Thomas G. Cummings: This modern story of a teen age boy and girl lost in the woods. The story keeps you guessing with a surprise ending.
United States on Sep 27, 2023
Giulia: After many renditions of the tale, it is quite jarring yet rewarding to find a version where the caution etched in the original is not dulled to ease others feelings.
In fact this one finds a way to be just as grim if not more.
United States on Jun 30, 2023
Masumi: Based on "Hanzel and Gretel," this story describes a teen couple runaway from traumatic reality then caught up in a monster house that contains illegal intercourses. Interesting plot and definitely a page turner.
United States on Jun 22, 2023
Ashleigh: This actually surprised me a lot. This had such a good plot and I really would love a full length novel of this. This was unique in the way that made this darker while also having elements of Hansel and Gretel. I also liked how this had two timelines but both came together perfectly. Tied up all loose ends as well. Great novella/ short story
United Kingdom on Jul 11, 2022
Marina: The Faraway Collection is a series of fairytale retellings set in present day or some magical variation of it. The standout piece, in my opinion, is Ken Liu's The Cleaners, which I highly recommend.
Hazel and Gray is by no means a bad short story, but it isn't great, either. The story feels rushed, especially towards the end, and unnecessarily detailed in parts, which would've made more sense to include in a longer story. Several characters are introduced late into the story with barely anything about them revealed. Removing them wouldn't change anything, so why even bring them up in the first place?
SPOILER
In this, the evil witch who eats kids has been replaced with a possibly supernatural sex trafficking ring drugging and selling underage girls. I would've preferred a more sensitive approach to the storytelling, given how gruesome the topic is.
Germany on Oct 21, 2021
Jill Jemmett: Hazel and Gray are teenage lovers who have been forbidden to be together. They sneak away to a forest to be together, but they end up getting lost. They find a house that’s all lit up, with a stream of people heading inside. Hazel convinces Gray to go inside to find help, but they weren’t expecting the monster within.
This is a dark retelling of Hansel and Gretel. Instead of being brother and sister, they are lovers. This story had dark and mature themes, including drugs and sex trafficking. It’s a young adult short story, but for a more mature young adult audience.
Though this was a short story, it felt complete. It was fast paced, and quite chilling at times. Sometimes, I have questions after reading a short story, but this one answered all of the questions I had. I would love to see a full length novel about these characters or more dark fairytales from Nic Stone!
This is a great short story in the Faraway series!
Canada on Apr 17, 2021
Babs: KU
Modern and dark take on fairytale. Hazel and Grey are teen lovers where they come across a creepy house of ill repute. As in the original, there are enticements as well as 'witches and a monster'. whereas Hansel was the victim in the original, Hazel is preyed upon with Grey being the hero. Not really my type of story.
United States on Jan 13, 2021
Reema: These books need to be much longer!! And also, they look like childrens books but they are definitely not. Hansel.and gretel but add a creepy stepfather, drugs and sex..
United Kingdom on Jan 01, 2021
Loobylou: Hazel And Gray is the second book in the Faraway series and while it's better than The Prince and the Troll, it's still not that brilliant. It's ok and it's short so there is that. This series is very odd and I'm really not sure what age bracket it's aimed at.
United Kingdom on Dec 22, 2020
| Faraway Collection: Hazel and Gray - A Timeless Color Combination | The Vine Witch, Book 3: The Conjurer | Luanne G. Smith's The Glamourist: A Sequel to The Vine Witch | |
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| B2B Rating |
76
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98
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97
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| Sale off | |||
| Total Reviews | 133 reviews | 337 reviews | 571 reviews |
| Customer Reviews | 3.8/5 stars of 1,341 ratings | 4.5/5 stars of 10,266 ratings | 4.4/5 stars of 13,003 ratings |
| One-Hour Literature & Fiction Short Reads | One-Hour Literature & Fiction Short Reads | ||
| Text-to-Speech | Enabled | ||
| Print length | 34 pages | ||
| Language | English | English | English |
| ASIN | B08L64B613 | ||
| Publication date | December 15, 2020 | ||
| X-Ray | Enabled | ||
| File size | 7533 KB | ||
| Enhanced typesetting | Enabled | ||
| Sticky notes | On Kindle Scribe | ||
| One-Hour Science Fiction & Fantasy Short Reads | One-Hour Science Fiction & Fantasy Short Reads | ||
| Word Wise | Enabled | ||
| Screen Reader | Supported | ||
| Kindle Singles Science Fiction & Fantasy | Kindle Singles Science Fiction & Fantasy | ||
| Best Sellers Rank | #19 in One-Hour Science Fiction & Fantasy Short Reads#40 in Kindle Singles Science Fiction & Fantasy#67 in One-Hour Literature & Fiction Short Reads | #743 in Historical Fantasy #932 in Folklore #2,301 in Romantic Fantasy | #1,410 in Historical Fantasy #1,775 in Folklore #4,085 in Romantic Fantasy |
| Publisher | Amazon Original Stories | 47North | 47North |
This is book two from Faraway Collection by Amazon Kindle Original Stories -
“Hazel and Gray is part of Faraway, a collection of retold fairy tales that take the happily-ever-after in daring new directions” (Amazon)
I am amazed by the subtle changes made in the story so as to give new twists and awake a wide range of emotions in the reader!
I loved this new version! Is tough, real and relatable. It’s going to make you sick at times but that’s the whole idea, right? Careful.
“But the thing about people who are perceived to be unexceptional is that they are frequently underestimated. Gray’s greatest strength is his grayness—that uncanny ability to be nothing special, to fade into the background, blend into the landscape.”
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️/5
United States on Oct 14, 2023