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Cold Grey
A dead princess
A drunken prince
A dazzling diamond
A darker forest, far, far away ...
Where you'll find a large hearted, undeterred hero, named Savath.
He's set to pick up all the pieces in this dysfunctional fairy-tale.
As everything that isn't supposed to happen, does.
And everything we expect to happen, doesn't.
Happily ever after ... a distinct improbability!
A drunken prince
A dazzling diamond
A darker forest, far, far away ...
Where you'll find a large hearted, undeterred hero, named Savath.
He's set to pick up all the pieces in this dysfunctional fairy-tale.
As everything that isn't supposed to happen, does.
And everything we expect to happen, doesn't.
Happily ever after ... a distinct improbability!
- GenresFantasy
237 pages, Kindle Edition
First published July 1, 2014
6 people are currently reading
119 people want to read
About the author
J. Dorothy
8 books7 followersHi all,
I live in Australia and I'm very proud to be the mother of two very lovely boys who keep me very busy.
I have been writing for the past six years, and have two romances and a twisted fairy tale now published on Amazon.
I love hearing from readers, I think as an author it is such a buzz to know someone has taken the time to read your book.
I hope to re-publish the eternal curse series this year, with new titles, covers, and a re-edit. After losing my publisher last year, I've decided to self publish the series and freshen them up.
Cheers all and have a great day.
Jxxx
I live in Australia and I'm very proud to be the mother of two very lovely boys who keep me very busy.
I have been writing for the past six years, and have two romances and a twisted fairy tale now published on Amazon.
I love hearing from readers, I think as an author it is such a buzz to know someone has taken the time to read your book.
I hope to re-publish the eternal curse series this year, with new titles, covers, and a re-edit. After losing my publisher last year, I've decided to self publish the series and freshen them up.
Cheers all and have a great day.
Jxxx
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Displaying 1 - 7 of 7 reviews
August 26, 2013
Cold Grey: Danger, suspense, intrigue, heroism. 5 Stars
This unusual, yet brilliant fairy tale begins with a preliminary poem that covey the upcoming mood of the story. Personally, I always enjoy stories that begin with poetry, like an appetizer, because as a reader I find intuition equally sublimating and equally appealing as the faculty of the intellectual mind. However, the advantage of a poem neutralizes bias and judgment in regard to the genre, thus, that way I was swept into the spirit of the book without the burden of rationalism. The theme of death in the brief fascinating poem was later to be demystified in a tale full of suspense and morals. The title has also attracted my attention as a sensation of paradox filled me. Grey, in principle, is neither cold nor warm, but in this intriguing story grey is associated with death and with the melancholy emotion of bereavement. Later, when I discover that Grey was a chief character in the story I could relate to the title with a perfect match for the theme, as it conveys the sensation of death, but in fact, this fairy tale is subversive of the conventional perception of death since it advocates for life and for love. In a way, the hero depicted death as somewhat magical and not something evil, a fact which renders the author with an artistic perspective. Savath, the storyteller is quite a compassionate, yet melancholy, a character. His kind and loving perspective towards life and towards his cousin Jock, and towards the others, renders him a good round character to whom the reader cannot deny affection. As a reader I fell in love with his emotional heroism and with his altruistic attitude towards love, peace, equality, and most of all towards harmony. As a comparison I wish to add here that he was an enchanting storyteller, unlike the storyteller of ‘The Black Cat’ in Poe’s world known story. My point here is that it is important for the reader to identify with the storyteller, thus, the character of Savath, was a success in the captivation of charm and beauty, because of his moral virtue and his acts of heroism throughout the entire story. As a lover of classics I could not evade the symbolism here which is associated with the fairy tale of snow-white and the seven dwarves. If I was ignorant of the above classic then I would regard this story as an original classic, because it was well written. The queen, the cottage, the deer, the dark forest, the diamonds mine, are all symbolic, as they imply as for the known above classic, and could have been a source of inspiration for the author when creating this untraditional tale. I say could have because this story has much more to offer than the original classic in regard to morals and intrigue. Here the chief message is to help the weak and to aspire towards divine order. Love in general, and the unity of love in particular, are first priorities; hence, I find this equally profound in the chief message of love. Nevertheless, this fairy tale had many more messages to offer in comparison with the original classic. Savath, whom found the princess, Grey, dead in the dark forest, brought her to the others, and subsequently saved her life, owing to Hound. It should be mentioned here that from Savath’s perspective, Tinkle, Baker, Jock, Ginger, Harvey and all the other characters, even Grey, are magnified because of his appreciation of life. Thus, all the other characters in the story become round instead of flat, when they are around him. Moreover, they are affected by his magnetism and inner beauty. Now, the theme is death but the message is life. Savath appreciate life the most, and for him, the preservation of life is the first priority and the paramount law. Even in the end, at the castle, he risks his own freedom for an old woman who was dying in a nearby cell. Moreover, he deplores human sufferings, and cannot watch others either dead or dying, because for him, life is the highest goal and the highest value. As for the creation of a mysterious reality, I could not analyze it otherwise, but to admit that it was simply brilliant. Intuition and impulsivity together with an easy going, warm, and yet illusive, loving female energy made me feel as if I was swept into a dreamy state of mind throughout the entire story. The princess, Grey, is taken care of by Savath and his companions, even though the evil queen managed to kill the beautiful tender princess with black magic. Her death reminded me of the book’s title, as Grey’s body turned cold. However, when Grey is revived by a kiss of a prince, Hound, love has the upper hand and the transformation from a dark mysterious realism is replaced by a realism of romance. Here I was amused by the combination of the names of the prince and the princess, as together they could be called Greyhound. This fairy tale got better and better ever since Grey is back to life by a kiss of a prince, and just like in the classic fairytale, love is stronger than hate. Thus, the message of the story is love, because love here stands for life, whereas death stands for hate. Love, hence, is more powerful than dark magic. But this is not an ordinary fairy tale, and another narrative twist digresses from the expected end. Savath was captured in the castle, but then saved by Tinkle. Subsequently saving another soul, Mertle, whom is no other than the mother of the prince benefited in the long run, for he did not know it when he saved her. Hence the message of equality is submitted here through the principle that all human lives are equally precious. Savath’s state of mind was always about healing, amending, and saving others, thus he reminded me about the ethical task of a divine messenger. By the heroic act of saving Hound, the future king, Savath preserved harmony, and promoted love and peace. Hence, he succeeds in his mission in life. The end for me was very cathartic because of the dark energy of the queen and because of the dark mysterious realism, which were so aptly constructed. After the evil queen was vanquished, equality and peace were restored, together with love and freedom. The diamonds thenceforth were used for a new system. A new vision was born and a new dawn was rising, when all were destined to live in peace, love, and harmony. Equality and fairness replaced tyranny and power. Savath, the liberator, has gained affection and praise by everyone at the end, as he became nearly a martyr, dying for the cause of love. Escaping death only strengthened the overall message that life is beautiful and that life is stronger than death. In this fairy tale there was always motion, action, mystery, and suspense, even after the transformation from mysticism to romanticism. It truly deserves the rate of five stars from me. It has won my affection, and I have no doubt that other readers will enjoy it just the same.
This unusual, yet brilliant fairy tale begins with a preliminary poem that covey the upcoming mood of the story. Personally, I always enjoy stories that begin with poetry, like an appetizer, because as a reader I find intuition equally sublimating and equally appealing as the faculty of the intellectual mind. However, the advantage of a poem neutralizes bias and judgment in regard to the genre, thus, that way I was swept into the spirit of the book without the burden of rationalism. The theme of death in the brief fascinating poem was later to be demystified in a tale full of suspense and morals. The title has also attracted my attention as a sensation of paradox filled me. Grey, in principle, is neither cold nor warm, but in this intriguing story grey is associated with death and with the melancholy emotion of bereavement. Later, when I discover that Grey was a chief character in the story I could relate to the title with a perfect match for the theme, as it conveys the sensation of death, but in fact, this fairy tale is subversive of the conventional perception of death since it advocates for life and for love. In a way, the hero depicted death as somewhat magical and not something evil, a fact which renders the author with an artistic perspective. Savath, the storyteller is quite a compassionate, yet melancholy, a character. His kind and loving perspective towards life and towards his cousin Jock, and towards the others, renders him a good round character to whom the reader cannot deny affection. As a reader I fell in love with his emotional heroism and with his altruistic attitude towards love, peace, equality, and most of all towards harmony. As a comparison I wish to add here that he was an enchanting storyteller, unlike the storyteller of ‘The Black Cat’ in Poe’s world known story. My point here is that it is important for the reader to identify with the storyteller, thus, the character of Savath, was a success in the captivation of charm and beauty, because of his moral virtue and his acts of heroism throughout the entire story. As a lover of classics I could not evade the symbolism here which is associated with the fairy tale of snow-white and the seven dwarves. If I was ignorant of the above classic then I would regard this story as an original classic, because it was well written. The queen, the cottage, the deer, the dark forest, the diamonds mine, are all symbolic, as they imply as for the known above classic, and could have been a source of inspiration for the author when creating this untraditional tale. I say could have because this story has much more to offer than the original classic in regard to morals and intrigue. Here the chief message is to help the weak and to aspire towards divine order. Love in general, and the unity of love in particular, are first priorities; hence, I find this equally profound in the chief message of love. Nevertheless, this fairy tale had many more messages to offer in comparison with the original classic. Savath, whom found the princess, Grey, dead in the dark forest, brought her to the others, and subsequently saved her life, owing to Hound. It should be mentioned here that from Savath’s perspective, Tinkle, Baker, Jock, Ginger, Harvey and all the other characters, even Grey, are magnified because of his appreciation of life. Thus, all the other characters in the story become round instead of flat, when they are around him. Moreover, they are affected by his magnetism and inner beauty. Now, the theme is death but the message is life. Savath appreciate life the most, and for him, the preservation of life is the first priority and the paramount law. Even in the end, at the castle, he risks his own freedom for an old woman who was dying in a nearby cell. Moreover, he deplores human sufferings, and cannot watch others either dead or dying, because for him, life is the highest goal and the highest value. As for the creation of a mysterious reality, I could not analyze it otherwise, but to admit that it was simply brilliant. Intuition and impulsivity together with an easy going, warm, and yet illusive, loving female energy made me feel as if I was swept into a dreamy state of mind throughout the entire story. The princess, Grey, is taken care of by Savath and his companions, even though the evil queen managed to kill the beautiful tender princess with black magic. Her death reminded me of the book’s title, as Grey’s body turned cold. However, when Grey is revived by a kiss of a prince, Hound, love has the upper hand and the transformation from a dark mysterious realism is replaced by a realism of romance. Here I was amused by the combination of the names of the prince and the princess, as together they could be called Greyhound. This fairy tale got better and better ever since Grey is back to life by a kiss of a prince, and just like in the classic fairytale, love is stronger than hate. Thus, the message of the story is love, because love here stands for life, whereas death stands for hate. Love, hence, is more powerful than dark magic. But this is not an ordinary fairy tale, and another narrative twist digresses from the expected end. Savath was captured in the castle, but then saved by Tinkle. Subsequently saving another soul, Mertle, whom is no other than the mother of the prince benefited in the long run, for he did not know it when he saved her. Hence the message of equality is submitted here through the principle that all human lives are equally precious. Savath’s state of mind was always about healing, amending, and saving others, thus he reminded me about the ethical task of a divine messenger. By the heroic act of saving Hound, the future king, Savath preserved harmony, and promoted love and peace. Hence, he succeeds in his mission in life. The end for me was very cathartic because of the dark energy of the queen and because of the dark mysterious realism, which were so aptly constructed. After the evil queen was vanquished, equality and peace were restored, together with love and freedom. The diamonds thenceforth were used for a new system. A new vision was born and a new dawn was rising, when all were destined to live in peace, love, and harmony. Equality and fairness replaced tyranny and power. Savath, the liberator, has gained affection and praise by everyone at the end, as he became nearly a martyr, dying for the cause of love. Escaping death only strengthened the overall message that life is beautiful and that life is stronger than death. In this fairy tale there was always motion, action, mystery, and suspense, even after the transformation from mysticism to romanticism. It truly deserves the rate of five stars from me. It has won my affection, and I have no doubt that other readers will enjoy it just the same.
August 26, 2013
During a hunting excursion, Savath, a commoner, happens to encounter a princess. Throughout the story, they are pursued by evil beasts, soulless creatures, and the minions of an evil queen. Add in a dash of magic, and all the makings of a dark fairytale are present.
The story is told from a first person perspective, all in present tense. This allows us to go along for the ride exactly as Savath experiences it, but the parts where Savath is not present have to be told to him by other characters. The entire story is written in Savath's commoner dialect, which takes a bit of getting used to at first. The author keeps it consistent throughout and has done well in maintaining the "Away Folk" atmosphere.
There are plenty of surprises and thought-provoking moments within these pages. It goes along at a moderate pace with some exciting moments thrown in to hold your attention as well. The second half focuses more on the magical aspect of this world, unlocking the previously hidden abilities of some characters.
Some aspects of this story reminded me of Snow White minus the adorable woodland creatures. The creatures in this world are less than friendly, and the characters face true peril on several occasions. There are no overly violent scenes, nor is there any gruesome description that would make this story unsuitable for young readers. This story could easily be enjoyed by ages 10 and up.
The story is told from a first person perspective, all in present tense. This allows us to go along for the ride exactly as Savath experiences it, but the parts where Savath is not present have to be told to him by other characters. The entire story is written in Savath's commoner dialect, which takes a bit of getting used to at first. The author keeps it consistent throughout and has done well in maintaining the "Away Folk" atmosphere.
There are plenty of surprises and thought-provoking moments within these pages. It goes along at a moderate pace with some exciting moments thrown in to hold your attention as well. The second half focuses more on the magical aspect of this world, unlocking the previously hidden abilities of some characters.
Some aspects of this story reminded me of Snow White minus the adorable woodland creatures. The creatures in this world are less than friendly, and the characters face true peril on several occasions. There are no overly violent scenes, nor is there any gruesome description that would make this story unsuitable for young readers. This story could easily be enjoyed by ages 10 and up.
July 28, 2014
This has to be one of my favourite books of all time. With a nod to the very best of fairy tales, this story is funny, dark, sad, sometimes scary and hugely entertaining.
The author has created a fabulous world, rich with imagery and atmosphere and with an unlikely hero , Savath, whose unique voice and creative use of vernacular totally draw you into this tale. The Away Folk, the darker woods, the pink diamond, the wicked queen and all the motley band of delightful characters who form the cast list, will wriggle their way into your heart and have you hooked from first page until last. This is a tale of bravery, loyalty, danger and love told by a gruff little man with a heart as big as a lion’s.
By the end you’ll be hard pushed not to slip into Savath speak, yerself.
This is a book I’d read again...and again. Simply loved it!
I’d recommended it to anyone, young or old who loves to be taken on an adventure.
The author has created a fabulous world, rich with imagery and atmosphere and with an unlikely hero , Savath, whose unique voice and creative use of vernacular totally draw you into this tale. The Away Folk, the darker woods, the pink diamond, the wicked queen and all the motley band of delightful characters who form the cast list, will wriggle their way into your heart and have you hooked from first page until last. This is a tale of bravery, loyalty, danger and love told by a gruff little man with a heart as big as a lion’s.
By the end you’ll be hard pushed not to slip into Savath speak, yerself.
This is a book I’d read again...and again. Simply loved it!
I’d recommended it to anyone, young or old who loves to be taken on an adventure.
May 1, 2015
It was all right, worth a few laughs. I'd recommend putting it on the wish list.
September 2, 2013
I was given a copy by the author in exchange for an honest review.
Cold Grey by J. Dorothy
Cold Grey is a twisted tale with dark connotations. When dealing with death- this author has touched the feeling with good accuracy within the opening of the book. 'I’d never seen a dead person before.
I’d seen drunks, and starved souls near dead, but never anyone who is actually dead'. A superb observation of the emptiness a human can feel during this life experience. The author continues along the dark and thought-provoking path.
There are inclusions of magic, creature and souls throughout the book which are display well. It is written in an individualistic style- which, once into the book- you feel more at home with the language.
Overall, this is a nice read for the kids/teens. I really think this author could push the limits by reaching toward an older age group. Great story!
Certainly an author to watch out for! A strong 4****
Cold Grey by J. Dorothy
Cold Grey is a twisted tale with dark connotations. When dealing with death- this author has touched the feeling with good accuracy within the opening of the book. 'I’d never seen a dead person before.
I’d seen drunks, and starved souls near dead, but never anyone who is actually dead'. A superb observation of the emptiness a human can feel during this life experience. The author continues along the dark and thought-provoking path.
There are inclusions of magic, creature and souls throughout the book which are display well. It is written in an individualistic style- which, once into the book- you feel more at home with the language.
Overall, this is a nice read for the kids/teens. I really think this author could push the limits by reaching toward an older age group. Great story!
Certainly an author to watch out for! A strong 4****
August 4, 2014
Cold Grey is the ultimate adventure, a fairy tale from times past before stories were sanitized for younger readers. It's exactly what a fairy tale should be--a little dark, a little scary, sometimes funny, but always entertaining. Told from Savath's unique first-person point of view, Cold Grey is the story of a true hero who is matter-of-fact and down-to-earth and would never consider himself a hero. To him, he's just Savath doing what has to be done.
I've read several books by this author, and though I love them all, Cold Grey is probably her best work. And it all comes back to Savath's unique voice and perspective. This is a story that could have been written from another character's point of view, but it wouldn't have had nearly the same impact. I'd recommend the book to readers twelve and up, particularly fans of fantasy and dark fairy tales.
I've read several books by this author, and though I love them all, Cold Grey is probably her best work. And it all comes back to Savath's unique voice and perspective. This is a story that could have been written from another character's point of view, but it wouldn't have had nearly the same impact. I'd recommend the book to readers twelve and up, particularly fans of fantasy and dark fairy tales.
December 7, 2014
Fun read
This was a fun interesting twist on Snow White. I fell in love with the characters and really enjoyed the new telling of an old tale.
This was a fun interesting twist on Snow White. I fell in love with the characters and really enjoyed the new telling of an old tale.
Displaying 1 - 7 of 7 reviews