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Twining: A Tale of Grimmfay
Long before Zelandra's daughter felt Grimmfay's call, four mistresses joined the circus. Here is their tale.
31 pages, ebook
7 people want to read
About the author
M.T. DeSantis
21 books68 followersBorn a New Englander, M.T. DeSantis moved south in early adulthood, realized she actually liked winter, and promptly moved back north. She’s currently trying out life as a Michigander/anian with her family, who also (mostly) actually like winter. When not making word magic, M.T. can be found practicing yoga, attempting to make friends with the oven, or trying to read while people keep talking to her. To grab some free stories, visit M.T. here, where you can also subscribe to her somewhat sporadic but always relevant newsletter.
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Displaying 1 - 6 of 6 reviews
September 21, 2023
A one sit read, this novella is an intro to the later novels in this series. A multi - POV, each chapter is outlined by princess and the reader switched back and forth as the story goes on.
I feel as an intro to Grimmfay, this is a fun little read that gives insight to the story to come. Coupled with “Once Upon A Broken Sky” novella which is slightly longer, it’s an awesome way to slowly break into the series and figure out if this storyline is to your liking.
I liked the authors writing style and feel like it gets better as the story goes on. Hard to talk to the character and storyline development in something so short but I felt like it could have been a titch longer to round it out better.
ARC provided in exchange for my honest review.
I feel as an intro to Grimmfay, this is a fun little read that gives insight to the story to come. Coupled with “Once Upon A Broken Sky” novella which is slightly longer, it’s an awesome way to slowly break into the series and figure out if this storyline is to your liking.
I liked the authors writing style and feel like it gets better as the story goes on. Hard to talk to the character and storyline development in something so short but I felt like it could have been a titch longer to round it out better.
ARC provided in exchange for my honest review.
March 11, 2023
This was a nice little tease of the author's upcoming novel, Grimmfay. It worked! I'm eager to read Grimmfay when it comes out! I want to know more about this setting and these characters.
Thank you for the ARC!
Thank you for the ARC!
March 11, 2023
Disney princesses get revenge through power.
This little tease of the Grimmfay Circus world did its job by hooking me and leaving me looking for more.
When I started reading Twining, I was lost. It felt like I had entered a story in book 3 (reversed dramatic irony, possibly?). I quickly became used to the multiple POVs and not knowing what the narrator knows, and found myself craving more of the backstory of each woman.
Grimmfay is the circus master that has granted new power to a group of women whose lives have been marred by submission and abuse.
Zelandra, Orianna, Bianca, and Cindell are the reimagined Disney princesses, removed from their shackles of stepmothers, stepsisters, and evil men. Granted a great power (Darkness, Blood, Glass, Thorns) and placed in a position of honor in Grimmfay's circus as the Mistresses -they're given the ability to retaliate through the unseen Grimmfay against those who have hurt them.
The characters hold unique and strong personality traits. Orianna speaks in rhymes - one can only guess what happened in her previous life to result in this. Cindell is the leader and possibly the one with the rawest trauma wounds. Bianca and Zelandra (we enter the story from her POV) feel a little less flushed out at this point, with fewer unique characteristics, but the different character voices are there.
I don't believe there was an over-arching plot in this novella, as it seemed to have been written to introduce the reader to the main characters or possibly as a novella in which we're taken back into a past moment to view from a different perspective. (Peckham and Valenti are famous for doing this, especially in their Zodiac Academy series)
All that being said, M.T. DeSantis's unique reimagining of these "wounded" Disney princesses and granting them the strength and power missing from our childhood stories is a must-read. I am looking for more books in this series today. You should too.
This little tease of the Grimmfay Circus world did its job by hooking me and leaving me looking for more.
When I started reading Twining, I was lost. It felt like I had entered a story in book 3 (reversed dramatic irony, possibly?). I quickly became used to the multiple POVs and not knowing what the narrator knows, and found myself craving more of the backstory of each woman.
Grimmfay is the circus master that has granted new power to a group of women whose lives have been marred by submission and abuse.
Zelandra, Orianna, Bianca, and Cindell are the reimagined Disney princesses, removed from their shackles of stepmothers, stepsisters, and evil men. Granted a great power (Darkness, Blood, Glass, Thorns) and placed in a position of honor in Grimmfay's circus as the Mistresses -they're given the ability to retaliate through the unseen Grimmfay against those who have hurt them.
The characters hold unique and strong personality traits. Orianna speaks in rhymes - one can only guess what happened in her previous life to result in this. Cindell is the leader and possibly the one with the rawest trauma wounds. Bianca and Zelandra (we enter the story from her POV) feel a little less flushed out at this point, with fewer unique characteristics, but the different character voices are there.
I don't believe there was an over-arching plot in this novella, as it seemed to have been written to introduce the reader to the main characters or possibly as a novella in which we're taken back into a past moment to view from a different perspective. (Peckham and Valenti are famous for doing this, especially in their Zodiac Academy series)
All that being said, M.T. DeSantis's unique reimagining of these "wounded" Disney princesses and granting them the strength and power missing from our childhood stories is a must-read. I am looking for more books in this series today. You should too.
September 2, 2023
This short novella is another layer added to the Grimmfay world DeSantis is weaving. Here, we learn the backstories of the four mistresses and how they came to join the circus.
An entertaining, well written story which just interests you more in the grand storyline which is to come in Grimmfay. This novella can be read before or after Once Upon a Broken Sky (another Grimmfay novella). Highly recommended if you have read the other.
An entertaining, well written story which just interests you more in the grand storyline which is to come in Grimmfay. This novella can be read before or after Once Upon a Broken Sky (another Grimmfay novella). Highly recommended if you have read the other.
October 6, 2023
A short novella detailing how the 4 mistresses met and insights into their traumatic journeys that led them to Grimmfay. With inspiration from multiple fairytales this series is intriguing, original and creative.
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January 29, 2023Excited to announce Twining is now available to my newsletter subscribers! Join the Seeing Pool and get your copy by clicking here.
Displaying 1 - 6 of 6 reviews