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The Sisters Grimm #1
The Sisters Grimm
The critically acclaimed author of The House at the End of Hope Street combines love, mystery, and magic with her first foray into bewitching fantasy with a dark edge evocative of V.E. Schwab and Neil Gaiman.
Once upon a time, a demon who desired earthly domination fathered an army of dark daughters to help him corrupt humanity . . .
As children, Goldie, Liyana, Scarlet, and Bea dreamed of a strange otherworld: a nightscape of mists and fog, perpetually falling leaves and hungry ivy, lit by an unwavering moon. Here, in this shadowland of Everwhere, the four girls, half-sisters connected by blood and magic, began to nurture their elemental powers together. But at thirteen, the sisters were ripped from Everwhere and separated. Now, five years later, they search for one another and yearn to rediscover their unique and supernatural strengths. Goldie (earth) manipulates plants and gives life. Liyana (water) controls rivers and rain. Scarlet (fire) has electricity at her fingertips. Bea (air) can fly.
To realize their full potential, the blood sisters must return to the land of their childhood dreams. But Everwhere can only be accessed through certain gates at 3:33 A.M. on the night of a new moon. As Goldie, Liyana, Scarlet, and Bea are beset with the challenges of their earthly lives, they must prepare for a battle that lies ahead. On their eighteenth birthday, they will be subjected to a gladiatorial fight with their father’s soldiers. If they survive, they will face their father who will let them live only if they turn dark. Which would be fair, if only the sisters knew what was coming.
So, they have thirty-three days to discover who they truly are and what they can truly do, before they must fight to save themselves and those they love.
448 pages, Kindle Edition
First published February 6, 2020
499 people are currently reading
16467 people want to read
About the author
Menna Van Praag
26 books874 followersMenna van Praag was born in Cambridge, England and studied Modern History at Oxford University. Her first novella - an autobiographical tale about a waitress who aspires to be a writer - Men, Money & Chocolate has been translated into 26 languages. Her magical realism novels are all set among the colleges, cafes and bookshops of Cambridge. The House at the End of Hope Street (2014), The Dress Shop of Dreams (2015), The Witches of Cambridge (2016), The Lost Art of Letter Writing (2017) & The Patron Saint of Lost Souls (2018). Her fantasy trilogy, The Sisters Grimm, was published (2020-24) by Transworld (UK) HarperVoyager (US). She's just published her first series of cozy crime novels: The Biscuit Tin Murders. The final book in the series is out January 31st...
Men, Money & Chocolate: 2009 (Hay House UK & US)
Happier Than She's Ever Been: 2011 (Hay House UK)
The House at the End of Hope Street: 2013 (Penguin US)
The Dress Shop of Dreams: 2014 (Random House US)
The Witches of Cambridge: 2015 (Random House US)
The Lost Art of Letter Writing: 2017 (Allison & Busby UK)
The Patron Saint of Lost Souls: 2018 (Allison & Busby UK)
The Sisters Grimm: 2020 (Transworld, UK & HarperVoyager US)
Night of Demons & Saints: 2022 (Transworld, UK & HarperVoyager US)
Child of Earth & Sky: 2023 (Transworld, UK)
The Biscuit Tin Murders: 2024-25 (Amazon).
Men, Money & Chocolate: 2009 (Hay House UK & US)
Happier Than She's Ever Been: 2011 (Hay House UK)
The House at the End of Hope Street: 2013 (Penguin US)
The Dress Shop of Dreams: 2014 (Random House US)
The Witches of Cambridge: 2015 (Random House US)
The Lost Art of Letter Writing: 2017 (Allison & Busby UK)
The Patron Saint of Lost Souls: 2018 (Allison & Busby UK)
The Sisters Grimm: 2020 (Transworld, UK & HarperVoyager US)
Night of Demons & Saints: 2022 (Transworld, UK & HarperVoyager US)
Child of Earth & Sky: 2023 (Transworld, UK)
The Biscuit Tin Murders: 2024-25 (Amazon).
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August 25, 2020This was unfortunately a miss for me. I think it was a little too choppy in how it jumped around so much both in perspective and timeline. I will say there was one scene towards the end that was written SO WELL and it made me wish the whole book had been executed in the same way that scene was written. This book just didn't match up with my reading tastes!
December 24, 2020
Four: powerful heroine alerted, entertaining, magical, Grimm-y, surprising stars!
As a fan of Grimm Brothers’ dark, gory, depressing stories which affected my first impressions about real life when I was a child, I happily devour anything written or named with “Grimm”! So when I got my kindle into my hands and saw this book on my shelf, I sang “Thank you, next, next” from Ariana Grande for NetGalley team members and I made my Shirley Temple tap dance (my version of Shirley Temple dance is drinking a big glass of Shirley Temple cocktail and foot fighting without any rhythm to terrorize my neighbors who are spying on me behind their curtains!)
But don’t think this a retelling of one of the bleak, sad, vulgar Grimm Brothers stories or any other fairy tales you know! This book is original, brand new, unique, exhilarating, special and fresh contribute to the fantasy world.
The story is about four sisters who represent different elements and possess different powers, not estranged but they completely forgot each other, resume different life styles.
There are so much visionary ideas that author brought into this book such as binding dreams, creatively developed fantasies and fairytales. And don’t forget the astrological approach to help shaping the characteristic behaviors, weaknesses and strengths. Interestingly four sister always reminds me of March Sisters, with their different characters, different POVS and different life paths.
Goldie represents the earth element, working as a maid at a Cambridge hotel, stealing from the customers to buy her brother Teddy new clothes.
Liyana, colorful girl, immigrated to the UK from Ghana, represents water and the only queer character of the book, has a secret girlfriend. Her dreams to be an Olympic level athlete float after her tragic accident. Now she needs to deal with injured leg and her new life choices.
Scarlett represents fire, working at a family café and taking care of her grandmother who is suffering from dementia.
Finally Bea is an art student of Cambridge College, represents air, a real ambitious, hard worker, trying to get rid of her over controlling mother who forced her to make different life choices.
This book is not easy reading because of its too many POVS (not only four sisters, we actually have Leo, too! And of course don’t forget the younger version of the characters’ narrations. So they turned into 10 POVS: Ten voices are blaring out in my head which makes me want to sing Zombie from Cranberries) and moving back and forth between two timelines story-telling and don’t forget all those combined magical, original but also confusing dream-binding elements.
One of the timeline is now: The girls’ birthday at the Halloween is coming closer and many eerie, mysterious things start to happen around them. And other timeline belongs to 8 years ago: The sisters have met for the first time.
Without having any knowledge, four girls dream Everywhere: an autumnal, magical place. But they don’t know the danger is waiting for them at this place. Lumen Latros, half falling star, half human soldiers chase them to end their lives.
Maybe because I have fire sign, I mostly related with Scarlet and also loved Goldie and her street smartness. Of course Goldie and Leo gave us romantic chemistry that we need. Nobody says no to enemies to lovers attraction.
When we come to the end we see that girls finally learn the truth and curse they have to fight against. Only 33 days left to meet their father. They need to fight for their lives and save each other.
Pros: It’s creative, capturing, entertaining, magical, different, original reading.
Cons: Too many POVS, time jumping, confusing way of story-telling and I truly disliked Bea as a character and wanted to skip her parts immediately.
As a summary: this is not my 5 stars reading but I found the story is promising, entertaining and riveting enough to be still curious to learn and read more about the characters’ journeys (instead of Bea!!!) So I’d love to read the sequels and enjoy more time with those sisters’ bounding.
Special thanks to NetGalley and HarperCollins Publishers/ Harper Voyager to share this fantastic ARC COPY in exchange my honest review. And I’m so happy to read one of the works of Menna Van Praag. I cannot wait to read her previous and future works.
As a fan of Grimm Brothers’ dark, gory, depressing stories which affected my first impressions about real life when I was a child, I happily devour anything written or named with “Grimm”! So when I got my kindle into my hands and saw this book on my shelf, I sang “Thank you, next, next” from Ariana Grande for NetGalley team members and I made my Shirley Temple tap dance (my version of Shirley Temple dance is drinking a big glass of Shirley Temple cocktail and foot fighting without any rhythm to terrorize my neighbors who are spying on me behind their curtains!)
But don’t think this a retelling of one of the bleak, sad, vulgar Grimm Brothers stories or any other fairy tales you know! This book is original, brand new, unique, exhilarating, special and fresh contribute to the fantasy world.
The story is about four sisters who represent different elements and possess different powers, not estranged but they completely forgot each other, resume different life styles.
There are so much visionary ideas that author brought into this book such as binding dreams, creatively developed fantasies and fairytales. And don’t forget the astrological approach to help shaping the characteristic behaviors, weaknesses and strengths. Interestingly four sister always reminds me of March Sisters, with their different characters, different POVS and different life paths.
Goldie represents the earth element, working as a maid at a Cambridge hotel, stealing from the customers to buy her brother Teddy new clothes.
Liyana, colorful girl, immigrated to the UK from Ghana, represents water and the only queer character of the book, has a secret girlfriend. Her dreams to be an Olympic level athlete float after her tragic accident. Now she needs to deal with injured leg and her new life choices.
Scarlett represents fire, working at a family café and taking care of her grandmother who is suffering from dementia.
Finally Bea is an art student of Cambridge College, represents air, a real ambitious, hard worker, trying to get rid of her over controlling mother who forced her to make different life choices.
This book is not easy reading because of its too many POVS (not only four sisters, we actually have Leo, too! And of course don’t forget the younger version of the characters’ narrations. So they turned into 10 POVS: Ten voices are blaring out in my head which makes me want to sing Zombie from Cranberries) and moving back and forth between two timelines story-telling and don’t forget all those combined magical, original but also confusing dream-binding elements.
One of the timeline is now: The girls’ birthday at the Halloween is coming closer and many eerie, mysterious things start to happen around them. And other timeline belongs to 8 years ago: The sisters have met for the first time.
Without having any knowledge, four girls dream Everywhere: an autumnal, magical place. But they don’t know the danger is waiting for them at this place. Lumen Latros, half falling star, half human soldiers chase them to end their lives.
Maybe because I have fire sign, I mostly related with Scarlet and also loved Goldie and her street smartness. Of course Goldie and Leo gave us romantic chemistry that we need. Nobody says no to enemies to lovers attraction.
When we come to the end we see that girls finally learn the truth and curse they have to fight against. Only 33 days left to meet their father. They need to fight for their lives and save each other.
Pros: It’s creative, capturing, entertaining, magical, different, original reading.
Cons: Too many POVS, time jumping, confusing way of story-telling and I truly disliked Bea as a character and wanted to skip her parts immediately.
As a summary: this is not my 5 stars reading but I found the story is promising, entertaining and riveting enough to be still curious to learn and read more about the characters’ journeys (instead of Bea!!!) So I’d love to read the sequels and enjoy more time with those sisters’ bounding.
Special thanks to NetGalley and HarperCollins Publishers/ Harper Voyager to share this fantastic ARC COPY in exchange my honest review. And I’m so happy to read one of the works of Menna Van Praag. I cannot wait to read her previous and future works.
January 23, 2020
I really wanted to like this book more than I did. It has a lot going for it including great world building and four vibrant young woman just starting to recognise their own strengths. I enjoyed the writer's imagination and in places the story is beautiful. However, the timelines were often difficult to follow with the background fragmented and repetitive such that the pacing was too slow for most of the book with the ending very rushed when more detail would have been good.
This is story of four women who first meet as children in their dreams in a fantasy world called Everwhere from which they are excluded when they turn thirteen. They learn that they are Grimm sisters and on the night they turn eighteen they will be permitted to re-enter this world but must fight male soldiers for their lives. Each of the women has a special magical gift using the power of Earth, Fire, Water or Air, which they must learn to develop to to use in their fight to survive in Everwhere.
I was enchanted by the premise of the book and the stories of the four women and I enjoyed the women's stories and the empowerment they each found within themselves. However the timelines were confusing with each of the women narrating events from their childhood as well as the current time so that it wasn't always clear what time period we were in (adding indicators such as 'then' and 'now' would have been helpful). So while I really enjoyed the mythology of the novel and the writer's vision for her fantasy world and it's inhabitants, the novel really would have benefited from more focus and streamlining of the plot. 3.5★
With many thanks to Netgalley and Random House for a digital ARC to read
This is story of four women who first meet as children in their dreams in a fantasy world called Everwhere from which they are excluded when they turn thirteen. They learn that they are Grimm sisters and on the night they turn eighteen they will be permitted to re-enter this world but must fight male soldiers for their lives. Each of the women has a special magical gift using the power of Earth, Fire, Water or Air, which they must learn to develop to to use in their fight to survive in Everwhere.
I was enchanted by the premise of the book and the stories of the four women and I enjoyed the women's stories and the empowerment they each found within themselves. However the timelines were confusing with each of the women narrating events from their childhood as well as the current time so that it wasn't always clear what time period we were in (adding indicators such as 'then' and 'now' would have been helpful). So while I really enjoyed the mythology of the novel and the writer's vision for her fantasy world and it's inhabitants, the novel really would have benefited from more focus and streamlining of the plot. 3.5★
With many thanks to Netgalley and Random House for a digital ARC to read
April 1, 2020
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Thank you NetGalley and Harper Voyager for this ARC. All thoughts and opinions are mine.
You are stronger than you seem.
Braver than you feel.
Wiser than you believe.
Nothing can push fairy tales off of their own classic shelf. They've evolved and grown over the years, and nowadays we have plenty of retellings to fill our reading preferences. I am, however, not sure if that's what was attempted with The Sisters Grimm.
The concept for this story is fantastic, but we are never given enough explanation into it to make it well understood. As a matter of fact, a lot of things are not explained. We know that there are soldiers, who are originally stars and somehow are either born into human bodies on earth or appear, and as they grow they are somehow trained to one day kill Grimm girls once they turn eighteen or they will stop existing since the death of these girls/women replenish their light...
Throughout this novel, I felt that I was ambivalently moving along while waiting for action to jump into the moment, any moment, and save the day. And the constant jumping back and forth from past to present made for an uneven, bumpy switch in narrative.
Books are often either character-driven or plot-driven. Were I to choose one, I would go with plot. And in the moments when the author gives me both, I find myself on cloud nine. The Sisters Grimm is extremely character-driven, which works for a lot readers. As that, it is a very well written. But because it is so character-driven, sometimes in mundane ways, most of the novel moves along at the pace of melted molasses. There is barely any action to be seen, save for the end, where we are subjected to the longest chapter in the novel so that the reunion of the four “sisters” is packed into one lengthy stretch to allow us the outcome of them returning to Everwhere.
That last chapter gives Bea, Goldie, Ana and Scarlet a brief section each, where they then all have the opportunity to defeat the soldier that is meant to kill them. I will say, I was surprised to find out who the soldiers for both Bea and Scarlet turned out to be, but that doesn't take away from the fact that even once they get to their father, it's all lackluster. Even their defeat of their father is lackluster. These girls have a spark of magic that grows and forms mostly in dreams, and suddenly it is all re-awoken, embraced and used so very knowledgeably.
And as for Wilhelm Grimm... I am still confused as to his character. Is this one of the Grimm brothers turned demon (somehow), or is this a demon/devil who happens to be named Grimm and commands all of these girls who happen to be part of fairy tales? His existence, as is the brief and repetitive view that we get of Everwhere, are not expanded enough for me to feel any impact from this character or setting.
A setting, which, given the type of story this attempted to be, could have been so powerful and beautifully dark.
The writing itself is good, and I am thankful for it. But I was far too confused in things that I wanted more understanding of, as well as lacking any real investment in the characters and the pace at which they moved, to be fully immersed and enjoy the tale.
Thank you NetGalley and Harper Voyager for this ARC. All thoughts and opinions are mine.
You are stronger than you seem.
Braver than you feel.
Wiser than you believe.
Nothing can push fairy tales off of their own classic shelf. They've evolved and grown over the years, and nowadays we have plenty of retellings to fill our reading preferences. I am, however, not sure if that's what was attempted with The Sisters Grimm.
The concept for this story is fantastic, but we are never given enough explanation into it to make it well understood. As a matter of fact, a lot of things are not explained. We know that there are soldiers, who are originally stars and somehow are either born into human bodies on earth or appear, and as they grow they are somehow trained to one day kill Grimm girls once they turn eighteen or they will stop existing since the death of these girls/women replenish their light...
Throughout this novel, I felt that I was ambivalently moving along while waiting for action to jump into the moment, any moment, and save the day. And the constant jumping back and forth from past to present made for an uneven, bumpy switch in narrative.
Books are often either character-driven or plot-driven. Were I to choose one, I would go with plot. And in the moments when the author gives me both, I find myself on cloud nine. The Sisters Grimm is extremely character-driven, which works for a lot readers. As that, it is a very well written. But because it is so character-driven, sometimes in mundane ways, most of the novel moves along at the pace of melted molasses. There is barely any action to be seen, save for the end, where we are subjected to the longest chapter in the novel so that the reunion of the four “sisters” is packed into one lengthy stretch to allow us the outcome of them returning to Everwhere.
That last chapter gives Bea, Goldie, Ana and Scarlet a brief section each, where they then all have the opportunity to defeat the soldier that is meant to kill them. I will say, I was surprised to find out who the soldiers for both Bea and Scarlet turned out to be, but that doesn't take away from the fact that even once they get to their father, it's all lackluster. Even their defeat of their father is lackluster. These girls have a spark of magic that grows and forms mostly in dreams, and suddenly it is all re-awoken, embraced and used so very knowledgeably.
And as for Wilhelm Grimm... I am still confused as to his character. Is this one of the Grimm brothers turned demon (somehow), or is this a demon/devil who happens to be named Grimm and commands all of these girls who happen to be part of fairy tales? His existence, as is the brief and repetitive view that we get of Everwhere, are not expanded enough for me to feel any impact from this character or setting.
A setting, which, given the type of story this attempted to be, could have been so powerful and beautifully dark.
The writing itself is good, and I am thankful for it. But I was far too confused in things that I wanted more understanding of, as well as lacking any real investment in the characters and the pace at which they moved, to be fully immersed and enjoy the tale.
September 12, 2019
The Sisters Grimm was a special book. It was even more special to read as a woman about the magical story of these 4 sisters. It has a really good idea behind it. The magic of each sister is related to the Earth's elements: water, fire, earth and air. They don't remember each other, growing up separately, but they will come together one day, in a different, magical world to discover their powers.
This book was beautifully written, slowly revealing itself to the reader. It reminded me of The Night Circus for sure. Not that its ideas are similar, but the styles and how stories reveal themselves are similar. So, I think the fans of The Night Circus should try this out.
I read it in a couple of days, feeling myself in another world rooting for these sisters. It's hard to pull off so many perspectives, yet I think it's done beautifully.
The story and the atmosphere is intriguing, and I thoroughly enjoyed my time with this fantasy world. Highly recommended.
This book was beautifully written, slowly revealing itself to the reader. It reminded me of The Night Circus for sure. Not that its ideas are similar, but the styles and how stories reveal themselves are similar. So, I think the fans of The Night Circus should try this out.
I read it in a couple of days, feeling myself in another world rooting for these sisters. It's hard to pull off so many perspectives, yet I think it's done beautifully.
The story and the atmosphere is intriguing, and I thoroughly enjoyed my time with this fantasy world. Highly recommended.
January 13, 2020
Well, I'm glad this is over. I tried and tried and tried hoping I would start to enjoy the story the longer I read, and finally understand but nope. After 496 pages I mostly feel confused. Most of this world doesn't make any sense and worse, it's not even explained. I waited and waited and waited for explanations about how this universe works and all, but we just don't get them. Or we get them, but like, little tiny bits there and there, the rest? You have to understand by yourself. It is HARD to enjoy a book where you're so lost by the world within.
When I read the prologue I thought "oh this is going to be good" but it's the only time I thought that. I started feeling confused right at the beginning when in the first chapter we got Goldie's narration first, and it was a first person pov. Then Leo, and it was a third person pov. And the other sisters too a third person pov. Why the distinction for Goldie? To show she's special, the main character of the main characters? I mostly found it annoying.
Then every time one of the girls meets a guy around her age it's "omgs so handsome!!!" and, please. I had to read this speech at least three times in just the first few chapters I have a limit. The romance also??? didn't make sense??? It's the "she's a girl, he's guy, can I make this more obvious" and uuuuugh. Kisses happened at some point and I was "what lead to this??" Also I'm sorry but a 28 years old dude asking out a not yet 18 eighteen girl made me feel reaaally uncomfortable, like yikes. Please don't. And the "I'm going to seduce her so I can kill her better" I'm just????? Why did I have to read that. And then some chapters later "I can't remember a time I didn't love you" ok but dude 1) you met barely a month ago and 2) till a few days (weeks? the timeline confused me too) ago you wanted to kill her. Another point: how the loyalties of everybody just changed all the time in just a second for nothing? Please make up your mind.
I talked about the timeline which confused me because it was kind of weird. Each chapter was one day (so from time to time we'd have just a few lines from a pov before changing) and then between chapters we had some "ten years ago" that didn't make more sense. because it just raised more questions. Honestly it took me so much time to understand the rule of the going-to-Everwhere-from-8-to-13 and then forgetting everything till 18 when you had a choice to make but I'm still not 100% sure I got it right. So at 18 you go back to Everwhere where you have to choose between go dark or go light. Go dark, yeah for you you live, go light, oops your dad wants to kill you you probably won't survive. But why did the dad sent his soldiers to the girls BEFORE their choice? So there's only the most powerful? Also if the Grimm girls are his daughters and the soldiers his sons (who were previously stars??? It's a point I never completely understood) what's the point of sending each against the other? Also it's said the soldiers goes to Everwhere once every month to kill Grimm girls but how are there so many to kill? It's said so few survived the choosing at 18 and I'm just ?? this doesn"t make sense.
I would have so much prefered if the book focused on the girls and their powers and their relationship between each other rather than some romance and "oh no their life sucks boo hoo"
Trigger warnings (which would have been much appreciated at the beginning of the book) for sexual assault, self harm, incest, suicide thoughts, child abuse, and probably more I forgot.
Last thing that truly annoyed me. You don't need to tell me a character is fat every few lines. Like seriously. It's like his only personality trait was being fat with how much I read it....
When I read the prologue I thought "oh this is going to be good" but it's the only time I thought that. I started feeling confused right at the beginning when in the first chapter we got Goldie's narration first, and it was a first person pov. Then Leo, and it was a third person pov. And the other sisters too a third person pov. Why the distinction for Goldie? To show she's special, the main character of the main characters? I mostly found it annoying.
Then every time one of the girls meets a guy around her age it's "omgs so handsome!!!" and, please. I had to read this speech at least three times in just the first few chapters I have a limit. The romance also??? didn't make sense??? It's the "she's a girl, he's guy, can I make this more obvious" and uuuuugh. Kisses happened at some point and I was "what lead to this??" Also I'm sorry but a 28 years old dude asking out a not yet 18 eighteen girl made me feel reaaally uncomfortable, like yikes. Please don't. And the "I'm going to seduce her so I can kill her better" I'm just????? Why did I have to read that. And then some chapters later "I can't remember a time I didn't love you" ok but dude 1) you met barely a month ago and 2) till a few days (weeks? the timeline confused me too) ago you wanted to kill her. Another point: how the loyalties of everybody just changed all the time in just a second for nothing? Please make up your mind.
I talked about the timeline which confused me because it was kind of weird. Each chapter was one day (so from time to time we'd have just a few lines from a pov before changing) and then between chapters we had some "ten years ago" that didn't make more sense. because it just raised more questions. Honestly it took me so much time to understand the rule of the going-to-Everwhere-from-8-to-13 and then forgetting everything till 18 when you had a choice to make but I'm still not 100% sure I got it right. So at 18 you go back to Everwhere where you have to choose between go dark or go light. Go dark, yeah for you you live, go light, oops your dad wants to kill you you probably won't survive. But why did the dad sent his soldiers to the girls BEFORE their choice? So there's only the most powerful? Also if the Grimm girls are his daughters and the soldiers his sons (who were previously stars??? It's a point I never completely understood) what's the point of sending each against the other? Also it's said the soldiers goes to Everwhere once every month to kill Grimm girls but how are there so many to kill? It's said so few survived the choosing at 18 and I'm just ?? this doesn"t make sense.
I would have so much prefered if the book focused on the girls and their powers and their relationship between each other rather than some romance and "oh no their life sucks boo hoo"
Trigger warnings (which would have been much appreciated at the beginning of the book) for sexual assault, self harm, incest, suicide thoughts, child abuse, and probably more I forgot.
Last thing that truly annoyed me. You don't need to tell me a character is fat every few lines. Like seriously. It's like his only personality trait was being fat with how much I read it....
February 29, 2020
Please note that I received this via NetGalley. This did not affect my rating or review.
Wow. This was just bad. I’ve been trying to get through this book since December. At 20 percent today I called it quits. The changing points of views told in first, second, and third person was headache inducing. The girls in this story are insufferable for the most part. And we have a whole storyline about “stars” (I don’t know...demons?) hunting the sisters I just ceased to care. It doesn’t help the time line is all over the place too.
I love magical realism books, but they have to have an actual plot and world building you can follow. We’re not getting any idea of this world that Praag is trying to build. I can hazard a guess that some of these “girls” are built upon fairy tale characters from the Grimm Fairytales (we have a Goldie, Liyana, Scarlet, and Bea). If I cared at all I would try to figure out Liyana and Bea’s fairy tale equivalents. I do not not though so moving on.
The flow is awful with the a decade before and the a countdown to I guess a quarter moon or something? Seriously it’s just a lot happening with zero explanations.
The setting is I guess modern day London, but it seemed to not matter at all. It could have taken place in Timbuktu.
This is my last book by this author.
Wow. This was just bad. I’ve been trying to get through this book since December. At 20 percent today I called it quits. The changing points of views told in first, second, and third person was headache inducing. The girls in this story are insufferable for the most part. And we have a whole storyline about “stars” (I don’t know...demons?) hunting the sisters I just ceased to care. It doesn’t help the time line is all over the place too.
I love magical realism books, but they have to have an actual plot and world building you can follow. We’re not getting any idea of this world that Praag is trying to build. I can hazard a guess that some of these “girls” are built upon fairy tale characters from the Grimm Fairytales (we have a Goldie, Liyana, Scarlet, and Bea). If I cared at all I would try to figure out Liyana and Bea’s fairy tale equivalents. I do not not though so moving on.
The flow is awful with the a decade before and the a countdown to I guess a quarter moon or something? Seriously it’s just a lot happening with zero explanations.
The setting is I guess modern day London, but it seemed to not matter at all. It could have taken place in Timbuktu.
This is my last book by this author.
February 5, 2020
UPDATE: My day just got awesome! I found signed copies of this book at Goldsboro Books. I’ve ordered my copy and can’t wait for it to arrive. Happy book day to me!
Goldie, whose perspective is the only one told in first person, is the sole caregiver for Teddy, her ten year old brother. She cleans rooms at a fancy hotel, liberating items from its rich guests to help support him. Her boss is sleazy and she’s experienced significant trauma in her childhood.
This book reminded me of two important bookish things:
1. Why I should not pay too much attention to a book’s star ratings and reviews before I finish reading it myself, and
2. Why I should always give a book a little more time after deciding it’s not for me.
I had really been looking forward to this book so when I saw some unflattering reviews I admit that I allowed them to dampen my enthusiasm and even shuffled my TBR pile, moving a couple up the queue, as the thought of needing to drag myself through so many pages was unappealing. As soon as I began reading I realised the error of my ways - until I began reading from Leo’s perspective. He’s a what? From where? Seriously?
My initial failure to connect with Leo’s character, along with my impatience with the multiple perspectives that changed so frequently I had trouble keeping up for a while, caused me to very nearly write this book off as a DNF. Each sister‘s story is told from two perspectives (now and a decade ago). There are also varying amounts of time dedicated to Leo, Nyasha, Esme and their father. Then there are descriptions of Everwhere.
Thankfully I persevered just a little bit longer than I had planned before abandoning the book altogether and I’m so glad I did because I wound up entirely sucked in to this world and these sisters’ lives. I even got used to the rapid changes in perspective, although I still think I’d benefit from a reread to pick up connections I likely missed the first time through. I think this is the first time a potential DNF has suddenly morphed into an I love this book! for me and I can’t wait to reread it, soaking up the enjoyment I obviously missed early on.
There’s always this childlike delight that wells up inside of me when I discover illustrations in a book I don’t expect to find them in. I absolutely fell in love with Alastair Meikle’s illustrations and had so much trouble choosing a favourite to share with you here. I’ve chosen the first one, mostly because it invokes the same sense of wonder every time I look at it.
The descriptions of Everwhere enchanted me so much I wanted to visit. I yearned to learn everything I could about each of the four sisters. I wondered what element and powers I would most want, if I had the ability to choose. I didn’t want this story to end and it wouldn’t surprise me if this book comes to mind when I think about my favourite reads of the year. I need to inhale more of this author’s words.
Content warnings include child abuse, mental health, self harm, sexual assault and suicidal ideation.
Thank you so much to NetGalley and Bantam Press, an imprint of Transworld Publishers, Penguin Random House UK, for the opportunity to read this book.
Every daughter is born of an element, infused with its own particular powers. Some are born of earth: fertile as soil, strong as stone, steady as the ancient oak. Others of fire: explosive as gunpowder, seductive as light, fierce as an unbound flame. Others of water: calm as a lake, relentless as a wave, unfathomable as an ocean. The Sisters Grimm are daughters of air, born of dreams and prayer, faith and imagination, bright-white wishing and black-edged desire.Each girl in The Sisters Grimm represents an element and a fairytale character. Goldi (Goldilocks) is earth, Bea (Beauty) is air, Liyana (I read somewhere that she represents Snow White but I cannot confirm this) is water and Scarlet (Red Riding Hood) is fire. Some of the comparisons between the characters and their fairytale equivalent were more obvious than others. While the Grimm connections will likely add to the book’s appeal for a lot of readers I would have been equally invested in the story had this not been included.
Goldie, whose perspective is the only one told in first person, is the sole caregiver for Teddy, her ten year old brother. She cleans rooms at a fancy hotel, liberating items from its rich guests to help support him. Her boss is sleazy and she’s experienced significant trauma in her childhood.
I’ve been a thief for as long as I can remember, a liar too. I might even be a murderer, though you’ll have to make up your own mind about that.Bea was raised in various foster homes while her mother was being treated at St Dymphna’s Psychiatric Hospital. Bea studies philosophy and feels most alive when she’s soaring through the air in a glider.
For nearly eighteen years her mother has encouraged her to act audaciously and, although Bea relishes nothing more than reckless behaviour, she’s damned if she’ll give her mother the satisfaction of knowing it.Liyana (Ana) was on track to be an Olympian before an injury derailed her plans but she remains at home in the water. Ana and her mother moved to London from Ghana when she was a child. Ana is an artist. Her girlfriend, Kumiko, hasn’t met her aunt Nyasha yet.
At the sight of a blackbird Liyana feels that, ultimately, all is right with the world, no matter how hopeless it might seem at the time.Scarlet lives with her grandmother, Esme, whose health is declining. Scarlet now runs the café owned by her family. She lost both her mother, Ruby, and her home a decade ago as a result of fire.
Strangely, Scarlet finds she wants to immerse her hand in the flame, wants to feel the scorch on her skin. She believes, impossibly, that the fire will be kind to her.I saw myself in all of the girls to a certain extent and, although I’d never heard of this author prior to this book and they certainly couldn’t pick me out of a lineup, I am almost always awake at 3:33am so I’m claiming this part of the dedication as my own. I knew from the blurb that one of the four would not survive but I liked them all and hoped against hope that the blurb was faulty. It was not.
This book reminded me of two important bookish things:
1. Why I should not pay too much attention to a book’s star ratings and reviews before I finish reading it myself, and
2. Why I should always give a book a little more time after deciding it’s not for me.
I had really been looking forward to this book so when I saw some unflattering reviews I admit that I allowed them to dampen my enthusiasm and even shuffled my TBR pile, moving a couple up the queue, as the thought of needing to drag myself through so many pages was unappealing. As soon as I began reading I realised the error of my ways - until I began reading from Leo’s perspective. He’s a what? From where? Seriously?
My initial failure to connect with Leo’s character, along with my impatience with the multiple perspectives that changed so frequently I had trouble keeping up for a while, caused me to very nearly write this book off as a DNF. Each sister‘s story is told from two perspectives (now and a decade ago). There are also varying amounts of time dedicated to Leo, Nyasha, Esme and their father. Then there are descriptions of Everwhere.
It’s a nocturnal place, a place crafted from thoughts and dreams, hope and desire.If you count the descriptions of Everwhere as a perspective, which I did, you wind up with a baker’s dozen.
Thankfully I persevered just a little bit longer than I had planned before abandoning the book altogether and I’m so glad I did because I wound up entirely sucked in to this world and these sisters’ lives. I even got used to the rapid changes in perspective, although I still think I’d benefit from a reread to pick up connections I likely missed the first time through. I think this is the first time a potential DNF has suddenly morphed into an I love this book! for me and I can’t wait to reread it, soaking up the enjoyment I obviously missed early on.
There’s always this childlike delight that wells up inside of me when I discover illustrations in a book I don’t expect to find them in. I absolutely fell in love with Alastair Meikle’s illustrations and had so much trouble choosing a favourite to share with you here. I’ve chosen the first one, mostly because it invokes the same sense of wonder every time I look at it.
Although I’m not usually interested in Tarot, the descriptions of the cards throughout the book made me want to send a wish to the book’s marketing team in the hope that they’ll commission a set of Tarot cards, illustrated by Alastair Meikle, that have a similar feel to the style used in the book.
The descriptions of Everwhere enchanted me so much I wanted to visit. I yearned to learn everything I could about each of the four sisters. I wondered what element and powers I would most want, if I had the ability to choose. I didn’t want this story to end and it wouldn’t surprise me if this book comes to mind when I think about my favourite reads of the year. I need to inhale more of this author’s words.
There are hundreds, possibly thousands, of Sisters Grimm on Earth and in Everwhere. You may well be one of them, though you might never know it. You think you’re ordinary. You never suspect that you’re stronger than you seem, braver than you feel or greater than you imagine.If anyone needs me I’ll be stalking the internet to see if I can buy a signed copy of this book. My bookcase desperately needs one!
Content warnings include child abuse, mental health, self harm, sexual assault and suicidal ideation.
Thank you so much to NetGalley and Bantam Press, an imprint of Transworld Publishers, Penguin Random House UK, for the opportunity to read this book.
March 4, 2020
If you are hesitant about picking up this book, read the synopsis first. It is very much on par with the overall storyline and guaranteed to garner your attention if you enjoy a YA novel infused with bewitching roots into a fairy tale world. Though it isn't specifically categorized this way, I would almost describe it as a contemporary YA novel with fantasy lore.
"Every daughter is born of an element, infused with its own particular powers. Some are born on earth: fertile as soil, strong as stone, steady as the ancient oak. Others of fire: explosive as gunpowder, seductive as light, fierce as an unbound flame. Others of water: calm as a lake relentless as a wave, unfathomable as an ocean. The Sisters Grimm are daughters of air, born of dreams and prayer, imagination and faith, bright white wishing and black-edged desire."
This is the glimpse at four sisters, their lives in our world and the deeply rooted calling from a place named Everwhere.
Goldie works at a hotel. She loves writing and has done so since childhood. Her home life growing up has been troublesome with an abusive stepfather and now she is raising her brother alone in an apartment in the city. To make ends meet, she has resolved to thievery from hotel guests...just those little extras that would not be noticed right away by any traveler. There are times when she slips into dreams of a place where she has sisters and plays outside under majestic willow trees.
Her eye for a boy named Leo from the hotel branch might know a thing or two about her and despite his biggest efforts of not falling for her, finds himself between a rock and a hard place when Goldie turns eighteen, the day on which she has to either accept all that is dark into her heart or all that is light and fight for her life.
Bea likes to soar the heavens with Dr. Finch teaching her how to fly in his glider. More reserved in person but none the less important later in the story, he is not the kind of man that Bea is attracted to. Despite that, she takes what she wants, when she wants it also from Finch. She is the one sister, with the earliest tie ins to Everwhere we will learn of.
Liyana loves the water. It's the place she is at peace. At the community swimming pool, she spends hours just gliding through the water and diving for minutes at a time. Due to financial difficulties, her aunt, who raised her, has suggested a proposal: Mary into money, that would guarantee her the college she wants to attend and give them more security. The only problem is, Liyana already is in a relationship with another girl and not interested in the boy that her aunt picked for her. A wobbly tug and pull are created in her intent on doing well for her aunt and assuring her girlfriend of her love.
Scarlet runs a coffee shop in the same building she lives in with her grandmother. There is a lot of history to the place since it was her grandparent's business and the place where her grandma remembers dances and romance with her grandfather. Unfortunately, the glimmers into the past are fading due to Alzheimer's and Scarlet has to use all her resources to keep the coffee shop running. It does not help that the ceiling in the shop is crumbling and a big whiz financier wants to put a Starbucks next door.
All of the girls have innate connections to the place Everwhere and experience some form of dream or deja vu in their conscience being of having played with sisters in meadows other than their real life. While the novel explores in detail each of the girls' current circumstances, it also is interspersed with flashbacks and another person in their life guiding them in some fashion towards their 18th birthday, the day when all of them are faced with a big decision.
This is a very character-driven narrative with several views and angles, rising ever so slowly to the climactic culmination of events. There is an overreaching figure they all have something in common with that makes them "Grimm" and a certain expectation that seals their fate if persuaded.
Menna Van Praag's writing is lyrical and stellar in places. If you have read The Ten Thousand Doors of January by Alix E. Harrow, it is what I would possibly compare it too in a sense, yet very different by content. The writing is what actually raised the roof for me in this novel. I loved the essence of Everwhere, but actually wanted more of it. It's really more of a personal preference most likely, as I don't read much of contemporary nature and the rest of the novel had a very contemporary feel.
The characterization of the sisters was very well done. With each POV in the story, the tone and tempo changed accordingly and made it easy to learn what makes all of them tick. I found Scarlett's story to be very relatable, yet they all have their forte, strengths, and weaknesses. The elements of good and evil in each of them is explored while different measures are given to individual personalities and tendencies.
A novel to savor over 400+ pages for its beautiful writing and unique, subtle world-building with a pay-off of rather quick nature. You will know those sisters, feel for them and miss them by the time you turn that last page.
Enjoy
I received an ARC of this novel from the publisher in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own. Thank you.
More of my reviews here:
Through Novel Time & Distance
"Every daughter is born of an element, infused with its own particular powers. Some are born on earth: fertile as soil, strong as stone, steady as the ancient oak. Others of fire: explosive as gunpowder, seductive as light, fierce as an unbound flame. Others of water: calm as a lake relentless as a wave, unfathomable as an ocean. The Sisters Grimm are daughters of air, born of dreams and prayer, imagination and faith, bright white wishing and black-edged desire."
This is the glimpse at four sisters, their lives in our world and the deeply rooted calling from a place named Everwhere.
Goldie works at a hotel. She loves writing and has done so since childhood. Her home life growing up has been troublesome with an abusive stepfather and now she is raising her brother alone in an apartment in the city. To make ends meet, she has resolved to thievery from hotel guests...just those little extras that would not be noticed right away by any traveler. There are times when she slips into dreams of a place where she has sisters and plays outside under majestic willow trees.
Her eye for a boy named Leo from the hotel branch might know a thing or two about her and despite his biggest efforts of not falling for her, finds himself between a rock and a hard place when Goldie turns eighteen, the day on which she has to either accept all that is dark into her heart or all that is light and fight for her life.
Bea likes to soar the heavens with Dr. Finch teaching her how to fly in his glider. More reserved in person but none the less important later in the story, he is not the kind of man that Bea is attracted to. Despite that, she takes what she wants, when she wants it also from Finch. She is the one sister, with the earliest tie ins to Everwhere we will learn of.
Liyana loves the water. It's the place she is at peace. At the community swimming pool, she spends hours just gliding through the water and diving for minutes at a time. Due to financial difficulties, her aunt, who raised her, has suggested a proposal: Mary into money, that would guarantee her the college she wants to attend and give them more security. The only problem is, Liyana already is in a relationship with another girl and not interested in the boy that her aunt picked for her. A wobbly tug and pull are created in her intent on doing well for her aunt and assuring her girlfriend of her love.
Scarlet runs a coffee shop in the same building she lives in with her grandmother. There is a lot of history to the place since it was her grandparent's business and the place where her grandma remembers dances and romance with her grandfather. Unfortunately, the glimmers into the past are fading due to Alzheimer's and Scarlet has to use all her resources to keep the coffee shop running. It does not help that the ceiling in the shop is crumbling and a big whiz financier wants to put a Starbucks next door.
All of the girls have innate connections to the place Everwhere and experience some form of dream or deja vu in their conscience being of having played with sisters in meadows other than their real life. While the novel explores in detail each of the girls' current circumstances, it also is interspersed with flashbacks and another person in their life guiding them in some fashion towards their 18th birthday, the day when all of them are faced with a big decision.
This is a very character-driven narrative with several views and angles, rising ever so slowly to the climactic culmination of events. There is an overreaching figure they all have something in common with that makes them "Grimm" and a certain expectation that seals their fate if persuaded.
Menna Van Praag's writing is lyrical and stellar in places. If you have read The Ten Thousand Doors of January by Alix E. Harrow, it is what I would possibly compare it too in a sense, yet very different by content. The writing is what actually raised the roof for me in this novel. I loved the essence of Everwhere, but actually wanted more of it. It's really more of a personal preference most likely, as I don't read much of contemporary nature and the rest of the novel had a very contemporary feel.
The characterization of the sisters was very well done. With each POV in the story, the tone and tempo changed accordingly and made it easy to learn what makes all of them tick. I found Scarlett's story to be very relatable, yet they all have their forte, strengths, and weaknesses. The elements of good and evil in each of them is explored while different measures are given to individual personalities and tendencies.
A novel to savor over 400+ pages for its beautiful writing and unique, subtle world-building with a pay-off of rather quick nature. You will know those sisters, feel for them and miss them by the time you turn that last page.
Enjoy
I received an ARC of this novel from the publisher in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own. Thank you.
More of my reviews here:
Through Novel Time & Distance
October 4, 2020
DNF at 260 pages out of 481.
My most anticipated book of 2020 - it contains practically all of my favourite things - and it turns into my biggest, most heartbreaking disappointment.
Normally I don't rate books I haven't finished and have at best skimmed to the end. But I feel that 'The Sisters Grimm' has earned its one star, after over halfway through reading it and receiving the following:
Nothing happening. Stupid characters. Weak willed, pathetic and male dependant female leads. A slow pace despite nice and addictive writing. Crap hetero romances and nonexistent "sex" scenes straight out of a bad Harlequin paperback. Absence of plot, action, cool magic, and female support, solidarity and empowerment.
I couldn't take it anymore.
I'll sum up my grievances in bullet points, because I want to finish this review quickly and get it all out of my system, out of my life. Let's get it over and done with:
• For a so-called feminist text, 'The Sisters Grimm' contains four female leads who, while not boring or one note, are entirely dependent on the approval of and the attraction of men in every aspect of their lives. Some men and boys save their lives, socially and financially. So much for female empowerment and independence. The four Grimm sisters are drawn sexually to clearly, obviously shitty men. Men who are stalkers and won't take no for an answer, no matter how many times they are told to piss off. Men who are like their father, the demonic, incestuous rapist Wilhelm Grimm, who has done absolutely nothing to earn their respect and admiration. For supposedly smart, modern girls, these sisters act like they've never heard of feminism before; have never heard of double standards, rape culture and male entitlement. They have no self-preservation skills, nor common sense, whatsoever. Where are their female friends? The living female family members who aren't a burden to them? For fuck's sake, even the only gay sister gives attractive descriptions of certain men she feels drawn to; I don't think she describes her girlfriend in any kind of desirable detail, even when they kiss. The only explicitly queer couple's relationship is as limp and lifeless as a gutted fish; it exists, though it's barely present, and that's that.
• Speaking of relationships, all of them are rushed, weak, and have no chemistry. And they end up taking over everything - including the fantasy and sisterhood elements which this book advertised! All the romance tropes are here: the bad boy (who is a literal serial killer of women, of Grimm girls, not that that will deter his target, the main Grimm sister, for long; she'll love him regardless, because of course she does. Also he's her half brother); the dogeared Nice Guy with no social skills who's impervious to the word "no"; another, yet genuinely nice and funny guy who will turn out to be evil (because of course!); the rich bastard (whose name is actually Wolfe, because subtlety!), who can buy and sell your soul and doesn't try to hide his true nature, and yet his female target is hormonal putty in his slimy hands because she's an idiot; another rich bastard who can charm even gay women, make them momentarily forget their girlfriends, he's that good, etc. 'The Sisters Grimm' would fit right in with the 'Twilight' clones of the mid-to-late 2000s'. And I thought it would be a mature, adult feminist fantasy book from 2020. The sex the sisters have happen off page, and the beginning and aftermath of them are laughable and childish.
• Only one magical Grimm sister, Goldie - the one who loves a bad boy who secretly is on a mission to kill her (you can guess where that will head to) - is given a first person narrative in her POV segments. She's white, blonde, blue eyed, heterosexual, obviously beautiful but doesn't know it (again, sound familiar?), and she's said to be the most powerful Grimm sister in the world. Goldie is, bright as day, meant to be the protagonist and the most important Grimm sister. Do I need to explain the unfortunate implications there? If that wasn't bad enough, she needs a man to help her realise her potential. The man being her serial killer lover. And half brother. Goldie has no female friends, no living female relatives - she doesn't meet her fellow Grimm sisters until much later on. The waiting is dreadful, and not in a good way. Plus she's gullible, self-destructive, an idiot, a crybaby, and perhaps the most male dependent of the sisters. Goldie, like everyone else, is only "smart" out of either plot convenience or dumb luck.
• The Grimm sisters are only seventeen - I had to keep reminding myself of this as I read on, since they act a lot older than their years; take on a lot of adult responsibilities and even adult legal action. And at the same time they do and say such stupid things that I have to wonder if they are still mentally and emotionally little girls up to thirteen who believe in fairy tales. Seeing as fairy tales and growing up are (purportedly) major themes in the book, I'm not sure if that was the intent or not.
• Structurally, the novel is a mess. Details about a couple of the sisters that seem important at the beginning, are dropped and forgotten about afterwards (like one sister's ambition to be a blacksmith, and another loving to fly in a glider). The "plot", such as it is, keeps getting interrupted by flashback chapters -'Over a decade ago', and 'A little over a decade ago' etc - to when the girls were very young (we also get the perspective of one male, the serial killer, like we should care; and occasionally the perspectives of other female characters at random - again, why should we care?). These don't seem to serve much purpose, other than showing a loss of innocence, and of dreams and the fantastical, I suppose. Random scenes go nowhere and could have easily been cut. Some scenes consist of nothing but characters talking to each other about nothing. How exciting. How purposeful. Ugh, so much padding. Where is the action and magic and sisterhood I was promised? I don't care for hetero relationship drama - it's boring!
• The creepy and incestuous overtones, initiated by Wilhelm Grimm, who's a demon/god/puppetmaster/chessmaster in the book, are never even mentioned, much less remarked upon, as far as I've read. Technically, the thousands of Grimm sisters on earth, who once they turn eighteen have to kill or be killed by their star soldier brothers, are related to each other as not just sisters - their mothers are their sisters as well. I won't go into any further details on this point; it's too disgusting and WTF.
• The Grimm sisters also have to choose whether to be light or dark, good or evil, powerful or passive, when they turn eighteen. All is determined by their all-powerful, storyteller father; a god, a sadist, a serial rapist and murderer (I don't believe this is ever acknowledged, however)- a symbol of the patriarchy. There is no in-between, no grey morality, no thought or discussion as to what is socially and culturally considered to be good or bad in women, and the girls don't have a choice in the matter. Then again, the soldier brothers, bound by violent, patriarchal demands, like those seen in traditional fairy tales, don't have much choice either - if they don't kill they'll die, though some still enjoy murdering women - but at least they are made aware of their identity and destiny earlier on than the sisters. And why don't the Grimm brothers seem to have mothers? Why do they get to be born stars and not fully human? Because patriarchy? The book has made too many sexist mistakes already for me to give it a pass on an unaddressed worldbuilding point.
• 'The Sisters Grimm', while containing lovely and sometimes gorgeous descriptions, and is written fluidly for the most part, is overall very tedious. In content, in character motivations, in its glacial pace. I was excited and overjoyed by the first hundred pages as I was getting to know the sisters, but once the rushed, hetero relationships happen, it all becomes so old, stale and boring after a while. Where is the action? When are the Sisters Grimm going to meet already? In the real world, and not in dreams (or in the fantasy realm of Everwhere, same thing) from when they were children. The book is far longer than it needed to be, containing mundane and pointless scenes.
Whatever, I don't really care anymore.
What a ripoff. What a disappointment 'The Sisters Grimm' turned out to be. The great ideas, the potential - all gone to waste. I love Menna van Praag's other book, 'The House at the End of Hope Street', which was another reason why I was looking forward to her newest novel - her newest fantasy feminist novel, on an epic, magical girl scale!
Sadly, it did not deliver for me. It's yet more faux feminism BS. And in 2020 as well.
What bodes well anymore?
Final Score: 1/5
My most anticipated book of 2020 - it contains practically all of my favourite things - and it turns into my biggest, most heartbreaking disappointment.
Normally I don't rate books I haven't finished and have at best skimmed to the end. But I feel that 'The Sisters Grimm' has earned its one star, after over halfway through reading it and receiving the following:
Nothing happening. Stupid characters. Weak willed, pathetic and male dependant female leads. A slow pace despite nice and addictive writing. Crap hetero romances and nonexistent "sex" scenes straight out of a bad Harlequin paperback. Absence of plot, action, cool magic, and female support, solidarity and empowerment.
I couldn't take it anymore.
I'll sum up my grievances in bullet points, because I want to finish this review quickly and get it all out of my system, out of my life. Let's get it over and done with:
• For a so-called feminist text, 'The Sisters Grimm' contains four female leads who, while not boring or one note, are entirely dependent on the approval of and the attraction of men in every aspect of their lives. Some men and boys save their lives, socially and financially. So much for female empowerment and independence. The four Grimm sisters are drawn sexually to clearly, obviously shitty men. Men who are stalkers and won't take no for an answer, no matter how many times they are told to piss off. Men who are like their father, the demonic, incestuous rapist Wilhelm Grimm, who has done absolutely nothing to earn their respect and admiration. For supposedly smart, modern girls, these sisters act like they've never heard of feminism before; have never heard of double standards, rape culture and male entitlement. They have no self-preservation skills, nor common sense, whatsoever. Where are their female friends? The living female family members who aren't a burden to them? For fuck's sake, even the only gay sister gives attractive descriptions of certain men she feels drawn to; I don't think she describes her girlfriend in any kind of desirable detail, even when they kiss. The only explicitly queer couple's relationship is as limp and lifeless as a gutted fish; it exists, though it's barely present, and that's that.
• Speaking of relationships, all of them are rushed, weak, and have no chemistry. And they end up taking over everything - including the fantasy and sisterhood elements which this book advertised! All the romance tropes are here: the bad boy (who is a literal serial killer of women, of Grimm girls, not that that will deter his target, the main Grimm sister, for long; she'll love him regardless, because of course she does. Also he's her half brother); the dogeared Nice Guy with no social skills who's impervious to the word "no"; another, yet genuinely nice and funny guy who will turn out to be evil (because of course!); the rich bastard (whose name is actually Wolfe, because subtlety!), who can buy and sell your soul and doesn't try to hide his true nature, and yet his female target is hormonal putty in his slimy hands because she's an idiot; another rich bastard who can charm even gay women, make them momentarily forget their girlfriends, he's that good, etc. 'The Sisters Grimm' would fit right in with the 'Twilight' clones of the mid-to-late 2000s'. And I thought it would be a mature, adult feminist fantasy book from 2020. The sex the sisters have happen off page, and the beginning and aftermath of them are laughable and childish.
• Only one magical Grimm sister, Goldie - the one who loves a bad boy who secretly is on a mission to kill her (you can guess where that will head to) - is given a first person narrative in her POV segments. She's white, blonde, blue eyed, heterosexual, obviously beautiful but doesn't know it (again, sound familiar?), and she's said to be the most powerful Grimm sister in the world. Goldie is, bright as day, meant to be the protagonist and the most important Grimm sister. Do I need to explain the unfortunate implications there? If that wasn't bad enough, she needs a man to help her realise her potential. The man being her serial killer lover. And half brother. Goldie has no female friends, no living female relatives - she doesn't meet her fellow Grimm sisters until much later on. The waiting is dreadful, and not in a good way. Plus she's gullible, self-destructive, an idiot, a crybaby, and perhaps the most male dependent of the sisters. Goldie, like everyone else, is only "smart" out of either plot convenience or dumb luck.
• The Grimm sisters are only seventeen - I had to keep reminding myself of this as I read on, since they act a lot older than their years; take on a lot of adult responsibilities and even adult legal action. And at the same time they do and say such stupid things that I have to wonder if they are still mentally and emotionally little girls up to thirteen who believe in fairy tales. Seeing as fairy tales and growing up are (purportedly) major themes in the book, I'm not sure if that was the intent or not.
• Structurally, the novel is a mess. Details about a couple of the sisters that seem important at the beginning, are dropped and forgotten about afterwards (like one sister's ambition to be a blacksmith, and another loving to fly in a glider). The "plot", such as it is, keeps getting interrupted by flashback chapters -'Over a decade ago', and 'A little over a decade ago' etc - to when the girls were very young (we also get the perspective of one male, the serial killer, like we should care; and occasionally the perspectives of other female characters at random - again, why should we care?). These don't seem to serve much purpose, other than showing a loss of innocence, and of dreams and the fantastical, I suppose. Random scenes go nowhere and could have easily been cut. Some scenes consist of nothing but characters talking to each other about nothing. How exciting. How purposeful. Ugh, so much padding. Where is the action and magic and sisterhood I was promised? I don't care for hetero relationship drama - it's boring!
• The creepy and incestuous overtones, initiated by Wilhelm Grimm, who's a demon/god/puppetmaster/chessmaster in the book, are never even mentioned, much less remarked upon, as far as I've read. Technically, the thousands of Grimm sisters on earth, who once they turn eighteen have to kill or be killed by their star soldier brothers, are related to each other as not just sisters - their mothers are their sisters as well. I won't go into any further details on this point; it's too disgusting and WTF.
• The Grimm sisters also have to choose whether to be light or dark, good or evil, powerful or passive, when they turn eighteen. All is determined by their all-powerful, storyteller father; a god, a sadist, a serial rapist and murderer (I don't believe this is ever acknowledged, however)- a symbol of the patriarchy. There is no in-between, no grey morality, no thought or discussion as to what is socially and culturally considered to be good or bad in women, and the girls don't have a choice in the matter. Then again, the soldier brothers, bound by violent, patriarchal demands, like those seen in traditional fairy tales, don't have much choice either - if they don't kill they'll die, though some still enjoy murdering women - but at least they are made aware of their identity and destiny earlier on than the sisters. And why don't the Grimm brothers seem to have mothers? Why do they get to be born stars and not fully human? Because patriarchy? The book has made too many sexist mistakes already for me to give it a pass on an unaddressed worldbuilding point.
• 'The Sisters Grimm', while containing lovely and sometimes gorgeous descriptions, and is written fluidly for the most part, is overall very tedious. In content, in character motivations, in its glacial pace. I was excited and overjoyed by the first hundred pages as I was getting to know the sisters, but once the rushed, hetero relationships happen, it all becomes so old, stale and boring after a while. Where is the action? When are the Sisters Grimm going to meet already? In the real world, and not in dreams (or in the fantasy realm of Everwhere, same thing) from when they were children. The book is far longer than it needed to be, containing mundane and pointless scenes.
Whatever, I don't really care anymore.
What a ripoff. What a disappointment 'The Sisters Grimm' turned out to be. The great ideas, the potential - all gone to waste. I love Menna van Praag's other book, 'The House at the End of Hope Street', which was another reason why I was looking forward to her newest novel - her newest fantasy feminist novel, on an epic, magical girl scale!
Sadly, it did not deliver for me. It's yet more faux feminism BS. And in 2020 as well.
What bodes well anymore?
Final Score: 1/5
April 11, 2020
1.5 stars
The Sisters Grimm are daughters of air---at least they begin that way---born of dreams and prayer, imagination and faith, bright-white wishing and black-edged desire.
Melding together magical realism, fairy tales, and good versus evil, The Sisters Grimm was a young adult book that had an intriguing premise but ultimately, took on too much. The reader is introduced to four girls and one boy in constant, short bursts of first person povs. Time stamps and a countdown of days start each pov and chapter, alerting that the story is building up to something. Goldie's pov was most prominent and it becomes clear that Goldilocks and earth are her ties to the magical aspect. Goldie's “sisters” are Liyana, and I think, the Little Mermaid and water for her power, Scarlet as Little Red Riding Hood and fire, and Bea as Beauty and the Beast and air. To go along with the pov jumps, there are back into the past time jumps when these four girls could visit the magical land, Everwhere, they were born from ten years ago.
If it already seems like a lot to keep track of, you are not alone, it took until around the 30% mark for me to even get close to sliding into the mode of how this story was written. The changing povs, tense shifts, and time jumps created a disjointed and disruptive pace that never flowed smoothly for me. I also thought the world building could have been much stronger; the reader has these characters thrown at them without much context to the world. Part of the lack of explanation in the beginning was probably due to keeping some mystery but even in the second half I couldn't conceptualize Everwhere. From what I could gather, the father, Wilhelm, is God and he created Grimm girls and Soldier boys to fight in the never ending Good vs. Evil, but he pulls for Evil. Soldiers are stars that have fallen to the earth while Grimms are born from Wilhelm sleeping with Grimm women. Yes, if I understood this right, incest plays a big part in this world.
Along with the Grimm girls, Leo, a soldier plays a big part as he initially is trying to get close to Goldie to kill her. While Grimm girls can travel to Everwhere in their dreams from a young age, they lose their ability to and memories at age thirteen and don't come into their powers until eighteen (hence the countdown utilized in the story, the girls are seventeen with about a month until their eighteenth birthday). Leo knows what Goldie is and senses she is the most powerful Grimm he's ever encounter (no explanation or real evidence is given as to why she's the most powerful). However, as he gets closer to her to kill her, he falls in love with her (again, as I understand it, she would be his sister, so more incest?), so we get a little bit of star-crossed lovers plot thread.
“So know your head and know your heart, sisters. Remember what lies behind you, imagine what lies ahead of you, and make your choice carefully.”
Liyana is the sister that remembers the most from when they were younger and visited each other in their dreams in Everwhere and through her, the reader gains a little insight to what is happening in regards to the magical realism. If you ever watched the show Sense 8, there was a bit of that vibe, a group of people living their lives but having these moments of connection with others, confusing at first but worth it if there is a good payoff. The ending of this didn't give me the explanations or payoff I was looking for after making my way through the story. The choosing of the sisters if they are going to go Good or Evil didn't have a lot of drama and the big battle against Wilhelm the father was, for the most part, pretty anticlimactic. While the ending gives a complete picture of what happened, it leaves the story with an ending that made me think “What was the point of it all?”, not satisfactory at all.
I would agree with this being labeled as a young adult, the leads are all seventeen/eighteen and while the girls have sex, it is only alluded to and not shown for the most part. There was however, one graphic sex scene and there were numerous trigger warnings (self-harm, the possible incest, sexual assault). The structure of this story, thin world building, lack of payoff, and ending that made it seem not worth it, will have this being more of a disappointment than a story I will fondly revisit.
The Sisters Grimm are daughters of air---at least they begin that way---born of dreams and prayer, imagination and faith, bright-white wishing and black-edged desire.
Melding together magical realism, fairy tales, and good versus evil, The Sisters Grimm was a young adult book that had an intriguing premise but ultimately, took on too much. The reader is introduced to four girls and one boy in constant, short bursts of first person povs. Time stamps and a countdown of days start each pov and chapter, alerting that the story is building up to something. Goldie's pov was most prominent and it becomes clear that Goldilocks and earth are her ties to the magical aspect. Goldie's “sisters” are Liyana, and I think, the Little Mermaid and water for her power, Scarlet as Little Red Riding Hood and fire, and Bea as Beauty and the Beast and air. To go along with the pov jumps, there are back into the past time jumps when these four girls could visit the magical land, Everwhere, they were born from ten years ago.
If it already seems like a lot to keep track of, you are not alone, it took until around the 30% mark for me to even get close to sliding into the mode of how this story was written. The changing povs, tense shifts, and time jumps created a disjointed and disruptive pace that never flowed smoothly for me. I also thought the world building could have been much stronger; the reader has these characters thrown at them without much context to the world. Part of the lack of explanation in the beginning was probably due to keeping some mystery but even in the second half I couldn't conceptualize Everwhere. From what I could gather, the father, Wilhelm, is God and he created Grimm girls and Soldier boys to fight in the never ending Good vs. Evil, but he pulls for Evil. Soldiers are stars that have fallen to the earth while Grimms are born from Wilhelm sleeping with Grimm women. Yes, if I understood this right, incest plays a big part in this world.
Along with the Grimm girls, Leo, a soldier plays a big part as he initially is trying to get close to Goldie to kill her. While Grimm girls can travel to Everwhere in their dreams from a young age, they lose their ability to and memories at age thirteen and don't come into their powers until eighteen (hence the countdown utilized in the story, the girls are seventeen with about a month until their eighteenth birthday). Leo knows what Goldie is and senses she is the most powerful Grimm he's ever encounter (no explanation or real evidence is given as to why she's the most powerful). However, as he gets closer to her to kill her, he falls in love with her (again, as I understand it, she would be his sister, so more incest?), so we get a little bit of star-crossed lovers plot thread.
“So know your head and know your heart, sisters. Remember what lies behind you, imagine what lies ahead of you, and make your choice carefully.”
Liyana is the sister that remembers the most from when they were younger and visited each other in their dreams in Everwhere and through her, the reader gains a little insight to what is happening in regards to the magical realism. If you ever watched the show Sense 8, there was a bit of that vibe, a group of people living their lives but having these moments of connection with others, confusing at first but worth it if there is a good payoff. The ending of this didn't give me the explanations or payoff I was looking for after making my way through the story. The choosing of the sisters if they are going to go Good or Evil didn't have a lot of drama and the big battle against Wilhelm the father was, for the most part, pretty anticlimactic. While the ending gives a complete picture of what happened, it leaves the story with an ending that made me think “What was the point of it all?”, not satisfactory at all.
I would agree with this being labeled as a young adult, the leads are all seventeen/eighteen and while the girls have sex, it is only alluded to and not shown for the most part. There was however, one graphic sex scene and there were numerous trigger warnings (self-harm, the possible incest, sexual assault). The structure of this story, thin world building, lack of payoff, and ending that made it seem not worth it, will have this being more of a disappointment than a story I will fondly revisit.
March 23, 2023
4.5 Stars for The Sisters Grimm (audiobook) by Menna van Praag read by Adjoa Andoh.
This is a wonderful modern day fantasy story. Four half sisters come together and develop their magical powers and prepare for a battle. I really enjoyed this one and I’m looking forward to the next book in the series.
This is a wonderful modern day fantasy story. Four half sisters come together and develop their magical powers and prepare for a battle. I really enjoyed this one and I’m looking forward to the next book in the series.
June 7, 2020
Such a disappointment
I mentioned this book a couple of times as one of my most anticipated YA-releases of the year. You can probably imagine my deep disappointment after nog loving this book. In fact, there were quite a few moments where I actually really hated it. Many great ideas but dreadful execution in my opinion.
Full review to come.
I mentioned this book a couple of times as one of my most anticipated YA-releases of the year. You can probably imagine my deep disappointment after nog loving this book. In fact, there were quite a few moments where I actually really hated it. Many great ideas but dreadful execution in my opinion.
Full review to come.
December 28, 2021
Actual rating 4.5/5 stars.
Goldie, Liyana, Scarlet, and Bea. Four girls who knew each other once, but no longer. Four sisters who once shared a magical place and an unbreakable bond, but have now forgotten all of it along with the powers they possess. Their time for remembering is soon approaching but their deaths will swiftly follow if they fail to harness all of it in time.
I was only a handful of pages into this book before I had my first hesitancies about it. The quickly shifting perspectives initially left me with no time to get to know each character or acquaint myself in their surroundings. I thought I would form no bond with any who featured inside these pages and only get a surface level understanding for what was occurring. I was wrong.
I'm not sure exactly why this this style worked so well for me, when it is not one I would usually appreciate. There was something enchanting about experiencing snippets of these girls' lives, both based in reality and elsewhere, both when they were young and when they were fully grown. Nothing was chronologically-sequenced and no event followed directly on from the preceding one. Instead, this was a broken jigsaw puzzle of a book that only the final quarter could reveal the true picture of.
This storytelling style enchanted me and the magical focus intrigued me. These two facets, along with the characters I soon adored reading about, all worked to make this novel an unforgettable one. It was tragically beautiful and I long lamented over the losses I experienced inside its pages. The sequel will hopefully have more happiness for me but I highly doubt that. I remain excited to continue on, all the same.
I received a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. Thank you to the author, Menna van Praag, and the publisher, Bantam Press, for this opportunity.
Goldie, Liyana, Scarlet, and Bea. Four girls who knew each other once, but no longer. Four sisters who once shared a magical place and an unbreakable bond, but have now forgotten all of it along with the powers they possess. Their time for remembering is soon approaching but their deaths will swiftly follow if they fail to harness all of it in time.
I was only a handful of pages into this book before I had my first hesitancies about it. The quickly shifting perspectives initially left me with no time to get to know each character or acquaint myself in their surroundings. I thought I would form no bond with any who featured inside these pages and only get a surface level understanding for what was occurring. I was wrong.
I'm not sure exactly why this this style worked so well for me, when it is not one I would usually appreciate. There was something enchanting about experiencing snippets of these girls' lives, both based in reality and elsewhere, both when they were young and when they were fully grown. Nothing was chronologically-sequenced and no event followed directly on from the preceding one. Instead, this was a broken jigsaw puzzle of a book that only the final quarter could reveal the true picture of.
This storytelling style enchanted me and the magical focus intrigued me. These two facets, along with the characters I soon adored reading about, all worked to make this novel an unforgettable one. It was tragically beautiful and I long lamented over the losses I experienced inside its pages. The sequel will hopefully have more happiness for me but I highly doubt that. I remain excited to continue on, all the same.
I received a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. Thank you to the author, Menna van Praag, and the publisher, Bantam Press, for this opportunity.
February 18, 2020
I totally forgot about this. So I'm going to make this short.
This is one of my best reads last year and it made me happier because it's an ARC. The fantasy element is really done well and I found myself sucked into the world of these four sisters and their forgotten childhood. I think this is a very atmospheric novel and I really like the concept of the sisters, with their father wanting to use them for evil but in the end, something amazing happened instead. That said, I love how the story is wrapped up. Too powerful.
The only reason I didn't give this 5 stars is that I found the first half of the story, with the sisters telling their experiences, somehow similar to each other. Maybe because they're heading towards the same directions in life but still it made the story a little slow. But overall, I highly recommend this novel. If you want to read a story that is entertaining, magical and original, this one is for you.
This is one of my best reads last year and it made me happier because it's an ARC. The fantasy element is really done well and I found myself sucked into the world of these four sisters and their forgotten childhood. I think this is a very atmospheric novel and I really like the concept of the sisters, with their father wanting to use them for evil but in the end, something amazing happened instead. That said, I love how the story is wrapped up. Too powerful.
The only reason I didn't give this 5 stars is that I found the first half of the story, with the sisters telling their experiences, somehow similar to each other. Maybe because they're heading towards the same directions in life but still it made the story a little slow. But overall, I highly recommend this novel. If you want to read a story that is entertaining, magical and original, this one is for you.
June 19, 2021
This eArc was kindly provided by NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.
I DNFed this at 75% - I honestly tried to give it a real shot, but after 380 pages I had had enough.
Short review: Incoherent mess. The premise isn't bad, but it's just weirdly written and snail-slow.
Add confusing storytelling, a lot of incest and overwhelming details, random pacing, no actual worldbuilding and well, that's why it's 1 star.
Trigger warnings: sexual assault, child abuse, self-harm, suicidal tendencies, incest, also some bad language and explicit content.
My advice: if you’re not hooked by page 50, just stop. It’s more of the same.
Long review, no spoilers:
Plot: A demon named Wilhelm Grimm has thousands of daughters (I’m not quite sure if spiritually or physically as well), they have the ability to travel to Everwhere (an imaginary magical forest) from age 8 to age 13 where they mingle. After that they are banned from there for no reason, and start to forget about it. Also some of their mothers may be sisters as well (???).
Anyways at almost the age of 18 they start to remember their childhood and try to find each other and become stronger (they have elemental magic) because on exactly their 18th birthday they are destined to join him in evil or be murdered by him or his other sons who are falls stars (what?). In essence, we follow 4 of these daughters/sisters trying to find their way before time runs out and they turn 18.
This is a sort of multi-fairytale retelling, featuring these main characters: Goldie (Goldilocks and her stealing habits), Scarlet (the redhead with a Grandma and a Mr. Wolfe), Bea (Beauty and the Beast - Vali and her constant reading about philosophy) and Lyiana (The Little mermaid? I have no clue, she likes swimming soo yeah). We also have Leo, he is a fallen star, one of the father’s soldiers/sons (the lion king? Yes? No?).
Writing style / prose:
The pace is all over the place, swapping timelines and POVs every 2 pages. Yes, every 2 pages. It's so excessive that I found it impossible to connect with any character, we barely become captivated in a part of their lives when we suddenly again have to shift perspective to someone else.
In this book we have first, second and third person, we have past, present and future tense, and to top it off, it’s incredibly confusing because they change constantly, without much warning. Example of a chapter: Goldie first person present – Leo third person past – Forest (yes the forest has a speaking part): second person future tense. And you need to figure this out yourself. What a mess.
The chapters represent a countdown to their birthday, but the addition of exact hours at the start of every POV was redundant.
I have nothing against lyrical writing, but when 5 different similes are used to describe someone's eye colour in the same paragraph, you're trying too hard. Utterly unnecessary descriptions of everything just add word-count and no value.
Worldbuilding/ magic system: we have no clear explanation of this.
Characters: These girls have no fathers, their lives being filled with tragedy, mental illness and unexplained events. They have distinct personalities and familial dynamics, which was a plus. But sadly their (and Leo’s) stories are very repetitive and become stale quickly.
The representation is done well – sexual orientation, racial diversity and mental health are present and showcased without prejudice. I appreciated especially the mention of Alzheimer's.
Positives:
- I liked the message: the empowerment those girls discover (they are 17, yes they are girls), the sisterly bond and support, finding their voices and strengths, each of them unique.
- There's a lot of mention of money, expenses and salaries which I found to be both surprising and refreshing. This isn't something often approached in novels, especially whimsical ones. The struggle is real and should be discussed.
Problems (mild spoilers)
- Goldie: We keep being told by the sisters, by the father, by Leo that Goldie is the most powerful Grimm daughter of the last 400 years, but we have absolutely no proof.
- Goldie is beautiful but she doesn't know it. If I had a penny for every time I've read this, I'd be rich enough to write and self-publish my own novel in which such garbage is never uttered.
- Poor Vali shall forever be remembered only as the fat guy. Helluva complex character, body positivity ftw.
- Unrealistic romance - Goldie and Leo dating for 14 days and said they love each other. ARE YOU KIDDING ME? This was meant to be magical realism - instead it's a delusional fantasy.
- Bea saying she loves Vali, even though they spent one night together after a one-week tentative friendship.
- On page 217, the father mentions that Leo is his favourite son, thus making the soldiers/fallen stars siblings with the Grimm sisters. Leo + Goldie = thanks for all the detailed incestual relations, I don't feel icky at all.
Climax: I did not get that far. I’m just being honest, I struggled reading thus far, being confused, disinterested and frustrated from page 1. Even if the ending is fantastic, it would change nothing.
Overall, this just really needed to be better edited and shortened. The potential is there, it's twisted and horrid, the representation is excellent (if a bit on the nose), but I couldn’t enjoy it due to all I have mentioned, I kept hoping it would get better, more refined, but it did not.
Rating: 1
I DNFed this at 75% - I honestly tried to give it a real shot, but after 380 pages I had had enough.
Short review: Incoherent mess. The premise isn't bad, but it's just weirdly written and snail-slow.
Add confusing storytelling, a lot of incest and overwhelming details, random pacing, no actual worldbuilding and well, that's why it's 1 star.
Trigger warnings: sexual assault, child abuse, self-harm, suicidal tendencies, incest, also some bad language and explicit content.
My advice: if you’re not hooked by page 50, just stop. It’s more of the same.
Long review, no spoilers:
Plot: A demon named Wilhelm Grimm has thousands of daughters (I’m not quite sure if spiritually or physically as well), they have the ability to travel to Everwhere (an imaginary magical forest) from age 8 to age 13 where they mingle. After that they are banned from there for no reason, and start to forget about it. Also some of their mothers may be sisters as well (???).
Anyways at almost the age of 18 they start to remember their childhood and try to find each other and become stronger (they have elemental magic) because on exactly their 18th birthday they are destined to join him in evil or be murdered by him or his other sons who are falls stars (what?). In essence, we follow 4 of these daughters/sisters trying to find their way before time runs out and they turn 18.
This is a sort of multi-fairytale retelling, featuring these main characters: Goldie (Goldilocks and her stealing habits), Scarlet (the redhead with a Grandma and a Mr. Wolfe), Bea (Beauty and the Beast - Vali and her constant reading about philosophy) and Lyiana (The Little mermaid? I have no clue, she likes swimming soo yeah). We also have Leo, he is a fallen star, one of the father’s soldiers/sons (the lion king? Yes? No?).
Writing style / prose:
The pace is all over the place, swapping timelines and POVs every 2 pages. Yes, every 2 pages. It's so excessive that I found it impossible to connect with any character, we barely become captivated in a part of their lives when we suddenly again have to shift perspective to someone else.
In this book we have first, second and third person, we have past, present and future tense, and to top it off, it’s incredibly confusing because they change constantly, without much warning. Example of a chapter: Goldie first person present – Leo third person past – Forest (yes the forest has a speaking part): second person future tense. And you need to figure this out yourself. What a mess.
The chapters represent a countdown to their birthday, but the addition of exact hours at the start of every POV was redundant.
I have nothing against lyrical writing, but when 5 different similes are used to describe someone's eye colour in the same paragraph, you're trying too hard. Utterly unnecessary descriptions of everything just add word-count and no value.
Worldbuilding/ magic system: we have no clear explanation of this.
Characters: These girls have no fathers, their lives being filled with tragedy, mental illness and unexplained events. They have distinct personalities and familial dynamics, which was a plus. But sadly their (and Leo’s) stories are very repetitive and become stale quickly.
The representation is done well – sexual orientation, racial diversity and mental health are present and showcased without prejudice. I appreciated especially the mention of Alzheimer's.
Positives:
- I liked the message: the empowerment those girls discover (they are 17, yes they are girls), the sisterly bond and support, finding their voices and strengths, each of them unique.
- There's a lot of mention of money, expenses and salaries which I found to be both surprising and refreshing. This isn't something often approached in novels, especially whimsical ones. The struggle is real and should be discussed.
Problems (mild spoilers)
- Goldie: We keep being told by the sisters, by the father, by Leo that Goldie is the most powerful Grimm daughter of the last 400 years, but we have absolutely no proof.
- Goldie is beautiful but she doesn't know it. If I had a penny for every time I've read this, I'd be rich enough to write and self-publish my own novel in which such garbage is never uttered.
- Poor Vali shall forever be remembered only as the fat guy. Helluva complex character, body positivity ftw.
- Unrealistic romance - Goldie and Leo dating for 14 days and said they love each other. ARE YOU KIDDING ME? This was meant to be magical realism - instead it's a delusional fantasy.
- Bea saying she loves Vali, even though they spent one night together after a one-week tentative friendship.
- On page 217, the father mentions that Leo is his favourite son, thus making the soldiers/fallen stars siblings with the Grimm sisters. Leo + Goldie = thanks for all the detailed incestual relations, I don't feel icky at all.
Climax: I did not get that far. I’m just being honest, I struggled reading thus far, being confused, disinterested and frustrated from page 1. Even if the ending is fantastic, it would change nothing.
Overall, this just really needed to be better edited and shortened. The potential is there, it's twisted and horrid, the representation is excellent (if a bit on the nose), but I couldn’t enjoy it due to all I have mentioned, I kept hoping it would get better, more refined, but it did not.
Rating: 1
February 9, 2020
What a book! I finally have my five star rated book of this year! I DEVOURED this book in two days. The Sisters Grimm will probably be the highlight for me this year and I have no complaints there. I just finished the book last night so I am still collecting all my thoughts. I'll be updating this review again after a few days.
The Sisters Grimm is such a powerful and original story. Four strong female characters, the sisters grimm, who know what they want from their lives but are struggling to fulfill their ambitions. They have meet each other before but they don't remember it because it was in another world (Everywhere). I loved the fantasy world built inside; it has a dreamy fairytale-esque world where each sister represent each element of nature. While they are leading their regular lives unaware of each other, they soon meet each other which is when they realise they have a bigger task ahead of them and they must act together as "the sisters grimm".
The slow pacing of the narrative allows the characters to develop over time. I loved the author's writing style and the way the different timelines were handled. All the different perspectives was a bit confusing at first but once I immersed myself into the story, it all came together and was so beautiful to read! Gah, I have certainly lost my way with words and my muddled up brain isn't helping much but to sum up, I loved the book!
The Sisters Grimm is such a powerful and original story. Four strong female characters, the sisters grimm, who know what they want from their lives but are struggling to fulfill their ambitions. They have meet each other before but they don't remember it because it was in another world (Everywhere). I loved the fantasy world built inside; it has a dreamy fairytale-esque world where each sister represent each element of nature. While they are leading their regular lives unaware of each other, they soon meet each other which is when they realise they have a bigger task ahead of them and they must act together as "the sisters grimm".
The slow pacing of the narrative allows the characters to develop over time. I loved the author's writing style and the way the different timelines were handled. All the different perspectives was a bit confusing at first but once I immersed myself into the story, it all came together and was so beautiful to read! Gah, I have certainly lost my way with words and my muddled up brain isn't helping much but to sum up, I loved the book!
June 22, 2020
Sadly not one for me. I was highly anticipating this book, but I was quite disappointed it didn't turn out the way I expected it to be.
First of all, us it always necessary to put sexual assault and abuse in the story to make characters more evil and show that the main character has a hard life?
I was honestly not prepared for this in the first few pages and it did immediate damage for me not liking this book.
I couldn't connect with any of the characters and I found the story quite confusing and having some pacing issues. It reminded me a bit of The Shrike that I recently read and also disliked. It seems I have had some bad luck with fairytale re-tellings lately.
Thank you Netgalley for providing me with the opportunity to review this book. Sadly this is not my cup of tea.
First of all, us it always necessary to put sexual assault and abuse in the story to make characters more evil and show that the main character has a hard life?
I was honestly not prepared for this in the first few pages and it did immediate damage for me not liking this book.
I couldn't connect with any of the characters and I found the story quite confusing and having some pacing issues. It reminded me a bit of The Shrike that I recently read and also disliked. It seems I have had some bad luck with fairytale re-tellings lately.
Thank you Netgalley for providing me with the opportunity to review this book. Sadly this is not my cup of tea.
October 10, 2019
Goldie and her sisters have forgotten who they are. They have forgotten they are powerful; they have forgotten the years of shared dreams. As their 18th birthday approaches, they have to realise the truth behind their childhood fantasies, and fight to survive.
I received a free copy from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.
The story follows two timelines - now, in the countdown to the four sisters' birthday on Halloween, as they all deal with their real-life problems, as well as the strange occurrences that start to happen around them.
Plus, ten years ago, when the eight-year-old girls meet for the first time. They are all half-sisters from very different walks of life, but they all have Grimm power over the elements.
Goldie is working in a Cambridge hotel, for a sleazy manager, stealing from tourists to provide for her little brother.
Liyana has her dreams of art school dashed when her aunt goes bankrupt, and has to choose between love and money.
Scarlet is working at the family bakery, trying to keep it afloat whilst caring for her grandmother with dementia.
Bea is at college, trying to get away from her insane mother, who keeps pushing her to make the wicked choices in life.
This is... such a hard book to review.
Menna van Praag has a lot of creative and original ideas fused together in this story. Binding dreams, fantasies and fairytales; letting them seep into the real world. Whilst running wild in the dreamscape of Everwhere.
There are moments of bloody brilliance; and huge chunks where it did not gel.
Possibly influenced by the original Grimm fairytales (rather than the fluffy Disney ones), the author isn't afraid to take it to dark places. The issues facing the girls are real and have real-life consequences.
I found it really hard to get into the story, because of how the narration and timelines were established. There is multi-POV - and not just switching per chapter; there are regular sections where it changes every paragraph. To be fair, the paragraphs (and chapters) are clearly headed, so I know who's story it is; but there are 5 narrators (the 4 sisters and Leo - a star-turned-soldier destined to kill them), so it was hard to connect with anyone.
I could even argue that there are 10 narrators, as the 8-year-old and nearly-18-years-old versions are very different characters. The older version of the sisters have no memory of Everwhere, so there was a lot of repetition as they learn the rules and the dangers.
The 18-year-old sisters don't actually meet until really late on in the book, which meant the story was going in four very different directions, and hard to follow in the chopped-up style of narrative.
By the end of the book, I was hooked, wanting to know the outcome of the four sisters, as they finally get to Everwhere and have to face their father. Unfortunately, bringing our main narrators together (plus all of them having their childhood memories reawakened) made the narrative a bit head-jumpy and did detract from what would have been a powerful finish.
Overall, I think this series has a lot of promise and I would be interested in seeing where it goes.
I received a free copy from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.
The story follows two timelines - now, in the countdown to the four sisters' birthday on Halloween, as they all deal with their real-life problems, as well as the strange occurrences that start to happen around them.
Plus, ten years ago, when the eight-year-old girls meet for the first time. They are all half-sisters from very different walks of life, but they all have Grimm power over the elements.
Goldie is working in a Cambridge hotel, for a sleazy manager, stealing from tourists to provide for her little brother.
Liyana has her dreams of art school dashed when her aunt goes bankrupt, and has to choose between love and money.
Scarlet is working at the family bakery, trying to keep it afloat whilst caring for her grandmother with dementia.
Bea is at college, trying to get away from her insane mother, who keeps pushing her to make the wicked choices in life.
This is... such a hard book to review.
Menna van Praag has a lot of creative and original ideas fused together in this story. Binding dreams, fantasies and fairytales; letting them seep into the real world. Whilst running wild in the dreamscape of Everwhere.
There are moments of bloody brilliance; and huge chunks where it did not gel.
Possibly influenced by the original Grimm fairytales (rather than the fluffy Disney ones), the author isn't afraid to take it to dark places. The issues facing the girls are real and have real-life consequences.
I found it really hard to get into the story, because of how the narration and timelines were established. There is multi-POV - and not just switching per chapter; there are regular sections where it changes every paragraph. To be fair, the paragraphs (and chapters) are clearly headed, so I know who's story it is; but there are 5 narrators (the 4 sisters and Leo - a star-turned-soldier destined to kill them), so it was hard to connect with anyone.
I could even argue that there are 10 narrators, as the 8-year-old and nearly-18-years-old versions are very different characters. The older version of the sisters have no memory of Everwhere, so there was a lot of repetition as they learn the rules and the dangers.
The 18-year-old sisters don't actually meet until really late on in the book, which meant the story was going in four very different directions, and hard to follow in the chopped-up style of narrative.
By the end of the book, I was hooked, wanting to know the outcome of the four sisters, as they finally get to Everwhere and have to face their father. Unfortunately, bringing our main narrators together (plus all of them having their childhood memories reawakened) made the narrative a bit head-jumpy and did detract from what would have been a powerful finish.
Overall, I think this series has a lot of promise and I would be interested in seeing where it goes.
September 1, 2019
epic fantasy fiction. feminist, queer, diverse - what's not to love?! can't WAIT for the sequel!!
July 14, 2021
🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟
"HERE, THERE & EVERWHERE"
Before I get into this book, let me tell you a story about my 2020 book purchase journey: last year I purchased at bookdepository 140 physical books approximately since I gave away to a friend of mine so many I lost count when I started a new list. This year began with a huge January haul, a little one in February and then boom, Covid-19 struck, borders and flights were closed & couldn't buy one single physical book until July. In the meantime, my country fell into a "technical default", our currency has no value so books became highly expensive. Since July, I've been careful with what I buy in physical form (I discovered kindle this year and got lots of deals), investing my budget in books I've already read on kindle and loved or writers I already know, I've been taking a chance on very few new authors at least on physical. The rules are: one Booktuber I trust has to review them positively on their channels, the price has to be worth and I have to like the cover. This one I bought for all of the reasons above. "The Sisters Grimm" was released early this year and has been under the radar here at Goodreads as well as Booktube. I found myself intrigued by this one with Codie's Book Corner channel (https://www.goodreads.com/user/show/7...). She got this beautiful hardback edition (which I could not afford, I had to settle for the Black Swan UK paperback edition which also has a beautiful cover) and read it in one of her vblogs. This was a writer I knew nothing about, what Codie said caught my attention. I researched online interviews with Ms. Van Pragg and I was tempted. The difference in price between the kindle edition and the paperback was not a lot, so I took a leap of faith. Since deliveries were restored in July (with long delays) I've only bought 30 books at bookdepository. I'm very proud of myself for holding back my urge and for being successful: only a few have been three stars, mostly 4 or 5 stars. If you've read this far you may clap for my excellent aim, I feel like Katniss Everdeen! whoa!
If you still there, let's talk about this little gem that is "The Sisters Grimm". Something I discovered about my taste in Fantasy: I really prefer Urban Fantasy over fictional lands. This book is 90% set in Cambridge, England and 10% in this magical realm called "Everwhere". Everwhere is ruled by the devilish Wilhem Grimm, who keeps getting thousands of women pregnant with his "Grimm daughters". He, let's assume he's a "he", lets his daughters go back and forth using their unique powers from Earth to Everwhere until the age of 13 years old. After that, they are not allowed back until they turn 18. In the meantime they'll forget all about this magical place to the point of thinking it was all a dream. Once they turn 18, they are forced back to the realm to fight for their lives, most of them find bloody and cruel deaths. Our protagonists, the 4 sisters, are a month away of turning 18, living in the same town but without remembering each other, their powers seem to be in a latent state. Each sister's power is different: Goldie (Earth), Bea (Air), Liyana (Water) and Scarlet (Fire). The book is structured in a Countdown from September 29th to November 1st following the four sisters POVs and also Leo. Leo is one of the devil's soldiers who came to Earth to keep an eye on Goldie, actually the four sisters have a soldier keeping an eye on them - someone they know and pretend to be their friends - but Leo makes the mistake to fall in love with Goldie. Each sister is struggling in their own mortal lives, dealing with money problems, deaths of loved ones, crazy family members, etc. They keep the level of denial quite high until time's up. Although the girls are 17 going on 18 this book is not YA, it could fall into this non-official New Adult to Adult category. Trigger warning for: suicide attempts, abuse, violent content. However, it's very fast paced, I got into the POVs without realizing I was flying through it. It also has a very good LGBT representation: Liyana is a lesbian in a loving stable relationship with a mortal girl, although her aunt does not know it and wants to marry her to a rich dude. I found the relationship between these two girls very mature, even more than the straight romantic sub-plots also present. The final battle & resolution of the story was very well crafted, there's a sequel but this one has a closure that wraps thing up neatly. The book's tone gets darker as it approaches the showdown. If you made it this far, I love you all. Highly recommended!
"HERE, THERE & EVERWHERE"
Before I get into this book, let me tell you a story about my 2020 book purchase journey: last year I purchased at bookdepository 140 physical books approximately since I gave away to a friend of mine so many I lost count when I started a new list. This year began with a huge January haul, a little one in February and then boom, Covid-19 struck, borders and flights were closed & couldn't buy one single physical book until July. In the meantime, my country fell into a "technical default", our currency has no value so books became highly expensive. Since July, I've been careful with what I buy in physical form (I discovered kindle this year and got lots of deals), investing my budget in books I've already read on kindle and loved or writers I already know, I've been taking a chance on very few new authors at least on physical. The rules are: one Booktuber I trust has to review them positively on their channels, the price has to be worth and I have to like the cover. This one I bought for all of the reasons above. "The Sisters Grimm" was released early this year and has been under the radar here at Goodreads as well as Booktube. I found myself intrigued by this one with Codie's Book Corner channel (https://www.goodreads.com/user/show/7...). She got this beautiful hardback edition (which I could not afford, I had to settle for the Black Swan UK paperback edition which also has a beautiful cover) and read it in one of her vblogs. This was a writer I knew nothing about, what Codie said caught my attention. I researched online interviews with Ms. Van Pragg and I was tempted. The difference in price between the kindle edition and the paperback was not a lot, so I took a leap of faith. Since deliveries were restored in July (with long delays) I've only bought 30 books at bookdepository. I'm very proud of myself for holding back my urge and for being successful: only a few have been three stars, mostly 4 or 5 stars. If you've read this far you may clap for my excellent aim, I feel like Katniss Everdeen! whoa!
If you still there, let's talk about this little gem that is "The Sisters Grimm". Something I discovered about my taste in Fantasy: I really prefer Urban Fantasy over fictional lands. This book is 90% set in Cambridge, England and 10% in this magical realm called "Everwhere". Everwhere is ruled by the devilish Wilhem Grimm, who keeps getting thousands of women pregnant with his "Grimm daughters". He, let's assume he's a "he", lets his daughters go back and forth using their unique powers from Earth to Everwhere until the age of 13 years old. After that, they are not allowed back until they turn 18. In the meantime they'll forget all about this magical place to the point of thinking it was all a dream. Once they turn 18, they are forced back to the realm to fight for their lives, most of them find bloody and cruel deaths. Our protagonists, the 4 sisters, are a month away of turning 18, living in the same town but without remembering each other, their powers seem to be in a latent state. Each sister's power is different: Goldie (Earth), Bea (Air), Liyana (Water) and Scarlet (Fire). The book is structured in a Countdown from September 29th to November 1st following the four sisters POVs and also Leo. Leo is one of the devil's soldiers who came to Earth to keep an eye on Goldie, actually the four sisters have a soldier keeping an eye on them - someone they know and pretend to be their friends - but Leo makes the mistake to fall in love with Goldie. Each sister is struggling in their own mortal lives, dealing with money problems, deaths of loved ones, crazy family members, etc. They keep the level of denial quite high until time's up. Although the girls are 17 going on 18 this book is not YA, it could fall into this non-official New Adult to Adult category. Trigger warning for: suicide attempts, abuse, violent content. However, it's very fast paced, I got into the POVs without realizing I was flying through it. It also has a very good LGBT representation: Liyana is a lesbian in a loving stable relationship with a mortal girl, although her aunt does not know it and wants to marry her to a rich dude. I found the relationship between these two girls very mature, even more than the straight romantic sub-plots also present. The final battle & resolution of the story was very well crafted, there's a sequel but this one has a closure that wraps thing up neatly. The book's tone gets darker as it approaches the showdown. If you made it this far, I love you all. Highly recommended!
January 11, 2020
Once upon a time, a demon who desired earthly domination fathered an army of dark daughters to help him corrupt humanity …
After finishing The Sisters Grimm, I took some time to gather my thoughts and process everything that this book stands for. This is definitely one of those books that will stay with me for a while.
“She’s like a firework never lit, a flower that never blooms, a baby that’s never born.”
There is something deeply beautiful about this story by Menna Van Praag; a story of four girls who are from various walks of life, each struggling in different ways yet they are more alike than they could ever know. Each girl is gifted with elemental magic and although they’ve known each other for years and are ‘sisters’, they have no memories of their time together until they come together again in the dream-like world of Everwhere.
The Sisters Grimm is gorgeously written and so beautifully descriptive; it is a slow book to start and then a hard book to put down! It’s worth the set-up time to get to know the girls, their history and what they’re going through, who they love and what their fighting for. The story-line is magical and tight with characters that I quickly became invested in.
Although The Sisters Grimm is classified as fantasy, it has real world dilemmas and issues; I really liked the strong message of hope, sisterhood, and unity.
A big thank you to NetGalley, Harper Collins Publishers – Harper Voyager, and Menna Van Praag for providing me with The Sisters Grimm in exchange for my honest review.
After finishing The Sisters Grimm, I took some time to gather my thoughts and process everything that this book stands for. This is definitely one of those books that will stay with me for a while.
“She’s like a firework never lit, a flower that never blooms, a baby that’s never born.”
There is something deeply beautiful about this story by Menna Van Praag; a story of four girls who are from various walks of life, each struggling in different ways yet they are more alike than they could ever know. Each girl is gifted with elemental magic and although they’ve known each other for years and are ‘sisters’, they have no memories of their time together until they come together again in the dream-like world of Everwhere.
The Sisters Grimm is gorgeously written and so beautifully descriptive; it is a slow book to start and then a hard book to put down! It’s worth the set-up time to get to know the girls, their history and what they’re going through, who they love and what their fighting for. The story-line is magical and tight with characters that I quickly became invested in.
Although The Sisters Grimm is classified as fantasy, it has real world dilemmas and issues; I really liked the strong message of hope, sisterhood, and unity.
A big thank you to NetGalley, Harper Collins Publishers – Harper Voyager, and Menna Van Praag for providing me with The Sisters Grimm in exchange for my honest review.
January 27, 2020
This is a very magical, expressive story of 4 sisters, each with distinct looks and abilities to control elements. Up until the age of 13 they can travel to the mysterious Everwhere but then 'forget' how to do so, who they are and what powers they have. Meanwhile men are trained up as soldiers to kill them on their 18th birthday unless they embrace evil.
I enjoyed this but at 448 pages it felt a lot longer. I love multiple POV books and we get a 30 day countdown from each sister along with Leo, one of the soldiers. There's some excellent world building. The book also flips between present day and when the sisters are 8. This isn't signposted so sometimes it gets a bit confusing. I really enjoyed the final section as the sisters come together and finally come into their powers and self belief. I just wish it hadn't taken so long.
For me then, an great book that would have been excellent if just a tiny bit shorter and with a few headings.
I enjoyed this but at 448 pages it felt a lot longer. I love multiple POV books and we get a 30 day countdown from each sister along with Leo, one of the soldiers. There's some excellent world building. The book also flips between present day and when the sisters are 8. This isn't signposted so sometimes it gets a bit confusing. I really enjoyed the final section as the sisters come together and finally come into their powers and self belief. I just wish it hadn't taken so long.
For me then, an great book that would have been excellent if just a tiny bit shorter and with a few headings.
September 26, 2019
4.5 STARS - review is also on my blog (https://kbbookreviews867789450.wordpr... ), and a link on twitter @BookrviewsKb.
The Sisters Grimm, by Menna van Praag is the perfect Grimm Fairy-tale infused story. Filled with magic, darkness and secrets, it is a tale of war, violence, and unity.
Synopsis used on Netgalley: *this was an eARC so quotes are subject to change*
"There are hundreds, possibly thousands, of sisters Grimm on Earth.
You may well be one of them, though you might never know it.
You think you’re ordinary.
You never suspect that you’re stronger than you seem, braver than you feel or greater than you imagine.
But I hope that by the time you finish this tale, you’ll start listening to the whispers that speak of unknown things, the signs that point in unseen directions and the nudges that suggest unimagined possibilities.
I hope too that you’ll discover your own magnificence, your own magic …"
The Sisters Grimm by Menna van Praag follows five different narratives; Goldie, Bea, Liyana, Scarlet, and Leo. However, while Leo is key to the story, the main evolution of the plot comes from the other four narratives.
This novel follows the story of four girls, four Sisters Grimm "each born out of bright-white wishing and black-edged desire". The sisters, however, do not know who they are, what they are capable of or what their future holds for them. We follow each girl as they each untangle their own individual and different lives, as well as realise that there is more to them than they first thought. We watch as they visit Everywhere only to forget, remember their childhoods only to be confused, and find each other only to recognise them but not know why. As the story moves forward we learn more about the sisters through their present lives, through snippets of their pasts and from Leo who knows much more than he lets on.
As the girls unravel their truth, they learn of a more sinister fate that awaits them, for in only Thirty-Three days they will meet their father, and partake in a fight for their lives, and for each others.
I loved this, I love anything that uses Grimm fairy-tale elements and this does that so wonderfully. However, this is most definitely NOT a retelling or a Grimm twist on a traditional fairy-tale, this IS completely and utterly original and the fairy-tale elements are so subtle and clever that it creates something so distinctive and unique that I was completely drawn in. Menna van Praag's novel is reminiscent of Angela Carters', 'The Bloody Chamber', with feminist influences and gothic elements intertwined with the fairy-tale origins- which was wonderful to see (my love for gothic literature was greatly rewarded).
This novel is definitely a must read, particularly for women, but also for men. Many a time the question of 'What book's should every woman read?' has been asked and the answers (that I have heard) are usually Jane Eyre, Pride and Prejudice, and Little Women or similar titles, of course more contemporary novels are now listed but the classic are always there. I do not disagree with the classic choices, I also recommend them, but they are novels set in a time when women could not even own property, choose who to marry, or simply be free. So what about books we should read for a world where women are free from those previous shackles but are still bound by so many others? Well this book is definitely one of them.
The Sisters Grimm is about more than the fantastical elements, its about the strength of women and what unity of that strength can bring. The fantasy and magic of the Sisters being able to control or manipulate the elements creates a strong connection between the reader and the characters. Perhaps because women have long been key to elemental mythology; from Goddesses to Mother Nature, and from Nymphs to Faeries, the link has always been women who have predominantly featured in each of these myths. Thus having the characters embody an singular element allows us to connect with each in a different way.
(Minor spoilers - elements/fairy-tale links for each of the four main characters) This connection is also built with the influences from traditional fairy-tales. For example, Goldie (Goldilocks) is linked with Earth, she can manipulate nature. She is a hard worker, despite her tendency to steal from the rich, she is not afraid to get to work. This is significantly due to her little brother Teddy, she adores him and will do anything to make him happy. She is the embodiment of Mother Nature in her elemental sense and her sisterly yet maternal instinct to keep her baby brother happy. Goldie's character is a force to be reckoned with despite often having a quiet demeanour. She is also one of the most troubled characters, having had a dark childhood, only to now be stuck in a job with a sleazy boss. Unfortunately, her boss is left to behave badly as, if she questions him, she will be fired. Goldie is the character reflective of the part of us who are quiet when we should not be, but also is the part of us that is enamoured by the spring flowers and their full summer bloom, the part of us that loves our children and will do anything for them, or have younger sibling who we will fiercely protect, the part of us that is stronger than we realise. Goldie is the narrative we start with and is a character that we will love beyond compare. By the end of the novel Goldie become one of the most powerful characters who no longer stays quiet or docile, and instead is strong and will fight for what she wants.
Goldie does build up a connection with the character of Leo- this is an interesting dynamic we get to see as we are able to watch as structured opinions and beliefs begin to sift and change, particularly with Leo, until it is realised that there is so much more to the story (though I will talk more about Leo after the four Sisters).
(Minor Spoilers Continued) However, we can also connect with the character of Bea (Beauty). Bea's element is air, she can fly and manipulate it. Much like her element Bea is rather unpredictable. She is headstrong, sexually free, and unafraid to use people to get what she wants, societal expectations do not often faze her and she does not care to be seen as cold and stoic. However, she has an internal conflict; her mother nurtured the evil side to Bea, the socially unacceptable and volatile side, and Bea did not like this, she did not want to be evil. Yet, she takes a silent pleasure in being able to do what she wants when she wants. Her mother is the only one that tells her the truth about who she is, yet she passes this off as insanity until she realises the truth and understand why the evil in her was encouraged. Bea is a complex and intriguing character and, despite her vicious ways, is also easy to connect with. She is the part of us that we want to embrace, the careless and independent part that gets tired of playing perfect and kind. She is the character you connect with when you feel the wind on your skin and in your hair, the connection built on the freedom you feel in the air. Bea is intriguing and complex, she is a character that is forever questioned, you cannot predict her ending or what part of her will win. She is strong, and always has been and her ending may be the most poignant and freeing of them all.
Bea builds up connections with a couple of male characters which greatly contrast; Dr Finch and Vali. These relationships are vastly different, for good reason, and are interesting to watch unfold. Bea's personality makes for these relationships to be incredibly unpredictable, and yet fitting for her character.
(Minor Spoilers Continued) The next sister we feel a connection to is Scarlet (Red Riding Hood) who is linked with fire. Scarlet is kind and caring as she looks after her grandmother and runs the family cafe. However, she is also fiery, independent, hardworking and brave. Scarlet is a natural leader but still feels the force of her small cafe being pitted against larger corporate brands. She is unwilling to give in to Mr Wolfe's offers to buy her out and her anger at his suggestions and blatant disrespect for her homely bakery manifests in many amusing and explosive ways. Scarlet is a character with heart and is not afraid to share her views. However, she is consumed with trying to keep her grandmother happy and cannot come to terms with her condition, she ignores the problem in the hope that situation may fix itself despite knowing better. Scarlet knows very little about her mother, who died when she as young, and what we do see from past interactions are not exactly heart-warming. Scarlet remembers her distant and cold behaviour, yet she openly defies this herself and is a stark contrast when interacting with people she know. She is the character you connect with in anger when the fire burns in your chest, but also the one you connect with when you look after sick family members, or when you feel the comforting heat of the fire when you are alone, or when you fight for what you believe in and what is sentimental to you. Scarlet's ending is the most uncertain in some aspects, but in others it is the most warming. She becomes the strongest version of who she is and who we have known her to be.
Scarlet also has a connection with two male characters, which are vastly different. Wolfe and Walt. Walt being more of the friend and confidant, Wolfe being the dangerous and the physical. Both relationships have damning affects on us by the end of the novel.
(Minor Spoilers...) Finally, we can connect with Liyana. Liyana is the character who is not infused with a singular fairy-tale origin, instead she if influenced by both Cinderella and Rapunzel (a fact I had to check as her character is very complex and difficult to pinpoint-but the influences are so clever). Liyana's element is water. She lives with her aunt and is, though did not start off so, wealthy. Liyana is dedicated, creative and ambitious, much like her element suggests. She starts off with her mother, forced to conform to society and having to cope with her mother removing her individuality, changing her hair to be straighter and ensuring she fits in, Liyana. Then Liyana moves in with her aunt, and eventually, as she gets older, they become poor (echo of Cinderella). Because of his her aunt wishes for her to marry for financial security, which she feels trapped and obligated to do due to how her aunt has looked after her, this expectation and feeling of entrapment (echoing Rapunzel) forces Liyana to choose how she will control her life. Liyana is incredibly talented, yet is full of self doubt and finds it difficult to be herself. She is the sister we are connected with when we feel we aren't good enough, or when we feel the familial pressure of their expectations. But, she is also the one we connect with when we are creative, when the rain is falling and it feels peaceful, when we slowly learn to be ourselves. By the end of the novel Liyana has had some of the most personal growth. She is powerful, more self assured and has accepted herself as she is.
Liyana has a relationship with Koko (Kumiko) in the novel, and is the only character to already be in a long term relationship. Their relationship is lovely and to watch it unfold and go through the issue of whether or not Liyana should marry a guy for financial security is heart-breaking as they belong together. The two see each other for who they truly are, but still date in secret at first as Liyana puts of telling her aunt that she is a lesbian and in a relationship.
(""…) Finally, we have the character of Leo, not a sister but is a main narrative in the story, an interesting and clever creative choice. Leo (named after the constellation) is a soldier, born to kill Grimm girls for his father, his commander. A role he takes pride in, a role etched out for him. Until he meets Goldie. Leo is so certain what he is doing is right and yet upon meeting Goldie he cannot help but enter an internal conflict. He wants to protect her but knows he cannot. As his character and relationships grow his views change, the structures he was bound to become questioned and he is forced to choose between protection and murder. Leo's story is interesting and similar to how societal views and structures can change when you see the other side. Leo's ending is perhaps the most emotional as he makes his decision and decides who he will be.
Each of the characters in Menna van Praag's story are completely and utterly unique. They are diverse individuals in personality, ethnicity, sexuality, behaviour and status, each are well developed, in-depth and complex, and easy to connect with. The characters are human, they have flaws, but they are strong and powerful, even without their Grimm powers.
The storyline is original and the fantasy is intriguing, each element is beautifully created and maintains their originality despite the many influences. The story is not one of just women, but is also one of power and unity, one of acceptance and personal growth and it delivered on every aspect it gave.
The magic and the world of Everywhere is well built and explained but leaves enough mystery that anything is possible. The narrative styles, though the jumping POV may take some people some time to get use to, allows for the reader to learn so much and yet still be surprised and mystified at the twists and turns that occur throughout the book. The past and present alterations throughout the book were easy to follow and made the book more intriguing and mysterious.
The ending to the novel was hauntingly beautiful, with the growth of each character and the consequences of war being prevalent. The ending was shocking and unexpected, I have to admit I was heartbroken and completely fooled by some elements. The misdirection in the novel that prevents you accurately predicting the outcome is so subtle that you are shocked, and then slightly surprised you fell for it!
The Sisters Grimm by Menna van Praag is the perfect blend of gothic, Grimm-fairy-tale, magical, and modern elements, and is inspiringly original.
Content warning: There are references to child abuse, attempted /sexual assault, self harm. Plus the inclusion of consensual sex scenes.
*I received a free eARC of #TheSistersGrimm via #Netgalley @Transworldbooks (Random House UK, Transworld Publishers) in exchange for an honest review. *
The Sisters Grimm, by Menna van Praag is the perfect Grimm Fairy-tale infused story. Filled with magic, darkness and secrets, it is a tale of war, violence, and unity.
Synopsis used on Netgalley: *this was an eARC so quotes are subject to change*
"There are hundreds, possibly thousands, of sisters Grimm on Earth.
You may well be one of them, though you might never know it.
You think you’re ordinary.
You never suspect that you’re stronger than you seem, braver than you feel or greater than you imagine.
But I hope that by the time you finish this tale, you’ll start listening to the whispers that speak of unknown things, the signs that point in unseen directions and the nudges that suggest unimagined possibilities.
I hope too that you’ll discover your own magnificence, your own magic …"
The Sisters Grimm by Menna van Praag follows five different narratives; Goldie, Bea, Liyana, Scarlet, and Leo. However, while Leo is key to the story, the main evolution of the plot comes from the other four narratives.
This novel follows the story of four girls, four Sisters Grimm "each born out of bright-white wishing and black-edged desire". The sisters, however, do not know who they are, what they are capable of or what their future holds for them. We follow each girl as they each untangle their own individual and different lives, as well as realise that there is more to them than they first thought. We watch as they visit Everywhere only to forget, remember their childhoods only to be confused, and find each other only to recognise them but not know why. As the story moves forward we learn more about the sisters through their present lives, through snippets of their pasts and from Leo who knows much more than he lets on.
As the girls unravel their truth, they learn of a more sinister fate that awaits them, for in only Thirty-Three days they will meet their father, and partake in a fight for their lives, and for each others.
I loved this, I love anything that uses Grimm fairy-tale elements and this does that so wonderfully. However, this is most definitely NOT a retelling or a Grimm twist on a traditional fairy-tale, this IS completely and utterly original and the fairy-tale elements are so subtle and clever that it creates something so distinctive and unique that I was completely drawn in. Menna van Praag's novel is reminiscent of Angela Carters', 'The Bloody Chamber', with feminist influences and gothic elements intertwined with the fairy-tale origins- which was wonderful to see (my love for gothic literature was greatly rewarded).
This novel is definitely a must read, particularly for women, but also for men. Many a time the question of 'What book's should every woman read?' has been asked and the answers (that I have heard) are usually Jane Eyre, Pride and Prejudice, and Little Women or similar titles, of course more contemporary novels are now listed but the classic are always there. I do not disagree with the classic choices, I also recommend them, but they are novels set in a time when women could not even own property, choose who to marry, or simply be free. So what about books we should read for a world where women are free from those previous shackles but are still bound by so many others? Well this book is definitely one of them.
The Sisters Grimm is about more than the fantastical elements, its about the strength of women and what unity of that strength can bring. The fantasy and magic of the Sisters being able to control or manipulate the elements creates a strong connection between the reader and the characters. Perhaps because women have long been key to elemental mythology; from Goddesses to Mother Nature, and from Nymphs to Faeries, the link has always been women who have predominantly featured in each of these myths. Thus having the characters embody an singular element allows us to connect with each in a different way.
(Minor spoilers - elements/fairy-tale links for each of the four main characters) This connection is also built with the influences from traditional fairy-tales. For example, Goldie (Goldilocks) is linked with Earth, she can manipulate nature. She is a hard worker, despite her tendency to steal from the rich, she is not afraid to get to work. This is significantly due to her little brother Teddy, she adores him and will do anything to make him happy. She is the embodiment of Mother Nature in her elemental sense and her sisterly yet maternal instinct to keep her baby brother happy. Goldie's character is a force to be reckoned with despite often having a quiet demeanour. She is also one of the most troubled characters, having had a dark childhood, only to now be stuck in a job with a sleazy boss. Unfortunately, her boss is left to behave badly as, if she questions him, she will be fired. Goldie is the character reflective of the part of us who are quiet when we should not be, but also is the part of us that is enamoured by the spring flowers and their full summer bloom, the part of us that loves our children and will do anything for them, or have younger sibling who we will fiercely protect, the part of us that is stronger than we realise. Goldie is the narrative we start with and is a character that we will love beyond compare. By the end of the novel Goldie become one of the most powerful characters who no longer stays quiet or docile, and instead is strong and will fight for what she wants.
Goldie does build up a connection with the character of Leo- this is an interesting dynamic we get to see as we are able to watch as structured opinions and beliefs begin to sift and change, particularly with Leo, until it is realised that there is so much more to the story (though I will talk more about Leo after the four Sisters).
(Minor Spoilers Continued) However, we can also connect with the character of Bea (Beauty). Bea's element is air, she can fly and manipulate it. Much like her element Bea is rather unpredictable. She is headstrong, sexually free, and unafraid to use people to get what she wants, societal expectations do not often faze her and she does not care to be seen as cold and stoic. However, she has an internal conflict; her mother nurtured the evil side to Bea, the socially unacceptable and volatile side, and Bea did not like this, she did not want to be evil. Yet, she takes a silent pleasure in being able to do what she wants when she wants. Her mother is the only one that tells her the truth about who she is, yet she passes this off as insanity until she realises the truth and understand why the evil in her was encouraged. Bea is a complex and intriguing character and, despite her vicious ways, is also easy to connect with. She is the part of us that we want to embrace, the careless and independent part that gets tired of playing perfect and kind. She is the character you connect with when you feel the wind on your skin and in your hair, the connection built on the freedom you feel in the air. Bea is intriguing and complex, she is a character that is forever questioned, you cannot predict her ending or what part of her will win. She is strong, and always has been and her ending may be the most poignant and freeing of them all.
Bea builds up connections with a couple of male characters which greatly contrast; Dr Finch and Vali. These relationships are vastly different, for good reason, and are interesting to watch unfold. Bea's personality makes for these relationships to be incredibly unpredictable, and yet fitting for her character.
(Minor Spoilers Continued) The next sister we feel a connection to is Scarlet (Red Riding Hood) who is linked with fire. Scarlet is kind and caring as she looks after her grandmother and runs the family cafe. However, she is also fiery, independent, hardworking and brave. Scarlet is a natural leader but still feels the force of her small cafe being pitted against larger corporate brands. She is unwilling to give in to Mr Wolfe's offers to buy her out and her anger at his suggestions and blatant disrespect for her homely bakery manifests in many amusing and explosive ways. Scarlet is a character with heart and is not afraid to share her views. However, she is consumed with trying to keep her grandmother happy and cannot come to terms with her condition, she ignores the problem in the hope that situation may fix itself despite knowing better. Scarlet knows very little about her mother, who died when she as young, and what we do see from past interactions are not exactly heart-warming. Scarlet remembers her distant and cold behaviour, yet she openly defies this herself and is a stark contrast when interacting with people she know. She is the character you connect with in anger when the fire burns in your chest, but also the one you connect with when you look after sick family members, or when you feel the comforting heat of the fire when you are alone, or when you fight for what you believe in and what is sentimental to you. Scarlet's ending is the most uncertain in some aspects, but in others it is the most warming. She becomes the strongest version of who she is and who we have known her to be.
Scarlet also has a connection with two male characters, which are vastly different. Wolfe and Walt. Walt being more of the friend and confidant, Wolfe being the dangerous and the physical. Both relationships have damning affects on us by the end of the novel.
(Minor Spoilers...) Finally, we can connect with Liyana. Liyana is the character who is not infused with a singular fairy-tale origin, instead she if influenced by both Cinderella and Rapunzel (a fact I had to check as her character is very complex and difficult to pinpoint-but the influences are so clever). Liyana's element is water. She lives with her aunt and is, though did not start off so, wealthy. Liyana is dedicated, creative and ambitious, much like her element suggests. She starts off with her mother, forced to conform to society and having to cope with her mother removing her individuality, changing her hair to be straighter and ensuring she fits in, Liyana. Then Liyana moves in with her aunt, and eventually, as she gets older, they become poor (echo of Cinderella). Because of his her aunt wishes for her to marry for financial security, which she feels trapped and obligated to do due to how her aunt has looked after her, this expectation and feeling of entrapment (echoing Rapunzel) forces Liyana to choose how she will control her life. Liyana is incredibly talented, yet is full of self doubt and finds it difficult to be herself. She is the sister we are connected with when we feel we aren't good enough, or when we feel the familial pressure of their expectations. But, she is also the one we connect with when we are creative, when the rain is falling and it feels peaceful, when we slowly learn to be ourselves. By the end of the novel Liyana has had some of the most personal growth. She is powerful, more self assured and has accepted herself as she is.
Liyana has a relationship with Koko (Kumiko) in the novel, and is the only character to already be in a long term relationship. Their relationship is lovely and to watch it unfold and go through the issue of whether or not Liyana should marry a guy for financial security is heart-breaking as they belong together. The two see each other for who they truly are, but still date in secret at first as Liyana puts of telling her aunt that she is a lesbian and in a relationship.
(""…) Finally, we have the character of Leo, not a sister but is a main narrative in the story, an interesting and clever creative choice. Leo (named after the constellation) is a soldier, born to kill Grimm girls for his father, his commander. A role he takes pride in, a role etched out for him. Until he meets Goldie. Leo is so certain what he is doing is right and yet upon meeting Goldie he cannot help but enter an internal conflict. He wants to protect her but knows he cannot. As his character and relationships grow his views change, the structures he was bound to become questioned and he is forced to choose between protection and murder. Leo's story is interesting and similar to how societal views and structures can change when you see the other side. Leo's ending is perhaps the most emotional as he makes his decision and decides who he will be.
Each of the characters in Menna van Praag's story are completely and utterly unique. They are diverse individuals in personality, ethnicity, sexuality, behaviour and status, each are well developed, in-depth and complex, and easy to connect with. The characters are human, they have flaws, but they are strong and powerful, even without their Grimm powers.
The storyline is original and the fantasy is intriguing, each element is beautifully created and maintains their originality despite the many influences. The story is not one of just women, but is also one of power and unity, one of acceptance and personal growth and it delivered on every aspect it gave.
The magic and the world of Everywhere is well built and explained but leaves enough mystery that anything is possible. The narrative styles, though the jumping POV may take some people some time to get use to, allows for the reader to learn so much and yet still be surprised and mystified at the twists and turns that occur throughout the book. The past and present alterations throughout the book were easy to follow and made the book more intriguing and mysterious.
The ending to the novel was hauntingly beautiful, with the growth of each character and the consequences of war being prevalent. The ending was shocking and unexpected, I have to admit I was heartbroken and completely fooled by some elements. The misdirection in the novel that prevents you accurately predicting the outcome is so subtle that you are shocked, and then slightly surprised you fell for it!
The Sisters Grimm by Menna van Praag is the perfect blend of gothic, Grimm-fairy-tale, magical, and modern elements, and is inspiringly original.
Content warning: There are references to child abuse, attempted /sexual assault, self harm. Plus the inclusion of consensual sex scenes.
*I received a free eARC of #TheSistersGrimm via #Netgalley @Transworldbooks (Random House UK, Transworld Publishers) in exchange for an honest review. *
November 15, 2020
I think messy is the best word I can use to describe this book. I had really high expectations for it, but it didn't quite work for me. It flits unnaturally between first and third person, past and future tense; characters are left unaccounted for at the end; a character gets unnecessarily angry at her girlfriend for being too much of a coward to come out; there's an unnecessary emphasis in every other paragraph that a character is fat but somehow still loveable; a 17-year-old somehow has custody over her little brother and leaves him to go on adventures at 3 am with her boyfriend. I gave this book two stars simply because I liked Goldie's relationships with Liyana and Leo respectively.
Trigger warnings: self-harm, sexual abuse/child rape.
Thank you to Menna van Praag and Black Swan for providing me with a copy of the book in exchange for an honest review. All thoughts and opinions expressed are my own.
Trigger warnings: self-harm, sexual abuse/child rape.
Thank you to Menna van Praag and Black Swan for providing me with a copy of the book in exchange for an honest review. All thoughts and opinions expressed are my own.
May 17, 2020
2.5 or 2.75 stars
This has an incredible premise of Sisters who don't remember each other. Another realm/world where magic exists openly. The Sisters each have different magical abilities which I really appreciated learning.
The biggest issue I had was the jarring switches in point of view and tense. It just made me have little to no connection with the characters since we didn't have enough time with them. I didn't care for one of the characters at all, Bea. She just was irritating and it made me want to skip her parts unfortunately.
Liyana was my personal favorite I think because of her magical affinity. She also was the only one I had any sort of connection with.
I appreciate the messages about women in the book I just feel like the format really distracted and disengaged for myself personally.
Thank you to the publisher for providing me a copy in exchange for an honest review.
This has an incredible premise of Sisters who don't remember each other. Another realm/world where magic exists openly. The Sisters each have different magical abilities which I really appreciated learning.
The biggest issue I had was the jarring switches in point of view and tense. It just made me have little to no connection with the characters since we didn't have enough time with them. I didn't care for one of the characters at all, Bea. She just was irritating and it made me want to skip her parts unfortunately.
Liyana was my personal favorite I think because of her magical affinity. She also was the only one I had any sort of connection with.
I appreciate the messages about women in the book I just feel like the format really distracted and disengaged for myself personally.
Thank you to the publisher for providing me a copy in exchange for an honest review.
September 30, 2019
I had the privilege to read this book early. It's a powerful story with fantastic female characters. Highly recommended!
January 22, 2020
The Sisters Grimm
This book was received from the Author, and Publisher, in exchange for an honest review. Opinions and thoughts expressed in this review are completely my own
The Sisters Grimm, is the first fantasy novel by Menna van Praag,
A lovely darkish magical realism tale!
The Sisters Grimm, by Menna van Praag, Is beautifully written with lyrical prose and that pulls you in deeply within its immersive pages. This book is both incredible and captivating in its rich detailed, atmospheric world building.
Menna van Praag, delivers well a enchanting storyline, along with the perfect urban amount of magical realism. Some books come into your life and leave a lasting impression. This is one of the rare finds for me.
Menna van Praag book is delicious darkish fantasy of four Sisters with magical capabilities. Goldie, Liyana, Scarlet, and Bea. All four posses very distinct different aspects of elemental magic.
The Sisters Grimm, daughters born to different mothers on the same day, each with their own distinct elemental magic. Light and dark
They found each other at eight years old. Separated again at thirteen, it’s imperative that they find each other now that they are nearing a day of reckoning with their eighteen fast approaching. They will make the choice between light and dark, between good and evil in the mystical land of Everwhere. Yet they don’t remember that this is their mission. The sisters must return to the land of their childhood dreams. Everwhere can only be accessed through certain gates at the time of 3:33 A.M. on the night of a new moon. The gradually the return of their memories and dreams pull them together as they realize the choice they will eventually have to make.
The Sisters only have thirty three days to try and discover who they are and their magical capabilities.
Menna van Praag’s stunning ability to meticulously weave multiple POV’s and timelines.
A spellbinding, intriguing well developed plot line that is compelling and multi layered. Easy to follow but enjoyable in its complexity.
This is a riveting tale captures the strength of women, and the power of unity.
A brilliant execution of a storyline, weaved intricately within an epic fantasy world. Ultimately a breathtaking book on female empowerment, and the importance of discovering ones own inter most magic, light and dark.
A captivating storyline within an urban fantasy mystical realism
The book is creative with diverse fleshed out complex characters. I personally enjoyed the author’s focus on the strength and bonds of the women in the novel. The pace was brisk and in this highly original imaginative phenomenal, page turner of a read.
Wonderful lyrical prose with seamless writing, with multiple POV’s.
A great spellbinding and vibrant fantasy rewarding read,
Atmospheric, riveting and intensely entertaining, I recommend this book for anyone who enjoys reading richly textured epic fantasy books. This book delivers the perfect amount of dark emmental fantasy, that immersives the reader within its pages. From start to finish I was sucked into it’s pages.
This is one of those books that you just have to read to know what feeling I’m getting at. It sucks you in and keeps you hungry for more. It’s a unique and unforgettable storyline that is solid. Cleverly told through a brilliant narration,
I highly recommend this book to my family and friends !
This book was received from the Author, and Publisher, in exchange for an honest review. Opinions and thoughts expressed in this review are completely my own
The Sisters Grimm, is the first fantasy novel by Menna van Praag,
A lovely darkish magical realism tale!
The Sisters Grimm, by Menna van Praag, Is beautifully written with lyrical prose and that pulls you in deeply within its immersive pages. This book is both incredible and captivating in its rich detailed, atmospheric world building.
Menna van Praag, delivers well a enchanting storyline, along with the perfect urban amount of magical realism. Some books come into your life and leave a lasting impression. This is one of the rare finds for me.
Menna van Praag book is delicious darkish fantasy of four Sisters with magical capabilities. Goldie, Liyana, Scarlet, and Bea. All four posses very distinct different aspects of elemental magic.
The Sisters Grimm, daughters born to different mothers on the same day, each with their own distinct elemental magic. Light and dark
They found each other at eight years old. Separated again at thirteen, it’s imperative that they find each other now that they are nearing a day of reckoning with their eighteen fast approaching. They will make the choice between light and dark, between good and evil in the mystical land of Everwhere. Yet they don’t remember that this is their mission. The sisters must return to the land of their childhood dreams. Everwhere can only be accessed through certain gates at the time of 3:33 A.M. on the night of a new moon. The gradually the return of their memories and dreams pull them together as they realize the choice they will eventually have to make.
The Sisters only have thirty three days to try and discover who they are and their magical capabilities.
Menna van Praag’s stunning ability to meticulously weave multiple POV’s and timelines.
A spellbinding, intriguing well developed plot line that is compelling and multi layered. Easy to follow but enjoyable in its complexity.
This is a riveting tale captures the strength of women, and the power of unity.
A brilliant execution of a storyline, weaved intricately within an epic fantasy world. Ultimately a breathtaking book on female empowerment, and the importance of discovering ones own inter most magic, light and dark.
A captivating storyline within an urban fantasy mystical realism
The book is creative with diverse fleshed out complex characters. I personally enjoyed the author’s focus on the strength and bonds of the women in the novel. The pace was brisk and in this highly original imaginative phenomenal, page turner of a read.
Wonderful lyrical prose with seamless writing, with multiple POV’s.
A great spellbinding and vibrant fantasy rewarding read,
Atmospheric, riveting and intensely entertaining, I recommend this book for anyone who enjoys reading richly textured epic fantasy books. This book delivers the perfect amount of dark emmental fantasy, that immersives the reader within its pages. From start to finish I was sucked into it’s pages.
This is one of those books that you just have to read to know what feeling I’m getting at. It sucks you in and keeps you hungry for more. It’s a unique and unforgettable storyline that is solid. Cleverly told through a brilliant narration,
I highly recommend this book to my family and friends !
January 11, 2020
DNF 20%
I got this book for 99p from kindle because I’ve seen it about a lot and thought the cover was stunning.
I just couldn’t get on with this book at all. It was confusing and so hard to follow; it might be partly because I’m reading it as an ebook so formatting could be an issue, but the character jumps can be jarring and then there is random time jumps that come out of nowhere and had me flipping back pages to see if I’d missed something.
I didn’t connect with the characters either; I honestly struggled to remember which was which because nothing particularly stood out for me about either of them. Goldie is perhaps my least favourite?? And the whole sexual assault storyline for her was just unnecessarily put in to make an obviously bad character more bad. And the romance between her and Leo is so obviously coming 🤦🏻♀️
Also can we talk about the fact that the character who is connected with fire is called Scarlett (or Red) and is linked to a character called Mr Wolfe.... let’s get some more imaginative names maybe?
As I got it as an ebook I will keep it on my kindle and maybe if I see some amazing reviews about it revisit it later on, but for now it’s a DNF.
I got this book for 99p from kindle because I’ve seen it about a lot and thought the cover was stunning.
I just couldn’t get on with this book at all. It was confusing and so hard to follow; it might be partly because I’m reading it as an ebook so formatting could be an issue, but the character jumps can be jarring and then there is random time jumps that come out of nowhere and had me flipping back pages to see if I’d missed something.
I didn’t connect with the characters either; I honestly struggled to remember which was which because nothing particularly stood out for me about either of them. Goldie is perhaps my least favourite?? And the whole sexual assault storyline for her was just unnecessarily put in to make an obviously bad character more bad. And the romance between her and Leo is so obviously coming 🤦🏻♀️
Also can we talk about the fact that the character who is connected with fire is called Scarlett (or Red) and is linked to a character called Mr Wolfe.... let’s get some more imaginative names maybe?
As I got it as an ebook I will keep it on my kindle and maybe if I see some amazing reviews about it revisit it later on, but for now it’s a DNF.
definitive-tbr
October 31, 2020- compared to
Circe
- magical realism
- "bewitching fantasy with a dark edge"
- magical realism
- "bewitching fantasy with a dark edge"
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