I was absolutely enjoying this book: character growth, weaving of fairy tales, and the lyrical prologue interspersed throughout; however, the climax/ending was so disappointing that my overall enjoyment of the book was dashed as I tried to puzzle out how that resolution made any sense based on the clues and build up leading to that moment. I know this is written for a middle grade audience, but I still think that my middle grade self would not have been pleased either. I'm not sure I have enough interest to pick up book 2 honestly.
As for the good parts, I thought the author did a fantastic job of interweaving the past and present (although titling each "past" chapter as prologue was an odd choice) while allowing the reader to learn pieces of the story as they became relevant rather than as an info dump at the very beginning. I would be curious to know if this method works well for the intended middle grade audience as well.
As for the good parts, I thought the author did a fantastic job of interweaving the past and present (although titling each "past" chapter as prologue was an odd choice) while allowing the reader to learn pieces of the story as they became relevant rather than as an info dump at the very beginning. I would be curious to know if this method works well for the intended middle grade audience as well.