"Grimworld" is a magical, macabre and very entertaining story, in which Avery Moray takes us to a world full of spirits, souls and shadows that crawl around every corner.
Moray introduces Henry Bats, an introverted and reserved child who finds himself on a supernatural adventure when a Nightspook invites him to the local cemetery, a place where the dead do not rest and shadows dominate.
As Henry advances in his mission, we encounter a series of fascinating and curious characters, including the Nightspook, the Soul Seeker, the Doctor Shadow, and the Fearsome Witch.

This was such a cute middle-grade story with very Tim Burton-esque vibes. (Think Nightmare Before Christmas). I love the world Henry lives in, it's spooky yet somehow cozy in its own way. The contrast between different characters, especially in Henry's family. Everything and everyone is described in such a way that you can see them in front of you as you read, and although Grimworld is the opposite of our world, it's pretty easy to feel kind of at home in it. It's a fun story that moves along smoothly, and keeps you interested from cover to cover. Perfect for middle graders who enjoy spooky but not-too-scary things!

It such a quirky read for me. I love middle grade with all my heart.

This book reminded of Angel and Bavar in some aspects. It was a fun read, it was cute and bizarre.


Thanks to Netgalley for providing me with a copy in exchange for a review.

DNF. I tried really hard with this one, because it had a lot of promise - an interesting world, fun gross-out things like a woman who has worms nesting in her hair that would definitely appeal to a certain type of middle grade reader, but it just didn't feel grounded enough to me to be compelling. There were a lot of plot related questions that I didn't feel were addressed when they needed to be, and I know as a younger reader, I wouldn't have been able to be swept up into the story if I was thinking about those other questions.

If you have a middle grader who likes silly-dark tales, have them give it a try - they might be more interested in the story than the worldbuilding.

This was such a cute, dark, middle grade book! I love books like these, and they are so perfect for younger readers. It's full of imagination, and its a story that I would have loved myself when I was younger!

Grimworld by Avery Moray is set in an alternate universe full of macabre parallels that my spooky heart found absolutely delightful! Though it's aimed at young readers, I really enjoyed it as an adult and devoured it like the GrimMan is one afternoon.

The story follows Henry and Lang as they unwind a mystery that is literally stealing their lives. We follow them on an adventure peppered with Grimworld variants on familiar aspects of our world as they find strength in newfound friendships and battle the unknown with a really fun cast of characters.

The characters are well written and very relatable despite ranging in age from 11 - 15. They're not watered down or spoon-fed as I've experienced in other stories for this age range. I absolutely loved Lang, Hattie. and Persi - I would genuinely enjoy reading more about all of the characters and this world in general.

Young and old readers alike who enjoy something a little spooky and very unique will enjoy this story.

Thank you to GoodReads, Our Street Books, and Avery Moray for this fun and truly enjoyable adventure! This is definitely one I'm adding to my Spooky Season / October shelf of recommendations!

As a lifelong fan of comic books, horror, and all the things that go bump in the night, I can definitely understand how Henry Bats let himself get pulled into a bad situation in Grimworld. This story makes yet another fine addition to the constantly growing world of enjoyable MG horror/fantasy. It's always good to see another author succeed at writing a worthwhile entry in this particular genre.

Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for providing a free ARC. This review contains my honest, unbiased opinion.

Avery Moray is very talented I was hooked from the first chapter. Henry Bats who has a bowl of Sugar Slugs every day and a big comic book nerd gets lead into a cemetery one night. with a promise of a prized one. and gets tricked into giving up his lifespan instead. Along the way to getting his back he makes friends who were tricked also.

A quirky tale set in a weirdly wonderful dark world filled with ghosts, shadows and other strange things. Henry Bats Is lured into a cemetery by a Nightspook and has a chunk of his life stolen. His search for answers leads him to another boy who has also been tricked, but only has weeks left. They band together & with help from another new friend set out to find and confront the beings that stole their lives.

The world building is magnificent, the back drop & descriptions put you in the midst of GrimWorld - my 10 year old daughter loved the gruesome descriptions and characters as we read together. Her favourite was the worm lady, but she thought Henry’s pet spider was cute.

A friendship story set in a not so ordinary place, that comes to life and is enhanced by the character descriptions and odd quirks and details that make the story almost real.

We loved GrimWorld, a perfect Halloween read that comes to life for adults & children alike as you accompany Henry Bats as he fights to save his life and his friends’, and on the journey discovers friendship and hope.

A creepy, atmospheric YA story I read for Halloween. Amazing choice for these months. Great story, super entertaining.

Thanks a lot to the publishers and NetGalley for this copy in exchange for an honest review.

A great young adult book that I enjoyed as an adult reader, a creepy atmospheric story, really well written, loved it!

This was sooo fun. I agree with other reviewers that Tim Burton needs to get his hands on this and work his magic! I know it's only a middle grade fiction work, but, really, so was Nightmare Before Christmas! Everyone LOVED that one! This is perfect story to be made into a film, like Nightmare Before Christmas. Kids are going to to love this dark tale. It has great characters, a mystery and Nightspooks! The Nightspooks from the graveyard, are stealing time from Grimworld peoples lives! Henry's running out of time......

3.5 stars!

What cute, bizarre, and dark middle grade. This book desperately needs a stop-motion movie adaptation a la Tim Burton.

Concept: ★★★★
Visuals: ★★★★★
Pacing: ★★

I'm not kidding—Grimworld needs to be adapted by Tim Burton.

The entire time I was reading this surprisingly quaint middle grade novel, I kept thinking to myself that it felt like the perfect mix of The Corpse Bride's color scheme, Frankenweenie's age range, and The Nightmare Before Christmas' sense of the macabre.

Grimworld is a short, Halloween-feeling novel centered on the life of Henry Bats, a 13-year-old boy living in an off-kilter world that is literally a Tim Burton set. (I would be a bit more original in my descriptions, but honestly, your mental picture of Tim Burton is this book to a T.)

Henry follows a Nightspook creature into the cemetery one night and discovers an antique watch in a coffin. When the Nightspook makes him wear it, all heck breaks loose—the watch won't come off his neck, and it's started counting down.

Turns out, the watch is sucking the life out of Henry. (Yes, morbid, but it's done in such a whimsical way.)

Adventures ensue in the wacky world of Grimworld when Henry tries to discover ways to stop the watch's work and get his life back. Will Henry find a way to save his remaining lifespan before it's too late??

Overall, an extremely cute story for those of us who like reading off-kilter books. As Grimworld is middle grade, all topics are handled sensitively and with the proper amount of humor and parable. I found it a refreshing read as an adult—and perfect for Halloween.

Thank you so much to Our Street Books via NetGalley for an ARC of this title in exchange for an honest review.

This was sufficiently creepy to give me the heebies, but not so much it made me uncomfortable. That perfect blend of "oh no this is not good" and "all will be well, these kids are on top of things" and it was just delightful.

Henry Bats, a young lad living in the Grimworld where everything is a tad creepy, has part of his lifespan stolen by a Vytiper, a creature made of dumb and evil who, well, steals lifespans. In return, he gets a pocket watch strapped around his neck, counting down the time he has left in Grimworld. Cue mild panic. After spotting another kid with a pocket watch exactly like his own, Henry and his merry group of old and new friends are off on an adventure to get their lifespans back.

A special shout-out to Henry's grandfather. I hope he got his lettuce.

A big thank-you to NetGalley, the author, and publisher for giving me a copy of this book for an unbiased review.

3.5/5 - Liked it quite a bit!

This is a delightful Halloween treat of a story. Reading it felt like watching one of those spooky stop motion films (many have already observed that the aesthetic is in the realm of The Addams Family, Tim Burton, Coraline, and Nightmare Before Christmas). The story is set in a perpetually autumnal town full of ghouls and Nightspooks, porcelain dolls with cracked features, and spiders with names like Corn Chip. Even as an adult reader, I found the book delightfully funny and witty, with random character tidbits inserted into the narration with great comedic timing.

The story is perfectly appropriate for Middle Grade readers, and might especially appeal to boys due to the humor. It's creepy in a delicious Halloween-y way, but not at all scary. The resolution of the story might be a bit too basic for the typical adult reader, but it's fine for children, especially because there are some plot twists thrown in. The plot pacing is perfect for a young reader and the characters are substantially developed without wasting too much time on details.

Overall, this is a very solid read and I look forward to Moray's future books!

My Thoughts
A world of grays, blacks, purples and some whites too, with pops of reds, dingy yellows and the like. A world where that lamp in the sky is a myth. A world where mysterious, magical creatures like the Nightsnoop are the norm. That is Grimworld. You will love exploring this fantastical world and its creatures as you go on an adventure with Henry Bats and his hodge-podge team to claim their time back, literally!

While I truly enjoyed the tale, and the pace keeps the reader on the run, I would have appreciated a pause in the telling here and there – I feel this story needed some places to focus on things (like those cool concepts and characters that appear throughout) other than ‘what next’.

But that said, it is an inventive premise with the right amount of scariness for those who fear to read a scary story . It also adds on elements of friendship, family and being resourceful. All of this together make it a great read for its intended audience.

In Summary
With Addams Family, ‘A Nightmare Before Christmas’, and Coraline vibes, this book offers readers of fantasy and middle-grade creepy books something fun and inventive to enjoy.

Rating: 4/5
Reading Level: Middle-grade and up
Reread Level: 3/5

Disclaimer: Thank you to NetGalley and the publishers for the digital review copy. These thoughts are my honest opinions of the book.

I really enjoyed Grimworld by Avery Moray. I think that it is a great fit for middle grade and young adult readers. The story starts off fast and the mystery keeps you wondering what is going to happen until the very end. I hope that this will become a series!

This is one of the most splendidly fantastical and creative children's books I have read. Very Tim Burton meets Twilight Zone. This is also one of the only Middle Grade books I have read recently would apply to both male and female readers.

Characters

The characters were all amazingly complex and creative. Right when you felt like the story was slowing down, Moray would bring in another twist and add another intriguing character to the mix.

Plot

The plot was continuously intriguing, however I did find that it wrapped up a little too neatly and quickly. I think if there was a sequel this would work perfectly!

Fabulous! We meet Henry Bats, a thirteen year old who lives in Grimworld, a place of sugar slugs, nightspooks, and generally spooky stuff. What’s not to love?!! Henry is tricked by a nightspook and must try his best, with some new friends to get rid of his (and their) pocket watches before time runs out.

A brilliant story, which ticked all the boxes for me, especially good for Halloween..

Disclaimer: I have voluntarily reviewed this book after receiving a free copy from the publisher via NetGalley, thank you!

Grimworld promised a story with a wonderful, spooky and atmospheric concept and in the end, the concept was one of the few things I liked about it. The gloomy town where everything is kind of dark and gothic in this Addams Family way sounded delightful and stealing lifespan with the use of pocket watches seemed like a great idea for a plot.

Sadly the rest was just really disappointing. The whole thing read like a draft, not a finished book - there was no buildup for any of the events, everything seemed rushed and there were scenes that consisted mostly of just dialogue. The characters were flat and I just had this feeling that everything went far too fast. I felt tired reading this book because of everything the tempo of the action that hardly let me focus on anything that was happening.

I wanted to enjoy this book but sadly I prefer books with more buildup and more developed characters. This one just wasn’t for me.