I did not really care for this story... On one hand, I absolutely love fairy-tales and I also love Scooby-Doo. This book seems like the mix of the two, but the result does not meet my expectations at all. Unfortunately it's not a successful mix of sci-fi and fantasy. It's sloppy and I just couldn't be interested in the story or care about our characters.

When a books is presented as a modern horror themed interpretation of Hansel and Gretel, I'm certainly intrigued. I can't say as I was especially impressed with this book though. The details are thin and the characters jump to some pretty big conclusions, taking actions that make very little sense. The plot is haphazard and the characters are underdeveloped.

This was a thoroughly entertaining read out of the Storm Kids publishing house. It was a new take on the classic Hansel and Gretel tale, that makes them the kids in the Grimm family of fairytale legends. This book was both heartfelt and funny. It provided light scares and tons of adventures. I hope this series lives on for a while as I can not wait to read the next installment.
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A middle school comic updating the Hansel and Gretel story. Hansel and Gretel come home to find their parents missing. They discover their parents were monster fighters and the kids take on the family mantle while searching for their parents. While obviously made for children there is some potential here. Renae de Liz's art is very good.

YA comic that has better word building than story execution. The characters are fun if a bit one note, but I love the potential depth the setting has both in terms of the town plagued by monsters and for the monster fighting family, magical tech, and a literal deal with a demon. It's the introduction of that helpful demon that makes the story somewhat interesting and brings some depth to the graphic novel as a whole. The story itself is pretty straightforward and is somewhat herky-jerky due to its episodic origins.

4,7/5
Quality of writing: 4
Plot development: 5
Pace: 5
Characters: 4
Enjoyability: 5
Ease of reading: 5

This was... a lot of fun. Didn't think this would be my cup of tea, because both the art and the story seems to be aimed at a younger audience, but I really enjoyed this.
I love to see Hansel and Gretel kick some ass.

Review copy provided by the publisher and NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

Review to come Feb 12 on blog/goodreads.

I received this book from Netgalley in exchange of an honest review.

So I had to get this book. I just love Grimm stuff. The original but also whatever people make with the Grimm name. Mystery books, books about Grimm kids or family, monster hunting, and more. Sadly though, the book could do with better pacing and not all characters were likeable.

OK, right from the bat, I wasn't a fan of the beginning, I was pretty confused and found myself trying to find pages I couldn't find. Later on, things moved a bit too fast for my liking. I don't know, I feel like things could have been better paced. I mean at one point the kids are combat-training and suddenly their aunt is there? And she knows more? It just felt weird, and so there were other parts as well.

Next up was Hansel. While I liked Gretel from the start... Hansel not so much. He is annoying, frustrating, and sorry to say, dumb. In the span of just 30 pages he does so many dumb things that it surprises me he is even alive. I guess the only way he is still alive is thanks to his smart sister and the green monster they have as their... friend? I guess it is friend as it helps them out. Sorry, but I found it hilarious that Hansel tripped, and Gretel truly thought Hansel was dead. WTF? Who dies from tripping? Later on there are more moments that had me shaking my mind. Lord, Hansel, please just don't do all those things.

I was happy when we got more information on how the monster hunting got started and how the Grimms became true monster hunters! And I definitely loved that we got some information on Grubb. It was great that Zoe took the kids under her wings and told them about things, taught them things now that their parents weren't going to be able to do that. At times I wish she had stayed around because come on, these kids know so little and you let them off doing things.

Sorry, but I was just laughing my butt off when [spoiler] Gretel and Hansel just walked away from the witch, what the hell did you think would happen? That she would just let you go? She is the big bad witch from all fairy tales and especially the one that started our family legacy/curse. Stupid kids. [/spoiler]

I did like how the story, or at least the Candy Creeper saga ended. It sure was exciting and I was definitely rooting for our kids and their aunt. Oh, and Grubbs. I loved how everything was tied together, how everything formed one big puzzle.

At times it was a bit too dialogue heavy for me. Normally not such a big problem, but I am reading this graphic novel on my PC and my eyes are protesting heavily. Haha. Kind of curious how my feelings are if I read this one normally.

The art was definitely my favourite. It was just amazing. The character designs were top notch, and I love the colours that were used.

All in all, I had fun reading this one, though I am not entirely sure if I would continue. Again, Hansel was annoying, there were some pacing issues, and it was a bit too dialogue heavy for me to read on the PC. But, I am also very curious to see how the story will go and what H & G will see next time. Will they find their parents?

Thank you so much to Netgalley for allowing me to read this.
I read this with my one child and we both really really loved this graphic novel.
When we found out it portrayed Goosebumps and Stranger Things this made both of us extremely happy and more eager to read it!
I also loved that it was a Hansel and Gretel retelling.

My son's favorite character would be Hansel. My favorite chracter would be Grubb.

Good, Flippant Fun

So, the Grimm twins, Hansel and Gretel, find out that they are part of a family line of monster hunters. Since Mom and Dad have gone missing they need to find the 'rents while kicking monster butt. Along the way they pick up a sort-of goblin sidekick. Needless to say this isn't novel territory. But done right it is fun territory, which is what you get here.

This isn't adult or YA; it's unabashedly aimed at middle grade readers, and I get that. Every now and then we get some monologuing from a helpful aunt and then a helpful demon, but monologuing that keeps a story on track and high energy is O.K. by me and seems fine for middle grade readers. There's a good balance between action and a calmer and more engaging narrative, so you get an interesting story and some monster bashing.

Since we aren't breaking new genre ground here, the big question becomes how we feel about our two heroes, the Grimm twins. The book starts out a little heavy on the bro/sis insults and snarky conflict. But that never gets too heavy and it fades away quickly enough. I think bro/sis teamwork is more interesting and allows for more interesting dialogue and interaction than does non-stop insults, so I was happy once we got past the setup and started to have adventures. Hansel is the reckless action guy and Gretel is the brainier of the two. I would have liked to see a gender reversal there, but that wasn't going to happen. Happily, the two kids aren't necessarily "types" and they do sometimes switch roles, which keeps the scenes fresh.

I don't see why "likability" matters when it comes to literary fiction, (who likes Heathcliff or Richard III?), but it does seem to matter with middle grade adventure/fantasy fiction. The Grimm twins end up being very likable, and very solid, resourceful, and heroically gung ho, which struck me as a strong plus for the series.

The art is just fine. It doesn't get in the way of the story, it's crisp and clear and colorful, and there's a lot of energy. Pencils, inks, and lettering make the work accessible and readable; it isn't "great art", but it serves the telling of the story very well. And every now and then there is a surprising panel that really very effectively captures the kids' emotions and feelings.

This grew on me as I read it. It seemed a little generic and awfully predictable at first, but the tale picked up speed and appeal as it went along such that I ended up very happy with this volume by the end. I don't know what the corporate "John Carpenter Presents" and "Storm Kids" stuff is, but it didn't seem to get in the way so I'm not going to worry about it. This was a surprisingly fun find.

(Please note that I received a free advance will-self-destruct-in-x-days Adobe Digital copy of this book without a review requirement, or any influence regarding review content should I choose to post a review. Apart from that I have no connection at all to either the author or the publisher of this book.)

I found the sibling relationship accurately portrayed. Loved the graphics. An interesting mystery and all around fun graphic novel.

This book has so much potential. The primary story line is binge-worthy and the art is very American comic book. The unfortunate thing about it, as the first in a hopeful series, is that it's too much; too many sub plots, too fast paced, too I-want-to-tackle-all-angst-issues at once. I think this book would make a FANTASTIC series, but honestly, I got lost reading it even as an avid reader and educator. A lot of my middle-grade students would also do the same, and unfortunately, the amazing graphics are a bit scary for elementary. It's a decent start -- it just needs to be edited into multiple books where each can focus on 1-2 things, not 20 at once.

Review: Fast paced, action packed retelling of Hansel and Gretel. I found the art work to be vibrate and humorous.
Summary:
Hansel and Gretel must encounter Hildaga Vontrix. Due to the fact their parent tragically go missing. They soon find shocking family secrets, that led them to become protectors of Grimms Town.

I would recommend this to fans of paranormal. Stranger things, Goosebumps,

***I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.***.

I received this and as an eARC to read for free in exchange for my honest review. Thank you to NetGalley and Diamond Book Distributors for giving me access.

Storm Kids is the children's version of Supernatural. I don't mean that as in this is for kids, but that imagine Dean and Sam as kids with a twist of childish flare.

We follow Hansel and Gretel to their house where we find their parents missing and they get thrusted into 'the family business' of monster hunting. Sound familiar? Like I said, childish Supernatural. The story line was a little long winded and random. Cut out some of the child bickering and add more plot to the story and this might be a great graphic novel.

We start with Hansel and Gretel coming home to an empty house, worried something mystical and magical has happened. Once they finish their bickering with each other, and yacking, and filling the page up with verbiage, and just about manage to STFU for once, they find they're the latest in a series of monster hunters, and that they (and a peculiar gremlin-type character) might have to inherit the career in order to save their parents. In other words, issue one of this series immediately pegs this down as unoriginal, overly-wordy and with totally unlikeable leads. And things don't exactly get much better – before long I'd really lost any grasp of which age range this was for. Teens and adults will find it pathetically unsatisfying, and younger kids will hate the tacky yacky pages where you can hardly see the art for the script. As for the art, it's highly commendable, especially for a younger audience, and the only thing that could redeem this.

NB – I finally found this was aimed at the middle grade shelf. It missed.

I received an Earc of this graphic novel from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

While the title of this one may be long and unwieldy, the story is anything but. Hansel and Gretel discover the family legacy of monster hunting and keeping the town of Grimm safe from all the creatures that go bump in the night.

This is a fantastic series beginning and I’m honestly surprised that more people aren’t talking about it. The colouring of this graphic novel really needs to be mentioned. The beautiful blue tones set up such a spooky atmosphere reminiscent of original Scooby Doo cartoons.

Seriously, pick this book up if you were thay kid that hung out at all the Scholastic book fairs waiting for the latest Goosebumps fan club pack. Or alternatively get it for that kid in your life that believes in magic, is maybe a little scared of Coraline but loves it all the same. Because this is the book for them (and you!).

4 stars, I can’t wait to continue on with this series.