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A review by annettebooksofhopeanddreams
The Grimm Legacy by Polly Shulman
3.0
When I saw this book on the shelves of a second hand bookstore, I just had to get it. This year is the year of the fairytales. I'm reading loads of retellings and enjoying it immensely. I'm still not bored and I'm still not done with them. So, a story where a young girl discovers that all the Grimm objects and magic is real? That can't go wrong.
And the premise of the story is really lovely. As a bookworm and a fairytale lover, I really loved the atmosphere of the building, the endless stacks with items, the magical mirror, the magical keys, tables, shoes. I really enjoyed the description of the smell, the dust, the labyrinth and the plans on the walls helping everyone to find their way. And the tube system used to transport the messages sounded so awesome.
The characters in the story were also nice enough. They weren't very complicated or layered. They also didn't have that much depth, but they were nice and kind and likeable and it was easy to root for them, to want them to succeed.
But, the plot felt a little flat and dull. It's hard to explain why the plot didn't really work for me. Maybe it's because I didn't get the feeling that the threat was made serious, intelligent and dangerous enough. Once they dive into the mystery it's solved quite easily and rapidly and it feels like the so called "villains" don't really do much to prevent it all. It felt like the author was, just like me, fascinated by the atmosphere and the stacks and the building and shelves and then remembered she needed a plot too.
It was an amusing read, but not as brilliant and enchanting as I had hoped it would be.
And the premise of the story is really lovely. As a bookworm and a fairytale lover, I really loved the atmosphere of the building, the endless stacks with items, the magical mirror, the magical keys, tables, shoes. I really enjoyed the description of the smell, the dust, the labyrinth and the plans on the walls helping everyone to find their way. And the tube system used to transport the messages sounded so awesome.
The characters in the story were also nice enough. They weren't very complicated or layered. They also didn't have that much depth, but they were nice and kind and likeable and it was easy to root for them, to want them to succeed.
But, the plot felt a little flat and dull. It's hard to explain why the plot didn't really work for me. Maybe it's because I didn't get the feeling that the threat was made serious, intelligent and dangerous enough. Once they dive into the mystery it's solved quite easily and rapidly and it feels like the so called "villains" don't really do much to prevent it all. It felt like the author was, just like me, fascinated by the atmosphere and the stacks and the building and shelves and then remembered she needed a plot too.
It was an amusing read, but not as brilliant and enchanting as I had hoped it would be.