Beauty Never Dies

The Grimm Diaries Prequels #3

by Cameron Jace

Peter Pan has a plan. Since it's been hundred years since his friends were all cursed by the Brothers Grimm, he is about to wake up Sleeping Beauty, his eternal lover. Oops, you didn't know that. Blame it on the Grimms.

But in the middle of the ceremony, he is visited by the Evil Queen who manipulates him into helping her with information about Snow White. This or she will expose him as he has been secretly kidnapping kids to help him rebuild Neverland in the Dreamworld.

After the deal is made, Peter continues with the ceremony, bringing Sleeping Beauty back into life. What Sleeping Beauty is capable of and who she really is are like nothing ever written in the books.

Genres: Fantasy, Young Adult, Fairy Tales, Short Stories, Paranormal, Retellings, Vampires

28 pages, Kindle Edition

First published June 20, 2012

About the author

Bestselling author of the Grimm Diaries and Insanity series. A traveller and collector of out-of-print books from all over the world, obsessed with the origins of folk tales and the mysterious storytellers who spread them. Many of his books made Amazon's Top 100 Customer Favorites in Kindle 2015 & Amazon's Top 100 kindle list. Cameron lives in Yerba Buena San Francisco California. When he isn't writing or collecting books, he is playing music or enjoys the silence.

Reviews

[Bailey · Rating 2 out of 5]

What do Sleeping Beauty, Peter Pan, Dracula, The Hunchback, and the Evil Queen have in common?

Apparently a lot.

In this one we get an entry by Peter Pan, who does not like writing in a diary but does anyways cause his day was AWESOME. What does he like? Sleeping Beauty (his lovaaaa) and young girls.

I wouldn't let those two vulgar creatures ride next to me. My passenger seat is reserved for beautiful teen girls.

I get that Peter Pan is the boy who never grew up, so technically its okay for him to like his girls younger, but he sort of comes across as that guy in his late 20's who is still creepin' around the high school girls.

"It's not like you have a six pack or something. You're just wiry tall boy."
"Beautiful boy," I correct her. "I know I turn on girls my own age. But is it possible I make the Queen of Sorrow uncomfortable with my beauty? Mirror, Mirror."

And somehow he also seems to come across as pedo-jailbait.



Nah, I'm good.

These little prequels better take a turn for the better or I won't be bothering with a full length book. Especially if I have to deal with this little weirdo in it.



*backs out of the room slowly* Did I also mention he kidnaps kids for Neverland? What's the number for 911? I got a tip to make.

[Kačaba · Rating 4 out of 5]

4,5 / 5*

Co říct?
Ještě teď se rozřehtaná válím na zemi. Ale fakt.
Připadám si úplně chcípnutá a bolí mě tváře.
AuAu.
Bylo to skvělé.
*smích*

[Alexandra · Rating 3 out of 5]

Čo to bolo za koniec?



Teraz na tú vetu pozerám zhruba takto: (a nejako ju nedokážem spracovať)




---

Chramsty-chramst...sa nám to pomaličky zamotáva. Všetko dokopy. Všetky možné zdroje, ktoré si len vybavíte, každú možnú postavičku z rozprávok.
Takže, aby ste mi tu nezaspali ako ona...



/bojte sa jej! teda, bojte sa o ňu.
Veď prečítate. V každom prípade je stvárnená tak, že všelijaké nové filmové verzie Disneyho sa môžu zahrabať pod čiernu zem.
ALE TOTO!
Toto by som si pozrela na plátne kedykoľvek./

Peter Pan chce oživiť Šípkovú Ruženku. Pomôcť mu môže jedine Dracula. Nad všetkými postavičkami sa pomaly sťahujú mračná. Hrozba Snehulienkinho vyčíňania sa črtá. Niekto ju musí zastaviť.

(ak nechápete a spýtali ste sa: "akoo?" "čoo" a "počkaj, kto?" fakt by ste si to mali prečítať)

...ak toto nezaváňa veľkým bojom tak už nič!

Gang Grimm proti gangu Barrie.

Peter Pan je super cool rozprávač (poskoka mu robí Zvonár od Matky Božej a Dracula ktorý je prakticky otrokom Petera Pana má rád Draca Malfoya).

" I am Peter Pan, the Prince of Neverland, the sixteen-year-old, beautiful boy who never grows up. If those two Grimms hadn’t messed things up, I wouldn’t have ended up here with these old bastards."


Ak ste prečítali aj to predtým (musíte! Inak si to neužijete ani z polovice tak veľmi) viete, že sa schyľuje k big boomu.

Ale čo sme dostali v tejto časti?

1.Životné múdra.

"Growing up sucks."

2. Ďalšie dokonalé využitie všetkých možných aj nemožných (ani by vás nenapadlo, kto všetko tam bude. Mňa teda určite nie) postavičiek

3. Dracula

4. Storočný spánok

5. LOOK! Ono sa to všetko PREPÁJA! (Milujem. :33)



6. Konečne ten správny balanc medzi funny a creepy. A xy pocitmi k tomu. Toto je to pravé orechové.

7. Prísľub niečoho väčšieho než som si kedy pomyslela, že uvidím. Dúfam, že sa moje očakávania budú napĺňať, a teraz fakt potrebujem prečítať všetko, čo ten človek napísal lebo je to (pravdepodobne, uvidím až keď dočítam zvyšok) génius!

/BTW. SEDEM!!! Symboly. Magické číslo. Ehm. Vy si zistite/

[Filip · Rating 5 out of 5]

Opět krásná jednohubka v podobě příběhu o Panovi, Růžence a Draculovi, která čte Harryho Pottera. Dočetl jsem během dvou hodin ve škole a musím říci, že tahle série se začíná stupňovat. Pomalu mě ale začíná děsit ta temná atmosféra, která se za jednotlivými retellingy skrývá...

[Jen · Rating 1 out of 5]

***This review contains spoilers. Read at YOUR own risk***

I bought the Grimm Diaries Prequels on Amazon because they sounded like they were going to be fun to read. I love fairy tales and their re-tellings. While I liked the first prequel well enough, I didn't care for the second. I should have stopped there, but once I get into a series, I like to at least give it a fair chance. I will not be reading any more prequels, or even the actual Grimm Diaries, until several things get better. I believe this review will work better in list format.

1. The Writing.

I have never seen worse writing in a PUBLISHED book. Online, yes. Published, NO. The writing should not be this bad for something that is available in the Amazon store. The writing sounded immature, was full of errors, and wasn't enjoyable for me as a reader at all. Please get an editor. Please!

2. Who Are These Characters?

I liked the idea of the author bringing different characters together. However, some of these character joinings didn't even make sense. The Hunchback of Notre Dame? Dracula? Are you kidding me? I could have lived with that, though, if the characters even someone sounded like themselves. The characters lacked their former personality and instead all pretty much sound like the same character, who sounded immature the entire time while I was reading.

If you're going to use characters from other series, at least try to make them seem like the characters we all know and love. If these characters hadn't had their famous names, I wouldn't have even been able to tell who was who. The relationships were also insane and unrealistic. Why would Peter Pan have the hunchback of Notre Dame as a sidekick? Why would Peter Pan and a bad Sleeping Beauty be together? Why would Peter be attracted so much to an evil older woman? Dracula playing a zombie game? Please just kill me now.

The only character that I didn't want to kill was the evil queen.


3. The Plot

The plot really didn't make all that much sense. Maybe this series should be named "The Grimm Diaries Parodys."

If I could rate this lower than a one star, I would. I would give it a half star. It was that bad. I have never read a book that made me want to die while reading it. I only forced myself to finish it because I wanted to give it a proper review, and it wasn't too long (though I would have preferred it to be much more shorter).

If you liked the prequel, that's cool. But I certainly won't be touching anymore, or the actual books, until they improve.

Disclaimer: These opinions are my own; I was not required to write a positive review, nor was I compensated for this review.

[Lauren (Northern Plunder) · Rating 5 out of 5]

This review was first posted on Northern Plunder, if you want to see more reviews please click here.

I think this is possibly my favourite of the lot as we get to see a different side to Peter Pan, this story follows him on his quest to help the one he loves - Sleeping Beauty - awaken again. This story is probably also the funniest of the lot as we get to meet Dracula too who isn't exactly the fearing Vampire we all know and love. We also meet The Evil Queen yet again and she helps to bring another mystery to the table - who are the chosen seven and what does she need them for and what could they mean for the future of their world - as she tries to get help from Peter about who they could be.

[Lisa]

"Peter Pan has a plan. Since it's been hundred year since they were all cursed by the Brothers Grimm, he is about to wake up Sleeping Beauty, his eternal lover. Oops, you didn't know that. Blame it on the Grimms."

What?! Peter Pan has nothing to do with Grimms Fairy Tales! I don't approve of this.

[Melodie · Rating 1 out of 5]

Thought I'd like this......I didn't. Not even for free.

[Mauoijenn · Rating 4 out of 5]

Great story from the Grimm Diaries Prequel series. Peter Pan wasn't in the original Grimm books, at least as far as I remember, but this was a great story.

[Toni · Rating 1 out of 5]

First things first – the writing is not my cup of tea and I already mentioned that, some editing could be nice. Now, welcome to the too many characters in 20 pages. Oh man! We’ve got Peter Pan, his assistant - The Hunchback from Nortre Dame (who Peter calls Hunchy?!) and his beloved – the EVIL Sleeping Beauty (not to mention she is a vampire… like Snow White, how original); then we also have Count Dracula, who Peter Pan calls Draco - R U SIRIUS (just to get more Harry Potter reference)?!? Also, Peter Pan has a James Bond poster, yet another Really?!? moment. Moreover here comes the Evil Queen, talking like she is from this century (“gimme a break”, “my butt”, “whateva”) and wearing Cinderella’s glass slippers. Then we have some inappropriate flirt scenes with her and Peter Pan.
Now let me give you my favourite examples of why I can’t like this story:

Today, I woke up my love, Sleeping Beauty, from her hundred years of sleep…
It all started with me standing over Count Dracula’s grave...
Scratching my temples, I was thinking if resurrecting him was the right thing to do. I needed him to wake up Sleeping Beauty.
My hunchbacked assistant growled…After Esmeralda abandoned him, and the folks in Paris gave him a hard time, he decided to stop playing mister nice-guy, and turn into a badass hunchman. Did you hear that? Badass Hunchman! Something Marvel Comics never thought about.

“Don’t call me Master,” I said. “You’re not Frankenstein. You’re Hunchy, the hunchman,”

“Come on Draco. We’ve got work to do,” I said over my shoulder. “You know, I have second thoughts about calling you Draco because there is another more famous Draco than you.”
“More famous?” Dracula grunted. Even while in pain, fame mattered more than fangs. He was certainly an airhead.
.”“Draco Malfoy,” I said as I opened the back door for him and Hunchy. I wouldn’t let those two vulgar creatures ride next to me. My passenger seat is reserved for beautiful teen girls. “It’s a Harry Potter thing, and what’s ironic is that his name was probably inspired by you

“I know I turn on girls my age. But is it possible that I make the Queen of Sorrow uncomfortable with my beauty?”
“Gimme a break, please.” She waved her hand, covered in white gloves. Gosh, the way she waved her hand; so elegant, so attractive.

YES, give ME a break.
The drop that spilled the cup for me was Dracula playing a zombie game yelling “Off with their heads!” and later reading Harry Potter.
The two positive things I could point out were that, the author kept the things going on from the previous two prequels and the little element of surprise in the end. But I just felt the whole story was really scrambled and confusing – too many characters from the classic fairy tales mixed with such from modern stories in just a few pages made it worse for me.

[Zuleeza · Rating 2 out of 5]

This review is also available on my blog, Qwerty

This one is very hard to rate because I really, really liked the previous prequels. It might well be a 1-star read, but I don't know, I think I might be biased due to my love for fairy tale retellings. Hurm, I would still read the subsequent prequels and Snow White Sorrow, and I may change my ratings for the published prequels accordingly.

Actually, this...did not sound like a fairy tales retelling, instead it sounded like a fairy tales parody.

And sadly, not a funny one too.

All the comments directed towards the Hunchback of Notre Dame and Count Dracula didn't get me laughing, I found some of them to be offensive instead.

I'm afraid Cameron Jace had taken the idea too far because there are simply too many characters introduced up to this novella, and some of them aren't even created by the Grimm Brothers. How do I say this...with fairy tales or classic retellings, the more alterations introduced, the more appealing they may sound, but at the end of the day, there is actually little room for dramatic changes in characterizations.

For example, Mr Darcy is my all-time favourite book boyfriend so whenever there is a book appear on the market based on Pride and Prejudice, I'd go gaga for it but I don't think I can bear the idea of reading something bad about Mr Darcy e.g. he had an affair or he has a bastard son.

Well, I'm not saying it's wrong for any authors to write opposite things about any characters we've known all our lives but I hope they'll not change the characters too much until they lost their essence and dignity (not sure if I chose the right word but that was what came into my mind).

For example
1. The Evil Queen said 'butt' and 'whateva'.
2. Peter Pan put his hand behind his neck and stretched out his body, showing off as what he claimed as the beauty of his lean and slender curves, wanting to get the Evil Queen's attention.
3. Sleeping Beauty lit 'Hunchy's' ass on fire.

*sigh* I know my review seems very personal. I still associate the Evil Queen with elegance not someone who would say words like butt and whateva, Peter Pan with innocence, not someone who would like to seduce someone else as old as his mom, and Sleeping Beauty with grace, not someone who would...ermm...lit someone else's ass on fire.

Some other issues I had with this novella;
1. Hunchy, as the term of endearment for the Hunchback of Notre Dame.
2. Peter Pan repeatedly saying he doesn't want to grow up. Well, I think we all get it the first time.

[Julie · Rating 2 out of 5]

This was my least favourite prequel so far. It was so frustrating to read this I almost dropped it altogether. The same mistakes from the previous novella are once again repeated. I seriously hope this will not happen in the others but my outlook is bleak at the moment.

The characters once again continue to talk about how confusing the curse and essentially the plot of these novella's are. If the curse is still confusing to the characters, it's also probably confusing to the readers so stop delaying the inevitable full explanation. Seriously. At this rate, the only thing keeping me going is the hope that I will eventually understand. Don't get me wrong, more things have been cleared up in this story but I still have that niggling feeling I'm missing vital information. Once again, the author uses the characters to defend the poor writing (which is worse in this novella than the first two in my opinion).

Peter pan's narrative was also juvenile and insulting. The author tried too hard to get a snarky, teenager's voice down which felt very unrealistic and just grated on me more. I could see some similarities in this Pan and Once Upon A Time's Pan but the idea was just not executed very well here.

The only redeeming factor was a mentioning of Harry Potter. I assume this was intentional to garner more fans as was the mention of the Hunger Games. However this doesn't work in his favour because it just reminds the reader of how much better those books were. In addition, I don't see the problem in a vampire enjoying Harry Potter, although Peter Pan having his own copies does slightly make up for the insult to the fans.

The relationships and introductions of new non Grimm characters frankly just didn't work all that well, the plot became even more disjointed than before and the several attempts at humour failed. I also saw the climax at the end from a mile away which just helped to prove my judgement on this novella. It was sadly, predictable and boring.

[Bara · Rating 5 out of 5]

Yes, I skipped the Cinderella one. I will return to it eventually but I really wanted to read a story narrated by Peter Pan. That mischievous bastard is hella funny. And the idea of him loving Sleeping Beauty is amusing, especially given that Aurora is a havoc wreaking lunatic vampire in this setting. Nice.

And Dracula reading Harry Potter books and loving Draco Malfoy was truly precious.

[Meghan K. · Rating 5 out of 5]

Geniální propletení několika fantasy světů :D

[Wendy · Rating 2 out of 5]

While the first two prequels in this series were rather intriguing in their creative looks at classic fairy tales, Beauty Never Dies just felt like a mash-up of too many well-known characters. The Evil Queen seems to be a main thread throughout the series, so her presence is expected, but EVERY character in this story was stolen from another tale - many of them not even belonging to the Grimm brothers.

Let's have a quick role call, shall we?

The Queen of Sorrow - As I have already mentioned, she makes an appearance in all of the prequels, so her presence is expected. She is a complex character, so no complaints here.

Peter Pan - For a boy who never wanted to grow up, he spent an awful lot of time flaunting himself in front of the Queen, which doesn't fit with the character of Pan. The whole character of Peter Pan revolves around his desire to stay a child forever, so why would he want to gain the interest of a considerably older woman?

Dracula - I'm still not sure I fully understand his role in this story, other than to add another vampire to the mix (which is seemingly a theme).

The Hunchback of Notre Dame ("Hunchy") - Okay, is it really necessary to have this character in the mix? The only role he plays is henchman. Does it really need to be another well-known name?

Sleeping Beauty - She really doesn't do a whole lot (seeing as she's sleeping, and all), but her mere existence is enough to write an entire story about, so it's worth mentioning her.

Harry Potter - Okay, so he's not really a character in this story, but his name gets dropped, and I was on a list-making role.

All in all, I thought the story could have been much better had the author created a few original characters, as he did (sort of) in Cinder.

[Cinnamingirl · Rating 1 out of 5]

Didn't even bother to finish this one. Even though it's supposed to be written by Peter Pan, the voice sounds exactly like the last narrator
- ridiculous, flighty teenager. Which can be done well, if ironic or even realistically motivated - but this is not. So Peter is super in love with Sleeping Beauty, okay... He certainly doesn't seem to act like it. As for Dracula not recognizing him - well, his character was created much later, and I am pretty sure old "Draco" wasn't keeping up with children's lit. Also, "Draco" means 'dragon' - afaik it's not related to "Dracula" etymologically.

Not only that, it jumps around and gives no sense of the setting other than seemingly random appearance of objects when the narrator mentions them. I know that in diary format you don't necessarily explain details of setting - but nor do you record pages of dialogue - so if you can incorporate one, you can at least make an effort to do the other.

The dialogue is ... Weak. "If you behave I'll let you watch Texas Chainsaw Massacre so you can feed on the pain of people like you want"? Seriously, who talks like that except overzealous nihilist-wannabes?

I really wanted to like these but they seem to just be getting worse. Disappointing, because I found the premise really intriguing, but so far it's very poorly executed. I'll try some of the stories from the other collection and the first novel, but I might just have to be glad I only paid 99 cents for each of them. Seriously, how the fuck does this have such high ratings?!

[Jinky · Rating 4 out of 5]

*Reviewing the prequels as a whole instead of individually*

I lucked out and discovered these prequels during the one-prequel-a-day freebie promotion (bummer, I missed the second book, I must have been having sex that day). What gems! They were strange yet fantastic twists to classic fairy tales. They were quick and enjoyable reads. The storytelling was imaginative with a touch of humor. I truly got a kick out of the takes and I think those who especially like fairy tale re-tellings will do too. Furthermore, these prequels did their job, now I'm pumped for Grimm Diaries!

This author is a gem as well. Apparently, the initial publication had many writing errors. He took these critiques (some quite harsh) and made the necessary changes. What a trooper. Certainly a sign of a great author in my book. Well done, Mr. Jace!

Prequels: Snow White Blood Red; Ashes to Ashes Cinder to Cinder (didn't read this one); Beauty Never Dies; Ladle Rat Rotten Hut; Mary Mary Quite Contrary

Jinky is Reading

[Holly Letson · Rating 3 out of 5]

This story is told by Peter Pan. Peter's hunchman is the hunchback from "The Hunchback of Notre Dame". And, Peter believes that resurrecting Dracula is going to help him bring his true love, Sleeping Beauty, back to life.
So, he resurrects Dracula, and calls him Draco, convincing him that Draco Malfoy is based upon him. Dracula is indeed curious about that statement, as we later find him reading "Harry Potter", and saying that Draco Malfoy is cool.
But, the plan couldn't go as planned. No, of course not. In this world, the Queen of Sorrow and her going on about Snow White always has to interfere.
Finally, after the Queen leaves, Peter has Dracula bite Sleeping Beauty awake. She, in turn, feeds on Dracula re-killing him. Then, comes over to Peter in the other room, feeling happy and lovey-dovey, wanting to be called her "real" name. Most everyone in these stories goes by a name other than their real name. But, Sleeping Beauty being Wendy Darling in this one was expected as Peter kept calling her his "Darling".

[Tricia (McAllister) Houseman · Rating 3 out of 5]

This prequel is narrated by Peter Pan, and boy does Mr. Jace have one heck of a twist in this one.
Peter Pan is waking up Dracula, so he can wake up the love of his life. His “assistant” is the Hunchback of Notre Dame. One his way to complete the ceremony, the Evil Queen shows up with her bag of items. The items she needs to find the Lost Seven (you will have to read Snow White Blood Red to find out more on that). She has come to Peter to learn who they are, & believes with his assistance she can locate them before they find Snow White. Or before Snow White can find them. They are simple clues; beans, knife, plate, fork, bread crumbs, glass mug, and chair. Each connecting to a fairy tale character who has assisted Snow White in the past.
After Peter helps her figure out some of the clues, he returns to his ceremony to wake up his true love, created by more than one author, she exists in more than one fairy tale.

[Rachael · Rating 2 out of 5]

I really want to love these stories. The premise of them sounds wonderful. However, the first three prequels have fallen a bit flat for me. I like the idea behind them but I just can't make myself like the way Jace has written the characters. Their attitudes don't come across as endearing at all. I also don't like the snarky dialogue between the characters or all the pop culture references. I think that's an easy way to quickly date a book.

[Jud · Rating 2 out of 5]

I was really hoping to love this story but I was sadly disappointed. I love the idea of the story but just didn't enjoy how it was written, it is a prequel to the series so perhaps the actual series is a lot better. I did get this for free so it might be an older version which is a little rough around the edges.

[Shubba The Emo Reader · Rating 3 out of 5]

It is really hard to rate this one. while I did enjoy it. it was weird. Peter Pan is my favourite fairy tale of all time and for me personally it shouldn't be messed with.

but this a good short story that is a little different. We have Peter Pan who is in love with Sleeping Beauty and Dracula who plays Xbox and reads Harry Potter. lol

[Ed · Rating 5 out of 5]

I love the different voices used to tell the stories. I am definitely looking forward to the fourth diary and the upcoming novels. Having characters from fairy takes and other books among us is a wonderful tale, and this series offers something for everyone

[Lissa Smith Reads'~A Bookaholics Bookshelf · Rating 3 out of 5]

Rated
3 Stars: ⭐⭐⭐
Kindle Unlimited Read
*2XRead

[Sarah Elizabeth · Rating 3 out of 5]

Ah, I remember this one now I've read it again. What a weird twist though! Not only is Sleeping Beauty also a vampire, but she is also Wendy Darling! Bit odd!

[E.A. · Rating 4 out of 5]

Wendy Darling

Who is she? What is she?

I can't see the her same, or Sleeping Beauty

Happy Reading

-Emily

[Michelle Mulder · Rating 4 out of 5]

What does Sleeping Beauty, Peter Pan, the Hunchback of Notre Dame and Count Dracula have to do with each other? You will have to read this book to find out.

This is a fun and twisted version of a mix and match bunch of fairy tales and the ending is not what you expect it to be.

This is a fun read and the story is really good and keeps you turning the pages and wanting more.

[Bea · Rating 1 out of 5]

Not a bad principle but I haven't had the displeasure to read teens this badly written since 'Girl, Goddes, Queen'.
If you want to read a really well-written re-imagination of the classic fairy-tales, I'd recommend the 'Lunar Chronicles'.

[Laura Belshaw · Rating 4 out of 5]

still not sure what to make of that little twist at the end but i suppose if you thought about it, it makes a lot of sense

[Virginia · Rating 4 out of 5]

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️