Greymist Fair by Francesca Zappia

Title: Greymist Fair

Author: Francesca Zappia (American, 1993- )
Originally published: 2023

Page count: 284

Dates read: 5/22/24-5/28/24

2024 book goal progress: 9 out of 24

Read my other book reviews for my 2024 goals HERE.





Description on back of book:
Two roads lead into a dark forest. They meet at Greymist Fair, the village hidden in the trees, a place kept alive by the families who never leave. The villagers of Greymist Fair know that the woods are a dangerous and magical place, and they avoid stepping off the path at all costs.

One day, Greymist Fair's young tailor, Heike, sets out on the road in search of the red berries she needs to dye her fabrics. But what she finds will lead her to the heart of the forest

First paragraphs:
"A road leads into a dark forest. It passes through a village some travelers never see. The village is not meant for everyone. To outsiders, it's a place of darkness and whispers, threatened by bright-eyes creatures that live in the wood. Its people are friendly, but insular; its routines familiar, but not inclusive.

A tall man in a dark cloak walks the road. Death follows on his heels. Greymist Fair is their home, but only one of them is welcome. The man is a doctor, a healer. Death can only ever be themself. Curious eyes and spiteful hearts follow them through the forest but do not touch them; the road is safe. The doctor and Death don't waste any time; there are many who need the doctor's help."

Favorite quotes:
"The memory felt like a berry dying on the vine; even now its innards were rotting away, leaving only a husk. It felt like someone else's memory from another time."

"We all make mistakes. The good people try to fix them. Sometimes you can't fix them, and you have to live with what happens. Then you just pray to all the gods you know that you don't have to live with it alone."

"When he reached the far edge of the forest, the trees dropped away suddenly, as if they had hit an invisible barrier they couldn't cross. Foothills rolled away into the foggy distance. There was not another living soul as far as he could see, neither animal nor human, and the effect was what he imagined being a ghost might feel like."

CAWPILE Rating: Overall - 7/10 - ⭐⭐⭐⭐/5
Characters      - 8
Atmosphere   - 8
Writing Style - 6
Plot                - 7
Intrigue          - 7
Logic             - 6
Enjoyment     - 7
What is a CAWPILE Rating?

Review:

I had expected this to be an adult fairy tale and was a little disappointed to discover that it was more of a teen/young adult novel. It was a quick and easy read. I enjoyed the story and all the different characters. I liked that each part of the book, of which there are 9, is from a different character's perspective, but I wish we got to know the characters more deeply. The story still seemed a bit light and almost shallow, which I think is due to it being a teen book. 

I wish the story had more of an overall dark grit to it, as well as being a little more philosophical. Nonetheless, it does have a good representation of personified Death and could be a good way to approach a discussion of death with someone in their teens. There's magic, but it's more of a presence and the little it's actually used is never really explained, which is a bummer. If you're a teen/young adult or like reading those types of stories, I highly recommend this one!

Now I'm off to read another book... but since a review should be more about the author of the book than about the writer of the blog, I will let Francesca Zappia have the last words:

"Death comes for us all, eventually. Forgetting your fear of it can help for a time, and you can live, but Death is not evil. We will all go with Death one day. We don't have to fear them until then, but we also shouldn't ignore them. Death exists just as we do."