Urban Fantasy Wiki
Advertisement
Urban Fantasy Wiki
Urban Fantasy Wiki
606
pages
in: Faeries as Main Supe, Pixies, Brownies, Sprites, Gnomes, Nixies, Djinn,
and 12 more

Grimm Agency series

Sign in to edit
Free Agent (Grimm Agency -1) by J.C. Nelson

Free Agent (2014—Grimm Agency #1) by J.C. Nelson

Grimm Agency series — by J.C. Nelson. 

Genres and Sub-Genres[]

Urban Fantasy

"Blend of fairy tale, paranormal, urban fantasy and a dash of romance."

Series Description or Overview[]

✥ In modern day New York, where wishes are bought and sold, a young woman enslaved to the Fairy Godfather fights for her happily ever after. — JC Nelson ~ The Qwillery: Interview

✥ The story of Marissa, an agent for a fairy godfather. She makes happily ever after come true for princesses by playing the wrong woman and setting the prince up to be healed from the heartbreak Marissa has doled out by his sweet princess. Marissa chose to become an agent and virtual slave for Grimm in order to save her dying 2 year old sister. She has to earn the magical equivalent of money called Glitter to pay off her debt. Whether or not it is actually possible has yet to be determined. Other assignments given to Marissa are imp removal, errand girl, and princess readiness training.

In Free Agent, Marissa is trying to set up Ari, the princess, with her prince. The problems start right away when Marissa finds herself especially attracted to Liam, whom she is planning to leave. Instead of her usual pretend date (3 dates, actually) she finds herself actually enjoying being with Liam and her feelings get caught up in wanting her own Happily Ever After. She’s slipping.

Other forces come into play, and we learn that Liam may not be all he is supposed to be and Marissa is left to help figure out what has gone wrong and who is behind it all. She is uniquely placed to stop a war between Fairy, Kingdom and Earth. She develops friendships, delves into her feelings about her family and life and gets ready to set up her future beyond being an agent for the very first time. ~ Not Yet Read

Lead's Supe[]

  • Human—Grimm's endentured agent

Primary Supe[]

  • Faeries

What Sets it Apart[]

  • An Urban Fantasy that tackles classic fairy-tales

Narrative Type and Narrators[]

  • First person — narrated by Marissa, the protagonst

Books in Series[]

Grimm Agency series:

  1. Free Agent (July 2014)
  2. Armageddon Rules (Feb 24, 2015) ~ Excerpt
  3. Wish Bound (Aug 25, 2015)

Shorts, Novellas, Anthologies and Guides[]

  • 1.5. "Soul Ink" (Jan 6, 2015)
  • "Speciaal Delivery" () Christmas short ~ Free

Themes, Motifs, Symbolism[]

Motifs: Utilizes most of the classice motifs of Faery Tales in unique and interesting ways. 

World Building[]

Setting[]

Alternate New York City

Places:

Supernatural Elements[]

✥ Faeries, Fairy Godfather, Fae, dragons, princesses, gnome postal service, sorcerers, Djinn, werewolves, hellhound, Lich, trolls, wicked witches, imps, magical creatures, 

Glossary:

  • Glitter: currency in the Magical world
  • High Kingdom/Low Kingdom: Only those with magic can enter—or a special magical object enabling the bearer to enter.
  • Lich: undead spirit of wrath—ghastly form made of shadows, red jobs for eyes; bound to the place of death;gury]: A divination based on the appearance and behaviour of animals.
  • Earthbound City: is in Kingdom, a realm in which people with magical talents make their homes.
  • Kingdom: has three levels:
    • Upper Kingdom, for humans who are members of the royalty and nobility;
    • Middle Kingdom, for elves, dwarfs, and other less humanoid creatures; and
    • Lower Kingdom, for the more monstrous and evil creatures. Only people with magic can enter Kingdom.
  • Augury: A divination based on the appearance and behaviour of animals.

Groups & Organizations:

  • Grimm Agency: "For nearly four hundred years, the Grimm Agency has existed to resolve problems. Whether it's an enchantment laid on your son or daughter, or an enchanter living in your basement, the professionals at the Grimm Agency are always ready to assist. No problem is too large to handle, no massacre too bloody to clean up after."

World[]

This very entertaining new series takes the whole range of Grimm's fairy tales and adds a dash of The Wizard of Oz—mostly the wizard-behind-the-curtain part.... Instead of a curtain, Grimm, the "wizard" in this series, dwells within mirrors and other reflective surfaces, like shiny metal door handles, window glass, and water puddles. This talent allows Grimm to keep an eye on just about everything that is going on in the city. He also has additional magical abilities, like foretelling future events by doing auguries, a process that involves using rabbits in a way that would horrify PETA.

Grimm is the Fairy Godfather of an alternate New York City, and he spends much of his time granting wishes (for the right price) and keeping the city free of magical crimes and catastrophes. To handle the tough street work, Grimm has an all-female team of agents. When the series heroine, Marissa Locks (formerly Marissa Lambert, aka Goldilocks), asks him why he doesn't have any male agents, Grimm replies, "If you need something broken or burned or bashed, a man will do just fine…If you need a problem handled, you need a woman." (p. 183)

All of Grimm's agents are actually indentured servants—working for him in order to pay off their wish debts. Most of them are paying for their own wishes, but Marissa is paying off a wish debt owed by her parents, who sacrificed Marissa's freedom for a wish that saved the life of her younger sister.

The series mythology is totally based on fairy tales, so we have trolls, wicked witches, fairies, imps, and many more magical creatures. Grimm's agency is situated in the human realm, but just adjacent to the mortal, Earthbound city is Kingdom, a realm in which people with magical talents make their homes. Kingdom has three levels: Upper Kingdom, for humans who are members of the royalty and nobility; Middle Kingdom, for elves, dwarfs, and other less humanoid creatures; and Lower Kingdom, for the more monstrous and evil creatures. Only people with magic can enter Kingdom. Since Marissa has no magic, she can enter Kingdom only because she wears one of Grimm's magical bracelets and carries a vial of Glitter on a chain around her neck. Some of the fairy tale creatures live in the mortal realm, like the werewolves, who live in New Jersey. ~ Fang-tastic Fiction: NEW SERIES! J.C. Nelson: GRIMM AGENCY SERIES

Protagonist[]

✥ Marissa is an agent for a fairy godfather. She makes happily ever after come true for princesses by playing the wrong woman and setting the prince up to be healed from the heartbreak Marissa has doled out by his sweet princess. Marissa chose to become an agent and virtual slave for Grimm in order to save her dying 2 year old sister. She has to earn the magical equivalent of money called Glitter to pay off her debt. Whether or not it is actually possible has yet to be determined. Other assignments given to Marissa are imp removal, errand girl, and princess readiness training. ~ Not Yet Read

✥ Marissa's been bartered by her parents at the age of 16 in exchange to help save her little sister Hope’s life and you’d think anyone being an indenture servant/agent would have a crummy attitude or outlook on life but Marissa takes everything in great strides. Marissa is only human, relying on magical gadgets and potions to get the job done but what she lacks in magic/power she makes up for in personality and heart. ~ Short & Sweet Reviews

✥ Marissa is a lonely young women, with no real friends and no real life—except for her job. One other thing about Marissa: she attracts trouble like a metal pole attracts lightning. Even when she tries her best, something always seems to go wrong. Many times though, her troubles can be traced to the fact that she can't seem to stop herself from making inappropriate—frequently sarcastic—comments to the wrong people at the wrong time and in the wrong places. — Marissa has been under Grimm's direct control for six years—ever since her eighteenth birthday. First, Grimm sent her to community college, and then she became one his most hard-working agents.... As the series opens, all Marissa wants is to earn her freedom so that she can go home to her family. When she looks at Grimm's other agents, she realizes that they have all been working for Grimm for decades and have not yet paid off their debts, so she fears that she may never be free again. — Marissa is a marvelous heroine. No matter how bad things get, she never ever gives up, even when she is in way over her head—which she usually is, because she is a non-magical woman living in a fairy tale world. Each and every day, Marissa copes with whatever comes her way in her own make-it-up-as-you-go-along manner—and believe me, lots of really bad stuff comes her way. ~ Fang-tastic Fiction: NEW SERIES! J.C. Nelson: GRIMM AGENCY SERIES

Sidekick[]

Ari — Faery princess — sidekick-to: Marissa — client-turned-friend

Characters[]

Characters What About
Marissa, "M" Grimm’s agent, human works the odd jobs from disposing an imp to being the ‘wrong girl’ hoping to pay off her parent’s debt.
Grimm a fairy godfather Marissa works for him; inhabits mirrors
Ari (Arianna) princess, client, sorceress, sidekick, friend Marissa's assignment: to set her up with prince Liam; a plump young woman with no fashion sense who has paid plenty of Glitter (magical currency) to Grimm to find her a prince so that she can escape from her evil step-mother; goes with Marissa on jobs to tame the nasty monsters; 
Liam prince Marissa aims to set him up with Princess Ari, falls form herself;
Little Red Riding Hood not a sweet innocent girl Her cloak is red because she used the blood of werewolves she slaughtered to dye it
Yeller Hellhound Ari's pet and bodygard; size of a Shetland pony, looked like Cujo crossed with an alligator and a zombie
Larry Gulberson Lich ghastly form made of shadows, dull red orbs for eyes; previously an attorney;
Prince Mihail

To expand the table, in Edit–Visual mode, right-press on a Row of the table or Column (Control-press on a Mac)—choose add Row or Column.

Author[]

J.C. Nelson

Bio: A Texas native transplanted to the Pacific Northwest, JC Nelson works with software, herds chickens and children, and writes books. ~ Goodreads | J.C. Nelson

Official Bio:. ~ About JC Nelson

Contributors[]

Cover Artists[]

Other Contributors[]

  • Audio Book Narrator: — Source:
  • Editor: — Source:

Publishing Information[]

Book Cover Blurbs[]

✤ BOOK ONE—Free Agent (2014): When it comes to crafting happily-ever-afters, the Agency is the best in the land of Kingdom. The Fairy Godfather Grimm can solve any problem—from eliminating imps to finding prince charming—as long as you can pay the price… Working for Grimm isn’t Marissa Locks’s dream job. But when your parents trade you to a Fairy Godfather for a miracle, you don’t have many career options. To pay off her parents’ debt and earn her freedom, Marissa must do whatever Grimm asks, no matter what fairy-tale fiasco she’s called on to deal with. Setting up a second-rate princess with a first-class prince is just another day at the office. But when the matchmaking goes wrong, Marissa and Grimm find themselves in a bigger magical muddle than ever before. Not only has the prince gone missing, but the Fae are gearing up to attack Kingdom, and a new Fairy Godmother is sniffing around Grimm’s turf, threatening Marissa with the one thing she can’t resist: her heart’s wishes. Now Marissa will have to take on Fairies, Fae, dragons, and princesses to save the realm—or give up any hope of ever getting her happy ending. ~ Goodreads | Free Agent (Grimm Agency, #1) by J.C. Nelson

✤ BOOK 1.5—Soul Ink (2015): As the right hand woman at the Fairy Godfather’s Grimm Agency, Marissa Locks has a grip on all things magical. If only she could get control of her own not-so-charmed life… For most people, waking up after a night of partying next to a dragon, sporting a tattoo with a mind of its own, would be a new low. For Marissa, only the tattoo is new—and, unfortunately, it’s not the weirdest part of her day. The Agency has been called in to stop a string of messy murders, a problem that’s turning into a disaster of biblical proportions, and Marissa’s been assigned to the case. One of the archangels from Paradisia is attempting to switch teams, and he’s willing to use as many souls as it takes to pay his way. With Grimm contractually bound to clean up the chaos, Marissa must find a way to keep the former cherub from completing his rampage. But between fighting an angel gone bad and battling the magical compulsions of her new Fae tattoo, Marissa’s definitely facing the worst hangover in history. ~ Goodreads | Soul Ink (#1.5)

✤ BOOK TWO—Armageddon Rules (2015): Marissa Locks, newly appointed partner of the Grimm Agency, has a reputation for making a mess of magical matters—although causing Armageddon is a new low, even for her… Marissa is due for a little happily ever after. After all, she did kill the evil Fairy Godmother, end a war, and snag a sweet promotion within the Fairy Godfather's magical-problem-solving Agency. But between maintaining a relationship with someone whose amorous advances can cause third-degree burns, dealing with a killer-poodle infestation, and helping her best friend, Princess Ari, learn to wield spells more powerful than curing a hangover, she’s not getting as much peace and quiet as she hoped. When an enemy from her past appears to exact a terrible revenge, Marissa’s life goes from hectic to hell on earth. With Grimm inexplicably gone and Ari trapped by a sleeping spell, Marissa decides to fight fire with hellfire—and accidentally begins a countdown to the apocalypse. With the end of days extremely nigh, Marissa will have to master royal politics, demonic law, and biblical plagues in a hurry—because even the end of the world can’t keep the Agency from opening for business. ~  Goodreads | Armageddon Rules (Grimm Agency, #2) by J.C. Nelson

✤ BOOK THREE—Wish Bound (2015): As a partner at Grimm’s magical Agency, Marissa Locks is used to working odd jobs. But when an evil queen reappears in Kingdom, life becomes too strange to handle… Even when she’s not starting it, trouble follows Marissa everywhere. First there was the incident with the homicidal Fairy Godmother. Then there was the time she accidentally started Armageddon. But the problems that always seem to arise on Marissa’s birthday take the cake. This year, her annual bad-luck presents include an army of invading goblins, the resurrection of two vengeful enemies from hell, and the return of the Black Queen, the evil sorceress whose reign of terror still haunts Kingdom and who happens to have claimed Marissa as her servant. As Marissa’s friends try to save her from the Black Queen’s clutches, Marissa fights to end a bitter war that started before her birth. But her quest for peace is about to bring up some inconvenient truths about her own past—ones that might cost her the happily ever after she’s always dreamed of… ~ Grimm Agency #3 | Author JC Nelson and Goodreads | Wish Bound (Grimm Agency, #3)

✤ BOOK FOUR—:

First Sentences[]

  1. Free Agent (July 2014) — 'THE NEW YEAR’S Eve countdown told me I had five minutes until the ball drop.'
  2. Armageddon Rules (Feb 2015) — In my defense, I didn't mean to start the apocalypse.
  3. Wish Bound (Aug 2015) — 

Quotes[]

J.C. Nelson Quotes (Author of Free Agent) ~ Goodreads
“My wishes are weapons, child, and I can destroy you with your own desires. Indeed, it is the only way.” – Fairy GodMother
“She comes for you soon, our half-sister. The Black Queen.” – The Fae Mother.

Read Alikes (similar elements)[]

Djinn:

See Category links at bottom of page

Awards[]

Trivia[]

Notes[]

See Also[]

Category links at bottom of page

External References[]

Books:

Freebies:

Excerpts:

Summaries:

World, Characters, etc:

Reviews:

Interviews, Guest Posts, Author Commentary:

Articles:

Artist:

Author:

Community, Fan Sites:

Gallery of Book Covers[]

Community content is available under CC-BY-SA unless otherwise noted.
Advertisement