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A review by booknookghost
Grim by Ellen Hopkins, Julie Kagawa, Amanda Hocking
4.0
I know I’m not the only one thinking it, but what an incredible line-up.
GRIM is an anthology of re-imagined, fairytale-inspired short stories by an (amazing) array of YA authors. It includes 17 stories for all tastes—from strict re-tellings to complete overhauls of the stories, spreading themselves over romance, fantasy, sci-fi, horror, etc etc.
Basically, everything you could ever wish for all wrapped in an absolutely beautiful design. (I do mean the cover. Look at it.)
Not all the stories will be for everyone. I definitely liked some more than others, but I did enjoy reading all the stories and trying to figure out what fairytales they were based on.
(Fake) Spoiler Alert: I couldn’t.
It brings shame into my little fairytale-loving heart, but even having read a book dedicated to Grim fairytales, I still couldn’t figure out all of the stories in here. I know, I know, I am a disgrace.
As a side note to that, if anyone has read this and knows all the fairytales: message me.
Ok, so. Some of the stories I loved the most: (there’s only four of them listed, because I had to limit myself)
- Beauty and The Chad by Sarah Rees Brennan: Ok, yes, this doesn’t surprise anyone. This story is the entire reason I first bought GRIM and it was so. worth. it. BatC is a retelling of (GUESS!) Beauty and the Beast, but with SRB’s trademark awesome sprinkled everywhere. Here, Beauty disguises herself as a boy to go work for the Beast (the Chad), and, well, hilarity ensues. Serious hilarity. Yes. Nothing like cackling in the middle of the night while clutching your iPad to make your mom wonder if you’re well in the head. Trust me.
- A Real Boy by Claudia Gray: Oh, oh, how this tugged at my heartstrings. aRB is a sci-fi retelling of Pinocchio, revolving around Blue and the robot (Rowan) she helps to make. This was just… everything I wanted. Sweet and lovely and rich in character development. If this were a full-length book, I would buy it.
- Thinner than Water by Saundra Mitchell: Things I was thinking after I finished this short story: HELL YES and Well, damn. In the best way possible. TtW is a re-imagining of All-Kinds-Of-Fur with a twist at the end. I loved it. Loved. Loved. Unlike the other two I mentioned, this one is narrated as if it were an actual fairytale, with that slightly omnipresent narrator voice that follows a character, but is never quite fully the character. So, from now on, I’ll just pretend this is how the fairytale was actually written.
- Better by Shaun David Hutchinson: This is one of my favorites, but also one of the few I couldn’t match up to a fairytale. It follows Pip and Levi, an artificial being and a human living in a spaceship where the population (especially the young) have fallen prey to a degenerative disease that kills them. If there ever was a mix of ACROSS THE UNIVERSE by Beth Revis and FRANKENSTEIN by Mary Shelley, this is it.
Basically, if you want something to do with fairytales but are not sure what to get: Buy this.
If you don’t want the commitment of a full length book: Buy this.
If you are interested in reading any of these authors but don’t know if you’ll like their style: Buy this (and then their actual books, because I’ve read most of them and they’re fabulous.)
.
Thank you to NetGalley and Harlequin TEEN for providing an eGalley of this book in exchange for an honest review.
GRIM is an anthology of re-imagined, fairytale-inspired short stories by an (amazing) array of YA authors. It includes 17 stories for all tastes—from strict re-tellings to complete overhauls of the stories, spreading themselves over romance, fantasy, sci-fi, horror, etc etc.
Basically, everything you could ever wish for all wrapped in an absolutely beautiful design. (I do mean the cover. Look at it.)
Not all the stories will be for everyone. I definitely liked some more than others, but I did enjoy reading all the stories and trying to figure out what fairytales they were based on.
(Fake) Spoiler Alert: I couldn’t.
It brings shame into my little fairytale-loving heart, but even having read a book dedicated to Grim fairytales, I still couldn’t figure out all of the stories in here. I know, I know, I am a disgrace.
As a side note to that, if anyone has read this and knows all the fairytales: message me.
Ok, so. Some of the stories I loved the most: (there’s only four of them listed, because I had to limit myself)
- Beauty and The Chad by Sarah Rees Brennan: Ok, yes, this doesn’t surprise anyone. This story is the entire reason I first bought GRIM and it was so. worth. it. BatC is a retelling of (GUESS!) Beauty and the Beast, but with SRB’s trademark awesome sprinkled everywhere. Here, Beauty disguises herself as a boy to go work for the Beast (the Chad), and, well, hilarity ensues. Serious hilarity. Yes. Nothing like cackling in the middle of the night while clutching your iPad to make your mom wonder if you’re well in the head. Trust me.
- A Real Boy by Claudia Gray: Oh, oh, how this tugged at my heartstrings. aRB is a sci-fi retelling of Pinocchio, revolving around Blue and the robot (Rowan) she helps to make. This was just… everything I wanted. Sweet and lovely and rich in character development. If this were a full-length book, I would buy it.
- Thinner than Water by Saundra Mitchell: Things I was thinking after I finished this short story: HELL YES and Well, damn. In the best way possible. TtW is a re-imagining of All-Kinds-Of-Fur with a twist at the end. I loved it. Loved. Loved. Unlike the other two I mentioned, this one is narrated as if it were an actual fairytale, with that slightly omnipresent narrator voice that follows a character, but is never quite fully the character. So, from now on, I’ll just pretend this is how the fairytale was actually written.
- Better by Shaun David Hutchinson: This is one of my favorites, but also one of the few I couldn’t match up to a fairytale. It follows Pip and Levi, an artificial being and a human living in a spaceship where the population (especially the young) have fallen prey to a degenerative disease that kills them. If there ever was a mix of ACROSS THE UNIVERSE by Beth Revis and FRANKENSTEIN by Mary Shelley, this is it.
Basically, if you want something to do with fairytales but are not sure what to get: Buy this.
If you don’t want the commitment of a full length book: Buy this.
If you are interested in reading any of these authors but don’t know if you’ll like their style: Buy this (and then their actual books, because I’ve read most of them and they’re fabulous.)
.
Thank you to NetGalley and Harlequin TEEN for providing an eGalley of this book in exchange for an honest review.