Grim Lovelies: Chapter Sampler

By Megan Shepherd

Read the first four chapters of an epic and enchanting YA fantasy from NYT bestselling author Megan Shepherd, called “a darkly enchanting saga…bound to attract fans of Leigh Bardugo” by Entertainment Weekly.

“A magical dash through the streets of Paris. Part caper, part fairy tale, part opulent witch society, you'll be swept away by all of it. GRIM LOVELIES absolutely dazzles.” —Kendare Blake, #1 NYT bestselling author of the Three Dark Crowns series

“I lost myself in this magical book.” —Stephanie Garber, New York Times bestselling author of Caraval and Legendary

Seventeen-year-old Anouk envies the human world, where people known as Pretties lavish themselves in fast cars, high fashion, and have the freedom to fall in love. But Anouk can never have those things, because she is not really human. Enchanted from animal to human girl and forbidden to venture beyond her familiar Parisian prison, Anouk is a Beastie: destined for a life surrounded by dust bunnies and cinders serving Mada Vittora, the evil witch who spelled her into existence. That is, until one day she finds her mistress murdered in a pool of blood—and Anouk is accused of the crime.

Now, the world she always dreamed of is rife with danger. Pursued through Paris by the underground magical society known as the Haute, Anouk and her fellow Beasties only have three days to find the real killer before the spell keeping them human fades away. If they fail, they will lose the only lives they’ve ever known…but if they succeed, they could be more powerful than anyone ever bargained for.

From New York Times bestselling author Megan Shepherd, Grim Lovelies is the glittering first book in a new, epic YA fantasy series. Prepare to be spellbound by the world of Grim Lovelies, where secrets have been long buried, friends can become enemies, and everything—especially humanity—comes at a price.

• Language: English
• Publisher: HarperCollins
• Release date: Aug 21, 2018
• ISBN: 9780358074229

Megan Shepherd

Megan Shepherd is the acclaimed author of The Madman's Daughter trilogy, The Cage trilogy and the middle grade novel, The Secret Horses of Briar Hill. She lives and writes on a 125-year-old farm outside Asheville, NC. Visit Megan at meganshepherd.com, on Twitter at @megan_shepherd, and on Instagram at @meganshepherdauthor.

Book preview

Copyright © 2018 by Megan Shepherd

All rights reserved. For information about permission to reproduce selections from this book, write to [e-mail] or to Permissions, Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company, 3 Park Avenue, 19th Floor, New York, New York 10016.

hmhco.com

Cover illustration and hand-lettering © 2018 by Luke Lucas

Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data

Names: Shepherd, Megan, author.

Title: Grim lovelies / Megan Shepherd.

Description: Boston ; New York : Houghton Mifflin Harcourt, [2019] | Summary: When their mistress is murdered, Anouk and her fellow beasties have only three days until their enchantment ends and they are transformed back into animals, but in seeking to remain human, they threaten the hierarchy imposed by the society of magic handlers in Paris called the Haute.

Identifiers: LCCN 2018006637 (print) | LCCN 2017061503 (ebook) | ISBN 9781328809629 (ebook)

Subjects: | CYAC: Magic—Fiction. | Witches—Fiction. | Household employees—Fiction. | Paris (France—Fiction. | France—Fiction. | Fantasy.

Classification: LCC PZ7.S54374 (print) | LCC PZ7.S54374 Gr 2019 (ebook) | DDC [Fic]—dc23

LC record available at https://lccn.loc.gov/2018006637

ISBN: 978-1-328-80918-6 hardcover

ISBN: 978-1-328-60610-5 international edition

ISBN: 978-0-358-00991-7 Barnes & Noble signed edition

eISBN 978-0-358-07422-9

v1.0818

For my little beastie, S.

Chapter 1

From the front-turret window of Mada Vittora’s Paris townhouse, Anouk couldn’t see the fountain at the far end of Rue des Amants. She could see, however, the hopeful souls who made their way down the sidewalk, tourists and Parisians alike, some with their noses in guidebooks and others who knew the route by heart, in search of the granted wishes that, according to an obscure fifteenth-century legend (and more recently made famous in a movie from the summer before), they’d receive in exchange for touching a lucky part of the fountain. What lucky part, Anouk wasn’t sure. No one would tell her exactly what it was a statue of. No books in the house made reference to the legend, and Mada Vittora wouldn’t allow a computer or television inside. Perhaps the fountain was a statue of a bubbling mermaid, or a prancing horse or a little peeing boy; maybe wishers were supposed to touch a special hoof or rub a lucky fin or a lucky . . . boy part. Anouk could hardly go outside and look for herself. Mada Vittora strictly forbade her to leave. Her whole life—​twelve months and eight days, though she looked closer to seventeen years old—​she’d never set as much as her big toe beyond the front door.

A couple made their way down the sidewalk opposite the townhouse, and Anouk settled into the window seat, cradling her chin in her hands, and watched. Tourists, doubtless. Americans. Their too-white sneakers gave them away. They were holding hands, which made Anouk smile, but their faces were anxious. It was a look she saw too often. Wishers focused on the one thing they wanted so badly that they took this detour into the outskirts of the Sixteenth Arrondissement, to an area of Paris that had no other draw, no famous patisseries or cafés or landmarks except for the obscure fountain, in hopes that by some chance, the legend was real.

Anouk knew the fountain’s magic was only a story, but sometimes, secretly, she wasn’t so certain. It was the wishers’ faces. Always strained on the way to the fountain but lighter on the return, as though the simple act of wishing had given them part of what they so desperately needed. She’d seen Mada Vittora create incredible things, floating cakes and poison earrings and mirrors that showed far-off places, but she’d never once conjured a look of joy on anyone’s face.

She watched the Americans disappear beyond the window, pressing against the glass until she couldn’t see them anymore, and then she sighed. A Greek god? Yes, maybe the statue was of a Greek god. Now

Reviews for Grim Lovelies

[jmchshannon · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

On the surface, Megan Shepherd is an author whose books I should love. Unfortunately, Grim Lovelies is another one she wrote that did not click with me. For one thing, I found the voice too young for my taste. The entire story reads more like middle grade versus young adult. Plus, the plot is a bit of a muddle and not well-explained until it is much too late. I found the entire experience rather boring but thankfully an easy and quick read. This is one series I will not be continuing.

[sandeen_1 · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

Written by Megan Shepherd, Grim Lovelies follows Anouk, a girl made from a creature known as a Beastie. In this world with Royals, witches, and goblins, Anouk and her fellow beasties are forced to fight for their human lives.This was a fantastic novel. Written from the perspective of someone learning everything it means to be human (Anouk was changed just over a year ago and never allowed to leave the house), this novel hits a lot of wonderful marks. Other than not being a standalone. The sequel, Midnight Beauties, is scheduled to come out sometime this year. With a compelling main character and fully fleshed supporting characters, shepherd takes her readers on a wild and mysterious ride. I enjoyed Beau and the Prince and all of the complex things that occurred. This is a novel that touches on a lot of things that are popular in Young Adult novels now (transgender, gays, multiracial), but it handles all of those in a wonderful, realistic way. Which is, it doesn’t toss it in your face that those are present in the novel. They do have an affect on the stories and the characters. But they don’t smack you up the face with them.And the story! This is a twisting story whose twists make sense. Yes, they are from left field, but they come that way through the characters. There is a history that plays into everything that goes on and the progression makes sense as you go. The rules apply, even if you don’t realize why they apply. Something else that struck me, that I don’t normally take note of, was the goblins and their crazy. They are mad, but they aren’t evil. They are definitely mad, but they aren’t manic. I am struggling with how better to describe this, but they remind me how the mad hatter should be portrayed. It was very appreciated.Overall, I think anyone could find something to enjoy in this novel. Unless you don’t like blood and gore in your books. Then turn away. Marketed as a Young Adult novel, honestly I think anyone over the age of 10 could enjoy this book. It is written well, has good pacing, and is an interesting story that avoids a lot of cliches.

[iwriteinbooks · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]


Genre: Young Adult Urban Fantasy
Publisher: HMH Books for Young Readers
ISBN: 9781328809186
384 pages
Source: Barnes and Noble
There are so many stories involving humans taking on animal forms, personalities, or other traits. Whether curse or positive power, so many of our books and legends, imagine what we would be if converted permanently, or temporarily (werewolves, anyone?) to beings other than human.
Grim Lovelies takes that age-old trope and turns it inside out, following a band of furries beings turned into humans by a witch with questionable.
Though the premise caught my attention, the book was just mediocre, for me. There were certainly parts that kept me reading but there were a few things that poked out like jagged little edges. I wasn't completely sold on the characters. They weren't unlikable but they also never truly caught my attention. They all seemed to be standing on the edge of something deeper but their lives never really filled out the way I wanted them to.
The book was far more plot-driven than character or world driven. And that's totally fine. Except, the plot held another little rough patch for me. It was almost as if I came in halfway through the book and was missing big chunks of the story. I am all for picking up a tale in the middle of chaos if it's done well. There were just a few things that were only vaguely explained and I always felt as if I was a step behind and a minute late.
Despite those minor things (and they were truly minor in that they did not make finishing the book impossible or even impossible to enjoy), there were a lot of solid moments. Shepherd's writing style was definitely within my sphere of preference and there was some depth, especially as things began to unravel, midway through the book.
I'd recommend it but maybe with the suggestion to borrow it from a friend or local library.


[krau0098 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

This is the first book in the Grim Lovelies series by Shepherd. I got a copy of this to review through the Amazon Vine program. I believe this is a planned trilogy. This was a decent read; it presents a complex and interesting world but I had some issues engaging in the story.Anouk is a Beastie; she was brought to life by Mada Vittora. Mada Vittora is a witch who helps run Paris. In this series all of the normal people are referred to as “Pretties”. The witches and Royals (fae-like magical being) control what the Pretties do. When Mada Vittora is murdered, Anouk finds herself on the run with Mada’s other Beasties as they try to figure out how to survive.The idea is an intriguing one but it felt somewhat half-finished throughout. Anouk is one of those passive heroines who ends up being influential mainly through her own stubbornness. Anouk is an interesting collection of contradictions but I had trouble relating to her. The other Beasties Anouk travels with are fairly stereotypical types of characters and I wish they had been filled out a bit better. It didn’t take me long to finish this book but the whole time I felt like something was missing. I am struggling to figure out exactly what. The story just didn’t have enough to engage me, the characters not quite enough depth, and the world was a bit unfinished.Overall this was an okay book built around an interesting concept. I struggled a bit to engage with it and didn’t think it was Shepherd’s strongest novel. I enjoyed Shepherd’s Madman’s Daughter series a lot more than this one.