This book follows Clover, a half-fae who is both hated by the town of Veritas, and the doctor she works for— Dr. Ban Doren. The town believes fae to be evil beings who do harm to people— especially children. Dr. Van Doren has mutual feelings regarding fae, and is physically abusive towards both Clover, and her mom. The only reason he tolerates them is he needs servants to help care for his patients.

Despite the hostile living conditions, there is kindness in Clover’s life— her love interest Grant… who happens to be Dr. Van Doren’s only son. Grant and Clover are biding their time until they can flee and get married, but the untimely (and suspicious) death of Grant throws a sudden wrench into Clover’s plans.

Clover, is determined to solve what happened to Grant, and is convinced that he is alive— and that Dr. Van Doren found out their plans and hid his son away to protect him from Clover. Additional disappearances of townsfolk has everyone on edge, and Justice Riders are brought in to hunt down, capture, and torture fae. Clover must decipher between friend and foe, and use all her wits and abilities to not only find Grant in time, but also stay alive long enough to do so— all while trying to protect and care for her mothers continuously failing health.

Though I felt this book started off a little slow, I enjoyed both the plot and storyline. The characters were well written, and the author has the ability to make you empathize with (or despise) certain characters. The town of Veritas definitely gives off old-time Salem witch-hunting vibes. I liked that this book offered resolution, but I could also see how they could easily create a sequel to this.

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️/5

I wasn't truly interested in Clover's story. Sometimes it felt like a basic work of fanfiction and like a cliché.

I wanted to dive deeply into this book, but admittedly it fell short of my hopes. This ended up being a did not finish novel for me.

A DNF I’m afraid, I wasn’t vibing with the writing style and the way it was more telling than showing, not to mention kind of repetitive in places.

This was a good story.... the characters were the kind that made you root for them the whole way through, despite the twists and turns the author throws at you. Overall it was a good book to kill an afternoon with. I will certainly be keeping an eye on the author for new stories!

I really wanted to like this one but it just did not feel right to me. Especially the bit about the fae are said to be dark skinned and animalistic.

The Grim and The Grave by Sami Eastwood was a book that I should have enjoyed, given the fae, starcrossed lovers, magic, and intrigue but I found myself pretty bored instead. Clover was a character that didn't seem very deep and her love of Grant was strange and didn't feel authentic. It was so so for me.

I really enjoyed this one. I’m giving it a high 4⭐️!
I was drawn to this beautiful cover and I could see everything clearly as it jumped off the page. It has Fae and human characters with a strong fear created by ignorance and prejudice.
It was a sci-fi, fantasy that had mystery and a clean romance. I love Clover and Grant and most of the side characters. If you love sci-fi fantasy with a romance then I highly recommend it.
Thanks Mailekai Creates LLC via NetGalley.

When her love is taken from her, Clover will do anything to get him back...
The Grim and the Grave is a somewhat difficult book to read, due to the high content of physical and mental abuse and discrimination to which the protagonist, Clover, is subjected by the people of the town of Veritas and by her master, Dr. Van Doren, and all for the simple fact of being different: Clover is half fae, half human.
However, and without wishing to be cheesy, in the end good prevails. Clover is a strong young woman and despite the subhuman way she is treated, she finds love and friendship within the house of her tormentor, in Grant and Knox, and does not allow herself to be dragged into the darkness.
A story that offers hope and reminds us that despite the circumstances, we can and must be better people.
Highly recommended for readers with a strong personality and an adult mindset.
I thank the author, publishers, and NetGalley for the opportunity to read this book, and declare that the opinion I have expressed above is based solely on what I think of this book.

Though this is a mid-September release, I can very well see The Grim and the Grave being a perfect spooky-ish read of sorts.
As per, I’m really glad I powered through when I wanted to DNF it after a while, the whole concept of an established relationship and the way Clover was treated (against every fae book I’ve read) just didn’t sit that well with me. I did change my mind, so much that I even gave the book four stars.
The Grim and the Grave tells the story of Clover Grimaldi, a half-fae girl enslaved by a doctor and loathed by everyone in the village of Veritas, and her quest to find her one true love, who everyone believes dead.
Now, in the first half of the story, I’d say the plot drags out a bit, hence why I wanted to stop reading, but since my mantra is to power through books because you never know what awaits you, that’s what I did and I was pleasantly surprised. There are several plot twists I didn’t see coming, something that I love most of the time.
Now, the characters aren’t extremely elaborated; perhaps Clover is the one you have more insight on. As I mentioned above, she was treated like an abomination and hit so many times I honestly thought why didn’t she fight back earlier. There is a bit of an explanation for this, however, it doesn’t fully satisfy me. I did like her endurance and her love for her mother, despite everything.
Another character I loved was Knox, who’s not Clover’s love interest. He’s the other character you get to know more than all the others, and one of the most interesting. I wish all the other characters had been better introduced, especially Grant.
Nonetheless, I really enjoyed this book, and it’s indeed perfect for an excellent cozy read for spooky season!

Unfortunately, this book wasn't my favorite to read.

It felt like the readers were expected to insta-love the characters, and unfortunately I didn't so when the MMC "died" I didn't really care about him, or how it affected his fiancé. Then, the fiancé knows that he didn't actually die, he was being hidden, but we don't really get a clear understanding of how or why she thinks that, we are just expected to believe it as the truth. Certain characters seemed to pop up out of nowhere with no explanation of who they are or how the MC knows them, and it had me feel like I was missing pages, and because of that I didn't get the best understanding of what was going on.

Overall, a cute premise of a mystery set in a fae/fantasy world, but I think it would have benefitted from extra length to beef up the story a little bit, so it was easier to understand and get invested in.

Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Set in a human-dominated world, this book follows the journey of Clover, a fae, as she navigates an abusive household and a fae-hating town.
Her love, Grant, goes missing and it's up to Clover to find him. Together with a new friend and an old companion, Clover learns more about her powers and the fae-world. A quick, fun read.

*Special thanks to NetGalley and Mailekai Creates LLC for this e-arc.*

I read this book in nearly one sitting. It reads quickly but I found myself turning the [kindle] pages at about 50% to keep going until the end. Quite the ride to say the least.

Clover Grimaldi is shunned in the town of Veritas as she is half-fae. The town is surrounded by cold iron bars, which are known to cause severe burns to fae. Clover is forced to go into town by her Master, Dr. Van Doren, for supplies and risks her life in doing so. She finds solace at home in the Master's son, Grant, who is apprenticed to his father to become a physician and in secret is also Clover's betrothed. Clover's mother, having lost her husband - who is full fae - is suffering the effects of Unbreaking, when losing your one true love causes deterioration, including mental issues. When her mother lets it slip to the master about a wedding between the two, Grant mysteriously "dies." Clover is sure this is a ruse and is determined to find her true love and get away from Van Doren. However, there is more than meets the eye about the good doctor and his deep secrets.

This is the classic fantasy battle between good and evil, though who is good and who is evil skirt a fine line in both directions. I had to know what was to become of Clover and if she could ever find Grant and live happily ever after, or did the story live up to the title that it is truly Grim and Grave. Find out!

Not going to lie the title The Grim and The Grave got me requesting for review. That being said the story is very flat and the characters lack the background that will help readers understand why they act or react the way they do. The author descriptions are lacking to help readers see the world the author is trying to create. The author uses the first half of the book talking about the Fae lore and the conflict with the different races. The author could have incorporated the Fae lore into the mystery story instead of hitting you right away slowing down the story that might loss readers right away. There is some racism underline with the author way of describing the Fae as well as human.

For those who love Fae Lore this might be your story but for the paranormal readers you might want to skip The Grim and The Grave.

Thank you to Netgalley for an advance copy of Sami Eastwood The Grim and The Grave.

This was a quick, easy, and fun read! I have been reading a lot of horror lately and this was a nice and needed change. I would describe this as a dark fantasy / mystery. I enjoyed the characters and pacing of this story. The storyline kept me completely engaged and the twist was well done. I believe that this is a standalone, but I feel the author did a great job leaving room for a follow up.

Thank you to NetGalley and Mailekai Creates LLC for this ARC.

2.5 stars

I liked the premise of this book a lot. It is unique and has a lot of interesting elements. I really enjoyed the mystery and the descriptions of the forest were great. But it fell short for me overall.

I struggled with the writing. At times it felt repetitive and slow. And other times, things which seemed important, were kind of glossed over, making it feel rushed. I really wish some of the details were explored more. There were a lot of unanswered questions. I wanted to know more about The Grey and the magic system in this world.

The genre is also a bit confusing to me. It reads like a young adult book, but there is a lot of abuse and some dark and graphic elements that feel out of place in YA. And I took issue with the way the Fae were described and treated. In a seemingly white community of humans, the Fae were dark skinned and often referred to as creatures or animalistic. They weren’t allowed in the city limits, and the main character, a “half-breed” was kept as an unpaid ”servant”.

The Grim and The Grave is a very dark fantasy novel. Our main character Clover is a half-fae girl who is owned by the town doctor. She and her mom are viciously physically abused by this man, and this definitely sets the tone to the story early on. The plot centers around mysterious disappearances across town, and Clover finds herself wrapped up in a mystery that only she cares to solve. Over the course of the story, Clover learns a lot about herself and her fae heritage.

This story also has a lot of violent prejudice that is central to the plot. Between that and the brutality of the physical abuse, this story has many layers. While it is extremely emotional and sometimes difficult to read, it also was very impactful to the story and plot and added a lot to it.

Ratings 3 stars

*I received an ARC from NetGalley for my voluntary and honest review.

Clover Grimaldi is a half-fae in a world that fears and despises the fae. Her entire life has been in service to the cruel Dr. Van Doren in order to keep her mother and herself safe. The only thing that keeps her going is Dr. Van Doren’s son Grant. They are in love and despite the fact that he will be outcast, Grant wants to marry Clover. Then one day while she is in town, Grant mysteriously falls to his death. But Clover doesn't believe that's what happened and will risk everything to discover the truth and get Grant back.

This read as a mystery book intertwined with fae lore. Although I did kinda guess what was going on early on, there was one twist I didn't see coming. The story was quick paced and it was an easy read. I was under the impression that this was a stand-alone but there was a story setup in the book that could easily set up a sequel. All in all I did enjoy the book as I do prefer HEA. Just a warning however, Clover does suffer physical abuse from the Doctor. So if that's not for you, you might wanna pass.

This was a fast-paced and fun read. I enjoyed it and recommend it to whoever enjoys a fae story combined with a detective aspect.

Half-fae/half-human Clover Grimaldi lives and works with Dr. Van Doren. She and the doctor's son, Grant, have fallen in love when Grant apparently is found dead and buried with haste. Clover seeks the truth and uses her few allies to help her.

I couldn't get into this and struggled to keep reading and only made it just over halfway through the book. While the premise is interesting, the way it plays out didn't work for me and it became a chore to keep reading. I didn't feel very much part of the story and didn't feel invested in the characters. I never got a real feeling of whatever love there was between Clover and Grant and there was no spark to interest me in finding out more. The world-building wasn't great or bad and I had a notion of the world where she is feared and unliked.

Overall, I will give this two stars. I would like to thank Netgalley and Mailekai Creates for giving me an advanced reader copy. This review was written voluntarily.