The Sisters Grimm is a combo of magic
and mystery that would make the actual Grimm brothers squirm with
jealousy. An original fairy tale in it's own right, author Menna Van
Praag conjures up a world unlike any I have ever heard of, even
making our own slightly nerve-wracking. The Devil, 4 girls with
otherworldly powers, and a battle royale to the death with half
demonic, half human creatures? Count me in!
Once upon a time, the Devil, who
desired earthly domination, fathered four girls to help him to
corrupt humanity. As children, these four 8 year old girls- Goldie,
Lyana, Scarlet, and Bea meet in a dreamworld- a nightscape of a
strange, other-worldly land, full of mists and fog, constantly
falling leaves and hungry ivy, all lit by an unwavering moon. Here,
called Everywhere, the four half-sisters, connected by demonic blood
and magic, begin to nurture their elemental powers together.
Goldie(Earth) can manipulate plants and give life. Lyana(Water)
controls rivers and rain. Scarlet(Fire) has electricity at her
fingertips. And Bea(Air) can fly. However, they are ripped apart at
the age of 13 and separated, never dreaming of Everywhere again and
having no memory of each other. Five years later, they begin to be
drawn to each other as their 18th birthday draws near.
This is when they need to realize their full potential by returning
back to the land of their childhood dreams and Everywhere can only be
accessed at 3:33am on the night of a new moon. Though they have their
earthly lives to live, they must go back to prepare for a battle that
lies ahead. On their 18th birthday, they will subjected to
a gladiatorial fight with their father's soldiers. If they survive,
they will face their father who will only let them live if they turn
dark. Which would be fair, but their father is not giving them the
whole story. The girls have 33 days to learn who they truly are and
their true powers before they have to fight to save themselves and
those they love.
I absolutely adored this novel! It's
originality is almost unparalleled in the fantasy genre! Reading this
was so refreshing. You might be wondering why I didn't give it a 5,
and I'll get to that, but let's talk about all of the true magic
that's woven into this story through Van Praag's near perfect prose.
It rings of sisterhood, feminism, and female empowerment in a
fantastic, positive way. The girls don't hate men, just their Dad,
for obvious reasons, and his henchmen sent to kill them. Makes sense.
And let me make this very clear before
I go any further- this IS NOT a retelling of a Grimm brothers tale-as
much as I love them. Oh no. This is a truly original tale from a mind
that I can't wait to see what she comes up with next- spoiler alert,
there's a sequel coming!
The world building of Everywhere- the
world the girls meet in their dreams, is breathtaking! The imagery
the author uses to describe this magical, fantastical world is
amazing! Using lush descriptions, you feel as if you are roaming
through the dense fog, feeling the moisture caress your face.
Brilliant!
Her characterization is absolutely on
point. All four girls have their own distinct, separate personalities
and are as different in real life as they are in Everywhere with
their own unique powers, which slightly transfer over into the real
world. All 4 are likable and relatable and are definitely characters
that you want to root for-and will have to. But no spoilers here, so
I'll let you figure that out on your own!
Now, the issues I had that bounced this
novel down to 4. The novel is quite difficult to follow. Not only are
you reading from four point's of view- the girls, you are also
reading from their father's point of view as well. If that doesn't
make it frustrating enough, the timeline shifts from present day-the
days leading up to the girl's 18th birthday, and back to
when the girls first meet in Everywhere when they were 8 years old.
Also, the girls forget everything they ever learned in Everywhere
when they were children, so we have to watch them relearn it again as
they are older, which makes the book longer than necessary and
tedious to read this particular part.
All in all, The Sisters Grimm is a
beautifully written work of dark fantasy that has an atmosphere that
will suck you into the story immediately. Unique, and creative ideas
are sewn seamlessly, with the many different POV's and timeline jumps
doing a bit of unraveling. The pro's however long out way the cons
and I definitely recommend this dark, and entertaining page turner.
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