The Grimm Conclusion (2013)

“The fairy tales are over. Now the nightmares finish what they started.”


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Lets start by showing y’all the trailers shall we?

Non-Spoiler Rundown

If A Tale Dark & Grimm shocked you and In a Glass Grimmly scarred you, then The Grimm Conclusion grabs you by the throat and says, “Okay, kid, you survived the first two… but can you survive the end?”

This one isn’t about Hansel, Gretel, Jack, or Jill anymore. Our new leads are Jorinda and Joringel — names ripped from old German fairy tales. They start as siblings, but their story becomes a patchwork of final Grimm horrors stitched together with blood, betrayal, and a crushing sense that no one gets a “happily ever after” without paying for it.

The narrator goes harder here too — there’s a lot more direct fourth-wall breaking, sometimes almost taunting the reader. It feels like the author knew this was the last ride and decided to push every boundary at once.

I grew up with this book too, and I’ll be honest — it shook me the hardest. By this point, you realize Disney didn’t just neuter fairy tales. They practically stole them, bleaching out all the pain and horror that defined the originals. The Grimm Conclusion drags those shadows back into the light.


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⚠️ A Word of Warning

This final book is brutal. If the first two made you squirm, this one is a straight-up challenge.

We get child death described on-page.

Torture imagery — characters are burned, cut, and mutilated.

Cannibalism is brought up again, but here it’s colder, less cartoonish and more horrifying.

The narrator openly tells kids, “If you can’t handle it, close the book now.”


It’s like Adam Gidwitz wanted to test how far middle-grade horror could really go. This isn’t bedtime story material. This is “turn the lights on, hug your stuffed animal, and maybe never trust fairy tales again.”


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Pros

A fittingly grim finale — It doesn’t shy away from going darker than ever before.

New protagonists — Jorinda and Joringel are refreshing while still carrying the same tragic weight.

Unflinching themes — mortality, betrayal, and the futility of “happily ever afters.”

Narrator voice is peak Gidwitz — sarcastic, blunt, sometimes cruel, but always memorable.


Cons

Might lose some readers — Even fans of the first two might find this one too bleak.

Less playful — There’s humor, but the balance tips heavily toward horror.



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Final Thoughts

The Grimm Conclusion isn’t for everyone — but it was never supposed to be. It’s the grand finale of a trilogy that dared to treat kids like they could handle gore, grief, and despair. It’s not subtle, it’s not gentle, and it’s definitely not Disney.

Growing up with this book, it cemented my love for horror. It showed me that fairy tales aren’t just whimsical adventures — they’re morality plays written in blood. And if A Tale Dark & Grimm was the spark, The Grimm Conclusion was the wildfire.

⭐ 10/10 — A brutal, brilliant finale that leaves scars… the good kind.


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Spoiler Warning ⚠️

Time to dive into the five darkest, most unforgettable stories that end the trilogy.


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Spoilers – The 5 Most Memorable Stories

1. Jorinda and Joringel’s Curse
Right from the start, Jorinda is cursed and transformed into a bird — a nightingale trapped in a cage by a witch. Joringel watches helplessly as she’s taken, and this trauma becomes the emotional fuel of the whole book. It sets the tone: helplessness, loss, and desperation.


2. The Murderous Stepmother
The stepmother trope returns with teeth. Jorinda and Joringel’s stepmother doesn’t just mistreat them — she straight-up plots to kill them. In one scene, she literally tries to serve them food that might as well be poisoned. The narrator gleefully warns readers that stepmothers in fairy tales are never safe.


3. The Blood Wedding
There’s a retelling of “The Robber Bridegroom” — one of the darkest Grimm tales. In this version, Jorinda witnesses a banquet where the guests are not only murdered but served up as part of the feast. Cannibalism becomes front and center here, and the narrator doesn’t pull punches with the details.


4. The Execution Scene
One of the most disturbing sequences involves Jorinda and Joringel nearly being executed in front of a crowd. The book revels in describing the instruments of death, the fear in their eyes, and the silence of the crowd watching children about to die. It’s terrifying because it’s written with the gravity of a real execution.


5. The Ending — “Happily Ever After?”
The finale pulls no punches: the siblings are forced to face death head-on. Jorinda dies, and Joringel is left broken. The narrator literally turns to the reader and says: “This is what Grimm tales are. They don’t end with happiness. They end with truth.” It’s the most haunting ending of the trilogy and a gut punch to anyone who thought the series would wrap neatly.