Review Detail

What I Liked:
This is just the chapter sampler but I am blown away once again by the amazingness that is Gris Grimly. I first heard of Gris when his illustrated version of Frankenstein came out and ever since I have been in love with his work. His art style is very dark, twisted and a little bit creepy (which I love). So the combining of Grimm fairy tales, which have always been really dark, plus Gris's illustrations just tie this book together really well. This chapter sampler has only three stories, Little Red-Cap, The Girl Without Hands, and Rapunzel. One of which I have never heard of, but was still really good. For anyone who knows me, they will know that I adore fairy tales from once upon a time on T.V., to the dark twisted fairy tales like Splintered by A.G. Howard and Dorothy Must Die by Danielle Paige. So the fact that one of my favorite artists was illustrating fairy tales was just a dream come true. The fact that it comes out on my birthday is just a sign that this book is meant for me... And well for you too. Because let's be honest who wouldn't want these amazing illustrated fairy tales. And let me tell you it is amazing. The detail that Gris puts in to each and every one of the drawings even if it's a simple chapter header is just beautiful. From the main focus to the tiny details, nothing gets overlooked with this man. The illustrations complement the story beautifully and never seem to overpower it. One thing I always tend to do with Gris's books is to flip through them to just look at the art. It's always so beautiful I find myself staring at them. And the best part is there is always something new to look at when you reread them. Not to mention there will be 40 stories in this collection, and I just know there are going to be some amazing art in this book. One thing I love is that a couple of these are familiar like Rapunzel and Little Red-Cap, but most of these are stories I have never heard of. Which I think will definitely be very interesting to see. I love that I am being introduced to new fairy tales through Gris's work. He does such an amazing job bringing these stories to life, that you won't be able to help yourself from falling in love. The stories in the chapter sampler are just black and white, so I don't know if they are going to have color. But if I have to go off what he's done in previous books, most will be in black and white with some of the big ones in color. Which I love because I love that random pop of color when you're not expecting it. Not to mention that he does amazing things with the color.

What left me wanting more:
To be honest I think you would have a really really hard time finding something I didn't like about this chapter sampler. One thing I would love is if the stories were longer. They are very short, but the end result will have 40 stories so I don't think that will be a problem. A couple words of warning for parents. I would just be cautious, Grimm and Gris are both dark and while there was nothing truly horrible in the stories, I say just do a quick read through to be sure, there's nothing in here that you wouldn't want your kids to see. I would recommend this to kids age 8 and up.

Overall I am so excited that this will be out soon. I have waited patiently (not really) since he first announced this book. Beautifully told and illustrated, I would be surprised if you didn't like it. I would recommend this to those that love Ransom Riggs, dark fairy tales, and beautiful illustrations. I am so excited to see the finished copy of this book. It's going to look so good with my Gris Grimly collection.