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A review by readclever
Once Upon a Grind by Cleo Coyle
5.0
This magic journey leads the reader somewhere between 10th Kingdom, Castle, and possibly James Bond meets a 1920s Austin Powers psychedelic trip. Clare's still worried about Mike's idea to move to DC while he's stuck there, Esther's got a heartache of her own, and a few fairy tale characters end up in hot water. Slightly less formulaic and a little more acid trip, Clare's investigation ends up at the hands of Mike's ex-wife, an underground playground most people will never see, and a few more entrapments of Madame's managerial days.
Growing up, girls are told to wish hard and a handsome prince will come. But will he really? How do you find out who to trust and how do you find a way inside that special circle? While there's a little bit of death and a lot of unhappiness, the most enjoyable experience was reading Clare's inner turmoil. Instead of being locked in her head, there's a parallel story or two that frames the position from multiple viewpoints.
Seeing Leila again was bittersweet since for once she did something right for the kids, but it probably won't last long. I do wish Coyle would frame her out besides being the harpy ex-wife. Give her some vulnerability every once in awhile. But she's a good foil to the Blended crew. Uptown versus offbeat. Anya and Red found a lot more construction in their need for a fairytale while Leila stayed rather stale.
Honestly, this is one of my favorites from the series. It's fun, there's a lot of unexpected twists and a few red herrings that actually work. The best part is how the Blend family sticks close and finds out answers. I wasn't happy to see Mr. DNA and I'm kind of tired of the Matt and Franco beef at this point since it's usually Matt's fault anyway. But those are minor quabbles.
Growing up, girls are told to wish hard and a handsome prince will come. But will he really? How do you find out who to trust and how do you find a way inside that special circle? While there's a little bit of death and a lot of unhappiness, the most enjoyable experience was reading Clare's inner turmoil. Instead of being locked in her head, there's a parallel story or two that frames the position from multiple viewpoints.
Seeing Leila again was bittersweet since for once she did something right for the kids, but it probably won't last long. I do wish Coyle would frame her out besides being the harpy ex-wife. Give her some vulnerability every once in awhile. But she's a good foil to the Blended crew. Uptown versus offbeat. Anya and Red found a lot more construction in their need for a fairytale while Leila stayed rather stale.
Honestly, this is one of my favorites from the series. It's fun, there's a lot of unexpected twists and a few red herrings that actually work. The best part is how the Blend family sticks close and finds out answers. I wasn't happy to see Mr. DNA and I'm kind of tired of the Matt and Franco beef at this point since it's usually Matt's fault anyway. But those are minor quabbles.