Grimm Diaries Prequels part 2

Ladle Rat Rotten Hut by Cameron Jace

Book synopsis

Little Red Riding Hood's untold and true story. Why she was wearing a Red hood. Who her Grandma really was. What the wolf actually wanted. Where she fits in the Dreamworld. And what Ladle Rat Rotten Hut means.

My review. 4 of 5 stars

I actually really like these very short stories, they are great for reading in a lunch break etc.

This one so far is my favourite. Told from Little Red Riding Hood's POV. Ladle (as her mother calls her) is approaching her 16 birthday where she soon discovers her families secret and her destiny.

I have to be honest and admit that this is the first of the prequels that have really made me want to read the full novels. The previous prequels have been filled with errors and pop culture references that made me cringe, but there as none of that here. Which just left it as a short but enjoyable read.

Mary Mary Quite Contrary by Cameron Jace

Book synopsis.

The Devil's take on fairy tales, exposing the origins of some of the most important, yet never explained, elements in the fairy world. Darker things the Brothers Grimm didn't want you to know about. More hints would just spoil the fun. Let's just say that at some point in the Dreamworld even the devil was about so sell his soul.

My review. 1 of 5 stars

Normally I wouldn't rate a book that I hadn't finished but this was a short story, I should have been able to finish it easily. The fact that I couldn't read it is the reason I have given it a star rating at all.

Short stories are supposed to be easy reads, this one was so disjointed it made it almost impossible to keep up. Characters were mentioned when they had no need to be, a few times it flipped between past and future tense which doesn't make the reading any easier. It felt like the story had been written, and then edited out of sequence.

Blood Apples by Cameron Jace

Book Synopsis.

In this short diary, Prince Charming tells how Snow White was really killed -- or was she? -- and how he came to meet Rapunzel's and Jack the Beanstalk. Is it true that he really knows who wrote the original fairy tales and handed them over to the Brothers Grimm? And more importantly, Prince Charming explains why apples are red.

My review.  2 of 5 stars
This one is a lot like the others, there are several grammatical errors, words added or missing.
I didn't enjoy this story (although better than the last), and I'm now getting the impression that Jace has decided to try to include as many characters as possible so that he doesn't have to include much in the way of story.
The whole premise of these novellas IS a good one, but overall they have been poorly written. I am now of the opinion that I may borrow the first full length novel from the library (if they stock it) and see if I like it rather than risk buying the whole series and finding out its more of the same.