Wow—how do I even begin to describe how beautiful this book was! I loved Francesca Zappia from the first time I read Eliza and her Monsters. Her writing has this beautiful and solemn aesthetic to it: mind-provoking, thoughtful, haunting. Greymist Fair, her newest novel, is far from that of Eliza.

It follows the villagers of Greymist Fair, a village on the outskirts of a dark forest where death and an evil witch prays upon the villagers who stray off the path. Told through a series of stories and different perspectives, we follow the stories of a recently orphaned young girl, an innkeeper with an abusive past, a girl who recently lost her brother, a prince who can grant wishes to anyone who solves a riddle, and Death’s companion. The stories all mix together to solve a mystery and each one is equally disturbing and touching.

I think it’s a beautiful work of art and I’m thankful to have received an ARC from NetGalley. I highly recommend!

In a village in the woods... the people live in fear of Death that surrounds them. In this village everyone knows that the woods are dangerous and that if you enter them you’ll likely be killed by the witch who lives there. When a young tailor Heike discovers a body on the road she decides to figure who is responsible, and on her quest to find out who is responsible and what is happening to her town the more she’ll be embroiled in magic, mystery, and death. This was such a fun and great read, it is a magical story inspired by the lesser-known fairytales of the brothers Grimm and definitely is perfect for people who love to read fairytales, the story is told in such a unique way. The story is told in parts and through different characters perspective, both past and present, and it all connects, and there is an element of magic to all of them. This is the perfect read for fairytale lovers who enjoy a bit of mystery too!

*Thanks Netgalley and HarperCollins Children's Books, Greenwillow Books for sending me an arc in exchange for an honest review*

Really enjoyed this. I read this in one sitting and was hooked from start to finish. I also really liked the atmosphere of the book and the woodsy setting.