Plot: 5/10
In a world where tensions between humans and fae are high, Clover Grimaldi is hated for her half-fae heritage. She would leave her service to the cruel Dr. Van Doren if she could, but her mother never recovered from the death of her father, and she could never leave Grant, Van Doren's son and the boy she's in love with. However, when Grant dies in a freak accident, Clover will do anything to get him back.

The plot was pretty interesting, enough to keep me reading the book. However, I feel like some subplots were needed. Clover's search for Grant is all well and good, but at the pace it moved, there needed to be something else to keep the pace. There are hints of that; people are disappearing from a nearby village, a Dark Fae is trying to entice Clover into a deal, but none of it really comes to fruition at any point. These other issues provide obstacles (i.e. the townspeople being much more hostile to Clover), but they don't really feel fully cooked. In fact, the Dark Fae issue isn't resolved at all.

I will say, there is a pretty good plot twist at the end. It made sense looking back, and there were some hints. It also provided a good way to wrap up most things, though it did, unfortunately, leave some questions about that Dark Fae.

As for the worldbuilding, there was so much left unanswered. Some of it outright contradicted other information. For example, it is established that if a fae is killed the earth around that area withers and dies. Yet the Justice Riders seem to have no qualms about just killing fae left and right? Wouldn't they be concerned about killing a fae in the middle of a prosperous town? There's a lot of stuff brought up, such as the capital where fae are accepted, that never gets more than the throwaway sentence despite deserving some more context. This book is short, only 280 pages, so there's definitely room for more worldbuilding, and it would add a lot to the story.

Characters: 6/10
The characters themselves were alright. Clover, Grant, and Knox were relatively easy to root for, and I did want Clover to find Grant. However, all the characters are flat. No one really goes through any sort of development, even Clover, our main character. At the beginning of the book, she wants to get rid of Van Doren, take care of her mother, and be with Grant. Guess what she wants at the end of the book? The circumstances have changed, but the characters have not.

The whole premise of the book is that Clover and Grant are in love, and yet we never really see it. They get a couple of scenes at the beginning, when they're already in a relationship, then Grant dies. The only interactions between them from then on are Clover's hallucinations. Oddly, despite them both being in love with other people, Clover and Knox had the best chemistry.

The motivations of the characters also fluctuate and twist to fit Clover's needs all the time. Knox is a hundred percent on board to help her, despite having met her a day ago. Angela and some of the other townspeople all of a sudden are helping or at least caring for her despite being completely indifferent for most of Clover's life. Why the sudden change? Then there's Cypress, the Dark Fae, whose half-baked motivations are revealed at the end but not entirely because he only gives Clover a vague answer that could potentially raise more questions. Also, Van Doren, despite being a scary antagonist, has completely indecipherable motivations. I just wish there was more context as to what drives these characters.

Writing Style: 4/10
I'm kind of split on the writing style. On one hand, there were certain lines that really impressed me. On the other, there were certain lines that were so confusing to read. Also, I just wish there were more descriptions of, well, everything. I'm still not entirely confident about what the characters look like. The only things I can properly visualize are the Van Doren estate and maybe Cypress.

The pacing was alright, but for a 280 page fantasy novel, it's not surprising it felt rushed at some points. Those are places where some worldbuilding details or extra description would come in handy. There were just some places that needed to slow down and bring in some detail.

Overall: 5/10 (2.5 stars rounded to 3)
This isn't a bad book, but there are definitely things I didn't like about it. I wish there was just more to the plot and that the characters got more development. It could do with some more rigorous editing as well. There weren't any misspellings or grammar mistakes, but there were parts that were just phrased weirdly. In all, this was an interesting concept with mediocre execution.

other than the vibes and the atmosphere not much did it for me the romance felt stale and i felt bored reading

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for allowing me the opportunity to read and review this novel. I am rating this book based the stars due to lack of time to leave a full review.

Super fun fantasy/detective premise. My problem with fantasy books is how long it takes for the world building to make sense, but once you get past that, this was a great book!

3 First, thank you to NetGalley and the publishers at Mailekai Creates LLC for the E-ARC of The Grim and The Grave by Sami Eastwood. The below is my honest opinion.

This is a unique cross between a fae fantasy and a mystery set in a human dominated world where the fae are despised.

Clover, a half-fae and her human mother, Torryn, work as servants to the cruel and ruthless Dr. Van Doren. Dr. Van Doren is an abusive man who regularly beats Clover, but obeying the doctor is the only thing keeping her and her mother safe. Clover and Grant, the doctor's only son, have a secret: they're in love. They cannot let the Dr. find out as their relationship is highly forbidden. Things begin to pick up when Grant mysteriously falls to his death. Clover suspects foul play and sets out to find the truth behind Grant's death.

Clover has to be careful about her sleuthing as there are enemies in town who want her dead and Justice Riders who are seeking the Fae who are suspects in the disappearing townspeople. Clover must put her trust in an old Fae friend and a new human boy to get Grant back.

Will Clover find Grant before its too late? What is Dr. Van Doren hiding? Will Torryn be saved? Will we get a happily ever after?

Please note triggers: the main character is physically abused and has to take care of her mother who is mentally unstable.

I do like to read about the fae, the author incorporated both dark and light fae. I enjoyed how she wrote about them, it was intriguing and certain parts of the story hit you in the feels. I wonder if this was a one book story or if this is going to be a series. Clover , A half fae half human has fallen in love with her "employers" son Grant. Something happens to Grant, and the cousin comes into the story, named Warren but goes by the name Knox who happens to be a writer.
I have received this ARC for a fair and honest review.

I absolutely adore any stories with fae and therefore The Grim and the Grave by Sami Eastwood intrigued me.

The story is set in the human world and they hate fae. Our protagonist Clover is half-fae and tries to hide that and she and her mother work for Doctor Van Doren. The doctor is kind of the villain in this book and I didn’t like him at all. Clover is brave and seems like a good person, but sadly you only get to know her rather superficially.

Doctor Van Doren also has a son called Grant and he and Clover love each other in secret. You only get to see glimpses of their love and affection and that couldn’t really convince me of their relationship. But when something happens to Grant the story takes a more suspenseful turn and it was interesting to follow along the mystery and the plot was solid.

Overall, I liked the concept of a fae mystery story, but couldn’t really connect with it or the characters. 3 stars.

(ARC kindly provided in exchange for a review.)

welll, i really wanted to enjoy this book. but alas, i did not. it just didn't do it for me and i wish i would have loved it. thank you so much to netgalley for letting me read this one early!! i am always grateful!!!

I'm afraid I couldn't get stuck into this book like I'd hoped. I really liked the premise, but the writing style frustrated me, and I just didn't feel the relationships were genuine, the audience is told they MCs are in love, but it's not shown and I found that hard to get past.

ARC provided by Netgalley.

I really wanted to like this more, the premise sounded really interesting but unfortunately I was overall a bit disappointed. The writing was a bit trivial and repetitive, and I find the author had a habit of telling us how the main character was feeling as opposed to describing it, making it harder to connect to her, as well as how passive she is for most. of the book, having to take the abuse she receives or relying on someone else to save her.

The main issue I have concerns the fae themselves, noted to be dark skinned and described as animalistic. I find it uncomfortable that, possibly unintentionally, the fae have been coded as people of colour, including our half-fae protagonist, who lives as a slave abused by the humans around her. Even some of her internal monologue can feel uncomfortable in light of this, a passage where she refers to herself as "the half-breed" being particularly jarring. This may not have been intentional, however given the only mention of skin tone comes when referring to the fae (a character who who illusioned themself to look human even notably changes from being pale to dark skinned upon breaking the illusion) and a town full of (white) humans abusing the (mixed) half fae takes on a much darker tone I think could have been handled better.

For positives, I did enjoy the plot when it progressed, particularly towards the end, and the surprise reveals were interesting, however I wish the mystery element had more to offer.

This is something that I definitely would have eaten up as a teenager. It is fast paced and very easy to read. As an adult I do want a bit more detail, description, etc, but this would be great for a younger audience or for people that aren’t looking for deep fantasy. I really did like the original story and how easy of a read it was though.

First, I want to thank Netgalley for gifting me a copy in exchange for an honest review.

I absolutely loved this book. I started reading it and finished it in one sitting.

The characters themselves did not have a huge amount of depth but they were entertaining and likeable. The story was interesting, very fast paced and kept me reading.

I will say that (spoilers) I like the fact that she stays with Grant. I was worried when Knox got there that it would end up being a love triangle kind of book and was very pleasantly surprised to find that it was not.

I also like that she had several good interactions with humans in the book. It shows promise for a decent future for all the characters.

The Grim and The Grave was a fun read. Fast paced. Female fae MC. Male human love interest, which is new and different. A good fast read!

A unique book filled with magical creatures, this is the story of Clover, a fae, going about an a fae-hating town. Her fiancé gets missing, and it’s left to her to find him. She will do everything to find him and she won’t stop until she gets him back.

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.

The mystery! The Fae lore! The FAE!! I love this book, its great! It a great read and a fantastic story! I just wish I was able to see more character development and connect more with the characters as they grew on this mystery journey through a wood that came alive! Overall I still really loved this book! Highly recommend to lovers of FAE and fantasy!

Thank you to NetGalley and Mailekai Creates LLC for access to this ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Thank you to the publishers and netgalley for granting me an arc!

I loved this.

Clover is half-fae and living in servitude to Doctor Van Doren. Alongside her is her mother, Torryn, though her mind is all but gone. Van Doren treats them both poorly and on top of that, Clover has to face prejudice from the small village they live near as well as the villagers look down on Clover for being half-fae. The only reason she doesn't hate humanity is the doctor's son, Grant, who she loves and loves her in return.

Everything is perfect, the two hatch a plan to escape and marry, taking Clover's mother with them, but then the unthinkable happens and Grant dies. The doctor sends for his nephew, Knox, to replace Grant but Clover won't have it. She refuses to believe that Grant is dead and with the help of Knox and her fae friend, Soleil, she will prove it and bring back the boy she loves, even if it kills her.

TW: Abuse

In a world of human and fae, we meet Clover who comes from both worlds. Clover and her mother are slaves to Master Van Doren, who is quick to strike them whenever possible. Clover and the Master's son, Grant, are in love, but when the circumstances surrounding Grant's death are suspicious- she decides to investigate, enlisting help from the Master's nephew, Knox and her fae friend, Soleil. Will the love Clover has for Grant win out in the end? Read to find out!

I honestly wish we had more time with character development because this novel drives through the storyline and is very straightforward and to the point. I would have love to have gotten to know Clover, Grant, Soleil, and Knox more. All in all, it was a very solid read.

Thank you to NetGalley for the ARC!

Unique combination of fae story and muder mystery where the humans are the villians.

Likeable characters, and interesting plot. But doesn't quite live up to its potential. Still an enjoyable read if you ignore the plot holes.

This dark fae story was enchanting! It was fast paced and filled with mystery. I would have enjoyed more romance in it but I overall enjoyed the entire story! I look forward to reading more by this author.

Whoa! What a ride. It was very fast-paced. The writing style kept me hooked and I didn't find myself losing any interest. I enjoyed getting to know each of the characters and how real the story felt. The author did a great job painting the setting, so it was easy for me to visualize the scene played out before me. I recommend giving this one a chance!