Book Review

Greymist Fair by Francesca Zappia

Publication Date: March 28, 2023

Summary from Goodreads:

The people of Greymist Fair know that the woods are a dangerous and magical place, 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. From acclaimed author Francesca Zappia, Greymist Fair is a suspenseful and inventive murder-mystery inspired by the lesser-known fairy tales of the Brothers Grimm.

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.

Inspired by the original, bloody, lesser-known fairy tales of the Brothers Grimm, acclaimed author Francesca Zappia crafts an enthralling murder-mystery that will keep readers turning the pages. Told from multiple points of view, with each narrative building on the crime discovered by Heike, Greymist Fair examines the themes of childhood fears, growing into adult responsibilities, and finding a place to call home amid the trials of life and death.

Confession:

I really enjoyed this book! It was so much fun to read and even though I couldn’t guess hardly any of the fairy tales it was based on, I thought it was a very well done and an imaginative retelling.

The town of Graymist Fair is a fascinating place, populated by many different characters that help to tell the story. The book is laid out more like a collection of short stories, but these stories are all connected and help to tell the story of the town and its inhabitants. The stories are also not linear, which was a bit tricky, but it all works out and comes together in the end.

There wasn’t a main character throughout the book, many people help to tell the story, but there were a few characters that I would particularly like to talk about. Heike, is the daughter of the witch who was the protector of the village, and now Heike has taken up that role. She is rather fearless and determined to protect the village just as much as her mother did, even though her mother didn’t really teach her how. Wenzel is her love interest, and I really enjoyed his backstory. He is very sweet and kind and loving and I just adored him.

Dr Death is the one character that is present in almost all of the stories. He is the town Dr. but he is much more than that. His story is told in my favorite chapter of the book simply called Dr. Death. The fairy tale this one is based on was the only other story, beside Hansel and Gretel that I recognized. His story was so sad, yet I appreciated how it fit into the story as a whole.

A really great story, told in a unique and wonderful way. If you like fairy tale retellings this is one that you definitely want to take a chance with. I don’t think you will be disappointed.