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FindingJane
Jun 03, 2017FindingJane rated this title 3 out of 5 stars
This book struck me as being a kind of junior version of the “Inkheart” or “Libriomancer” series. Both of them deal with the idea of being able to use the objects you find in books. But Grimm Legacy is very careful about outlining the pitfalls as well as the sheer impracticality of using magical items. Who needs a ram’s horn that will let you talk to people far away when you have cell phones? Of course, certain items will always provoke thieves, sometimes in unexpected ways. The ways in which a bunch of pages in one very special library use their wits and skills in tracking down purloiners, unearthing a conspiracy and dealing with mutual hostility, jealousy and suspicion were fascinating to read. Sometimes the bickering got to be a bit much. But it was always in the spirit of the characterization and didn’t bog down the storyline. However, it was a bit bothersome to see rescue performed by three- and ten-year-old children. It’s bad enough that this story follows the notion that the adults can’t be involved because they won’t believe, will summon the cops or ground the children, what have you. But to see little children trumping the adolescents makes you wonder at whom this series is aimed. As an adult, I find it hard to root for little kids performing miracles when the teenagers around them are stumped. Still, given that this deals with the Grimm märchen, especially some of the more obscure tales, I found myself more pleased than otherwise. Perhaps I’ll pull my Grimm tome from my shelves and reread it. You can’t fault any book that leads you to going over the classics.