Publishers Weekly
01/23/2023
Incorporating elements from several Grimm Brothers’ fairy tales, Zappia (Katzenjammer) delivers a darkly enchanting collection of interconnected stories centering the insular village of Greymist Fair and the treacherous forest that surrounds it. Following an atmospheric introduction, opening story “The Girl Who Outran Death” follows teenage tailor Heike as she stumbles across the bloody boots and clothing of carpenter’s apprentice Tomas on the road leading out of town. She initially assumes he fell prey to—and became—a warg, one of the vicious spirits created when Greymist residents die violently. But wargs have never before ventured past the tree line or left behind traces of their victims, prompting Heike to brave the woods in search of answers from an enigmatic forest witch. The tales that follow are each told from a different individual’s perspective and shed light on a new piece of the puzzle surrounding the wargs and Tomas’s disappearance. This skillfully written and thoroughly cohesive narrative gratifies as a mystery while illustrating the revolutionary power of love, kindness, and community. Zappia’s ominous full-page b&w art, which features settings from each subsequent story, introduce the individual entries. Heike cues as white; secondary characters are racially diverse. Ages 13–up. Agent: Louise Fury, Bent Agency. (Mar.)
From the Publisher
Zappia nods at fairy-tale conventions before subverting and exceeding them. . . . The book’s nonlinear structure allows effects to be introduced long before their causes, creating revelatory moments as dots connect and wider pictures emerge. . . . Deeply satisfying.” — BookPage.com (starred review)
“Death is at the door of Greymist Fair, a town deep in the woods on a road most travelers never find. . . . Zappia has crafted eight interconnected stories that take place in Greymist Fair, though at different points in time, painting a vivid picture of life in a town where magic is real, but mostly unwanted. Zappia’s stories call back to the lessons classic fairy tales were meant to teach young children, while finding ways to subvert expectations and keep readers glued to the pages . . . Zappia’s writing is sharp and accessible.” — School Library Journal
“Incorporating elements from several Grimm Brothers’ fairy tales, Zappia (Katzenjammer) delivers a darkly enchanting collection of interconnected stories centering the insular village of Greymist Fair and the treacherous forest that surrounds it. . . . This skillfully written and thoroughly cohesive narrative gratifies as a mystery while illustrating the revolutionary power of love, kindness, and community.” — Publishers Weekly
“In this fairy-tale mashup, the witch’s daughter protects her village from both human and nonhuman monsters. . . . In the spirit of the Brothers Grimm, there’s rather a lot of death and suffering, but there’s also an extremely wholesome climax at Yule that could be taken from a classic Christmas story. Darkly atmospheric full-page art contributes to the sense of place. . . . Fans of retellings will enjoy finding many hidden tropes in the warm, original fantasy.” — Kirkus Reviews
School Library Journal
03/01/2023
Gr 7 Up—Death is at the door of Greymist Fair, a town deep in the woods on a road most travelers never find. The witch in the woods keeps Death and its wargs at bay, but that doesn't make the village safe, because sometimes the worst monsters are people. Zappia has crafted eight interconnected stories that take place in Greymist Fair, though at different points in time, painting a vivid picture of life in a town where magic is real, but mostly unwanted. Zappia's stories call back to the lessons classic fairy tales were meant to teach young children, while finding ways to subvert expectations and keep readers glued to the pages, including Red Riding Hood knocking on Death's door, a prince granting wishes, and the wolf living next door. Greymist Fair comes to life as an intricate knot of love and death, while touching on all the different ways people abuse power. Zappia's writing is sharp and accessible, populating a town with a large, unique cast and braiding together different fairy tales to create a world that prioritizes acceptance and love. The book is great fodder for book club discussion, while the short stories break the novel into manageable bites for less proficient readers. VERDICT Unique yet recognizable, these tales are a solid addition to any collection.—Emmy Neal
Kirkus Reviews
2022-12-24
In this fairy-tale mashup, the witch’s daughter protects her village from both human and nonhuman monsters.
The village of Greymist Fair, surrounded by a magical forest, is safe enough as long as one never leaves the forest path. It was once a pleasant, joyful place, though children were often lost, never to be seen again. But in recent years it’s become much scarier: The wargs have been killing, Lord and Lady Greymist have died, and some of the villagers are open bullies. After Heike’s mother is killed by wargs, she learns that it was her mother who’d been the village witch all along and that Death themself lives in the woods. In a mélange of elements from Grimms’ fairy tales (including “Godfather Death,” “Hansel and Gretel,” and “The Fisherman and His Wife”), Heike and the other young people of Greymist Fair confront magic that seems to permeate the entire forest. Somehow, the patchwork of stories coalesces into a coherent whole, and a surprising number of side characters get satisfying character arcs. In the spirit of the Brothers Grimm, there’s rather a lot of death and suffering, but there’s also an extremely wholesome climax at Yule that could be taken from a classic Christmas story. Darkly atmospheric full-page art contributes to the sense of place. Most characters are White; both same-sex relationships and transness are common and unremarkable in Greymist Fair.
Fans of retellings will enjoy finding many hidden tropes in this warm, original fantasy. (map, cast of characters) (Fantasy. 12-16)
