allthestories08's review against another edition
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.0
pastelplanet's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
emotional
hopeful
reflective
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.75
hitheremynameislisa's review
adventurous
dark
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
5.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Self harm
Moderate: Child abuse
leelee77's review against another edition
3.0
Finally caught up, it took me a bit longer to read. It wasn’t my usual genre and so this and the quite long staves made me feel I really needed to be in the mood to read it but I did enjoy it. Thank you to Pigeonhole for the chance to read this book.
macym26's review against another edition
Just boring. The jumps between POVs were too messy for my liking and confusing
queersubtext's review against another edition
dark
funny
reflective
sad
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Emotional abuse and Sexual assault
thepunktheory's review against another edition
4.0
Full review on my blog!
This book was promising from the very first page onward. We get magic, we get fairy tales, we get amazing female characters that are not stereotypical. What else could I want?
The worldbuilding is amazing and you immediately get the gist even though some of the ideas might be a little more complex. I would have loved to get a little more background and information on Wilhelm Grimm, though. Where is he from, why is he like this, and what is his actual goal? I have quite a lot of questions here that didn't get answered throughout the book and I'm a bit sad about it. I think, this would have given the novel even more depth, drawn me into the story and I would have cared more about the outcome.
What I'd like to praise is the diversity in the characters. They are all decidedly unique without falling prey to stereotypes. Menna van Praag really did a great job on that front.
I could have done with a lesser amount of love stories as I generally don't care much for that. Well, it wasn't as if all story lines hinged on that, so it was okay. It didn't bother me much with The Sisters Grimm, but just once I'd like to have a book without that.
Furthermore, I like how Menna van Praag arranged the book. The story is told in a countdown/almost diary form. For each day you get short snippets from each of the sisters' life, learning about them in turn. Every other chapter is a look back to their childhoods which makes for an interesting contrast.
The twist she puts on familiar fairy tales is certainly enchanting. You never get quite what you might expect and her take on the tales is often more to my liking than the originals were. Well done!
All that being said, I would have liked a bit more on the background of Goldie and Scarlet. Or maybe even all of them. I get that the book is almost 500 pages long and they probably didn't want to make it even longer, but I really think the story would have benefitted from that. While we get a lot of scenes in Everwhere the details on their childhoods outside of that place are still a bit fuzzy to me.
This book was promising from the very first page onward. We get magic, we get fairy tales, we get amazing female characters that are not stereotypical. What else could I want?
The worldbuilding is amazing and you immediately get the gist even though some of the ideas might be a little more complex. I would have loved to get a little more background and information on Wilhelm Grimm, though. Where is he from, why is he like this, and what is his actual goal? I have quite a lot of questions here that didn't get answered throughout the book and I'm a bit sad about it. I think, this would have given the novel even more depth, drawn me into the story and I would have cared more about the outcome.
What I'd like to praise is the diversity in the characters. They are all decidedly unique without falling prey to stereotypes. Menna van Praag really did a great job on that front.
I could have done with a lesser amount of love stories as I generally don't care much for that. Well, it wasn't as if all story lines hinged on that, so it was okay. It didn't bother me much with The Sisters Grimm, but just once I'd like to have a book without that.
Furthermore, I like how Menna van Praag arranged the book. The story is told in a countdown/almost diary form. For each day you get short snippets from each of the sisters' life, learning about them in turn. Every other chapter is a look back to their childhoods which makes for an interesting contrast.
The twist she puts on familiar fairy tales is certainly enchanting. You never get quite what you might expect and her take on the tales is often more to my liking than the originals were. Well done!
All that being said, I would have liked a bit more on the background of Goldie and Scarlet. Or maybe even all of them. I get that the book is almost 500 pages long and they probably didn't want to make it even longer, but I really think the story would have benefitted from that. While we get a lot of scenes in Everwhere the details on their childhoods outside of that place are still a bit fuzzy to me.
jentidders's review against another edition
Confusing POVs, annoying characters, timeline all over the place, annoying streotypical romance, poor worldbuilding, tired tropes, fat phobia... NOPE.
kalayk's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
emotional
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.75
lazygal's review against another edition
4.0
I'm not sure how Wilhelm Grimm ended up being a god/monster of sorts, but here we are. He has fathered thousands of girls who can visit Everwhere in their dreams until they are 13, and then they lose that privilege until their 18th birthday, at which point they either chose to become dark (like Daddy) or light (and then fight for their lives against Grimm's soldiers). Told from the POV of four of his daughters as they close in on their 18th birthday, trying to figure out who they are and their possible connection, as well as the POV of Leo, one of Grimm's hunters, this book also mixes timelines, creating momentary difficulty figuring out who and when the story is. It also feels as though the author has boxed herself in with the 18th birthday - the lives Goldie, Bea, Scarlett and Liya lead don't feel like 17-year-olds, more like early 20s.
Having said that, the world of Everwhere, Leo and the girls is one that does adhere to the Grimm mantra of not everything being sweetness and light in life, and sometimes happy endings aren't easy to come by.
ARC provided by publisher.
Having said that, the world of Everwhere, Leo and the girls is one that does adhere to the Grimm mantra of not everything being sweetness and light in life, and sometimes happy endings aren't easy to come by.
ARC provided by publisher.