“Never put your faith in a Prince. When you require a miracle, trust in a Witch.”
― Catherynne M. Valente, In the Night Garden

Tales of shape-shifting witches and wild horsewomen, heron kings and beast princesses, snake gods, dog monks, and living stars. Each story more strange and fantastic than the one that came before. From ill-tempered mermaid to fastidious Beast, nothing is ever quite what it seems in these ever-shifting tales even, and especially, their teller.

Catherynne Valente solidified her space as one of my favorite authors with this exquisitely written duology The Orphan Tales.

The first volume, In the Night Garden, introduces us to a mysterious storyteller and her curious upbringing in the lush gardens of a Sultan’s palace. Our guide weaves nested tales within stories within myths that flow along the pages as if we are in a dream.

While amidst this tapestry of tales…