Actually more like 3.5 stars.I quite liked this collection and the best word I can think of to describe it would be... whimsical... I think
I really like fairies - both the cute kind and particularly the less-than-nice-or-cute kind which are, let's face it, a lot more interesting. And if you like fairies and perhaps also like the feel of classic literature, then this book is spot on! My problem though (and it's strictly my issue, not anything to do with Clarke's ability do master it) is that I can never really let go of the fact that I KNOW that this is a contemporary author attempting to write like the text was written 200 years ago. And I want to believe and I think it goes very well with the telling of old (literal) fairy tales - I just can't seem to let it go and that means I don't enjoy this book as much as I might have if it was genuinely written by Jane Austen's more whimsical sister :-)
All in all, an enjoyable book which I recommend taking in small doses as to not mix the stories together - but also a clear indication to me that I will not be reading Clarke's (very) full-length "Jonathan Strange and Mr. Norrell" any time soon...