Scan barcode
A review by ladytiara
Grim by Ellen Hopkins, Julie Kagawa, Amanda Hocking
4.0
Grim is a collection of short stories inspired by fairy tales, all written by young adult authors. I've read other works by a few of the authors, which encouraged me to read this volume. Short story anthologies can be a mixed bag, with the quality of stories varying widely, but the good stories in Grim far outnumber the not so good. Some of the stories are reinterpretations of well-known tales like Snow White and Beauty and the Beast (which merits two different stories in this collections), others retell some lesser known fairy tales, and a few seemed to be influenced by fairy tales, but not actually based on one.
Of the 17 stories, there were only two that I really didn't enjoy: Light It Up by Kimberly Derting (based on Hansel and Gretel) and Skin Trade by Myra McEntire (based on The Robber Bridegroom). The two stories went beyond dark and into gory, so they weren't to my taste, but of course, the source material for both stories is pretty dark.
The standout stories for me were the following:
The Twelfth Girl by Malinda Lo (The Twelve Dancing Princesses)
The Raven Princess by Jon Skovron (The Raven)
Thinner Than Water by Saundra Mitchell (Donkey Skin)
Beast/Beauty by Tessa Gratton (Beauty and the Beast)
The Brothers Piggett by Julie Kagawa (The Three Little Pigs)
Beauty and the Chad by Sarah Rees Brennan (Beauty and the Beast)
Sell Out (Snow White)
My absolute favorite was Beauty and the Chad, which is a hilarious reinterpretation of Beauty and the Beast. It's probably the lightest in tone of all the stories, as the rest tend to be a bit darker. I really liked the fact that there were two retellings of Beauty and the Beast. They were both quite different, and it shows how a familiar tale is open to widely varying interpretations. The remainder of the stories, while not my favorites, were all enjoyable to read. If you are a fan of fairy tales, this volume is definitely worth your time.
This is one book you may want to consider buying a hard copy rather than an ebook. It's got a lovely embossed cover, and comes with an attached ribbon bookmark, which makes the book feel like an old volume of fairy tales. It's very nicely done and quite appropriate for the subject matter.
I received an ARC from Amazon Vine.
Of the 17 stories, there were only two that I really didn't enjoy: Light It Up by Kimberly Derting (based on Hansel and Gretel) and Skin Trade by Myra McEntire (based on The Robber Bridegroom). The two stories went beyond dark and into gory, so they weren't to my taste, but of course, the source material for both stories is pretty dark.
The standout stories for me were the following:
The Twelfth Girl by Malinda Lo (The Twelve Dancing Princesses)
The Raven Princess by Jon Skovron (The Raven)
Thinner Than Water by Saundra Mitchell (Donkey Skin)
Beast/Beauty by Tessa Gratton (Beauty and the Beast)
The Brothers Piggett by Julie Kagawa (The Three Little Pigs)
Beauty and the Chad by Sarah Rees Brennan (Beauty and the Beast)
Sell Out (Snow White)
My absolute favorite was Beauty and the Chad, which is a hilarious reinterpretation of Beauty and the Beast. It's probably the lightest in tone of all the stories, as the rest tend to be a bit darker. I really liked the fact that there were two retellings of Beauty and the Beast. They were both quite different, and it shows how a familiar tale is open to widely varying interpretations. The remainder of the stories, while not my favorites, were all enjoyable to read. If you are a fan of fairy tales, this volume is definitely worth your time.
This is one book you may want to consider buying a hard copy rather than an ebook. It's got a lovely embossed cover, and comes with an attached ribbon bookmark, which makes the book feel like an old volume of fairy tales. It's very nicely done and quite appropriate for the subject matter.
I received an ARC from Amazon Vine.