I was worried that this would be just another dark fantasy, However the book definitely stood out as one I would recommend to Leigh Bardugo and Schwab fans. I do also appreciate a good duology, for some reason they seem to sell better than trilogies these days.

I’m not sure how I feel about this book. It took me much longer to finish than I expected; normally I fly through a fantasy book of this length. Was it the characters, plot, other things going on in my own life distracting me from reading...maybe all of the above. I just couldn’t get my rhythm with this one. I’ll definitely read book 2 and see what it does for me.

I wanted to love this book since I have loved all of the authors previous book but the descriptions and world building were a little off putting and I only made it 36%.

It’s taken me a long long time to give feedback because I tried reading this book several times but every time I did it just didn’t hold me attention. Finally I just gave up. I love Megan Sheperd’s other books so I’m disappointed with this one.

I can't wait to read the next books in this series. I really enjoy stories with a fairy tale twist and this one did not disappoint. Also, its based in Paris so who wouldn't enjoy that? I highly recommend this if fairy tales and supernatural/fantasy books are your thing.

WHAT DID I THINK OF GRIM LOVELIES BY MEGAN SHEPHERD?
Grim Lovelies by Megan Shepherd has an incredible cover and a pretty incredible concept. Set in Paris, it is about Anouk who is a Beastie. That means she was an animal but then she has been enchanted by a witch to be human. She wants more, she wants to explore the world beyond the confines of the Parisian world she shares with four other Beasties. She just may get her wish when the witch that she lives with is brutally murdered. I mean, she’s allowed to leave. Only the enchantment that keeps her human only has a couple days and then if she doesn’t get someone to re do the spell, she turns back into an animal.

Okay, so I really wanted to love this book. It is set in Paris, there’s magic, and an animal element. Plus kind of a multiple characters coming together to solve a mystery element. Only, I didn’t. I guess there’s a few things I found jarring. First of which being that there’s some modern technology here. I guess that’s my fault in that I was expecting like old world fantasy. Not modern day fantasy. I guess when I say old world, I mean like Moulin Rouge era Paris. Not 2019 era Paris. So, every time there’s talk about cell phones and cars, I sort of felt jarred out of the story. That is my own personal quirk though, so if you read this book you won’t walk in with that expectation. Second of all, I did have trouble keeping track of all the characters. However, I could easily chalk that up to listening to the audiobook and not reading the physical book, so that is totally normal. I also didn’t really feel all that invested in Anouk, but again, that’s just a me thing, I think.

HOW’S THE NARRATION?
The audiobook of Grim Lovelies is narrated by Gabrielle Baker. It is 12 hours and 16 minutes long and produced by Tantor. It’s an okay audiobook. I’ve never listened to Baker before, but was not at all bothered by her narration. She’s got a pretty old world, classy kind of voice HENCE WHY I WAS JARRED by the modern technology. Again, this is totally a me quirk and not at all a reflection on the book. I think that I’d probably pursue more audiobooks narrated by Baker, however. On the whole, not a bad listen at all. I will, however, give the caveat that I listened to this at a very sped up rate because it was due in a matter of days and all these other library audiobook holds were coming in, so that 100% did impact my view of this book and audiobook.

The Grim Lovelies cover is absolutely stunning to me! Also, I found the setting to be unique for YA (for me at least, because I don’t recall having ever read a YA book set in Paris or anywhere in France). I also found the magic system to be quite different from what I’m used to.

It took me a little bit of time to truly immerse myself in the world and the magic system (and the stress and reading slump definitely didn’t help), but once I did completely immerse, I found that I was truly enjoying myself. There were some slow bits where the plot and world were being set up, but mostly there was action. The imagery was also dark and lush at the same time (definitely up my alley either way).

I had a lot of fun looking up pictures of and neighbourhoods in Paris, as well as the French countryside, as well as a lot of floral themed images for my Pinterest board for this book. Grim Lovelies’ aesthetic really appealed to me, and so did the story once I really got into things.

By the end of the book, I was fully invested in the story and characters, and wanted more of those things and the world. I greatly look forward to the next book in the series, and seeing what the beasties will get up to in Germany and England!

I was totally caught up in this unique magical story.

Set in Paris, France, Anouk has never ventured out into the world she watches from the windows. She is much too young and in-experienced. Even though she looks seventeen, Mada Vittora created her just over a year ago. Mada is part of the magic world that lives parallel to, though unknown to the Pretties, the everyday common world.

Anouk has become caught up in a power struggle between the magic royals, the witches and the goblins. She just doesn't know how much influence she could hold over the outcome.

Along with her created friends, and some unlikely alliances, she ventures out into the Pretty world and realizes there is far more to it than strolls down the boulevard and other such frivolities.

I loved this story. The story line was unique and Anouk was such a refreshing character. She was so innocent of the ways of people/witches and she managed to maintain much of that throughout the many trials she endured. Her trust and reliance on her friends made me feel safe along with her. I found myself cheering for her and encouraging her to venture out of her safe little world of housekeeping. #TeamAnouk

The is much more of her story to be told and I eagerly await author Megan Shepherd's future writings.

I received an advanced reader copy of this book from Indigo Books & Music Inc. in exchange for an honest review.

#IndigoEmployee

I felt this book was a bit slow until near the end. I loved the concept but not necessarily the execution. I am excited to see where the second one goes.

I struggled with this story in the beginning. Anouk is shy and demure and I really wanted her to have some fire. She found it eventually. The plot did pick up and move faster. The ending was a shocker and I really enjoyed it. I am looking forward to the next book.

The concept was really interesting to me and I liked the writing but didn’t find how the story was executed particularly compelling. I wanted to love it but I just didn’t quite get into it.

Falsely accused of murdering her mistress, Anouk and her Beastie friends find themselves on the run throughout Paris. This book was magical and it had me on the edge of my seat.

(I received a free copy of this book from Net Galley in exchange for an honest review.)

Seventeen-year-old Anouk envies the human world, where people known as Pretties lavish themselves in fast cars, high fashion, and have the freedom to fall in love. But Anouk can never have those things, because she is not really human. Enchanted from animal to human girl and forbidden to venture beyond her familiar Parisian prison, Anouk is a Beastie: destined for a life surrounded by dust bunnies and cinders serving Mada Vittora, the evil witch who spelled her into existence. That is, until one day she finds her mistress murdered in a pool of blood—and Anouk is accused of the crime.
Now, the world she always dreamed of is rife with danger. Pursued through Paris by the underground magical society known as the Haute, Anouk and her fellow Beasties only have three days to find the real killer before the spell keeping them human fades away. If they fail, they will lose the only lives they’ve ever known…but if they succeed, they could be more powerful than anyone ever bargained for.

*1.5 stars*

I guess expectation killed this book for me. I had read so many positive reviews and hype about this book, I guess I was expecting the best book of 2018. Sadly, what I got was a confusing mass of disappointment.

What went wrong? Pretty much the characters did all the work in making this really hard to read. Anouk (the only character that benefits from some kind of development over the course of the story) suffers from a lack of personality. She is bland. She is dull. Beau was so annoying, I wanted him dead. Hunter began being an interesting character but never really anywhere as far as developing him into a great character. Luc was about as interesting as watching paint dry, despite what Anouk says. The only redeeming character was Cricket - smart, sassy, funny, tons of attitude. Which is more in line with what I was expecting from Anouk. And the bad guys? Trope-d up to the max.

I could go on about the cringe-worthy insta-romance, the poor world-building, the wooden writing but that would be totally over the top. And, to be honest, I am not even really sure what age is the target audience. It is passed of as YA but, really, it isn't much of a step up from middle-grade level. It is all just too much for me. I have no interest in anything else that comes from this series.


Paul
ARH

I saw a lot of other reviews where they said the characters were boring. I completely agree. I did not finish this one because 50 pages in and I could not care less about anything in the story. I tried Megan Shepherd's other series and found them lackluster as well. Guess she just is not for me.

Grim Lovelies is the first installment in author Megan Shepherd's Grim Lovelies series. Set in the glittering streets of Paris, Grim Lovelies takes the stories of childhood fairy tales to dark and dazzling lengths, where four enchanted creatures must risk love, magic, and betrayal to stay human before the clock strikes twelve. 17-year old Anouk has longed to leave the house and enter the world of the Pretties (regular humans). But, Anouk isn't a human.

She's a beastie, an animal enchanted (whispered into being) by a powerful witch known as Mada Vittora. Anouk has lived as a maid, cook, and anything else the witch can come up with since her creation. Anouk isn’t alone. She has four Beastie siblings: Cricket, Beau, Luc and Hunter Black. Each of the beasties are bound to the witch for as long as she holds their pelts. One puzzling mystery starts off right out of the box. Where is Luc?

Luc has been missing without a trace for over a week. Where did Luc go? Then things get worse when the witch is murdered, and the Beasties learn they only have three days to find a witch who can make the spell permanent. If they fail, they will revert back to an owl, a mouse, a cat, a wolf and a dog. The clock is ticking, will the Beasties save themselves in time? Anouk has to work with others, including a suspicious witch, her familiar, and a mystery noble who seems to have an agenda of his own.

I think that Anouk as the main protagonist was a fantastic choice. She goes from a very sheltered, never been outside of the house shutter-in, to someone who gains courage, and other surprises along the way. I loved the dysfunctional family squad dynamics. Yes, we all have similar brothers and sisters who drive us crazy, but when the chips are down, they are more likely to be standing next to you, helping you, encouraging you.

I liked the way the author puts readers into the story with descriptions of Paris, which, yes, I have visited and loved! Especially the pastries! I liked her connection to Beau as well, but Beau also drove me nuts with his over protectiveness. Let's be fair. Each of the beasties has their own unique characteristics as well as backgrounds. You have no clue which character is what beastie until well into the story. And, to top things off, the surprise of all is what Anouk is. The ending is really the best surprise of the book. Let's hope the sequel excels to top this story.

Anouk was created, not born. She was once an animal, transformed into a Beastie by a self-serving witch. I enjoyed this book's unusual premise and fantastical setting, and the fact that all of our protagonists are Beasties. I did wish that I knew Anouk a little better, but then again, although appearing to be 17 years old, she has actually "lived" very little.

All in all, I think it's a promising start to a YA fantasy series.

I really love Megan Shepherds books... but I just couldn’t get into this one no matter how hard I tried.

Grim Lovelies was a fun, quirky YA fantasy novel about enchanted "beasties" who take on human traits, but are not fully human. The charming group cast race against time and enemies to hunt a killer and uphold the spell that grants them their lives.

I thought this story was (for lack of better word) lovely, but I did not feel very attached to the characters and struggled to really get into the plot. I think a l0t of this had to do with the way the characters felt much younger than they were supposed to be. I expected a dark, twisted fantasy, but instead I got a lot of embarrassed blushing and barely kisses. The romance was not a large part of the book, but that it the largest takeaway I remember-- the magic system wasn't fully developed for me. However, this is more to say that I didn't loooove the story, not that the story was an issue itself.

I would be open to reading more by this author and still encourage others to give this book a try, especially younger YA readers!

***I received an e-ARC of this book from the publisher via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review

Review of an ARC provided by NetGalley and the publisher.

Megan Shepherd's new fantasy series "Grim Lovelies", is uniquely original and highly entertaining. Anouk and her companions know that they were once animals who were magically changed to human in order to be a brutal witch's household servants. They don't remember what creatures they once were, only that they don't want to go back. Anouk's world comes crashing down, though when her Mistress is murdered and Anouk and the others are the prime suspects. Now, faced with the possibility of either being executed or changed back into their original forms when their Mistress's magic expires, the small group goes on the run to find safety and a way to clear their names. Along the way, the group becomes involved in the tricky and bloody politics of the fae and witch world, where everyone is out get to get more power for themselves.

The book keeps readers on their toes, because you never know who is going to be an ally or who is going to betray our heroes. Shepherd's characters are well developed. Each member of the group of Beasties has a unique, strong personality. There is a fair amount of blood and violence once the fighting gets underway. All in all a good start to what looks to be a very entertaining series.

And, OMG, the Anglophile goblins are a hoot! How could you know fall in love with a group of goblins that immediately stop what they are doing to salute whenever they hear a David Bowie song?

GRIM LOVELIES was, well, lovely. This book starts slow, but as shy and sheltered Anouk becomes more and more worldly and responsible, the stakes and the action ramp up dramatically. The magic and stories of this world felt real, with rules and real impacts. Some books end up with wishy-washy, overpowered magic systems, but GRIM LOVELIES was grounded in blood and the very real consequences to the caster of any magic spell.

This feels like a book caught between Teen and YA bookshelves. Part of the issue is that our main character is only a year old and very naive about the world. Anouk has been kept inside for her whole life, cleaning and cooking for the witch who enchanted her to human form. There are four other beasties, each with their talents. The others can leave the house to run errands for the witch; Anouk acutely feels what she is missing out on.

The relationships between the characters are what makes it more teen. Anouk begins the book looking at Beau as a brother, but as she grows and as the spell that makes them human threatens to expire, she begins to question if he could be more. It’s hard to fall in love when you’re running for your life, though. With every crow in the city watching for them, Anouk and her fellow beasties need to concentrate if they hope to survive.

With fairy tales inspiring their different modes of escape, and the marked differences between the Haute nobility and the punk Goblins, GRIM LOVELIES is charming, beautiful and seems to flutter between the exquisite and the horrific. There are many mysteries and so many twists, but none of them ever felt extenuous.