Welcome to the Signature Author week. This month we're featuring KC's A Grim Fairytale, in honor of the Halloween season. Did you read it? If not, don't worry, my review won't spoil the story for you... but hopefully it will make you want to read it! If you haven't downloaded your background yet, get it here!

Length: 3,176

Status: Complete

Reviewer: Cia

Mention Grimm, and I’m in. I was a fan of the original tales with their non-Disney scenes and endings, so when I then read that this Grim family was much older and darker, I was eager to keep reading. The story soon reads with the ‘Once upon a time’ schtick, but then it definitely goes in a frightening direction.

*Warning* The first part of this story is very dark, just like the reader is warned. We meet a queen bent on worshiping the dark side and dragging her people along with her. The ritual she performs actually summons the devil… but then things go very, very wrong.

And that’s just the beginning of how Magda pays the price of her hubris. We’re introduced to Marcus, her son, but he’s not the heir she expected to have. His nature is very different from hers, and no matter what, he’s rooted firmly in his own path.

That’s about as exact as I’m going to get on the plot. I’d hate to spoil this story, since there is still plenty of October left to enjoy the twisted tale. There are a lot of layers to the story. The names of the main characters, Magda and Marcus, both hold interesting meaning if you relate them to their scenes in the story. (Check out the interview on Wednesday for more information on this!)

KC’s writing, as always, involves a lot of vivid imagery and action. The visuals of the ritual and following scene is especially chilling. There are some complex themes in this story beyond the traditional good versus evil that all fairy tales employ. I also found several subtle tidbits that readers can enjoy, too.

Now, all good fairytales end with ‘And they all lived happily ever after’, but this is a Grim tale, so there’s no guarantee evil will get its comeuppance… or even that you’re rooting for good to triumph by the end of the story. That’s the best part of this short story—it’s full of the unexpected!