Monday Book Review: UNENCHANTED (An Unfortunate Fairy Tale, Book 1) by Chandra Hahn #YA

UnEnchanted, by Chandra Hahn
(An Unfortunate Fairy Tale, Book 1)
Published 2011

About the Book:

Mina Grime is unlucky, unpopular and uncoordinated; that is until she saves her crush's life on a field trip, changing her High School status from loser to hero overnight.

But with her new found fame brings misfortune in the form of an old family curse come to light. For Mina is a descendant from the Brothers Grimm and has inherited all of their unfinished fairy tale business which includes trying to outwit a powerful Story from making her its' next fairy-tale victim.

To break the fairy tale curse on her family and make these deadly occurrences stop, Mina must finish the tales until the very Grimm end.

My Take:

Mina Grime is having a bad day. Or a bad week. Maybe a bad year? The hapless high school student is uncoordinated, socially awkward and in serious need of some sort of help.  Nan is her one friend, but even that seems inexplicable as Nan is Mina's opposite in every way.

On a class field trip, serious trouble befalls a handsome classmate and she jumps to his rescue. That sets off a series of events and the revelation of who she really is: Wilhemina Grimm, the great-great-great-great granddaughter to the brothers Grimm. You know, the fairy tale guys.

Turns out her destiny is to reenact every Grimm fairy tale, and reach "The End," either by completing the story or through her own death. She of course would prefer the former as the outcome, but The Story may have other plans for her.

In this first book of the series, the author shows us Mina confronting the first few tales, as well as grappling with this newfound family history that her mother has hidden from her all her life. Despite the fact that there is an awful lot of background to cover and set up, the author keeps the story moving along at a brisk pace, keeping the pages turning at an alarming rate.

A fun, YA modern take on the storytelling magic of the brothers Grimm, and I enjoyed it quite a bit. There are more stories already available in this series, and I totally look forward to seeking them out!