I really liked this compelling, intricate fantasy that puts an original spin on tales that you think you know. I felt like Praag captured that dark edge that the original Grimm tales had, yet added her own unique flavour to them that drew me in.

As children, Goldie, Liyana, Scarlet, and Bea dreamed of a strange otherworld: a nightscape of mists and fog, perpetually falling leaves and hungry ivy, lit by an unwavering moon. Here, in this shadowland of Everwhere, the four girls, half-sisters connected by blood and magic, began to nurture their elemental powers together. But at thirteen, the sisters were ripped from Everwhere and separated. Now, five years later, they search for one another and yearn to rediscover their unique and supernatural strengths. Goldie (earth) manipulates plants and gives life. Liyana (water) controls rivers and rain. Scarlet (fire) has electricity at her fingertips. Bea (air) can fly.

To realize their full potential, the blood sisters must return to the land of their childhood dreams. But Everwhere can only be accessed through certain gates at 3:33 A.M. on the night of a new moon. As Goldie, Liyana, Scarlet, and Bea are beset with the challenges of their earthly lives, they must prepare for a battle that lies ahead. On their eighteenth birthday, they will be subjected to a gladiatorial fight with their father’s soldiers. If they survive, they will face their father who will let them live only if they turn dark. Which would be fair, if only the sisters knew what was coming.

So, they have thirty-three days to discover who they truly are and what they can truly do, before they must fight to save themselves and those they love.

There are quite a lot of perspectives in this book, creating a sometimes tangled narrative but I loved being lost in Praag's prose. It's somewhat fragmented and confusing but just sweeps you into this web of words. Her writing was just beautiful. Every character did feel distinctive, especially the four sisters and how their representation of the different elements fed into their personality. 

I really liked how she incorporated astrological elements, dreams and really well-imagined fairytales into one magical story. It very much felt like a love letter to womanhood and the power that comes with that, weaving together our collective magic to unite those we'd thought to be lost. This is a deeply feminist story without becoming preachy and I really enjoyed it! 

Also, Praag's world-building was excellent, imaginative and rich, so I'm keep to explore more of this world in the sequel.

Full review will be up on my blog on Monday.

I got to about 16% of The Sisters Grimm before finally giving up. It felt like I've been reading it for ages, but in truth it was only a couple of days. When this title appeared on Netgalley I really got excited because of the pretty cover and because the blurb sounded like something I'd be interested in. Even though I'm not especially a fan of retellings or female protagonists... But still, I reasoned that a book that will be published on my birthday can't be anything less than good.

Unfortunately however, I completely failed to connect or even care about any of the characters. In fact, I found them unlikeable. The head hopping in some parts and the sudden changes of tenses were confusing. I tried to make myself push on, but when you feel like doing anything but picking up your kindle to read your current book, then that's a sign that maybe it's time to move on. I've seen several glowing reviews for The Sisters Grimm and I'm happy it found it's audience, but sadly I'm not one of them. Maybe next time.

I really struggled to start / continue / finish this book. It was very slow to start and didn’t grip me.

I wasn’t particularly invested in what was happening to any of the characters. I was really hoping for something good, the description gripped me and I was hoping for the book to hold my attention but it just didn’t.

Not a bad book but not one I would reread either.

The Sisters Grimm was an absolutely fantastic read. The Sisters Grimm was a brilliant book. It was even more special to read as someone with sisters, about the magical story of a family of girls. The story behind it was very well thought out. The magic of each sister is linked to the Earth's elements: water, fire, earth and air. The sister's grow up separately and do not remember each other, They come together to unite all of their powers.

This book was beautifully written, slowly unravelling the plot points themselves to us. There were mysterious and mystical vibes throughout.

I must admit that I couldn't put the book down and read it over a matter of hours. I found myself feeling drawn to the sisters and protective over them.
Highly recommended.

I was super excited for this book on the premise of the blurb and its initial pages.
And I felt quite let down.
The book is rather intricate but it feels like it skims the surface of being dark, it mentions darkness, and death and all four girls have not led happy childhoods, but it is almost like the books did not quite want to be a horror and maybe it would have fitted better within those constraints.

The magical realism seems well thought out at a glance, the idea of girls being more powerful, holding on to that power and finding solace in Sisterhood sits well with me.
The initial insights to the book of the fight between good and evil, the sisters being separated and having to find each other, and the boys that are meant to fight them all looks great on paper and the book starts off strong introducing you to the sisters and to Everwhere who almost becomes a character on its own.

However, the constantly shifting POV is a bit confusing, as well as the switches between 1st, 2nd and 3rd person. I don’t really understand why that shift is necessary. We follow Goldie in 1st, Everwhere in 2nd and the third remaining sisters in 3rd. Why not stick to one tense and make sure the sisters are easily recognisable?

There are also triggers for Sexual Assault, abuse and self harm, and all three gets glossed over when they are not on the page. They don’t mean anything to the story they are just there?? They do not further the plot, they just scar our main characters and it feels unnecessary and cruel and not like something well thought out.

I thought the character of Leo was a gorgeous moment, and his introduction chapters kept me captivated. And then he became side lined and I felt cheated in that sense.

The characteristics of each girl (other then Liyana who I would have much rather followed up close) felt rather one dimensional and run of the mill (Scarlet with red hair and fire powers really?) I will admit to linking the contrast between the girls and the many different family dynamics (absent parents, alzheimer’s, f/f relationship, mental health and so on) but the overwhelming repetition of Everwhere in every other chapters and the choice they have to make between good and evil – just pushed the representation to the back burner.

I’ll be honest and say the more I think about this book the closer to a one star it becomes. It is saved by its beginning chapters and by its occasionally beautiful writing. But overall I wouldn’t know who to recommend this to, nor would I read it again.

I will say that the shifts in chapters may be more easily managed in a print version.

The premise of this book was interesting and at first I was intrigued, but as I started I found the different characters perspectives really confusing. It went between 5 characters povs, and then all the same characters when they were younger before cycling around again, and the short bursts didn’t allow me to get a good understanding of each or allow me to thoroughly understand the plot till maybe halfway through. I enjoyed the world building, but didn’t feel like it really build up to something - rather just kept building and stopped, and ended very suddenly. I had to push myself to finish it up hoping the ending would be worth it, but I was a bit disappointed. Overall the writing quality was good, but I wasn’t a huge fan of the plot lines.

Unfortunately this book was not for me, although I think it will be perfect for fantasy-lovers! It was more fantastical than I was expecting and I DNF'd it at 25%.

I knew straight away that I would love this book, I adore Menna's writing style from her other books and this story felt so original to me that I was immediately interested in this story.

I always love books that are told from different perspectives and have multiple characters, I find it a really fun way of telling a story and it's fun to know other people's perspectives before the other characters do.

The world building of Everwhere was beautiful and so magical, and well thought out. I loved how we got to understand the perspectives of how all four sisters had experienced Everwhere when they were younger, and we were following them through their adult hood to their 18th birthday.

The ending really stood out for me and there were definitely twists that I did not see coming and how it was wrapped up at the end was just beautiful

My Thoughts

‘I hope that by the time you finish this tale, you’ll start listening to the whispers that speak of unknown things, the signs that point in unseen directions and the nudges that suggest unimagined possibilities.’

Having read a few of Menna’s books, I was anticipating this new read - such a beautiful cover and with its connections to fairy tales and magic I was excited knowing she writes so well. Sadly, this would prove to be not the book for me, however, loving Menna’s creativity and writing the way I do makes for very hard reviewing.

The premise here is brilliant - dreams, fairy tales, real world and dreamscapes - with strong themes of life, love, growth and development in the real world and the world of Everwhere. Menna’s thoughts and writing are incredibly poetic and beautiful as ever. A multi layered story of four sisters finding their purpose and each other, facing an onslaught of challenges.

‘I wanted to be different, special, exceptional. No doubt everyone felt the same, excepting the seven people on this planet happy exactly as they are. I wasn’t. I’d wanted to be extraordinary ever since I was old enough to know I was not. I suppose that’s why I liked sleeping so much, because in my dreams I was spectacular.’

However, through execution the potential became lost. Far too many points of view that proved a challenge to keep up with (even dual points of views for the sisters as a child and present day). Slow repetitive character and world building that left only a small late portion of the book that was gripping. So whilst the whole mythology and fantasy elements were well considered, the structure did not lend itself to embracing it fully. It is really hard to get into the story and develop empathy for the many characters and situations, as they go in so many directions with a narrative that appears all over the place at times.

I persevered to the end and found the conclusion fulfilling. It’s just a shame that the slow moving, repetitive and scattered narrative throughout was unable to embrace the wonders of the world building, elemental aspects and some valid relationship tales. Many readers loved it and I wish I were one. Yet I could only feel that the overall theme of female strength and empowerment was lost in a jumble of multiple storylines.

‘You think you’re ordinary. You never suspect that you’re stronger than you seem, braver than you feel or greater than you imagine.’





This review is based on a complimentary copy from the publisher and provided through NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. The quoted material may have changed in the final release.

I DNFed this at 75% - I honestly tried to give it a real shot, but after 380 pages I had had enough.

Short review: Incoherent mess. The premise isn't bad, but it's just weirdly written and snail-slow.
Add confusing storytelling, a lot of incest and overwhelming details, random pacing, no actual worldbuilding and well, that's why it's 1 star.

Trigger warnings: sexual assault, child abuse, self-harm, suicidal tendencies, incest, also some bad language and explicit content.

My advice: if you’re not hooked by page 50, just stop. It’s more of the same.

Long review, no spoilers:

Plot:  A demon named Wilhelm Grimm has thousands of daughters (I’m not quite sure if spiritually or physically as well), they have the ability to travel to Everwhere (an imaginary magical forest) from age 8 to age 13 where they mingle. After that they are banned from there for no reason, and start to forget about it. Also some of their mothers may be sisters as well (it’s never explained properly).

Anyways at almost the age of 18 they start to remember their childhood and try to find each other and become stronger (they have elemental magic) because on exactly their 18th birthday they are destined to join him in evil or be murdered by him or his other sons who are falls stars (what?). In essence, we follow 4 of these daughters/sisters trying to find their way before time runs out and they turn 18.

This is a sort of multi-fairytale retelling, featuring these main characters: Goldie (Goldilocks and her stealing habits), Scarlet (the redhead with a Grandma and a Mr. Wolfe), Bea (Beauty and the Beast - Vali and her constant reading about philosophy) and Lyiana (The Little mermaid? I have no clue, she likes swimming soo yeah). We also have Leo, he is a fallen star, one of the father’s soldiers/sons (the lion king? Yes? No?).

Writing style / prose:

The pace is all over the place, swapping timelines and POVs every 2 pages. Yes, every 2 pages. It's so excessive that I found it impossible to connect with any character, we barely become captivated in a part of their lives when we suddenly again have to shift  perspective to someone else.

In this book we have first, second and third person, we have past, present and future tense, and to top it off, it’s incredibly confusing because they change constantly, without much warning. Example of a chapter: Goldie first person present – Leo third person past – Forest (yes the forest has a speaking part): second person future tense. And you need to figure this out yourself. What a mess.

The chapters represent a countdown to their birthday, but the addition of exact hours at the start of every POV was redundant.

I have nothing against lyrical writing, but when 5 different similes are used to describe someone's eye colour in the same paragraph, you're trying too hard. Utterly unnecessary descriptions of everything - just added word-count and no value.

Worldbuilding/ magic system: we have no clear explanation of this.

Characters: These girls have no fathers, their lives being filled with tragedy, mental illness and unexplained events. They have distinct personalities and familial dynamics, which was a plus. But sadly their (and Leo’s) stories are very repetitive and become stale quickly.

The representation is done well – sexual orientation, racial diversity and mental health are present and showcased without prejudice. I appreciated especially the mention of Alzheimer's.

Positives:

-        I liked the message: the empowerment those girls discover (they are 17, yes they are girls), the sisterly bond and support, finding their voices and strengths, each of them unique.

-        There's a lot of mention of money, expenses and salaries which I found to be both surprising and refreshing. This isn't something often approached in novels, especially whimsical ones. The struggle is real and should be discussed.

Problems:

-        Goldie: We keep being told by the sisters, by the father, by Leo that Goldie is the most powerful Grimm daughter of the last 400 years, but we have absolutely no proof.

-        Goldie is beautiful but she doesn't know it. If I had a penny for every time I've read this, I'd be rich enough to write and self-publish my own novel in which such garbage is never uttered.

-        Poor Vali shall forever be remembered only as the fat guy. Helluva complex character, body positivity ftw.

-        Unrealistic romance - Goldie and Leo dating for 14 days and said they love each other. ARE YOU KIDDING ME? This was meant to be magical realism - instead it's a delusional fantasy.

-        Bea saying she loves Vali, even though they spent one night together after a one-week tentative friendship.

-        On page 217, the father mentions that Leo is his favourite son, thus making the soldiers/fallen stars siblings with the Grimm sisters. Leo + Goldie = thanks for all the detailed incestual relations, I don't feel icky at all.

Climax: I did not get that far. I’m just being honest, I struggled reading thus far, being confused, disinterested and frustrated from page 1. Even if the ending is fantastic, it would change nothing.

Overall, this just really needed to be better edited and shortened. The potential is there, it's twisted and horrid, the representation is excellent (if a bit on the nose), but I couldn’t enjoy it due to all I have mentioned, I kept hoping it would get better, more refined, but it did not.

"The Sisters Grimm" is a fairytale for grown ups about the nature of sisterhood and the light and dark within all of us. There are multiple points of view (and timelines) throughout which can be a little tricky at first. Many of the themes are as dark as those in the original Grimm brothers' stories. Overall I enjoyed the book and hope we are going to see an adaptation for screen at some point. And a custom tarot deck!

Thank you to Netgalley and Random House for this advanced reader's copy. My first book by Menna van Praag. I found the premise intriguing and while the timelines were a wee bit confusing, overall I enjoyed the book.

“Every daughter is born of an element, infused with its own particular powers. Some are born of earth: fertile as soil, strong as stone, steady as the ancient oak. Others of fire: explosive as gunpowder, seductive as light, fierce as an unbound flame. Others of water: calm as a lake, relentless as a wave, unfathomable as an ocean. The Sisters Grimm are daughters of air, born of dreams and prayer, faith and imagination, bright-white wishing and black-edged desire.”

Each girl in ‘The Sisters Grimm’ represents an element and a fairytale character. Goldi (Goldilocks) is earth, Bea (Beauty) is air, Liyana (I read somewhere that she represents Snow White but I cannot confirm this) is water and Scarlet (Red Riding Hood) is fire. Some of the comparisons between the characters and their fairytale equivalent were more obvious than others. While the Grimm connections will likely add to the book’s appeal for a lot of readers I would have been equally invested in the story had this not been included.

Goldie, whose perspective is the only one told in first person, is the sole caregiver for Teddy, her ten year old brother. She cleans rooms at a fancy hotel, liberating items from its rich guests to help support him. Her boss is sleazy and she’s experienced significant trauma in her childhood.

“I’ve been a thief for as long as I can remember, a liar too. I might even be a murderer, though you’ll have to make up your own mind about that.”

Bea was raised in various foster homes while her mother was being treated at St Dymphna’s Psychiatric Hospital. Bea studies philosophy and feels most alive when she’s soaring through the air in a glider.

“For nearly eighteen years her mother has encouraged her to act audaciously and, although Bea relishes nothing more than reckless behaviour, she’s damned if she’ll give her mother the satisfaction of knowing it.”

Liyana (Ana) was on track to be an Olympian before an injury derailed her plans but she remains at home in the water. Ana and her mother moved to London from Ghana when she was a child. Ana is an artist. Her girlfriend, Kumiko, hasn’t met her aunt Nyasha yet.

“At the sight of a blackbird Liyana feels that, ultimately, all is right with the world, no matter how hopeless it might seem at the time.”

Scarlet lives with her grandmother, Esme, whose health is declining. Scarlet now runs the café owned by her family. She lost both her mother, Ruby, and her home a decade ago as a result of fire.

“Strangely, Scarlet finds she wants to immerse her hand in the flame, wants to feel the scorch on her skin. She believes, impossibly, that the fire will be kind to her.”

I saw myself in all of the girls to a certain extent and, although I’d never heard of this author prior to this book and they certainly couldn’t pick me out of a lineup, I am almost always awake at 3:33am so I’m claiming this part of the dedication as my own. I knew from the blurb that one of the four would not survive but I liked them all and hoped against hope that the blurb was faulty. It was not.

This book reminded me of two important bookish things:
1. Why I should not pay too much attention to a book’s star ratings and reviews before I finish reading it myself, and
2. Why I should always give a book a little more time after deciding it’s not for me.

I had really been looking forward to this book so when I saw some unflattering reviews I admit that I allowed them to dampen my enthusiasm and even shuffled my TBR pile, moving a couple up the queue, as the thought of needing to drag myself through so many pages was unappealing. As soon as I began reading I realised the error of my ways - until I began reading from Leo’s perspective. He’s a what? From where? Seriously?

My initial failure to connect with Leo’s character, along with my impatience with the multiple perspectives that changed so frequently I had trouble keeping up for a while, caused me to very nearly write this book off as a DNF. Each sister‘s story is told from two perspectives (now and a decade ago). There are also varying amounts of time dedicated to Leo, Nyasha, Esme and their father. Then there are descriptions of Everwhere.

“It’s a nocturnal place, a place crafted from thoughts and dreams, hope and desire.”

If you count the descriptions of Everwhere as a perspective, which I did, you wind up with a baker’s dozen.

Thankfully I persevered just a little bit longer than I had planned before abandoning the book altogether and I’m so glad I did because I wound up entirely sucked in to this world and these sisters’ lives. I even got used to the rapid changes in perspective, although I still think I’d benefit from a reread to pick up connections I likely missed the first time through. I think this is the first time a potential DNF has suddenly morphed into an ‘I love this book!’ for me and I can’t wait to reread it, soaking up the enjoyment I obviously missed early on.

There’s always this childlike delight that wells up inside of me when I discover illustrations in a book I don’t expect to find them in. I absolutely fell in love with Alastair Meikle’s illustrations and had so much trouble choosing a favourite.

Although I’m not usually interested in Tarot, the descriptions of the cards throughout the book made me want to send a wish to the book’s marketing team in the hope that they’ll commission a set of Tarot cards, illustrated by Alastair Meikle, that have a similar feel to the style used in the book.

The descriptions of Everwhere enchanted me so much I wanted to visit. I yearned to learn everything I could about each of the four sisters. I wondered what element and powers I would most want, if I had the ability to choose. I didn’t want this story to end and it wouldn’t surprise me if this book comes to mind when I think about my favourite reads of the year. I need to inhale more of this author’s words.

“There are hundreds, possibly thousands, of Sisters Grimm on Earth and in Everwhere. You may well be one of them, though you might never know it. You think you’re ordinary. You never suspect that you’re stronger than you seem, braver than you feel or greater than you imagine.”

If anyone needs me I’ll be stalking the internet to see if I can buy a signed copy of this book. My bookcase desperately needs one!

Content warnings include child abuse, mental health, self harm, sexual assault and suicidal ideation.

Thank you so much to NetGalley and Bantam Press, an imprint of Transworld Publishers, Penguin Random House UK, for the opportunity to read this book.

After a strong start I'm so sorry to say I have to DNF this one. I was immediately drawn in by the characters, especially Goldie and Leo, but after a few chapters I started to lose enthusiasm. There was too much jumping from character to character - and as with any multiple viewpoint story, I was more drawn to some then others, then eventually my interest dwindled to not much interest in what happens to any of them. I loved the premise of the story and wanted to love this book so much - the writing style is beautiful - but ultimately it wasn't for me.

This was a really beautifully written book, just what I would expect from Menna van Praag, whose books I have always enjoyed in the past. I have to say though that it wasn't quite what I expected, as it had more of a supernatural/ fantastical tone than some of her other books, although magic always seems to play an integral part.
I was gripped particularly by Goldie's story and I genuinely felt concerned about her and Leo (read it to find out!). This is one of those books that conjures up a world in your imagination and it can be hard to leave once you reach the end.

There was something about this title that drew me in, suggestive of a fairy-tale like kooky tale. To a degree it does deliver this but not quite how I might have foreseen.
It is a fast flowing tale of 4 sisters, linked by having Grimm blood, each representing the four elements of fire, water, earth, air. They don’t in their real lives quite realise they have any sisters, although as they reach their 18th birthday they start to recall via dreams, strange memories of each other in Everwhere. Each has their own power that can be properly used in Everwhere, where they have feel at home and free.
The book’s chapters act as a countdown towards the sisters’ shared birthday, to the time when they will need to fight for good or evil – live or die. Each short chapter tells the situ in succession of each sister and what is happening in their lives, including their awareness of their powers and each other as the inevitable date to meet and fight evil soldiers is getting ever nearer.
It does provide an unusual story that is a bit of an oddity. And whilst due to the short chapters are quick to read, it never quite manages to create any tension, nor provide any riveting text. Though it is reasonably enjoyable to read, the direction of travel is pretty obvious, with just a firmed up detail to the predicted encounters described and delivered. That’s not to say that I did not enjoy it, nor that the sisters themselves were not interesting and diverse characters, but it lacked that spark making it a not bad read as opposed to a great read.

The premises of this book were good but in the end I didn't love it as much as I hoped. The main idea was interesting but after a while the story became repetitive and too slow to my liking, focusing mostly on the characters and worldbuilding. Only towards the end we have more action and suspense but that's not enough for me.

Unfortunately, after reading 15%, I'm having to DNF this book. I usually like being thrown into a story, being confused at first, but this was just too much. The POV changes so rapidly (I usually love multi-POVs) so there was no time to connect with any of the characters. I kept getting the four main female protagonists muddled up, and the writing didn't grab me.

I've previously read and reviewed two of the author's other books, and for me this book whilst an epic masterpiece deviated from what I was expecting. It's certainly more far reaching in terms of themes and the spectrum of the previous books I read.

Some of the themes touched upon are child abuse, rape and self harming. Whilst the book is set both in the real world and a world called Everwhere the events in the real world could be a little alarming for some if not warned about.

The book features four sisters about to turn 18 years of age, and yet none of the know they have a sister. They had previously known one another but due to what happens to Grimm sisters they forgot each other as they turned 13 years old. Intriguing......

At first I got a little confused with which sister was which - although clearly labelled in the book, I do like to keep track in my own head. Then the timeline jumped around and I got confused again. However, I did stick with it as I really wanted to know how this was all going to work out.

The last quarter of the book was really good and the sisters embraced the strong women they were but had maybe for one reason or another hidden. The story line became unputdownable and I was glad I had stuck with it. I was also surprised by the ending as it didn't turn out as I thought it would.

Beautifully descriptive writing, but I do think it could have been edited down. There were long passages where I thought it repeated itself a little.

This was a bit of a let down. I found this too long to get started and it wasn't so much a slow burn as a bit of an unlit fire. I thought the premise sounded so promising but this book was not for me at all. I wanted to like it but it just did not deliver what i wanted from it.