What originally drew me to this book was it being based on lesser-known Grimms' Fairy Tales and the fact that each of these tales would come together. I was interested to see how the author dealt with each tale in its own right and how she brought them together. I enjoyed each section of the book and the characters that went with them. As you go along, you can see how each story connects to the others, with small details being revealed along the way. These details are enough to be intriguing without spoiling the book as a whole and keep you wanting more.

What actually made me love this book was the final message about death. The way it is brought up and explained is easy enough for a younger audience to understand, but well-written to appeal to adults. And it's a message that I think more people need to hear and understand. Death is inescapable; it is something we must all live with and deal with. None of us want to confront our mortality, or the mortality of those we love, but by denying its existence we do ourselves a disfavor. By learning to understand, accept, and prepare for death, we are better equipped for when it actually happens. By teaching children from a young age about the concepts of life and death, they can grow up with a better understanding of it and can deal with it easier. And while I think this book is a great starting point or accompaniment for those conversations with kids, I think it is one that is also written to be enjoyed by adults.

I really enjoyed this book of interwoven tales centered around the mysteries of Greymist Fair. Each chapter is a different POV, with varying timelines, not always in chronological order. I thought it was fun and interesting. It’s reminiscent of Grimm’s fairy tales.

I would purchase this one for the cover alone. It’s a book you might want to read more than once in case you miss something on the first go round.

I received a complimentary copy of this book. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.
Thank you to NetGalley and HarperCollins Children's Books, Greenwillow Books for this ARC.

This book was definitely different from what I’d expected, but I really enjoyed it! All the different tales were woven together masterfully and the picture they painted in my mind was beautifully dark!

I was not sure about this book and how it would go. I am so glad that I read it! I love how the stories are from different perspectives of the neighbors in the village and how the characters developed. I highly enjoyed reading about the secrets of Greymist Fair and some of those secrets were shocking. The Wargs were definitely creepy to read about and how Wargs are created. The magic system used was creative and it was interesting to see how different neighbors would use the magic in different ways. Definitely a good book to read around Halloween and I would absolutely recommend this book to everyone.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the opportunity to read and review an advanced readers copy of this novel. There were multiple POVs in this novel and lots of stories that made it feel confusing at times.

Thank you NetGalley and HarperCollins for allowing me to review this book.

Greymist Fair is more like interwoven stories that connect the past and present of the book. Each chapter is its own story that effects the rest of the chapters. Secrets from the past and secrets in the present converge as the story progresses.

Much of the story revolves around Heike, the daughter of the tailor that lives behind the inn. It’s around her and her mother that much of the book revolves either directly or indirectly.

It was a little jarring with the transitions between the past and the present with the different focus on different characters. It’s a mix of genres. Murder mystery, love story, family tragedy, redemption story and others.

Thank you again NetGalley and HarperCollins.

Zappia was inspired by the original, much bloodier version of Grimm’s fairy tales while writing Greymist Fair. With witches, Death, blood thirstly wargs, deadly woods, cannibalism, and many more darker themes, this story told in parts has them all.

I honestly had started this book awhile back and when I picked it back up after the first story I suddenly could not put it down. I was absolutely transfixed. Not only did this feed my inner child, but it also fed my horror-loving adult side. The stories were both dark and emotional, somewhat humorous at times but so very human. Like most of Grimm’s fairy tales, not all of them had a happy ending but every single one played on the others, building an absolutely enchanting overall story with well-rounded characters and a delicious atmosphere. If I can find a special edition copy of this I would be remiss not to add it to my library in much the same way you would be remiss not to add this to your TBR if you have at all found the above intriguing. And perhaps it was because of the many smaller stories that made this world feel so rich. We got to know the backgrounds in a deep way; the lore was laid out for us in a detailed way and the history of Greymist Fair had such gravity it almost felt real (which is a part of the story that cannot be ignored).

I highly recommend this book to you. Thank you so much to Netgalley, Francesca Zappia, and Harper Collins for the advanced copy in exchange for this review.
(blog review to be posted 3/16/23)

[ARC REVIEW]
I still don’t know how I feel about this book.
There are MULTIPLE POV through the entire story.
I almost got lost a couple times.
It was a good story, when everything came together at the end it made a lot more sense as a whole.

Before I get into the review, I want to say a quick thank you to NetGalley and the publishers over at Greenwillow Books for allowing me access to the ARC in exchange for an honest review. Greymist Fair grabbed me by the throat when I first read the synopsis and did not let go for a single second since. “The people of Greymist Fair know that the woods are dangerous and magical and that they should never set foot off the road. But when a young tailor discovers a body on the road, her search for the culprit reveals even more strange and dark happenings around her town. Greymist Fair is a murder mystery based on the lesser-known fairytales of the Brothers Grimm.” This book comes out on March 28th and is available for preorder now.

Let’s just get the first thing out of the way now: This cover? It’s stunning. When I opened the ARC and the first page on my iPad was just thing absolutely gorgeous and breathtaking piece of art? Ugh. I wish I had this physically right this second. And what’s great is that there are little pieces of the author’s art at the beginning of every new story. Amazing. And, yes, there are separate stories throughout, but it has the overarching plot of the murder mystery and the setting is always centered around this town. It’s also something that really speaks to this author’s craft and adept hand at story telling. The stories don’t take place one right after the other so we’re piecing things together as we go on. As well, there are moments throughout each story that harken back to the previous one. It’s just masterful. I also appreciate that these stories aren’t watered down to make them more like Disney fairytales. These are truly inspired by Grimm fairytales. There’s always something in a story to make it darker and the author isn’t afraid to just go there. Which I loved. I enjoyed the setting and the characters so much. But the thing that gave an extra dimension to these characters is that each story would follow a specific character so we got to see the town and its people with more depth. I don’t know what to say besides it’s a really good book and I think everyone should pick it up.

The reason this wasn’t a solid 5 star rating for me (and I did consider it) is that this story didn’t have a full emotional impact on me. It wasn’t that the story kept me at arms length (which some do), but I didn’t connect with the characters as much as I would have liked. I don’t even know that I blame the story for this really. I think it might have more to do with what I feel emotional about and what I don’t. Overall, I think it’s an amazing book with great characters and such masterful plotting. If you enjoy fairy tales, if you enjoy fantasy, if you enjoy an author not being afraid to go there, this one’s for you.

Reviewed for NetGalley:

A retelling of the lesser known stories of the Brothers Grimm. Multiple stories from different points of view linking together to solve a murder mystery.


While I did not love all the stories, I enjoyer Heike and the overarching narrative.

I received an arc of this book in exchange for an honest review.

I DNFd this book around 32 percent. I really enjoyed the first story following Heike. I was super invested and ready to see what happens. Then it just ended and swapped to the past following a prince.

At this point it started to feel like a collecting of fairy tales the author was spinning her own tale with instead of a novel she created with inspiration from certain fairy tales. I even double checked the summary for the book and it didn’t sound like it was supposed to be short stories to me. Yes they all take place in the same town but each one so far has been from someone else’s POV. Just like a fairy tale would be.

Back to the prince story, I did not really like how it ended? I guess I failed to see how the wish / solution given was the right one. Maybe I failed to see how the prince deserved that ending?

I was just really not enjoying this story and decided it was not for me.

I really enjoyed this book. It's a compilation of lesser-known Grimm's fairy tale retellings all woven together. The story was very clever, the cover is beautiful, and I love how everything wrapped together, even as it wasn't all in chronological order. Because of this, things kept unraveling and I got to connect more and more as the story went on. These were really intriguing characters in a delightfully ominous setting, and I think it was all done so perfectly!

It's been a long time since I've read a YA novel. When I read the synopsis of this, I was very intrigued and excited to read it. I had a great time diving into the imagination of Greymist Fair. The story was really fun and interesting and had me thinking "what the heck is going on" a few times. It was well written and overall, a great book. (Also the cover art is amazing). Thank you to NetGalley and Harper Collings for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

3.5 stars rounded up.

This is a wonderful retelling of some lesser known Grimm fairytales (although Grimm is also so pervasive in American storytelling a lot of it will resemble what you may already be familiar with even if you weren't aware of the origins). The story weaves in and out in the village of Greymist and it's done quite masterfully. How each story flowed into the next, past and present day (story wise) was really well done. Nuggets is wisdom in simple sentences and a reminder that everyone needs to feel a sense of home, friendship in its many forms saves us from the worst of ourselves and that Death is just another part of life.

4/5 stars! I really enjoyed this dark fairytale re-tellings. I hadn't read these lesser-known Grimm Tales so I headed into this blind. I found the stories to be enchanting and creepy in equal measure, which is just how I like it. I also appreciated that there was an underlying thread connecting all of the stories. Very enjoyable.

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

I loved this book. Having read the classic Grims Fairytales when I was growing up, reading this book felt like taking a step back in time for me. The characters where so we’ll put together, and I loved each of their individual stories that eventually tie all together to form this book, and the way the plot was passed on from one of the short stories to another until the end was amazing. The writing style brought the whole book to life, giving it the finishing touch on the spooky mystery in the woods aspect. I loved this book and will be recommending it to a lot of people when it comes out.

I love going into books knowing very little information about them and wow, I'm so glad I did that with this ARC. I love Grimm's fairytales so much and I love how they were incorporated in this. The way every shorter story all came together by the end was fantastic. I loved this world and how atmospheric it felt, this was wonderful!!

first, thank you to netgalley & harper collins for gifting me an eARC for an honest review.

“Two roads lead into a dark forest. They meet at Greymist Fair, the village hidden in the trees, a place kept alive by the families that never leave. The people of Greymist Fair know the woods are a dangerous and magical place, and to set foot off the road is to invite trouble.”

greymist fair is a read of fairytale quality, based on the more secretive brothers grimm tales. through the eyes and lives of the interconnected (and nonlinear) storylines of several villagers, readers will find themselves traveling the very same dark forest paths they’ve been warned about. at the center of the forest is a mystery, one that all paths and storylines will come together to try and solve before it is too late.

zappia has proven herself the talent and owner of a very unique voice, one that fits this type of dreamy, almost hazy, storytelling exceptionally well. it was a pleasure to explore the village of greymist fair, and i think readers who enjoy an atmospheric, slightly chilling read will want to keep their eyes out for this when it releases.

I have been a fan of the author ever since I read Made You Up. Eliza and Monsters wowed me, but Kaztenjammer really solidified Zappia's place on my auto-buy list. Her style and her imagination are so refreshing and unique.

That being said, Greymist Fair is a bit of a 360 from her other books (besides Katzenjammer, which was mind-blowing!) and is written as an anthology that ties together the magic and terror of the woods and its village. The book does bob around timelines but its atmospheric vibes and thoughtful stories will reel you in.

This is the perfect book to curl up on a cold winter night. Thank you Netgalley and the publisher for the e-arc.

4.5 ⭐️ rounded up

Wow this book took me by surprise. I was struggling thru the first quarter but then things started to come together and I was hooked.

This is a series of stories that all some how tie in together. It took me a bit to realize that the story isn't necessarily told in a linear timeline and does bounce back and forth from the past to present, Once I realized this, it worked really well.

These stories are all based on lesser known Grimm Fairy tales with the exception of Hansel and Grettle. I have never read the originals but I'm for sure looking them up next.

My two favorite stories were Wolf Children and Secret of Grey Lake. Wolf children was told so well with a creepy atmosphere. I loved it all around and the ending of it was perfect. The Secret of Grey Lake felt like the perfect fairy tale, with magic and consequences.

This was a unique and beautifully written dark fairy tale story. I would recommend this to readers who enjoy Grim Fairytales or Nettle & Bone. I plan to look up more work from this author.

Many thanks to NetGalley and Harper Collins. My review is voluntarily my own.

I will be posting my review to my instagram the.floofs.booknook and retail sights at/near the time of publishing.