Review: Grim by Ellen Hopkins, Julie Kagawa, Amanda Hocking...

Title: Grim
Author: Various
Series: n/a
Publisher: Harlequin Teen
Publication Date: February 25th, 2014
Source: received from publisher via NetGalley
Purchase: Amazon | Barnes & Noble

Step into a world of dark and twisted fairy tales, with stories by Julie Kagawa, Amanda Hocking and more...

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

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Over the past few years, Anthology books have grown on me. The few that I’ve read have been really good. Grim was good, but it wasn't my favorite. There were some great stories in here, but there were also some that didn’t grasp my attention at all. Throughout, it was very hit or miss for me.

The Key by Rachel Hawkins – I’m not sure I would have opened up the book with this one. It was good, but it ended pretty abruptly. I would have liked to know what happens. I know it’s a short story but jeesh, give it an ending please. It deals with psychics and was pretty suspenseful so I’ll give it that.

Figment by Jeri Smith-Ready – This one was really clever. Figment is a little good luck charm Eli is left with, a gift from his estranged rock star father after he passes. This isn’t an ordinary good luck charm, it’s the real deal, and it talks. I loved Figments character, but most of all I loved the message in this story.

The Twelfth Girl by Melinda Lo – This story reminded me of a Bratz movie on Netflix. My Daughter watches this one Bratz Fairy movie sometimes, and I could not stop thinking about it the whole time reading this. I don’t really know what is in this story, I don’t think it ever truly says, but it is reminiscent of the whole fairy realm. It could just be the underworld, but there were things that made me think of the fey. I liked it; it was dark and fit the title of this book I think.

The Raven Princess by Jon Skovron - I really loved this one. A princess is cursed as a baby, turned into a raven. She spends her life looking for the one who can break the curse. It was really cute, and I adored the ending.

Thinner than Water by Saundra Mitchell – This story was bad ass! One of my favorites for sure. I’ve never read anything by Saundra Mitchell before, but now I’m going to have to. The Princess of Flamen lost her mother as an infant. The king has been a doting father for most of her life, until she is no longer a child. Then his affection becomes inappropriate. The Princess of Flamen is not having it and I felt for her. She’s smart as well as beautiful, and wit is a dangerous weapon.

Before the Rose Bloomed by Ellen Hopkins – This is a retelling of The Snow Queen. I didn’t like this one at all. I blame Frozen. I’m so in love with Disney’s version right now that nothing else can compare. It’s well written, but not how it’s supposed to go! It’s just too soon!! Lol (I have issues for real)

Beast/Beast by Tessa Gratton – I’m a huge fan of Tessa Grattons writing. Everything she puts out is beautifully written and this story is no exception. It’s obviously a retelling of Beauty and the Beast. I love the original spin she put on it.

The Brothers Piggett by Julie Kagawa – I was not expecting a retelling of the three little piglets! Loved how she gave this tale extra depth. I was always told as a child that there was a wolf who wanted to eat the three pigs…. Boring…. this version is so much better!

Untethered by Sonia Gensler – This story was extremely short and kind of meh if I’m being honest.

Better by Shaun David Huchinson – I’m a huge fan of sci fi and this had a touch of it. Pip is man made but she feels real. Children are dying and they are running out of time trying to figure out how to stop it. Pip was made to help discover a cure. I loved how it played out at the end.

Light It Up by Kimberly Derting – I didn’t really like this one. It’s a retelling of Hansel and Gretel. I hate that story so I had a hard time getting into it and ended up skimming most of it.

Sharper than a Serpent’s Tongue by Christine Johnson – This one also didn’t stand out for me. By this time, I was just ready for the book to end. Oh and whoa to all the bad language. Not that it bothered me, I’m a sailor, but I thought it was worth mentioning.

A Real Boy by Claudia Gray – This is retelling of Pinocchio but he’s a robot, not a wooden. I’m not a fan of Pinocchio but this version was pretty awesome. I really enjoyed it. Also, Claudia Gray is another author I hadn’t read yet, so now that I know I like her style, I’ll have to pick something else up by her.

Skin Trade by Myra McEntire – This one turned me off right away. Opening page… a guy walks into a strip club… nope, not interested. I knew I wouldn’t like this one so I just moved on.

Beauty and the Chad by Sarah Rees Brennan – This was another meh for me. Meh’s are to be expected when reading anthologies. The problem with this one is, there is already a Beauty and the Beast retelling earlier on in this book. Compared to Tessa Gratton’s contribution, this one was not that great, at least in my opinion.

The Pink by Amanda Hocking – I read a book by Amanda Hocking a few years ago. It was okay, but I wasn’t blown away. This story though, was so awesome. I loved everything about it. Prince Brenn has a special power, he can wish for anything his heart desires and it will appear right in front of him. But that kind of power can be dangerous, especially if the wrong person discovers you have it. I was reminded me a little bit of Rapunzel, but without the hair. My favorite part about this one was the love story. It warmed my little heart. <3

Sell Out by Jackson Pearce – I know see why Pearce is so famous for her retellings. She actually made Snow White Tolerable. (She’s my least favorite princess). It’s only natural that they would close out the book with this story. I don’t own any of Jackson Pearce’s retellings but I will now. Sell Out was great.

I had some trouble picking it up at times, especially when I was in the middle of a story that I didn’t like as much. I couldn’t tell what some of these stories were retellings of… I’m thinking I need to brush up on my fairy tales. You’d think being a mother, I’d be more educated. 

I did like Grim. There were a few stand out stories that I adored. The ones I didn't care for dragged it down for me. Not a bad anthology but I've read better ones. 

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Labels: amanda hocking, anthology, claudia gray, Ellen Hopkins, fairy tales, harlequin-teen, jackson pearce, julie kagawa, kimberly derting, myra McEntire, rachel hawkins, retellings, reviews, sarah rees brennan

Review: Tsarina by J. Nelle Patrick

Title: Tsarina
Author: J. Nelle Patrick (pseudonym for Jackson Pearce)
Series: n/a
Publisher: Razorbill
Publication Date: February 27, 2014
Source: from publisher for review
Purchase: Amazon | Barnes & Noble

Natalya knows a secret.

A magical Faberge egg glows within the walls of Russia's Winter Palace.
It holds a power rooted in the land and stolen from the mystics.
A power that promises a life of love for her and Alexei Romanov.
Power, that, in the right hands, can save her way of life.

But it's not in the right hands.

Ugh. I hate writing reviews like this. It's always easier to write a review for a book that you either had strongly positive or entirely negative feelings toward. I always feel so inept at writing reviews for the ones that are only so-so, that evoke no real emotional response from me. So it goes.

Possibly the problems I had with Tsarina are due in part to some really high expectations I had going into the story. I've only read Sisters Red by Jackson Pearce before, but I liked it well enough to think that I'd enjoy her retelling of the end of the Romanov reign in Russia. I also really like historical fiction and anything involving Russia. And then Wendy loved it, so I thought it was a guaranteed favorite because we often love the same books.

And don't get me wrong...there are aspects of this novel that are absolutely lovely. The prose is gorgeous. The setting is stunning. The magical bits weren't overbearing. And yet it still wasn't enough to make me love the characters. I felt zero connection to them, and as that's usually the aspect that has me falling for a book -- even when the writing isn't superb -- it made it difficult to enjoy this novel to its fullest.

Also, the romance was, um, sketchy? I really liked how the relationship between Natalya and Alexei was portrayed as something so lovely and heartbreaking in so few words. But then the war between the Reds and the nobility of Russia comes to a head and nothing is certain anymore. And I don't like where things in the romantic department left off or where they picked up because of those uncertainties. Sorry I'm being intentionally vague, but it's best I not say anything further for fear of spoilers. I just think things could have been handled a little differently so that it didn't feel like a complete upheaval of feelings. That, or it's possible that my complete lack of connection to Natalya just made it feel more sudden than it was.

I feel like a total black sheep here. I didn't hate the book. But I also didn't love it in the way that I thought I would. I mean, from the outside, this appears to be a total "Jen" book: spectacular cover, historical fiction set in Russia, elements of magic that were -- for the most part -- only hinted at for much of the book. But the first half was a total snooze-fest for me, with much less dialogue than I prefer and two girls running all over the city with no clear goal. And that kind of set the precedent for the rest of the novel for me.

Regardless, I still think this novel will resonate with a lot of readers, especially fans of Pearce's other work because as I said, the writing is still pretty fantastic. And there are a lot of elements that are done well in this story. It just so happens that the ones that I regard highly did not meet my expectations in this case, unfortunately.

GIF it to me straight:

I so badly wanted to love this story, but I was pretty underwhelmed by it.

About the author:

J. Nelle Patrick lives in Atlanta, Georgia, with a slightly cross-eyed cat and a lot of secondhand furniture. She graduated from the University of Georgia with a degree in English and a minor in philosophy. She auditioned for the circus once but didn't make it. She is also the author of a series of retold fairytales.

J. Nelle Patrick is a pen name for author Jackson Pearce.

Find J. Nelle:

Website | Twitter | Facebook | Goodreads

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Labels: beautiful covers, fantasy, historical fiction, j. nelle patrick, jackson pearce, magic, penguin, reviews, tsarina