Nieve

by Terry Griggs, Alexander Griggs-Burr (Illustrations)

Strange things are happening in town, but only Nieve seems to notice that something is up. But when two strangers come to town, trailing night along behind them, and people, including Nieve's best friend Malcolm, begin to disappear, Nieve knows that she must do something. She must venture into the Black City to uncover the mystery and save her town.

Genres: Young Adult, Fiction, Canada

264 pages, Kindle Edition

First published April 30, 2009

Reviews

[Meghan (TheBookGoblin) · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book was adorable and one I would have absolutely loved as a kid! There are reflections of Coraline and Eva Ibbotson novels in Nieve but it is certainly a unique work of its own. Nieve as a character is brilliant and straight forward. She's an incredible role model because she doesn't mince words, speaks her mind and thinks everything through logically. She uses both her heart and her brain to make decisions and that's truly admirable.

I would love to see Nieve made into a Tim Burton film, perhaps another classic claymation one. There are dark and creepy characters galore in Nieve, so it would be a piece of cake.

I recommend Nieve to anyone who has a child with playfully morbid tastes, or who is a playfully morbid child at heart (like me ;P).

[Terry Grignon · Rating 4 out of 5]

love her imagination and Sandy's drawings were an excellent accompaniment

[Katie · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was interesting at first and then just got a bit boring as it went along. I can't put my finger on why it didn't work for me exactly but it just didn't.

Still it wasn't terrible and it had good illustrations.

[Leanna · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book is a wonderful tale of dark and magical creatures! Nieve had a bit of a Coraline/Mirror Mask-ish vibe, with the Black City, full of weird beings. I love how the book starts off fairly normally, with just a few little hints of oddness, and then slowly things get creepier and creepier until they're fully scary.

The illustrations were perfect as well- so disturbing, but so good.

I really enjoyed this, and especially liked Nieve's voice as the narrator. She was honest, but also could be absolutely hilarious at times, and even a bit sarcastic. The rest of the characters were a good supporting cast.

I'd recommend this to fans of eerie tales with plucky heroines, or just anyone looking for a creepily good read.

[melissa1lbr · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was a creepy fun story with lots and lots of crazy odd creatures. In fact, I felt there were a few too many with too few explanations. While I enjoyed the overall story and how it played out, I felt like I was in the dark (literally) about some of the fantasy elements. Definitely for those who prefer creepy stories. Full review at One Librarian's Book Reviews.

[Jessy · Rating 1 out of 5]

Not terrible, just not what I was expecting. Nieve is younger than the description and YALSA review led me to assume, and the feel of the book was much more Coraline and less, for example, Holly Black.
I may pick it back up later.

[Dylan Dao · Rating 4 out of 5]

The darkness in this book is overwhelming, fascinating, and amazing all at the same time. Terry Griggs will suck you into this dark twisted world with his writing. One of the best books I've ever read.

[Rachel Seigel · Rating 3 out of 5]

The story was original, and the writing was decent, but sometimes seemed a bit too descriptive. Overall a good read. Not stellar, but interesting enough to catch kids.

[Ella · Rating 4 out of 5]

Really good book. Keeps you in a kinda of mysterious setting where something could come out at you from any direction. Great book to give you the creeps! :P

[Stacey Mclaren]

Weird book but still wanted to keep reading.