Nightmares and Fairy Tales is a continuing series filled with dark fairy tales and horror stories, all narrated by Annabelle, a disturbingly creepy-cute little doll. Each person who possesses Annabelle falls into horrible circumstances, and Annabelle isn't sure if she's merely witnessing the horror or causing it. Here are five stories of girls and women viewed through the eyes of their rag doll, Annabelle. Some are variations on more familiar tales. Little Red Riding Hood's wolf is transformed into a romantic hero who saves a girl from abusive parents, and "Beauty and the Beast" becomes the story of the forbidden love between two women. Elsewhere, we meet Paige, a 1920s flapper who falls in love with a ghostly stranger, and Catherine, who is driven insane by the ghost of her husband's first wife. Valentino's storytelling has a lilting gothic tone, and her heroines are beautiful and fragile. FSc's art is a delicate take on the Ameri-manga style, in which he balances cute with a sort of impressionism to keep the appropriate mood. A spooky recommendation for goth-subculture readers, especially. Tina Coleman Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved