Review by Kelly Jarvis: Tales of Virtuous Stepmothers by Georgina Warren

In her thoughtful collection of stories dedicated to her own stepmother and to “all stepmothers who raise their families with love and fortitude,”  Georgina Warren transforms dangerous tropes about blended families by replacing then with endearing tales of fully-realized women who heroically raise children not born of their bodies. Tales of Virtuous Stepmothers features twelve enticing tales that entertain readers while educating them about identity, family, love, and the roles we choose to play. 

The collection opens with a heartwarming tale titled “Aisimetra and the Manticore’s Eggs.” The stepmother in this tale is not a side character but a protagonist tasked with saving her family who have been trapped in a cave by a Manticore’s rage over her stolen eggs. When the monster is trapped and left to die, Aisimetra offers her empathy, striking a deal to help her locate her eggs in return for freeing her family from the cave. What follows is an exciting adventure laced with poignant moments of discourse that explores ways that birth mothers and step mothers can work together to raise their young. Another standout story in the collection, “Dalecaria, the Porcelain Girl” features a doll who comes to life and, with the help of her father and stepmother, must learn the difference between porcelain and flesh on her quest to become a human child. In each carefully crafted story, Warren resists the temptation to redeem stepmothers by vilifying birth mothers, and instead draws nuanced conclusions that free children from the burdens of exclusive love. Complex resolutions about family life are reached through deep thought, conversation, and cooperation, providing readers with emotional templates for navigating difficult family relationships.

Tales of Virtuous Stepmothers will appeal to all readers who enjoy sophisticated treatments of fairy tale tropes embedded into traditional plots and dialogue. You will find the crystals eggs of sprites, princesses without feet, birds who echo the calls of other winged species, magic wells that turn maidens into giants, boys who transform into sparrows, and dragons who become women. There are factory workers with five children, bakeries that create delectable puddings and soups, and, of course, stepmothers who do all they can to help raise the children in their lives while searching for their own happily-ever-afters. In a beautiful afterward, Warren discusses her own childhood and shares loving memories of both her mother and her stepmother as she argues the importance of narratives designed to break the “wicked stepmother” stereotype. Warren’s writing transforms readers’ opinions of stepmothers, and this collection, which is the first installment in a series of planned books, is a beautiful tool to help blended families heal. I loved this imaginative and insightful book! You can find it here.

Kelly Jarvis teaches writing and literature at Central Connecticut State University and works as the Contributing Writer for The Fairy Tale Magazine and a Recurring Columnist for Eternal Haunted Summer. Her debut novella, Selkie Moon, was selected as a semi-finalist in the 2025-2026 Speculative Fiction Indie Novella Championship, and her first novel, Sea and Stars, a real-world reimagining of Beauty and the Beast set in the 19^th century, publishes in July 2026.

Visit Kelly online at kellyjarviswriter.com.