Review: Grim - Christine Johnson

Grim edited by Christine Johnson, published by Mira Ink on 25th February 2014

Goodreads synopsis:
Inspired by classic fairy tales, but with a dark and sinister twist, Grim contains short stories from some of the best voices in young adult literature today.

Review:
I saw this book in my local library and it caught my eye immediately because it was such a beautiful edition.  It's a hardback in black with bright pink markings and writing on the front and back.  I just had to pick it up!  I then ran my eye down the list of included authors and saw some of my favourite writers so I really wanted to read it then.  I'm not normally a fan of short stories, as I always find that I'm left wanting more, but I really enjoyed nearly all of these wonderful tales - some quirky, some dark but all unique and entertaining.

All of the stories in the book are fairy tale inspired but they each have a dark and sinister twist.  It was interesting to see how each author subverted these traditional tales and turned them into something altogether different.

I had some absolute favourites in the book and these were The Raven Princess by Jon Skovron, The Pink by Amanda Hocking, Figment by Jeri Smith-Ready and The Key by Rachel Hawkins.  I would definitely want to go back and read these again.  I had fun as well trying to work out which tales they were all based on.  Some were easier than others to figure out.

Other authors included within the collection are: Sarah Rees Brennan, Christine Johnson, Claudia Gray, Malinda Lo, Jackson Pearce, Kimberly Derting, Ellen Hopkins, Julie Kagawa, Myra McEntire, Shaun David Hutchinson, Saundra Mitchell, Sonia Gensler and Tessa Gratton.  There were a couple of names that I wasn't quite as familiar with but I will be seeking out more of their work now.  For example, I liked Saundra Mitchell's 'Thinner Than Water but I haven't read anything else by her.  That's all about to change!

This would make the perfect book to give or receive as a Christmas present.  The stories are lovely to dip in and out of and if, like me, you love fairy tales but are looking for a modern twist on the classics, then 'Grim' is the book for you.