Review: The Grimm Diaries Prequels by Cameron Jace... PERFECTION

Hello, guys!
Today, I am promising you the ride of a lifetime.

I am proving my very short reviews of the 15 prequels in Cameron Jace's upcoming new series, the Grimm Diaries. The first book Snow White Sorrow (check it out here) is out now. And I am planning to read it right after i finish posting these reviews!
     I am OFFICIALLY the number #1 fan of Cameron Jace. I always loved fairy tales, and fantasy was one of my favorite genres. But I have never read retells of the common fairy tales. And what a good way is to start with Cameron Jace's prequels?
    These prequels are 15 short stories, each written by a character in the actual series. And what a delight they were! I cannot believe i have been missing out on such a promising new series. (You can check out all the prequels here)



1- Snow White Blood Red , as told by Snow White Queen (wrongfully called The Evil Queen)
     I can't believe such a short story changed my whole mind about Snow White's fairly tale. Cameron Jace knows exactly how to surprise a reader. I never expected what happened. Nothing. I was as clueless as they come, and I LOVED it. This prequel made me want to start reading the first book RIGHT NOW, but I am going to stop myself. Not until I read the whole 15 prequels!


2- Ashes to Ashes and Cinder to Cinder, as told by Alice Grimm
     The Grimm Brothers are such fascinating people. And the fairy tales they created are even more so. Alice Grimm was a new and interesting character. it was the first time I hear of her, but she definitely was not typical. she was hiding something. And I want to find out what it is. This is the deal with Cameron Jace. He knows how to keep his readers waiting on the edge of their seats for new information about their favorite characters.
     This prequel introduced a bunch of new characters, but gave us no significant details about them. So, I cannot wait to read the actual series to get a handle on what's the truth and what's lies.


3- Beauty Never Dies , as told by Peter Pan
Peter Pan has always been one of my favorite characters. He's such an interesting, charming boy. But the version of him in this prequel was different, even more charming and adorable! i will always be in love with you, Peter. There's also Dracula, and Hunchy, and a lot of more interesting characters in this prequel. And what a wonderful DELIGHT they were. The end of this one was a huge BANG, that I didn't see coming at all.


4- Ladle Rat Rotten Hut, as told by Little Red Riding Hood
Who would have thought that Little Red Riding Hood, or our cute Ladle would make such an interesting character. She is witty, tough and all-together amazing.
I believe that the author has much more in store for her, and I cannot wait to know more. I didn't really like one character in this prequel. He was kinda needless, but I'm not going to spoil the read, so my lips are sealed.


5- Mary Mary Quite Contrary, as told by the Devil
I never knew the devil was so interesting. He is such a fleshed-out character with a very unique voice. One you would recognize everywhere. He gave this story a new taste. what surprises me is the author's talent. He can make SO MANY new voices. Every prequel has  a new voice but you never fail to capture their unique essence. The Mary myth was very interesting, and her character, I think, has a significant role in the series. Can' t wait to know what.


6- Blood Apples as told by Prince Charming
Oh, our lovely Prince Charming. He falls in love with our sweet Snow White. And what is a nicer love story than theirs? Prince Charming was a goody-two-shoes, for me. He was so blinded by love that he could do nothing else but think about Snow White. The twist at the end was actually very romantic and gave me some hints about the characters in the main series. No cliffhanger here.

7- Once Beauty Twice Beast as told by Beauty (sometimes called Beast)
Beauty and The Beast is one of the loveliest Disney movies. It's such a lovely love story. But, no, no, no. Things are never that simple, as Cameron Jace, proves. The Beauty (or Beast) is a great character. But if I use one pronoun in this short review, it's gonna ruin the read. I appreciate the twists the author created on this one, they twisted my favorite fairy tale, into the most-imaginative tale I have ever read, to-date.

8- Moon & Madly as told by Moongirl
I have to admit it. After I read all the prequels, Moongirl is definitely my favorite character. She is so sincere, unique, and all-together a great girl. And her story is exceptional, with little appearances from our infamous, Jack Madly. Remember Jack and the Beanstalk? Well, that's him right there. These two make up the most interesting story in the whole prequels, marking a close second to the Children of Hamlin.

9- Rumpelstien as told by Rumpelstiltskin
Every fairy tale has Rumpelstiltskin in it. But every time, it's a different version of the bad guy. But was Rumpelstiltiskin really all bad? Or was he a good guy once? That's the thing with the author. he turns every single fact you knew about a fairy tale into a tailspin and every myth into a real thing. I LOVED that. The end of this one was a BANG, as well.

10- Jawigi as told by Sandman Grimm
This is the most perfectly-executed element in all the 15th prequels: the surprise factor. And the revelation in the end is SO SHOCKING that you will be cursing yourself for not figuring it out any sooner. I was so shocked, that I had to just get a break before continuing to the 10.5th prequel. Our Sandman Grimm is an interesting character and one you'll recognize AND not recognize. He's familiar and NOT familiar. So confusing, I know. But everything will become clear when you read it. An A for Cameron Jace on the twists in this prequel.

10.5- Happy Valentine's Slay as told by Willie Winkie
Willie Winkie. a strange and funny name, i know. But the character is far from funny, and he gives us the answer to so many unanswered questions that I have to thank the author for adding this little prequel in between. Our favorite characters come back all together for a Happy Valentine, but it's far from happy. And far from normal. The end was a MYSTERIOUS BANG! Since, I didn't get what the hell happened, but it was clarified in the upcoming prequels.


11- Children of Hamlin as told by the Devil
My favorite narrator in this series is the Devil. And so I was SO GLAD that he was back. He has a way of creeping under your skin and he makes HELL visible and vivid. It was super creepy but super smart for the author to execute it so well. This is, by far, the most informative prequel, and the author states that at the end. It gave us so many answers and created tons of more questions. It also clarified the end of the previous prequel, Happy Valentine's Slay. I thought this one would be boring, but it wasn't at all.

12- Tooth & Nail & Fairy Tale as told by Jack Madly
The lovely Jack Madly is back again in this prequel. This prequel, I think, happens a little earlier than the others. The character sound a bit younger but they are interesting nonetheless. And what's more interesting that the lovely Hansel and Gretel. Having just finished watching the movie, Hansel and Gretel: Witch Hunters, it was very interesting to have them in this prequel. They are really cute and real, you can relate them all very well. The chattering teeth in this one were a very interesting addition and the reference to the origin of dentists was also interesting. I am pretty sure that the author did TONS of research to accomplish so much in such short prequels.

13- Ember in the Wind as told by the Little Match Girl
Little Match Girl is also a fairy tale character I am familiar of. Her story is not a happy one, so I was curious to know where the author will take this one. And he nailed it! The little twists in this one were so unexpected, but they explained a whole lot of the plot for the previous prequels! The author is planning on another book after Snow White Sorrow, called Cinderella Dressed In Ashes, I think it will fit this one perfectly.

14- Jar of Hearts as told by The Queen of Sorrow
The Queen of Sorrow is the most interesting character in the whole series. Her cold-blooded attitude and her hatred towards Snow White are palpable and they get you extremely curious about her true story. And this prequel poses a great question: Are we born evil or is being evil gained over years? This one reveals a whole LOT of stuff.  I think, currently, I KNOW a whole lot about this series. So, I hugely recommend that you read ALL the 15 prequels then read Snow White Sorrow, because I'm sure if I didn't , I wouldn't have got some of the things in Snow White Sorrow, which I'm pretty sure that I get now.

15- Welcome to Sorrow as told by Igor The Magnificent
Igor. Our lovely hunchback. The Hunchback of Notredame is back. And he is welcoming us to town of Sorrow in 2012. He introduces you to everywhere in the city, from the clubs to the grocery shops to the places you should TOTALLY avoid. He is a great tourist guide. And at the end he even talks a little about Loki Blackstar, which I know is one of the main characters in Snow White Sorrow. So, now, I am fully pumped to read it!

So, guys!
After you have read my reviews, I am pretty sure that you want to read this series RIGHT NOW
And I don't blame you!
This is one series, that am sure, will be a HUGE SUCCESS!

16 comments:

  1. Glad you enjoyed these, Soma. I really enjoy series that are made of novellas like this you go through them so quickly. I like the idea of this one based on fairy tales, too.

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    1. These novellas are REALLY great
      Thanks for stopping by, Giselle

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  2. Wow! It seems this series has made quite an impression on you. I haven't read many fairy tale re-tellings, but these seem great.
    Thanks for sharing!

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  3. I have seen these around for months on amazon and you just convinced me to pick 'em up! I love re-tellings so I think these will be perfect for me!

    Thanks for this!!

    Your follower Tt :D

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  4. I have seen this books around and it's really tempting to read them. I'm afraid though cause I'm not sure that I'll look at the fairy tales with the same eyes. I'm so happy that you enjoyed! Great reviews Soma :)

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    1. You will definitely change your view point
      But it's worth it

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  5. This series looks really good! I love retellings of fairy tales, great reviews Soma!
    New Follower,
    Danna

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  6. I see these around everywhere, I think I need to start them! I love their covers, and always enjoy a good fairy tale :)

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  7. I love fairy retellings, I'm going to have to look into these. Great review :)
    Cricket @ Little Library Muse

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  8. It sounds like you are really enjoying this series. Thanks for sharing.

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