong's addition was also a great addition and read. This may be my bias talking - after all, I was in love with the 'Darkest Powers' series and I cannot shake my ultimate love for whatever Kelley Armstrong writes. But I do see some of what makes her writing unique in that there is real dialogue and great descriptions pop up in 'Just Your Standard Haunted Doll Drama'.
There are some stories that had gotten a raised eyebrow such as Neil Gaiman's entry in which there were some mature scenes which I did not expect from the writer - but that doesn't necessarily mean it was a bad read overall - just different.
I do recommend this book to those that love to see their favourite fairy tales get a fresh lick of paint that also encapsulate the essence of what a fairy tale showcases; a moral story, a gothic background and a fantastical collection of characters to ride throughout the anthology.

After hearing good things about Cursed, the first book in this anthology series, I expected great things from Twice Cursed. I don’t know how well Twice Cursed compares to its predecessor, but this anthology was very disappointing and contains some extremely disturbing stories. Considering how many reviews praise this book without mentioning such problematic stories, it makes me question the good reviews that the first book got. While the anthologies contain different stories by different authors, they have an editor in common, and I wasn’t that impressed with the editing of this anthology.

The first hint that something was amiss with the editing in this anthology was that the two biggest names were given the first two spots. I’ve only read one book by Joanne Harris, The Gospel of Loki, which is a very stylised piece of writing, and I wasn’t a huge fan of it. I went into ‘The Bell’ with little expectations, and found it to be a likeable, but very brief story that felt more like a fictional introduction than a part of the anthology. It set up the anthology nicely, and that was about it.

The second story was easily the most disturbing story, and after seeing another reviewer mention that they were disappointed that it was a reprint, I decided to check up on that. It turns out that this is the third reprint of ‘Snow, Glass, Apples’ by Neil Gaiman, and it was originally written in 1994. The age of the story goes towards explaining why this story is appallingly disturbing. However, why editors seem to think it is still acceptable to include stories that sexually victimise children in anthologies almost thirty years later is beyond me.

Honestly, if the next two stories had not been of such high calibre, I probably would have walked away from this anthology after that story. It had left me with a yucky feeling, and I was beginning to wonder exactly what type of anthology I was reading. Thankfully, Angela Slater and M.R. Carey both got the memo that horror can be creepy and disturbing without involving underage children. Slater first came to my attention through one of her other short stories (this time in the Hex anthology) and ‘The Tissot Family Circus’ is once again of excellent quality. As with all of Slater’s works that I’m familiar with, it’s a clever story that lingers with you well after you’ve finished it. In comparison, in Carey’s ‘Mr Thirteen’ a support group for people with curses gains a new member who isn’t all they appear to be.

The next story was another disturbing story that is once again a reprint. ‘The Confessor’s Tale’ by Sarah Pinborough originally featured in the Hellbound Hearts anthology also edited by Twice Cursed’s editor Paul Kane. A disabled young boy (mute and coded autistic) is the focal point of Pinborough’s horror story, which is filled with child mutilation, multiple sexual assaults and torture. Additionally, the young boy ends up transforming into something monstrous at the end of the story and escapes to another realm. While this could be taken as a metaphor for a disabled character leaving for a world that will accept them, the fact that the boy turns into a monster and that this is written by a non-disabled author suggests to me that this wasn’t what Pinborough was aiming for at all.

From then on, Twice Cursed began to get better and while there were still a few hit-and-miss stories that didn’t quite hit the mark with me, they were the level of creepy horror I’ve grown to expect in a horror anthology. They creep you out, but they don’t leave you with an icky feeling that makes you wonder too much about the author who wrote them.

Katherine Arden and Helen Grant spin us tales that make us think about the future. In ‘The Viral Voyage of Bird Man’ by Arden, a man is cursed with immortal life and to tell people he meets his story. As the man reaches present day, he interacts with a young woman who takes his story online, where it instantly goes viral. When she asks him what’s different between people now and three hundred years ago, he realises that just how much people have forgotten. It leaves the reader wondering whether the bird man is the man is actually the one who’s cursed.

Grant’s story was one of my favourites in Twice Cursed, and shows Grant at the top of her game. In ‘A Curse is a Curse’ we’re transported to a future that has moved past technology advancements and returned to the old ways. Ruins of settlements are looked on with superstition, viewed as the result of curses and witchcraft rather than the science. When a visitor makes Maggie question whether curses are real, talking to her about the time that came before, her mother responds with “a curse is a curse” and there is a real power to those words. What does actually define a curse? Is it magic or is it how something makes us feel? This is one that is going to stick with me for a long time.

Kelley Armstrong has been one of my favourite authors for well over a decade now, and her short stories are always a delight to read. Her addition to Twice Cursed could have stepped out of one of her urban fantasy series and left me desperately hoping that she expands on the world building in ‘Just Your Standard Haunted Doll Drama’. Featuring her usual witty banter and slick writing, it features hexes and introduces the idea of someone who specialises in joke hexes. It’s a wonderfully, creepy story that left me wanting more!

Other stories that caught my attention were ‘Pretty Maids all in a Row’ by Christina Henry, the deliciously dark ‘Dark Carousel’ by Joe Hill, and ‘St Diablolo’s Travelling Music Hall’ by A.K. Benedict. The anthology ends on a sinister note with ‘The Music Box’ by L.L. McKinney.

There is a distinct lack of diversity in Twice Cursed, in the stories and in the selection of authors. There are no stories featuring an LGBTQIA+ character (‘The Angels of London’ refers to a minor character as a “cross-dresser” and a “drag queen”), and except for ‘The Music Box’ by L.L. McKinney, no stories appear to feature people of colour. Incidentally, L.L. McKinney is also the only author of colour featured in the anthology. The only disabled character, as mentioned, is featured in a story where their disability is used in a negative context.

Normally as I read through an anthology I can get a feel for the editor/s reasoning for placing stories in the order they have chosen. In Twice Cursed, there doesn’t seem to be any order other than placing two best-selling British authors first and everyone else after. The stories flow in a mix-match of styles and genres, fairytale retellings (usually Snow White) thrown together with horror and speculative fiction. While most editors tend to try to cater for audience reactions, placing a mild story after a particularly disturbing one, for example, that isn’t the case in this anthology. There doesn’t seem to be any regard to the audience, considering the disturbing nature of some of the stories.

It’s not uncommon for anthologies to include reprinted stories, however, this one felt like it had more than usual. For those who wish to know, the four stories contained in this anthology that have been republished are ‘Snow, Glass, Apples’ by Neil Gaiman, ‘The Confessor’s Tale’ by Sarah Pinborough, ‘Dark Carousel’ by Joe Hill and ‘The Angels of London’ by Adam L.G. Nevill.

I feel that there is a good selection of stories in Twice Cursed, but a few authors went too far with their stories. We go into horror anthologies expecting a certain level of safe darkness that leaves us creeped out. Heinous acts may be mentioned, but they are done so briefly and without detail, just to remind us of how dark the world can be. To give us too much detail is to cross a line, and that is exactly what has happened here. The fact that the two stories in question are reprints is even more worrying, and considering some of the fantastic new writing other authors submitted, I personally don’t see why they needed to include them – unless it was to add their names to the cover just to sell copies.

Despite these issues, I would be remiss in saying to avoid this anthology completely because there is some strong work in here by other authors. I just strongly advise checking content warnings for each story before reading them.

A book with the combination of fantastic authors. I found this book fab for one of those books you pick up as and when as it has several short stories. The author that caught my eye was Neil Gaiman. Really did enjoy this book

A really excellent book of short stories. From the creepy and unsettling to the down right scary, these dark fairytales are a must read.

Some of the stories are really clever and excellently written, but the anthology is let down by a couple of stories that were not quite so good.
All were very well written with very few grammatical/spelling mistakes, which really annoy me when I spot them as they should have already beed corrected!

A lot of this was “wtf did I just read”, and a lot of that was due to Gaiman’s short story. If you, like me, picked this up with a curiosity about the theme as well as a few familiar names, gear up, for the overall theme turned out to be “how to get a good grade at being edgy and twisted”. Gaiman’s story in particular was gross and offputting: if choosing a different woman to be vilified in a fairy tale was at least on brand for “let’s out-edgy ourselves” theme, the extend to which this was taken was absolutely unnecessary. Turning the villainy switch from the queen to the Snow White — sure, whatever; doing so with a loving focus on sexual violence, incest and similar downright vouyeristic attention to detail — that’s garbage. I wish I could scrub my memory clean.

Thanks to Netgalley for an arc, all opinions are my own.

Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for this eARC of 'Twice Cursed: An Anthology' by multiple authors.

I have no words for this anthology except: some of these featured stories were nuts. It is way different from your usual fairytale - especially Neil Gaiman, Neil I don't want to talk about what I just read but do we need to talk?

In conclusion, that was a book.

My thanks to Titan Books for an eARC via NetGalley of ‘Twice Cursed: An Anthology’. It is edited by Marie O’Regan and Paul Kane.

This is the second anthology produced by O’Regan and Kane on the subject of curses. It contains sixteen stories, each focusing upon a curse whether it be a person, place, or object.

The editors open with an introduction in which they provide an overview of the anthology’s theme. They write of the stories: “each one of them with a different variation on what curses are, and what they mean to us as individuals or as a collective.” They also provide a taster for each of the stories.

The list of contributing authors is impressive and includes a number of familiar names including Joanne Harris, Neil Gaiman, M.R. Carey, Sarah Pinborough, Laura Purcell, and Christina Henry.

Among the contributors A.C. Wise was a new author to me and I found her ‘Shoes as Red as Blood’ superb. Indeed the quality of the stories is very high. Some stories are fairy tale retellings while others are address tropes such as haunted dolls, sinister circuses, and the like.

Overall, I found ‘Twice Cursed’ an excellent collection. It is atmospheric, dark, and twisty and very entertaining. The editors are to be congratulated for curating this anthology that is bound to appeal to readers who love fantasy and horror fiction.

Highly recommended.

Creepy, disturbing and haunting, a perfect collection. I’m not usually a massive fan of short stories but with so many of my favourite authors in one anthology I was excited to read this and it didn’t disappoint. I read this in two days (which is fast for me) and didn’t want to put it down. I enjoyed every story but my stand outs were Mr Thirteen, Pretty Maids, Dark Carousel and Haunted Doll Drama. I highly recommended this anthology to fellow horror/fantasy fans!

Thank you Netgalley and Titan books for this ARC.

This is an expertly curated anthology of expertly-written, dark, short stories. Each story has roots in fairytales and folktales that feel familiar (Snow White, Cinderella, Sleeping Beauty, witches, monsters, princesses, orphans and first-born or youngest children) but each has a unique twist to it, a new flavour, a fresh perspective.

There is not a single dud tale in this collection!

Although every story is different in content and style, they are linked not only in theme but in the beautiful writing and clever weavings of plot and characters that will disturb you while reading and haunt you afterwards.

Many of these stories linger in my mind long after other books and stories have passed through, and they carry with them an atmosphere of eerie otherworldliness that seems to confirm that the usual old stories have been tamed and toned down in their many retellings, while these tales sing wild warnings of blood and darkness and fear.

I definitely recommend this collection for any grown-ups looking for fairytale horror to remind them that wolves and witches await those who stray from the woodland path on a dark night.

Review by Steph Warren of Bookshine and Readbows blog

I rarely have an entirely positive experience with anthologies and yet, I keep reading them. This time, however, I do think it was partially on me. While this wasn’t advertised as horror, the cover did give it away slightly. I supposed I had just hoped for more curses that weren’t dark or horrific in nature. Saying that, I did still enjoy some. Unsurprisingly, my favourite was the light hearted one.

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the arc in exchange for an honest review.

In 2020 Titan Books published a darkly magical anthology book called Cursed, edited by authors Marie O'Regan and Paul Kane. It brought together a plethora of talented writers to tell twisted and grim tales about people under the spell of magical curses. Now, three years later, it looks like readers have been cursed a second time, cursed to read even more fantastic stories (is it still a curse if it's a good thing?) as their new collection, Twice Cursed, is released.

Much like last time, this collection brings together a number of well known, award winning authors to craft stories based around the age old superstition of curses. There are a few writers who've actually made a return for this new volume, including Neil Gaiman, M.R. Carey, but most of the sixteen authors are new to the series this time round, and Twice Cursed acts as a wonderful follow-up to the first book, showcasing even more great names in the field of horror, and dark fantasy.

Cursed opened with a new take on Snow White, and whilst this volume begins differently, with a short four page tale from the wonderful Joanne Harris, the second story returns to familiar ground with yet another interpretation of this classic tale. Written by Gaiman, 'Snow, Glass, Apples' is told from the point of view of the 'evil' stepmother. A young woman who falls in love with the recently widowed King, the unnamed narrator moves into the castle after marrying the now single father. Taking on responsibilities not just as wife and monarch, but as a mother, she soon comes to fear the child living within the castle; the deathly pale little girl who bites her and sucks upon the wound. When the King passes away, withered and drained, the new Queen orders for her stepdaughter to be taken out into the woods and killed, her heart brought back as proof. With the still beating heart delivered to her, the Queen knows that despite her orders, the cursed child is still somehow alive; and must take further steps to destroy the vampiric monster. Gaiman's prose is wonderfully written, and immediately takes the reader into a dark world, filled with twisted versions of characters that we know. The choice to make Snow White the monster, and the stepmother the victim trying to save her kingdom is a genius twist upon the tale, and the narrative will go places that you can't predict.

There are a number of stories in this collection that follow a similar theme, of dark fantasy worlds that feel like nightmare infused fairy tales. One that immediately stands out is 'The Confessors Tale' by Sarah Pinborough. Set in some long ago time, this story focuses on Arkaday Melanov, a young man whose tongue was stolen when he was a baby. There are conflicting tales about how the bay lost his tongue, whether it was a wild wolf that ripped it out, or if his mother went insane and did it to him; but either way, the young boy grew up unable to speak. Not being able to speak, people soon begin to talk to Arkaday, unloading their secrets and dark confessions to him, knowing that he will never pass them on. When he's given a strange puzzle made of bone not long after his father dies, people begin to die after telling him their confessions. I can't say more without spoiling this story, but this was easily my favourite in the book. It takes a turn towards the end that made me yell out loud, unwilling to believe that it had done what it did. The fact that it connects to a very well known horror story makes it a particular stand out, and a moment of pure shock when reading.

The book doesn't just stick to the past, or to fantasy settings, as there are several stories in the collection that take place in our own world; that show a darker side to the lives we're all familiar with. M.R. Carey's 'Mister Thirteen' follows a group of people afflicted by different curses, who have come together to form a support group to help each other through the difficulties their curses bring. There's someone whose body begin to unravel like twine, a man whose food turns to ash in his mouth, and woman who will die die unless they pass their curse on to an innocent person. Then, one day a new member arrives, a man who can't give his name but calls himself Mister Thirteen, a man who was cursed to live forever, hundreds of years ago; unfortunately, he's not come to the group for support. This is one of the more unusual stories in the book, as it not only turns curses into ordinary, almost mundane parts of life, but also poses the question of what if on occasion a curse might not be a bad thing.

'Dark Carousel' by Joe Hill is one of the longer stories in the book, but it doesn't feel like it's taking up masses or room, nor does it overstay its welcome. This story tells the tale of a group of teenage friends and the night their lives went to hell in the summer of 1994. These two couples spend their day hanging out at a seaside amusement pier, one of them ready to leave for college soon, and another off to join the military. The four of them are trying to make the most of their time together whilst they have it. The quartet come across a creepy carousel at the end of the pier, one with twisted horses, monstrous seas creatures, and other dark monstrosities to ride. The teens have fun on the carousel, but when one of them realises their money is missing, and they decide that the ride operator is responsible, it sets them on a course of action that leads to a terrible outcome. This story takes it's time to reveal the horror at the heart of it, instead letting the reader get the know the characters, their lives, and the world that they inhabit. Because of this, you almost forget that this is a story about curses, and when the awful things finally begin to happen it's something of a surprise, a nightmare thrown into a world of normality.

'Just Your Standard Haunted Doll Drama' by Kelley Armstrong, as the title suggests, doesn't really take itself too seriously; at least in the sense that it's not a story that revels in the horror or the supernatural. This story centres on a young woman who own a shop that sells formerly cursed items. She's able to remove the curses placed onto things thanks to her family's magical heritage, and does some good by doing so too. Her younger sister has grown up with a love for creepy dolls, and with her birthday coming up she's enlisted the help of her rich boyfriend to find a creepy cursed doll to give her as a present; a cursed doll that isn't too cursed mind you. However, when they come across a very disturbing looking doll it turns out that they may have bitten off more than they can chew. This story feels like something plucked from the middle of a long running supernatural drama series, and could be an episode of television. The characters are all really well formed, their world and their lives feel fleshed out, and it's almost like taking a snapshot from a much larger narrative. Armstrong has written several supernatural drama series in her time, and it's clear from this short story that she's very good at it. If this kind of thing is something you enjoy, this story will definitely make you want to check out more of her work.

Twice Cursed takes the concept of the first collection and does it all over again, but never feels like it's giving the same kind of stories, or is content to do the bare minimum. The tales collected here all feel incredibly different, with different styles, settings, and tones, yet fit together incredibly well, giving what feels like a broad overview of how a simple prompt like a curse can result in so many different kinds of stories when given to talented writers.

Looking at the calibre of authors included in this anthology assured me that this would be a great read but this collection of sixteen curses, both traditional and reimagined, exceeded my expectations and left me thoroughly engrossed.

The book features contributions from some of the most prominent names in the fantasy genre, each offering their unique take on the theme of curses. The stories take readers on a journey through various settings, including a magical carnival of the dead, a mysterious Hellraiser-esque puzzle box, and a travelling circus with a bizarre ventriloquist act. The tales were well-crafted, with a dark and eerie undertone that kept me engaged throughout.

One aspect that stood out to me was the unique reinterpretation of classic fairy tales, such as Snow White and The Red Shoes. The authors breathed new life into these tales, offering a fresh and thought-provoking perspective on characters that have been beloved for generations. The use of familiar tropes and settings served to anchor the reader in a comfortable familiarity, while the imaginative reworkings brought a new depth to the original stories.

The writing style of each author was as exceptional as expected, and the pacing of each story was well-executed. The stories were of a perfect length to dip in and out of, making it an easy and enjoyable read and perfect for a trip away. I liked how each story was self-contained, allowing readers to pick and choose their favourites or read the book cover to cover.

Additionally, the variety of curses explored in the book was expansive. From malevolent spirits to cursed artefacts, the anthology offered a wide range of supernatural phenomena to pique the reader's interest. Each story felt unique and refreshing, yet tied together seamlessly by the overarching theme of curses.

In summary, "Cursed: An Anthology II" is an engrossing read for fantasy enthusiasts who appreciate well-crafted stories with a dark and eerie tone. The book's unique blend of traditional and reimagined curses, along with its engaging writing and pacing, make it a fantastic read for any fans of the genre.

Really really good. In fact, quite possibly the best anthology I have ever read. The first half was near perfect, not a single unperfect story. The tone worked really well for me - everything was just so very competently done. I especially loved M. R. Carey's short story - in a way that really surprised me, having enjoyed but not loved The Girl with all the Gifts. What a perfect, perfect dark and wonderful story.

Highly recommend the anthology!

I absolutely was lured in by the names Gaiman and Arden.
I stayed for the whole lot and I think enjoyed them all pretty much equally.
A little bit creepy, a little bit sinister, a little bit twisty, and little bit surprising.
I liked it a LOT. 😄

It's given me a few hours of great entertainment and some new authour to look into.
Couldn't ask for more.

Thank you to NetGalley for an ARC of this short story collection.

I have always loved fairytale retellings, as a teenager I loved Angela Carter’s The Bloody Chamber, and this reminded me of it so much. Each story was twisted and left me with a sense of unease and discomfort. My favourites were Dark Carousel and Just Your Standard Haunted Doll Drama.

The appeal of an anthology is always interesting, I went into this being familiar with the likes of Neil Gaiman, Katherine Arden and a couple of other authors, but came out with authors I want to read more of. Each story felt so intricately written, no matter how long or short, creating a sense of the wider world around those few pages.

A curse themed short story anthology that will captivate any reader with its' mix of dark and gothic with a hint of fantasy horror.