Book: Sisters Grimm: The Fairy-Tale Detectives by Michael Buckley
Summary: Sabrina and Daphne Grimm spent the year and a half after their parents's disappearance sneaking out of horrible foster homes. So they would be excited about moving to Ferry Port Landing to live with a woman claiming to be their grandmother if it weren't for the fact that their grandmother is dead. But when they discover the woman is telling the truth, they learn that their parents lied about a whole lot more than their grandmother's death.
The Brother's Grimm weren't storytellers, they were historians and Ferry Port Landing is the home to many of the worlds most famous EverAfters (fairy tale creatures if you don't want to be PC). Now Sabrina and Daphne must learn to navigate this new world of magic and legends, especially if they are to stand a chance of rescuing the grandmother they have come to love.
Characters: Sabrina and Daphne are real kids and easy to relate to and root for. Sometimes obnoxious, they are also funny, adventurous, and trying their best to hide the pain of losing their parents. The characters they meet in Ferry Port Landing are a bit more eccentric, but a lot of fun. Granny Relda serves the girls neon colored foods and her house is filled with books. Puck is the young trickster king who enjoys annoying Sabrina a little too much.
Plot/Pacing/Structure: The story moved quickly and always kept my attention. I enjoyed the mystery that was resolved in the book, even though I knew how it would end. The series mystery was sprinkled in just enough to get me interested, without being overwhelming for a first book. There was lots of action, but the reimagining of familiar EverAfters kept my interest no matter what else was happening in the book.
Moments I Loved: To avoid spoilers, I'll be vauge, but just know I'm about to be vague if you don't want to risk it. At the end of the book, the sisters must team up with someone who is definitely not an ally in order to defeat a common enemy. I LOVE moments like this and it was handled really well in this book.
Puck. Everything with Puck. Puck, Puck, Puck. He is my favorite character and when he announced he was moving in to Granny Relda's house... priceless.
WTF Moments: Puck can shape shift and he turns himself into a fly. Totally in line with his character, but... gross!
Overall: I enjoyed this book just as much as I did the first time I read it. It is fun and has such a fresh take on fairy-tales. Since I've read the eight books that are already out, I enjoyed some moments more, because I knew many of the big reveals that come later in the series. .
Reading Challenges: This book counts toward the following challenges: 284 pages toward the 15,000 page challenge, Support Your Local Library, and Read Me Baby One More Time. Track all my progress on my 2012 Challenges page.
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Great review Steph! I know I will enjoy this series, once I have the time to make my way around to it that is.
ReplyDeleteMy friend Holly brought me the next few books in the Georgia series last night along with two extra books around the same style that she thinks I will like. So I have a lot of reading to do!
This sounds so good! I'm definitely going to have to try this series. Maybe I'll read the first one for Readathon... Kim and I are actually going to try to do Readathon at her house, hopefully if there's two of us (or more if you want to join in) we'll actually stay awake! Plus it'll be easier for me if I don't have to feel guilty about not doing housework and or cooking/walking the dog/etc. I was so jealous a couple of readathons ago because there were a couple of Texas bloggers who just rent a really nice hotel room for readathon, and take swimming breaks. Maybe next year! ;)
ReplyDeleteI'm totally down if Kim is cool with it and doesn't mind me crashing on her floor after the 24 hours are up. :) Should be really fun! I can't wait for readathon. This book is a really short read and so fun!
DeleteI heard Michael Buckley speak at the National Book Festival and he was such a hoot that I had to read his books. I've read the first Sisters Grimm book and the first book in his N.E.R.D.S series. Both are twisted and hilarious. I really should continue reading both series! My middle school kids love them!
ReplyDeleteLauren @ Hughes Reviews