Grimm retellings have a ridiculous chokehold on me, so obviously this one gets an automatic 4-star ⭐ review.

Spoiler-Free -- You get so many different characters from the classic stories, but they are dismantled and reassembled in such a way that newer fans will eat them up. In the beginning things don't seem to catch, but once the pieces start to fall into place and click together it is smooth sailing and fast paced. (Or at least it was for me)

Each section follows a different character/story, set up in the same town, but it is not a full novel as I had originally thought.

Greymist Fair is a mysterious place that is unreachable to some. The road to it goes through a dangerous and magical forest, a place that most of the villagers won’t step foot in. But when a body is discovered just outside the village on the road, and berries are ripe well out of their natural season, the villagers can sense change is in the air. And it may be the sort of change that destroys everything they’ve ever known.

Based on some lesser-known Grimm’s fairytales, this book is set up in a way that was unique to me. There are eight sections in the book that are each made up of a series of chapters. These sections are usually nonlinear in relation to each other and generally focus on a different character than the preceding section. Often the sections provide background or context for something from an earlier section. I absolutely loved how this was set up, and how well the author used this. Every time I encountered something and thought it wasn’t explained well or seemed like a non sequitur, I was delighted to stumble across the answer in the next section.

The writing was also quite atmospheric and set the scene wonderfully. I felt completely immersed while I read this, and there were several spooky instances that were excellently written. I would have loved if some of this attention to detail went more into the characters, though. While they were written well enough, it was a little difficult to really connect with them – they felt more like archetypes than real people. This led to a bit of a disconnect with them and their stories.

This was a compelling and engaging read overall, and I think I might have to revisit it again during the winter. My thanks to NetGalley and HarperCollins Publishing for allowing me to read this work. All thoughts and opinions expressed in this review are my own.

Loved it! I was engaged with the story the entire time. I liked the pacing and the flow of the story and the characters were well written. I will read more from this author.

Whimsical horror! This had a great amount of both playing into different fairytale retellings. Nothing super heavy, a collection of short stories, and enjoyable writing.

This was a grim but heartfelt fairy tale. Heike lost her mother to the woods and is not wholly welcomed in her village, Greymist Fair. But she has her friends and those she trusts. However, fear is cloaking the village after multiple murders occur - Heike and her friend Wenzel must do everything they can to solve the mystery and bring peace and safety back to their village.

Brimming with magic and written in a style that would have done the Brothers Grimm proud, Greymist Fair is a lovely read. Despite its grisly overtones, it is a heartwarming story about how it takes a village.

Interesting YA horror. I enjoyed the fairy tale tie ins. At first it was hard to keep all of the characters straight, but it was a satisfying ending.

Engaging, quick tale of magic,death and love. A fairly standard fairytale feel…heavy with atmosphere. Solid writing….just nothing exceptionally unique here.

DNF @ 27%

I don't necessarily think this book is bad, but it was not interesting enough for me to keep going after the first two stories.

This is supposed to be a set of stories based on Grimms Fairytales with an intertwining plot, but after two stories I could not tell you what the intertwining plot is supposed to be.

The Greymist Fair offers a refreshing take on storytelling. This book was split into several stories with many diverse and interesting characters. This story was fast-paced and never felt dull or off beat. I was especially in awe over the imagery used as well as the way the author perfectly balanced out different perspectives and kept us guessing the entire time!

Greymist Fair by Francesca Zappia is a YA fantasy novel that is structured like a collection of fairy tales. Each story has its own protagonist, but the plots are interrelated and together provide a picture of the village of Greymist Fair. Some readers might find the structure or shifts in perspective confusing, but I really enjoyed this aspect of the novel. While a more traditional structure might have allowed readers to spend more time with their favorite characters (mine is definitely Heike), the vignettes overall give readers more insight into a broader cast of characters. I recommend this book for readers who enjoy fairy tale retellings and short story collections.

The town of Greymist Fair is surrounded by a dark and magical wood, kept safe by a deal with the witch. That is until a body is found just outside the town, and danger comes knocking. If you like stories that have a great cast of characters, buried secrets, a little magic, and a cute side romance then I definitely recommend you pick up this book! I love the creepy woods setting, a little bit of witchcraft, and the depiction of Death as a character in a story. This book wove all these elements together so well, and they kept the plot moving and a swift pace. This is definitely a quick, easy and entertaining read!

I received an ARC copy of the book in exchange for an honest review.


Greymist Fair is a retelling of Grimm's Fairy Tales. All the stories connect to each other and come together in the end. It is an interesting story with interesting characters. If you like spooky fairy tales, you will like this book.

This is the first book I've read by the author and looks forward to reading more books by her.

I read my first book by Francesca Zappia last year. Marines on YouTube talked about her experience reading KATZENJAMMER, and I was totally intrigued, so when I got a chance to read it, I went for it. (Review coming soon.)

While KATZENJAMMER is a strange story, I found the characters very compelling. I also thought the author did a great job telling a weird/unusual story, so when I saw GREYMIST FAIR, I was excited to try it.

And guess what? I loved it! It’s definitely less strange than KATZENJAMMER, but the storytelling is still what I’d call nontraditional? The book is broken down into parts which are usually 5-6 chapters or so. Each part gives us an up-close point of view of a single character connected to the village of Greymist Fair.

Each of those stories was pretty compelling on its own. One reveals a serial killer. Another tells of a wish gone horribly wrong. Each part is like a puzzle piece, adding to an overall image of what happened to create the danger in the forest that surrounds Greymist Fair and makes it no longer safe to travel even on the road in and out.

I think readers who enjoyed the GILDED duology by Marissa Meyer (reviews coming soon) or dark fairytales like HEARTLESS will love GREYMIST FAIR.

Note: I received a free copy of this book in exchange for my honest review. All opinions my own.

This was such a fun read! Greymist Fair is a collection of short stories that all intertwine and build on each other.

Each story almost felt like a chapter of a larger novel because there were pieces that carried over from previous stories and also hinted at ones to come. I especially loved this nonlinear way of telling the story; I literally had an "aha" moment toward the end because I could look back at an earlier scene with new understanding.

Zappia excels at characterization; even though you're not in the head of each character and the writing style keeps us at a distance, I still felt like I had a good idea of everyone's defining traits. The heartbreaks felt real.

Thank you to NetGalley and HarperCollins Children's Books, Greenwillow Books for the free copy in exchange for an honest review!

Thank you to NetGalley for the ARC!

Such a fun retelling of the Grimms Fairytales. This story is told in multiple POVs that add to the main storyline. While I appreciate that writing it this way held truer to the original Grimm Fairytale style of storytelling, I was a little thrown off initially. Each character has about 5 chapters to tell their side of the story which I ended up really liking but for those first couple characters I was sad to start all over again with something new.

I'd call these a soft fairytale, not near as gruesome as I was expecting but I really like how the story all came together in the end.

Thanks to the publisher and NetGalley for letting me read this book!

This was an eerie fairytale that slowly revealed it’s dark side and it’s lighter side. The book is broken into several different stories each about a different character(s) and covering a different period of time but overlapping in the end. Where one ends, another may start, end, or be in the middle of.

I liked the slow reveals and many mysteries within the overarching story (once I realized how they were connected to each other). I also enjoyed how the characters learned from their own stories and became stronger by the end of the book.

This felt like an epic journey despite only taking place in a small town, hidden in the forest (except for that one part of the prince’s story).

An easy read, perfect for middle school age with a gorgeous cover, and once inside you are thrown into twist after plot twist. I loved the "Nightmare Before Christmas" feel to it and is one the best supernatural ish enchanting and atmospheric reads ever.

I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.

3/4 of the book had me. Then I didn’t really care, then I was a little bit invested, and the end was…hokey.

I loved this fresh take on dark twisted fairy tales. Zappa does a wonderful job creating a moody, spooky, atmospheric setting. She’s detailed without being overly descriptive. I was genuinely invested in the characters. I loved the set up of the different stories weaving together. I just lost interest with Wendzel’s part. And he had to come at the end. I understand. But it fell flat for me. Heike’s story, her mother, Doctor Death all kept me enthralled. I quite frankly was in love with the Luther and Hilda and their story. It was delightful and a little dark. It was a fast paced read that I know any students who are into dark fairytales/dark cottage core would love to read.

Star Rating: —> 4 Stars

Can I just say I freaking love Zappos’s brand of… well, I’d call it whimsical horror?! I mean more or less, that’s what fairytales are, right?! I’ve renamed the genre! Haha ;-)

Anyway; this book had just the right amount of spook, of creep, of whimsy, of so perfectly interwoven fairytale retellings… all in all this was a success for me! It could’ve accomplished just a smidgen more, or certain characters could’ve had better endings… no, outros is a better word, I think! Lol. But Francesca Zappia did just a great job interweaving these fairytales & making them so much more appealing/ interesting for newer generations, yet still keeping that old fashioned fairytale feel! I really liked this one, A LOT!

I love most of Zappos’s works and this is definitely in the liked it/ loved it category!

A huge thank you to Netgalley & the publisher for an e-arc in exchange for an honest review!

A solid 3.5 for the use of grim fairy tales in a new way. This brings a couple of lesser-known tales together in a story where they all connect together. The ending is a bit happier for a grim tale but differently solid. The characters are a bit lackluster in writing but tolerable, and the writing is more juvenile than one may expect. It did not make me want to rush to know what happens next but a quick read all the same. Possibly spooky for younger audiences, but an older reader will be entertained but not think it is the next great novel.