Anna Waggener

Review courtesy of Dark Faerie Tales

Quick & Dirty: An intriguing tale that brings out some dark feelings.

Opening Sentence: I love my youngest child more than the other two, and God bless them but they all know it.

The Review:

Anna Waggener’s Grim is an intriguing tale, one that brought out dark feelings (at least for me). The cover is a little eerie using somber tones. Waggener wrote this at a somewhat young age, and I was amazed at the level of talent she had already. Waggener’s creativity speaks volumes, and it is evident throughout the pages of Grim.

Erika is a mother of three children, who finds herself in the afterlife after a tragic accident. Upon awakening, she quickly realizes that the tragic accident wasn’t the original cause for going to the afterlife. Here, Erika meets Jeremiah, the sixth son of the king of the land. There are many similarities between Erika and Jeremiah’s own mother. Within the war raging in the afterlife, Jeremiah and his brothers are at each other’s throats. Erika agrees to aid Jeremiah, but for a chance to see her children, but at what price.

Erika is a mother, through and through. She was very well written and it was evident that Erika was based on someone close to Waggener. There are many realistic characteristic traits that make Erika a believable character. Because Erika wanted to see her children in the afterlife, it created many problems, which caused an interesting story arc. But I also feel that this is where the story started to slow down a bit, trying to explain many threads at such an early stage of the book.

The other point of view in Grim is through the eyes of the children. A little bit confusing, but we found out a little bit about the personalities of Rebecca, Shawn, and Megan. The transitions between the children were a little hindering, causing some confusion for me. I thought their initial introduction was strong, but it felt muddled through after a while, like there were too many elements to keep up with.

Waggener’s world is different. The afterlife is a large vast place and Grim’s version was a little more attainable to the imagination than others. I found many elements to be refreshing, and others not so much. Erika’s perspective was the most interesting and the one that I connected with. I didn’t feel so connected with the other view points, which caused me to disconnect with the story.

Waggener’s writing style was unique. The voice of the story followed the thoughts of each character. There were a few pages, with a black background, with a mystery voice. It isn’t apparent until the end what part it plays, and in the beginning it was really confusing. But despite my personal preferences, I wanted more. I wanted to learn more about Jeremiah and his story. I didn’t think I got enough of him, and he could easily have been the most intriguing character in Grim.

Grim is dark and complex, at times confusing, but in the end, the threads of the story tied together nicely. Waggener still delivered a tale that I enjoyed, and I think you will too.

Notable Scene:

“He’s going to kill me, Gabriel. I hope you realize that. I hope you realize that it isn’t fun and games anymore, if it ever really was.”

Gabriel rose sharply to his feet, but Jeremiah had already put up a hand to calm him.

“That’s all, Brother,” he said. “That’s all. I’m sorry to have wasted your time.”

He pivoted on his heel and walked through the door before Gabriel could say anything else.

FTC Advisory: Scholastic provided me with a copy of Grim. No goody bags, sponsorships, “material connections,” or bribes were exchanged for my review.… (meer)

The Good Stuff

Truly unique storyline
Incredible world building -- in awe of author's creativity - actually kept me reading even though not my cup of tea
Some beautiful descriptive passages
I think this book will be one that either people will rave about and others will just strongly dislike
Relationship between siblings is very realistic and honest
Fast paced
Fantastic cover

The Not So Good Stuff

This kind of review is always hard for me to write. I didn't enjoy the book but it has nothing to do with the author's talents, its just not my cup of tea. Please do not be offended Miss Waggener if you read my review, its just based on my enjoyment of the book, not your ability (yes I have guilt issues, I'm a Canadian Mom -- its part of my genetic makeup)
I'm not the biggest fan of books that deal with angels -- didn't have much religious training growing up so I am often confused by the references. Also I have a huge problem when it comes to Angels being bad - not a big fan of the angry/vengeful god/angels idea - I'm more a believer of the benevolent caring god/angel image (Yes I am a dreamer - sue me)
Dark, depressing and not very hopeful
Mother is a selfish useless women
Jeremy is a selfish jerk
Meghan has no real personality so I have hard time understanding why her mother loves her best
Children die -- yes I know - it happens, but I don't like reading about it

Favorite Quotes/Passages



"Don't lie to a cop, Shawn"

"You're wrong again." Jeremiah said gently. "He did love you, Erika. He loved you very much. He just loved himself more."



"Rebecca gave him a weak smile and fought down the ache in her stomach. " If I hadn't just lost my eyes to a moving statute," she said "I'd kick your ass for that."

Who Should/Shouldn't Read

Would definitely say for the more mature intelligent YA reader

2.5 Dewey's



I received this from Scholastic in exchange for an honest review (Sorry guys wish I liked it better)… (meer)