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A review by ellieanor
Grim by Julie Kagawa, Rachel Hawkins
2.0
I'm going with about a 2.5 stars. My actual rating was somewhere around 3 but to be honest, this really disappointed me. I just felt that so many of the stories didn't fit with the theme, and weren't the dark, whimsical, magical stories I thought I was going to get from this. Most of them were pretty simplistic, pretty cliché, and pretty unoriginal and not at all creative. I just felt that the authors could have done so much more with this premise that they were given. I like to read anthologies because it can introduce me to knew authors who I will hopefully love, without going through the stress of reading one of their books and then potentially not liking it. However, there were many in here. I haven't really written any full reviews for anthologies before, but here are some basic things I took from this book.
Authors who I would read again:
~ Saundra Mitchell
~ Ellen Hopkins
~ Tessa Gratton (who I have read before)
So now, here are my thoughts on the stories.
The Key by Rachel Hawkins ~ 2.5 stars
- This was okay but quite short. Although the story was kind of interesting it wasn't really that memorable and I couldn't really see which fairy-tale it was inspired by? The writing was pretty...mediocre. I thought it was just....extremely average.
Figment by Jeri Smith-Ready ~ 2 stars
- I think this was my least favourite story in the whole anthology. It was super weird and not really dark at all and didn't have much atmosphere. I didn't really like the plot or the writing in general. Although I can see it was inspired by Puss in Boots, I didn't fit with what I thought this anthology would be.
The Twelfth Girl by Malinda Lo ~ 2.5 stars
- This was darker and more interesting plot wise, but some parts were kind of petty? Like teenage girls wanting to be popular and party? Plus the writing felt really young - not simplistic, but the way a middle grade book is kind of written.
The Raven Princess by Jon Skovron ~ 3 stars
- This was marginally better than the others but I still had some issues. It finally did feel like a fairy-tale and I loved that element of it! However, the writing was kind of clunky in places and also the dialogue swung between being really old fashioned and almost modern, and I couldn't tell whether it was trying to be funny or if it was just poorly written.
Thinner Than Water by Saundra Mitchell ~ 4 stars
- Things picked up a bit here and I was starting to feel quite hopeful. I really loved this one - and I knew the fairy-tale, even though it is quite an obscure one. The writing was pretty and I really really adored the female empowerment aspects.
Before the Rose Bloomed: A Retelling of the Snow Queen by Ellen Hopkins ~ 4 stars.
- I really loved this one too! It had such beautiful poetry and I thought it was really beautiful. I loved how the verse increased by a line each part. The problem I had with this one though - it wasn't really a 'twisted retelling'? It just was the Snow Queen. With like the exact same story. I wish it had taken a little detour.
Beast/Beast by Tessa Gratton ~ 4.5 stars
- Look, they put all my favourite bunched together in one place. This story was everything I wanted from this whole anthology. It was whimsical and dark and beautiful written and basically had the atmosphere that I expected this whole book to have. THIS IS HOW YOU WRITE IT.
The Brothers Pigett by Julie Kagawa ~ 3.5 stars
- On this one, I have mixed feelings. On some scale, I enjoyed it, and the writing was pretty good quality. However, I wasn't a huge fan of the story itself. It went in a direction that I don't think it perhaps should have, and I really didn't like the way it ended. Again, it was dark, but...argh I didn't like it?
Untethered by Sonia Gensler ~ 2.5 stars
- This one remembered literally zilch about and had to strain my brain cells to even remember what I was talking about in my notes. But basically, I remember this was really really short and that I couldn't find a fairy-tale in my mind that it connected to and it was just kind of pointless.
Better by Shaun David Hutchinson ~ 3 stars
- I've never read anything by Shaun David Hutchinson but I think people say his books are sort of weird? This was. It was an interesting weird, but also - which fairy-tale? And also - how does this fit in the anthology? The concept was interesting, but I didn't really like the writing style.
Light it Up by Kimberly Derting ~ 2.5 stars
- Ahhh help my brain because I remember nothing! What was this even about? Wow, shows how unmemorable it is. I wrote down that it felt more like a fairy-tale but I didn't like the writing and the story did nothing for me? I'm wracking my brains but I remember absolutely nothing about this at all. I guess it really did nothing for me. OHHH wait this was about Hansel and Gretel. Yep, this one was a little weird. Didn't really like it.
Sharper Than A Serpents Tongue by Christine Johnson ~ 2.5 stars
- This had some interesting ideas but the story was kind of uncreative. I saw some modern themes in there that I liked but aside from that, it was basically just the original fairy-tale in a modern setting, and it was just so! un! creative! And the writing was just average.
A Real Boy by Claudia Grey ~ 3 stars
- Okay, but technically Pinocchio isn't a fairy-tale...but its fine. I liked this one. It was more original and had the beginnings of an interesting world. However, I really struggle with the idea of robots having feelings because...??? But it was fun!
Skin Trade by Myra McEntire ~ 3.5 stars
- This was finally dark and creepy again and just great! But it was really short and I just don't feel it was explained enough. I loved the concept but I wish it had been longer. I would love to read a full length book based more around this concept.
Beauty and the Chad by Sarah Rees Brennan ~ 3 stars
- This just totally ruined the atmosphere I was looking for once and for all, but at this point, I had given up. At least it was funny and heart-warming! Just not my kind of thing. More of a me, not you thing this time although why can't it be bloody and dark -
The Pink by Amanda Hocking ~ 4 stars
- This actually surprised me because I have read other books by Amanda Hocking....and hated them. This was magical though and felt more like a fairy-tale than so many of the others and I really liked it. It had a combination of a few fairy-tales which I enjoyed.
Sell Out by Jackson Pearce ~ 2.5 stars
- Again, don't remember. It needed to be longer, apparently I liked the concept (past me says so) but it needed more development. There wasn't enough information. Well, there really wasn't enough information because I REMEMBER NOTHING.
This whole anthology for the most part was a great big pile of ehhh. It was really disappointing and honestly, this book praises these authors as being some of the best YA authors out there. Half of them I've never heard of, half of them I haven't read, and most of their stories were not something that would inspire me to give them that title. My hands hurt from typing all this disappointment. I hope I find a better anthology next time.
Authors who I would read again:
~ Saundra Mitchell
~ Ellen Hopkins
~ Tessa Gratton (who I have read before)
So now, here are my thoughts on the stories.
The Key by Rachel Hawkins ~ 2.5 stars
- This was okay but quite short. Although the story was kind of interesting it wasn't really that memorable and I couldn't really see which fairy-tale it was inspired by? The writing was pretty...mediocre. I thought it was just....extremely average.
Figment by Jeri Smith-Ready ~ 2 stars
- I think this was my least favourite story in the whole anthology. It was super weird and not really dark at all and didn't have much atmosphere. I didn't really like the plot or the writing in general. Although I can see it was inspired by Puss in Boots, I didn't fit with what I thought this anthology would be.
The Twelfth Girl by Malinda Lo ~ 2.5 stars
- This was darker and more interesting plot wise, but some parts were kind of petty? Like teenage girls wanting to be popular and party? Plus the writing felt really young - not simplistic, but the way a middle grade book is kind of written.
The Raven Princess by Jon Skovron ~ 3 stars
- This was marginally better than the others but I still had some issues. It finally did feel like a fairy-tale and I loved that element of it! However, the writing was kind of clunky in places and also the dialogue swung between being really old fashioned and almost modern, and I couldn't tell whether it was trying to be funny or if it was just poorly written.
Thinner Than Water by Saundra Mitchell ~ 4 stars
- Things picked up a bit here and I was starting to feel quite hopeful. I really loved this one - and I knew the fairy-tale, even though it is quite an obscure one. The writing was pretty and I really really adored the female empowerment aspects.
Before the Rose Bloomed: A Retelling of the Snow Queen by Ellen Hopkins ~ 4 stars.
- I really loved this one too! It had such beautiful poetry and I thought it was really beautiful. I loved how the verse increased by a line each part. The problem I had with this one though - it wasn't really a 'twisted retelling'? It just was the Snow Queen. With like the exact same story. I wish it had taken a little detour.
Beast/Beast by Tessa Gratton ~ 4.5 stars
- Look, they put all my favourite bunched together in one place. This story was everything I wanted from this whole anthology. It was whimsical and dark and beautiful written and basically had the atmosphere that I expected this whole book to have. THIS IS HOW YOU WRITE IT.
The Brothers Pigett by Julie Kagawa ~ 3.5 stars
- On this one, I have mixed feelings. On some scale, I enjoyed it, and the writing was pretty good quality. However, I wasn't a huge fan of the story itself. It went in a direction that I don't think it perhaps should have, and I really didn't like the way it ended. Again, it was dark, but...argh I didn't like it?
Untethered by Sonia Gensler ~ 2.5 stars
- This one remembered literally zilch about and had to strain my brain cells to even remember what I was talking about in my notes. But basically, I remember this was really really short and that I couldn't find a fairy-tale in my mind that it connected to and it was just kind of pointless.
Better by Shaun David Hutchinson ~ 3 stars
- I've never read anything by Shaun David Hutchinson but I think people say his books are sort of weird? This was. It was an interesting weird, but also - which fairy-tale? And also - how does this fit in the anthology? The concept was interesting, but I didn't really like the writing style.
Light it Up by Kimberly Derting ~ 2.5 stars
- Ahhh help my brain because I remember nothing! What was this even about? Wow, shows how unmemorable it is. I wrote down that it felt more like a fairy-tale but I didn't like the writing and the story did nothing for me? I'm wracking my brains but I remember absolutely nothing about this at all. I guess it really did nothing for me. OHHH wait this was about Hansel and Gretel. Yep, this one was a little weird. Didn't really like it.
Sharper Than A Serpents Tongue by Christine Johnson ~ 2.5 stars
- This had some interesting ideas but the story was kind of uncreative. I saw some modern themes in there that I liked but aside from that, it was basically just the original fairy-tale in a modern setting, and it was just so! un! creative! And the writing was just average.
A Real Boy by Claudia Grey ~ 3 stars
- Okay, but technically Pinocchio isn't a fairy-tale...but its fine. I liked this one. It was more original and had the beginnings of an interesting world. However, I really struggle with the idea of robots having feelings because...??? But it was fun!
Skin Trade by Myra McEntire ~ 3.5 stars
- This was finally dark and creepy again and just great! But it was really short and I just don't feel it was explained enough. I loved the concept but I wish it had been longer. I would love to read a full length book based more around this concept.
Beauty and the Chad by Sarah Rees Brennan ~ 3 stars
- This just totally ruined the atmosphere I was looking for once and for all, but at this point, I had given up. At least it was funny and heart-warming! Just not my kind of thing. More of a me, not you thing this time
The Pink by Amanda Hocking ~ 4 stars
- This actually surprised me because I have read other books by Amanda Hocking....and hated them. This was magical though and felt more like a fairy-tale than so many of the others and I really liked it. It had a combination of a few fairy-tales which I enjoyed.
Sell Out by Jackson Pearce ~ 2.5 stars
- Again, don't remember. It needed to be longer, apparently I liked the concept (past me says so) but it needed more development. There wasn't enough information. Well, there really wasn't enough information because I REMEMBER NOTHING.
This whole anthology for the most part was a great big pile of ehhh. It was really disappointing and honestly, this book praises these authors as being some of the best YA authors out there. Half of them I've never heard of, half of them I haven't read, and most of their stories were not something that would inspire me to give them that title. My hands hurt from typing all this disappointment. I hope I find a better anthology next time.