Review | Grim Lovelies by Megan Shepherd
Seventeen-year-old Anouk envies the human world, where people known as Pretties lavish themselves in fast cars, high fashion, and have the freedom to fall in love. But Anouk can never have those things, because she is not really human. Enchanted from animal to human girl and forbidden to venture beyond her familiar Parisian prison, Anouk is a Beastie: destined for a life surrounded by dust bunnies and cinders serving Mada Vittora, the evil witch who spelled her into existence. That is, until one day she finds her mistress murdered in a pool of blood--and Anouk is accused of the crime.
Now, the world she always dreamed of is rife with danger. Pursued through Paris by the underground magical society known as the Haute, Anouk and her fellow Beasties only have three days to find the real killer before the spell keeping them human fades away. If they fail, they will lose the only lives they've ever known...but if they succeed, they could be more powerful than anyone ever bargained for.
I'm really loath to write a review about this book, because the more I think about it, the less I like it. I really enjoyed it while I was reading, but the more I analyse, the less happy I am, which I think gives you a feel for the fact that this is not a deep novel. It doesn't bear close scrutiny. It's a fun, action-packed and magical tale set in a city that is a little like Paris. Dive into it on that basis, and I think you'll be happy.
The story follows five characters who've been turned human from their original animal forms. Following the death of the witch who enchanted them, they're struggling to prolong the enchantment and stay human forever. That initial premise really gripped me. It's not something I've ever seen before – which is rare in YA fantasy these days – and I really enjoyed the odd reversal. It engaged me from the start and kept me reading.
But there were things that didn't make sense to me. The main character always had dust or soot on her face, which I thought was going to be a reference to her original animal form, but turned out not to be. I'm still not sure what the point of it was, because it was mentioned so frequently as to feel significant and magical. I'm still puzzling over it. The word choices annoyed me at times too (talking about city blocks in Paris, which felt out of place, and using American shoe sizing). Altogether, it was too Americanised for me, and I didn't get enough of a sense of Paris. It felt like a magical other-land, not a real city.
Anouk wasn't my favourite character, which also impacted my enjoyment of the book, but that is simply a matter of taste. Her enchantment of Viggo made me cringe, and the way she intrigued the Prince with no reason given as to why she was chosen over the others... Meh. It felt a bit shallow and contrived. She always seemed to be everyone's favourite girl, despite the fact that Cricket was fifty times more interesting as a character.
BUT first and foremost, this book is a romp. I don't want my over-analysis to kill what was a fun read. It's a short book, with well-crafted characters and a riveting plot. There are heists and battles and betrayals and magic, all wrapped up in prose that is simple enough to let the opulence it describes shine through.
It's a Sunday afternoon cup-of-tea-and-a-biscuit type of a book that I found entertaining and relaxing. I will definitely be reading the next book in the series (and I need to, because this book doesn't stand alone).On to the sequel!
Recommended for: YA fantasy fans looking for something a little out of the ordinary.
Disclosure: The Gin Book Club received a complimentary copy of this book from the publisher. The Gin Book Club has received review copies from this publisher several times over the past couple of years. This in no way affects the content of this review. This review is provided voluntarily and contains our honest opinion.
