
Scorecard: (Out of 10)
* Quality of Writing - 5
* Pace - 4
* Plot development - 5
* Characters - 7
* Enjoyability - 6
* Insightfulness - 7
* Ease of Reading - 6
* Photos/Illustrations - 8
Final Score: 48/80 = 60%
*The Gush*
This was my second read-through of this book, and my opinion of it didn’t really change. I love the idea; the Grimm’s decedents protecting the EverAfters (even from themselves) as the world encroaches closer and closer and two girls discovering the mantle they may need to take up is a great concept and I always love modern fairytale retellings (see Fables comic series). The characters are engaging and actually interesting and there is a real mystery to solve.
So why can’t I really like this book?
I’m not sure I can put it into words but I’ll try.
*The Rant*
I guess my biggest problem with this book is that it takes such a great idea and makes it…well, boring. Seriously, both times I barely made it through the book with only the last third becoming interesting. I hope this book suffers from a severe case of introductionitis so I will read further in the series but with mediocre writing, bad pacing, and a rambling plot, the next book will really need some work.
*Conclusion*
The idea is great and I suggest anyone loving fairytales to take a look, but it barely scraps by as passable.