Greymist Fair

by Francesca Zappia. Pub Date 3/28/23

4.5*. Best enjoyed when you need a dark fairy tale.

Publisher’s Synopsis

“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.

When Heike, the village’s young tailor, discovers a body on the road, she goes looking for who is responsible. But her quest only leads to more strange happenings around Greymist Fair.“

Review:

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.