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sjess94's review against another edition
5.0
Personal Rating: 4.5 Stars!
Middle-grade Recommendation Rating: 5 Stars!
Middle-grade Recommendation Rating: 5 Stars!
stormirdgz's review against another edition
4.0
When I was a kid this one was my absolute favorite in the series, but it’s definitely has lost its top spot. This one had Sabrina at almost her worst. There was little to no Puck to be some comedy and lightness to it. There was character growth, and I enjoyed learning about the queen that is Veronica Grimm though. Overall, not as perfect as I remember but still so so enjoyable.
ghostlydreamer's review against another edition
adventurous
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.0
Its been a while since I last immersed myself in The Sisters Grimm. I never made it that far, largely due to the fact that there were so many books in the series and I didn't own ANY of them (also, what is up with children's books having so many books in the series?). Anyway, I'd read the first three books via Amazon Prime's prime reading feature, but that was some years ago now. They never offered the rest of the series that way (as far as I could tell), and I didn't have the money to purchase the rest for a while, so I just never finished the series. Then one day I had this urge to buy books (as many bookworms do), but I didn't know precisely which books. I'm not sure what reminded me of The Sisters Grimm, but I decided to buy the box set because when I looked, they were actually pretty cheap. But what did I do when I finally got them? I let them sit there. For like...more than a year. I think I was a bit hesitant to return, if only because I was struggling to remember what had happened in those first three books. I wondered if it was too late to return to the series at all. And I'll admit, I should've struck while the iron was hot. I think these books were more up my alley back when I initially started reading them. I still think they're enjoyable, but there's definitely some disconnect because of how long its been, and it took two separate attempts, months apart, to finally start reading it. But despite that, I still had some fun with the book once I got into it.
Overall, this book was enjoyable. It's easy to read, younger readers might devour this, and I flew through the pages when I actually sat down to read. This is the sort of book where you cover a lot of ground in a short span of time. A lot of things are happening in the book, and some of it is a bit nonsensical, but none of it feels rushed. The pacing was actually pretty good. Not bad, for a fourth in the series. Usually it's around here, I find, that books start to drag a little more.
The book did a good job of summarizing the events leading up to this point as well. I felt mostly caught up, minus some probably less relevant details, after a few chapters. This is probably to help younger readers out, because they may not remember those things as well, but my overstimulated adult brain appreciated it too, given how long its been since I read the last one. I also felt like this book managed to answer some questions and push the story along. In other words, it didn't feel like filler.
The various settings intrigued me, and while I won't get into why because it may be a spoiler, I will say that I particularly liked the inclusion of a mall. I'm not really sure why. Maybe because the whole thing is set around Christmas time, and the mall just feels magical that time of year?
Obviously with a series inspired by the Grimm tales, I'm always excited to see what stories they pick out next. I have to admit, this one probably contained some characters, themes, and retellings that I cared for significantly less than others, but hey, a fairytale is a fairytale, especially a dark fairytale, so there was still some enjoyment in that. And naturally, some darker themes are to be expected. I was actually rather surprised by how dark some of this book got. I don't think it's too dark for children. On the contrary, some of it might go right over kid's heads. But as an adult, even I could appreciate some of the places this book ventured, and the sensitivity with which it did that. Much credit to the author for that.
But I do have one critique. And while it didn't ruin the book by any means, it's probably the main reason I liked this book less than the others. And that is that some of the characters, particularly the Grimm sisters, were a bit more annoying to me this time around. Sabrina, mostly. I could absolutely understand why she felt the way she felt throughout this book, but it was starting to get repetitive. I don't think this is a knock against her character, especially since she is still a young child with a lot of weight and responsibility on her shoulders. Most adults would act worse than she ever did. But it definitely got a bit old by the end. Daphne irritated me a bit less, and any issues I had with her is probably purely my own. At the end of the day, both girls act their age, in a way that I would expect for anyone who was enduring what they were. I would absolutely rather that than have the author age them up unrealistically. But sometimes it wore on me, I'll admit.
All of that to say, for someone who took more than a year to return to this series, it still holds up, and I still think its a fun series. It reminds me that I've definitely cooled down in my love for fairytales, but that's okay. I'll finish the series up, I'm just not sure when I'll get to the next one.
blakehalsey's review against another edition
4.0
Number 4-my least favorite of the series so far, but still wonderful!
kyra_johnson_'s review against another edition
adventurous
inspiring
mysterious
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
introverted_reader's review against another edition
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.75