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3.62 AVERAGE
3.62 AVERAGE
adventurous
mysterious
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
Content Warnings
Minor: Homophobia, Rape, Sexual assault
adventurous
dark
inspiring
mysterious
tense
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
I managed to read about half of the stories, but I just can't bring myself to finish it no matter how hard I try. I find anthologies SO HARD to read.
Here are the ratings for the stories I actually did read:
The Key – 4.5 stars
Figment – 3 stars
The Twelfth Girl – 3
The Raven Princess – 2
Thinner than water – 4
Before the Rose Bloomed – 3
Beast/Beast – 3
Here are the ratings for the stories I actually did read:
The Key – 4.5 stars
Figment – 3 stars
The Twelfth Girl – 3
The Raven Princess – 2
Thinner than water – 4
Before the Rose Bloomed – 3
Beast/Beast – 3
read a few stories in this and DNFed a few... read for #Grinchathon... for Community challenge.
Fairy tales take a dark and twisted path when a group of young adult authors compile short stories in the guise of classic tales. Variations on Hansel and Gretel, The Snow Queen, and Beauty and the Beast are easily recognized, but stories with the hint of a tale remembered and others that should have an age old story retold are intermixed. Many short story collections have great stories with duds included, but Grim surpasses all preconceived notions about anthologies with winner after winner till the very end. Johnson was able to select and arrange these fairy tales into a book that can be savored story by story or devoured in a few sittings (like I did). Whether the reader chooses this book because of Ellen Hopkins, Claudia Gray, Sarah Rees-Brennan or the many other great YA authors represented, they will not be disappointed. Grim refreshes my view on short story collections and I will make sure to pick them up more often.
tense
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
the best story was Beauty and the Chad - it was genius.
Aussiebookworm
I usually don’t like reviewing or reading Anthologies because I find that they are usually difficult to separate and the mixture of stories I like and dislike make it hard to rate. I could not resist getting Grim not only are they retelling of popular fairy tales which I love but they are written by some of the hottest Y.A authors around. I have not yet looked up the original of some of these stories, some are obvious and some are a bit more obscure but I will be having fun reading the originals.
The Key by Rachel Hawkins
Having a psychic for a mother sucks, but her mother is breaking the rules by doing a reading for kids from school, ashamed that her mother is working as a psychic from their trailer Lana becomes involved in a missing person case. The Key was a great short story I loved it, it has a Mystery, Romance and horror.
Figment by Jeri Smith – Ready
Figment is a strange story, kind of along the storyline of be careful what you wish for. Eli’s father a burnt out musician dies and he is left a stuffed toy, not any kind but a spirit that will give you everything you dreamed of as long as he is always with you. This was a bizarre story but still entertaining, It was a little to weird for me to really get into but I loved how Eli carried his toy around with him everywhere.
The Twelfth Girl by Malinda Lo
Liv wants to be part of the In crowd at her Boarding school so bad, that she will risk everything. The Twelfth Girl is a creepy story about a girl trying to fit in even though there is something creepy going on with the way the girls get everything they wish for, even when their friends start disappearing. I really enjoyed this story, High in the creep factor with the whole mysterious popular crew who get away with everything.
The Raven Princess by Jon Skovron
The Raven Princess is about a cursed princess who was accidentally cursed by her mother when she was a baby, Now a raven the princess wishes for a male companion but being a raven kind of messes with her plans so between her mother and herself they put the young suitors to a test to see who can break the curse. Another great read, this really had me intrigued and with an awesome twist in the story at the end. definitely a must read.
Thinner than water by Saundra Mitchell
This story I unfortunately didn’t enjoy not because of the writing but It dealt with some pretty heavy story lines involving abuse between a father and daughter.
Before the Rose Bloomed: A retelling of The Snow Queen by Ellen Hopkins
This was another disappointing story, written in acts, it is hard to read fluidly.
Beast/ Beast by Tessa Gratton
I enjoyed this beauty and the beast retelling I thought it was beautifully written and wove a magical story.
The Brothers Piggett by Julie Kagawa
This is my favourite story in the whole book, not surprisingly since I am a huge fan of Julie’s but it is a retelling of the three little pigs and it is done wonderfully and a little bit creepy.
Untethered by Sonia Gensler
This was my second favourite story although I did not recognise what the original story was, it was written so beautifully and has a major twist in the end of the story.
Better by Shaun David Hutchinson
This was a surprise as a Sci fi retelling of a fairy tale Pip was created to cure a disease that is affecting their spaceship, The dr did such a good job in creating her that she struggles with the fact that she is not real. It has great moral undertones and wonderfully written and very enjoyable.
Light it up by Kimberly Derting
Light it up is a modern retelling of Hansel and Gretel, I really enjoyed reading this extremely spooky retelling, with brother and sister being lost in the woods they come across a ranger station thinking they have been saved. This story stayed with me late into the night.
Sharper than a serpents tongue by Christine Johnson
This is another story that didn’t sit well with me, as a pay off for not telling about sexual harassment Clara is rewarded by an old witch with every time she talks flowers and jewels drop from her lips, pretty creepy but it gets worse. This story felt a bit rushed, and didn’t live up to its potential.
A real boy by Claudia Gray
A real boy is another Sci-fi story which I was surprised with Claudia Gray stepping out of her usual stories, I really enjoyed this one full of human ethics and moral issues, This is a must read, it would definitely make a great full length novel.
Skin Trade by Myra McEntire
This was a very short story but extremely creepy, It would have been better if it could have been a tad longer.
Beauty and The Chad by Sarah Reese Brennan
This story was more amusing than scary you can be forgiven for thinking this story would be kind of dumb because of the name, I did but I really did enjoy it, The Beast or The Chad is a modern-day cursed guy who has been put in a magical world in a historical setting. I found this story to be surprisingly entertaining especially after all the creepy skin crawling stories.
The Pink A Grimm Story by Amanda Hocking
Another disappointing story it didn’t really have too much in it, which I found sad I was expecting a lot from this one.
Sell Out by Jackson Pierce
This story was an original take on The whole Snow white story, from a male perspective it is his job to kiss dead people for a living. I wished this story was longer, It really felt that it could be made into a full length novel.
Overall
Even with some stories being hit and miss I Still thoroughly enjoyed the book enough to rate it 5 hearts, I would highly recommend it for anyone who loves retelling. I also loved that I am now interested in reading other stories from these authors, some of whom I have never heard of, but thanks to this book I believe I might have found some new authors to Admire.
I usually don’t like reviewing or reading Anthologies because I find that they are usually difficult to separate and the mixture of stories I like and dislike make it hard to rate. I could not resist getting Grim not only are they retelling of popular fairy tales which I love but they are written by some of the hottest Y.A authors around. I have not yet looked up the original of some of these stories, some are obvious and some are a bit more obscure but I will be having fun reading the originals.
The Key by Rachel Hawkins
Having a psychic for a mother sucks, but her mother is breaking the rules by doing a reading for kids from school, ashamed that her mother is working as a psychic from their trailer Lana becomes involved in a missing person case. The Key was a great short story I loved it, it has a Mystery, Romance and horror.
Figment by Jeri Smith – Ready
Figment is a strange story, kind of along the storyline of be careful what you wish for. Eli’s father a burnt out musician dies and he is left a stuffed toy, not any kind but a spirit that will give you everything you dreamed of as long as he is always with you. This was a bizarre story but still entertaining, It was a little to weird for me to really get into but I loved how Eli carried his toy around with him everywhere.
The Twelfth Girl by Malinda Lo
Liv wants to be part of the In crowd at her Boarding school so bad, that she will risk everything. The Twelfth Girl is a creepy story about a girl trying to fit in even though there is something creepy going on with the way the girls get everything they wish for, even when their friends start disappearing. I really enjoyed this story, High in the creep factor with the whole mysterious popular crew who get away with everything.
The Raven Princess by Jon Skovron
The Raven Princess is about a cursed princess who was accidentally cursed by her mother when she was a baby, Now a raven the princess wishes for a male companion but being a raven kind of messes with her plans so between her mother and herself they put the young suitors to a test to see who can break the curse. Another great read, this really had me intrigued and with an awesome twist in the story at the end. definitely a must read.
Thinner than water by Saundra Mitchell
This story I unfortunately didn’t enjoy not because of the writing but It dealt with some pretty heavy story lines involving abuse between a father and daughter.
Before the Rose Bloomed: A retelling of The Snow Queen by Ellen Hopkins
This was another disappointing story, written in acts, it is hard to read fluidly.
Beast/ Beast by Tessa Gratton
I enjoyed this beauty and the beast retelling I thought it was beautifully written and wove a magical story.
The Brothers Piggett by Julie Kagawa
This is my favourite story in the whole book, not surprisingly since I am a huge fan of Julie’s but it is a retelling of the three little pigs and it is done wonderfully and a little bit creepy.
Untethered by Sonia Gensler
This was my second favourite story although I did not recognise what the original story was, it was written so beautifully and has a major twist in the end of the story.
Better by Shaun David Hutchinson
This was a surprise as a Sci fi retelling of a fairy tale Pip was created to cure a disease that is affecting their spaceship, The dr did such a good job in creating her that she struggles with the fact that she is not real. It has great moral undertones and wonderfully written and very enjoyable.
Light it up by Kimberly Derting
Light it up is a modern retelling of Hansel and Gretel, I really enjoyed reading this extremely spooky retelling, with brother and sister being lost in the woods they come across a ranger station thinking they have been saved. This story stayed with me late into the night.
Sharper than a serpents tongue by Christine Johnson
This is another story that didn’t sit well with me, as a pay off for not telling about sexual harassment Clara is rewarded by an old witch with every time she talks flowers and jewels drop from her lips, pretty creepy but it gets worse. This story felt a bit rushed, and didn’t live up to its potential.
A real boy by Claudia Gray
A real boy is another Sci-fi story which I was surprised with Claudia Gray stepping out of her usual stories, I really enjoyed this one full of human ethics and moral issues, This is a must read, it would definitely make a great full length novel.
Skin Trade by Myra McEntire
This was a very short story but extremely creepy, It would have been better if it could have been a tad longer.
Beauty and The Chad by Sarah Reese Brennan
This story was more amusing than scary you can be forgiven for thinking this story would be kind of dumb because of the name, I did but I really did enjoy it, The Beast or The Chad is a modern-day cursed guy who has been put in a magical world in a historical setting. I found this story to be surprisingly entertaining especially after all the creepy skin crawling stories.
The Pink A Grimm Story by Amanda Hocking
Another disappointing story it didn’t really have too much in it, which I found sad I was expecting a lot from this one.
Sell Out by Jackson Pierce
This story was an original take on The whole Snow white story, from a male perspective it is his job to kiss dead people for a living. I wished this story was longer, It really felt that it could be made into a full length novel.
Overall
Even with some stories being hit and miss I Still thoroughly enjoyed the book enough to rate it 5 hearts, I would highly recommend it for anyone who loves retelling. I also loved that I am now interested in reading other stories from these authors, some of whom I have never heard of, but thanks to this book I believe I might have found some new authors to Admire.
Nice collection of grim stories. Some are quite enjoyable to read. But with such compilations books, i find that it is rather short for any development.
"Read "The Raven Princess" I totally thought it would end differently. The guy was sweet, and honest, and kind! And the princess's decision to remain as she was because she saw it as a sort of freedom rather than an imprisonment is beautiful. Makes you rethink things. “We can complain because rose bushes have thorns, or rejoice because thorn bushes have roses.”
04/18 "Figment - Made me sad when Eli put Fig away, saying he would reach fame by himself. I thought Eli would forget about Fig forever and stop believing in him/her. I felt so bad for Fig from the very beginning for being left behind and forgotten over and over again."
04/18 "Figment - Made me sad when Eli put Fig away, saying he would reach fame by himself. I thought Eli would forget about Fig forever and stop believing in him/her. I felt so bad for Fig from the very beginning for being left behind and forgotten over and over again."