Last year I reviewed A Grimm Legacy and said at the time I expected a sequel. Well here it is, set six months after the end of the first book and sees the four teenagers, Andi, Dylan, Quinn and Frederick return to the land of Elorium, home to the characters brought to life in Grimm's Fairy Tales.
As in the previous book the four youngsters are all well written characters, the girls, Andi and Quinn more than hold their own physically, are bright and brave yet still argumentative, rash and proud, Jennings allows them to make mistakes. Likewise the boys, Dylan and Frederick are by turn brave, resilient, funny and awkward. In short they are believable. Elorium too is a believable place. I'm a sucker for fantasy land - call it Narnia Syndrome - and Elorium is right up my street, it is the sort of place you wish existed despite the dangers than may lurk there.
And dangers do indeed lurk in Elorium, the nightmares Andi and Dylan have been experiencing that cause them to return to the land they just managed to escape from are quite harrowing and the eventual reason they experience them even more so. Grimm Memories is certainly a dark read at times, however, this well crafted story still retains a sense of humour and fun, it's still a book that middle grade as well as young adults will enjoy. My one criticism of the previous book was I felt the antagonist wasn't fully explored, he again doesn't make an appearance until quite late in this book but this time it works. We learn more about his past and his motives, he feels far more rounded and so a more interesting character.
I enjoyed A Grimm Legacy but I enjoyed Grimm Memories more, the plot feels fresher and more original. There is actually less here from the original tales than in the first book but the little touches work well. I'm not sure if there will be another book in the series, the ending could be final but I believe there are still enough loose endings to mean a further return to Elorium. I'll certainly be reading it if there is.
Thanks to the author for my arc of Grimm Memories in return for my honest review.
Grimm Memories is published by Patchwork Press and is available through Amazon for Kindle in the UK.
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