In a Glass Grimmly (A Tale Dark & Grimm #2) by Adam Gidwitz
Release: September 27th 2012
Format: Paperback
Publisher: Puffin Books
Source: Edelweiss+
In a Glass Grimmly Synopsis:
More Grimm tales await in the harrowing, hilarious companion to a beloved new classic
Take caution ahead—
Oversize plant life, eerie amphibious royalty, and fear-inducing creatures abound.
Lest you enter with dread.
Follow Jack and Jill as they enter startling new landscapes that may (or may not) be scary, bloody, terrifying, and altogether true.
Step lively, dear reader . . .
Happily ever after isn’t cutting it anymore.
Book Trailer:
[embedyt] https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Q2iJBXxhzDI[/embedyt]
Review:
A BIG Thank You to Edelweiss+, Puffin Books and Penguin Publishing Group for providing me a copy of “In a Glass Grimmly (A Tale Dark & Grimm #2)” by Adam Gidwitz in exchange for my review. Edelweiss+ only had a snippet preview of this book, but I loved the first book in this series so much that I decided to purchase the remaining two. Unfortunately, I was a bit disappointed with “In a Glass Grimmly”.
My main problem was with the lead characters. I didn’t enjoy Jack and Jill as much as Hansel and Gretel from Book 1. In the first book, Hansel and Gretel become this brave, mature duo who risk it all to save their loved ones. Moreover, in the first book, a lot of things happen to the two without their control, like Hansel turning into a monster. In this book, I really couldn’t stand Jack for most part. Jill is tolerable as she acts wise and learns from her mistakes. Jack, on the other hand, comes off as a whiny person who keeps pouting and getting into trouble. Sure, he has his moments where he acts smart, but it’s very few.
*POSSIBLE SPOILERS AHEAD*. Furthermore, I really didn’t like the way the characters were written towards the end. What particularly irked me was how the kids start acting like their old selves once they go back, only to randomly realize their foolishness one day and walk away. It seemed very awkward that this just happened out of the blue. Even the parents suddenly wake up on hearing about their children and decide to love them again. How did this magic suddenly take place? I feel that the author got lazy towards the end and just wanted to conclude the book with a happy ending.
However, apart from the characters, I actually loved the plot of this book. In some ways, the storylines mentioned in this are much better than the first book. This author has blended so many of our favorite classics like the little Mermaid, Jack and the Beanstalk, Jack and Jill, The Emperor’s New Clothes and even Mother Goose. There are a lot of wonderful supporting characters like the Frog and the man with the red beard. I also loved the idea of people getting ‘con-fused’. The story provides a great moral to just be yourself and do what makes you happy, and not what others think about you.
Overall, I felt like this would have been an amazing book had the characters been more strong and likable.
[Read my Review on Book 1: A Tale Dark & Grimm (A Tale Dark & Grimm #1)]
