Grim anthology

by Christine Johnson

In the days when fairy tales were first spun, they weren’t the sweet and cheerful stories we tell today. Back then, fairy tales were terrifying. They were a warning to the listener to stay out of the night, to keep away from the mystical and ignore the mysterious. Prepare to open a treasure box of the unusual and the macabre.

Grim features some of today’s best young adult authors sharing their own unique retellings of classic fairy tales from around the world. These talented writers, many of them New York Times bestsellers or award winners, put their own spin on these magical worlds.

Ellen Hopkins

Amanda Hocking

Julie Kagawa

Claudia Gray

Rachel Hawkins

Kimberly Derting

Myra McEntire

Malinda Lo

Sarah Rees Brennan

Jackson Pearce

Christine Johnson

Jeri Smith-Ready

Shaun David Hutchinson

Saundra Mitchell

Sonia Gensler

Tessa Gratton

Jon Skovron.

• ISBN13: 9781472055019
• Publish Date: 1 March 2014
• Publish Status: Active
• Publish Country: GB
• Publisher: HarperCollins Publishers
• Imprint: Mira Ink
• Format: eBook (EPUB)
• Pages: 480
• Language: English
• URL: http://harpercollins.co.uk

Reviews

[Sarah Says]

This anthology needs to come with a bucket load of trigger warnings!! ☹ Child abuse, sexual assault, and gang rape, just to name a few ☹

Grim consists of 17 dark fantasy shorts inspired by classic fairy tales from some big names and some lesser-known names in YA and obviously, as with any anthology I preferred some stories to others.

Faves:

The Twelfth Girl by Malinda Lo. Reminded me of being stuck in a fairy circle. Queer, f/f kissing. I want a full-length version! I want Liv to save Harley and I want to know all about the fairy world they sneak into. 5/5.

The Raven Princess by Jon Skovron. A soft-hearted hunter, a cursed princess, and gay giants - enough said. 5/5.

Beast/Beast by Tessa Gratton. A beauty and the beast retelling that is fairly close to original, but different enough to make it fresh and really enjoyable – But I do love the original. 5/5.

The Pink by Amanda Hocking. A child stolen, then later a family reunited. Bad guys butt kicked. A super cute and fluffy read. 5/5.

[Kelly]

http://www.divabooknerd.com/2014/03/grim-anthology-by-various-authors.html
Grim is the ultimate compilation of mostly Harlequin Teen novelists, who have produced an anthology of the ultimate in dark fairy tales. Featuring seventeen stories by New York Times bestselling authors Ellen Hopkins, Amanda Hocking, Claudia Gray, Rachel Hawkins, Julie Kagawa, and others, each author has created a short story with the running theme of the dark and quirky.

Some are heartwarming and quirky, and others are dark and morbid, but by far my favourite tale was Figment by author Jeri Smith Ready. Figment tells the story of Eli, and his estranged father who recently passed away. Eli is a budding musician, following in his father's footsteps. But what created his father's success now lays within Eli's hands, a small stuffed cat. It's incredibly cute and placed strategically as the second story within the anthology, from there the remaining stories become more twisted.

The Raven Princess by Jon Skovron is a dark retelling of what could be described as a typical fairytale. A queen casting a spell on her infant child, only to turn into a raven and wander the Earth looking to break her spell. It isn't until seventeen years later when the princess finds a reluctant hunter, that she reveals the true meaning of the curse. He must meet her at a cottage where an elderly woman lies in wait to tempt the hunter. The princess can only be seen in her true form at midnight, and in order for the hunter to remain awake, he must avoid consuming anything the elderly lady has to offer. Easier said than done.

From Kimberly Derting's modern day Hansel and Gretel, to Julie Kagawa's retelling of the Three Little Pigs, this compilation really does have something for everyone. The one awkward moment I found was the story by Myra McEntyre titled Skin Trade. This story wasn't only creepy, it's bordering on sickening. It tells the story of a group of musicians who find women within the crowds at their shows, take them home and skin them. It was disturbing, gruesome and if you're anything like me, skip this one.

But the rest of the anthology is awesome. I've never been one for fairytales, but Grim is perfect for fans of the Splintered series or dark and eccentric fairytale retellings.

[inlibrisveritas]

Grim is a great collection of fairy tale retellings, one of my favorite things to read. There is a lot of variety and each story pulls from a different fairy tale, except two which share Beauty and the Beast. There are a ton of stories packed into this one, so I’ll only touch on the ones that really stood out to me.

I loved Figment by Jeri Smith-Ready, which I think is based on Puss-in-Boots. It was such a interesting and at times incredibly sweet story, while it still held some of the sadness inherit to fairytales. Thinner than Water by Saundra Mitchell which pulls from Donkeyskin really surprised me. Donkeyskin is a really heartbreaking fairytale that I try to avoid to be honest, so I wasn’t expecting to really like this one. It does have one of the more serious topics (incest – it is forced upon her) but the ending and the main characters determination made it all worth it. The Brothers Piggett by Julie Kagawa was definitely one of the better retellings, as it actually built upon and veered away from the original story of The Three Little Pigs while still remaining recognizable. Better by Shaun David Hutchinson, based on The Pied Piper, was done with a fantastic sci-fi twist and took a wicked turn that I wasn’t expecting at all.

I wasn’t all that fond of Before the Rose Bloomed by Ellen Hopkins (based on The Snow Queen) because her poetic style didn’t really fit the story. I did like that she mixed biblical stories with the fairy tale but it just wasn’t my thing. The Raven Princess by Jon Skovran is based on The Raven tale (not the poem), and for the most part it is nearly the same story with more details and a bit of twist…which was pretty disappointing. Beauty and the Chad by Sarah Rees Brennan, based on Beauty and the Beast and it’s honestly the weirdest retelling I’ve ever read. It’s pretty funny at times and sort of sweet but way bizarre.

Overall I’m really pleased with the story collection in Grim! There was a lot of variety and while they were retellings of fairy tales some were more contemporary or sci-fi than fantasy. I love reading anthologies like this because there is so much variety in one “topic” and you can always find new authors or rediscover authors you haven’t read in a while. So if you enjoy fairy tale retellings and you like short stories, then go for it! You’re bound to find some stories that you’ll like and who knows you might find a new favorite author!