| Title | : | A Grimm Warning (The Land of Stories, #3) |
| Author | : | |
| Rating | : | |
| ISBN | : | 0316406813 |
| ISBN-10 | : | 9780316406819 |
| Language | : | English |
| Format Type | : | Hardcover |
| Number of Pages | : | 448 |
| Publication | : | First published July 8, 2014 |
| Awards | : | Goodreads Choice Award Middle Grade & Children's (2014) |
Connor Bailey thinks his fairy-tale adventures are behind him - until he discovers a mysterious clue left by the famous Brothers Grimm. With help from his classmate Bree and the outlandish Mother Goose, Conner sets off on a mission across Europe to crack a two-hundred-year-old code.
Meanwhile, Alex Bailey is training to become the next Fairy Godmother... but her attempts at granting wishes never go as planned. Will she ever be truly ready to lead the Fairy Council?
When all signs point to disaster for the Land of Stories, Connor and Alex must join forces with their friends and enemies to save the day. But nothing can prepare them for the coming battle... or for the secret that will change the twins' lives forever.
The third book in the bestselling Land of Stories series puts the twins to the test as they bring two worlds together!
A Grimm Warning (The Land of Stories, #3) Reviews
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Dear Mr. Colfer,
I don't know if you reads these reviews, but this is the only way I could think of contacting you. I just finished reading book three in the Land of Stories series. I was quite pleased over all. Your humour with your characters continues to hold true.
More importantly, however, I write because I would like to thank you for Alex's message to the Assembly on page 460, especially this portion, "They taught me that every creature is an individual and we can't punish an entire race for mistakes made by individuals. As easy as it is to label large groups with the reputations of their ancestors, it isn't right." Your message rings truth for their World and the Otherworld. Our world is so full of hate and judgement. As a teacher-librarian, I hope as my students read your novel they also see the message you and Alex have so clearly stated for the readers.
Thank you again,
Lisa Price
Teacher Libraian,
Westwood Elementary,
Prince George, British Columbia, Canada -
This book was much better than I had expected it to be. Connor was getting along pretty nicely in the Otherworld, and Alex was doing great with her training. I don't think that the Masked Man is really who Alex thinks he is. My theory, even from the middle-ish part of the book, was that it would probably end up being that person's brother. Another theory that I have is that Bo Peep's lost child will play a role in the next book.
P.S. This review is sort of vague to avoid as many spoilers as possible. -
Just finished
The Enchantress Returns and left me looking like D':
Gimme this book NOWWWWWWWWWWWW!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
P.S. This series reminds me of Michael Buckley's
The Fairy-Tale Detectives, though the latter is darker and not as light-hearted, but equally awesome!! :D
edit on February 8th, 2014
Oh my God the cover looks amazing!!!!! I love this series soo sooo much!!!!!!!!!!
edit on September 6th, 2014
Terribly disappointed with how this book turned out. :( I waited all summer to read it and when I finally did, it was a let down.
I wanted the plot to centre around another item-collecting quest, but all I got were teenage crushes and preparations leading into war. And I hate books with army build-ups.
The book was also very predictable. I totally guessed that the Masked Man was
I'm still gonna read the next book, but I have such high hopes for it. -
«مگه کسی اینجا هست که ازش خواسته باشن برای این سرزمین بجنگه؟ لازم نیست کسی از من بخواد... من خودم دوست دارم اینجا باشم، چون میخوام از خونهم محافظت کنم.»
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Honestly, whyyyy.
After the separation of the twins and the sealing of the portal between worlds, I was broken. But now, The Brothers Grimm send a warning to Conner through a time capsule that the French Army may be invading the world, after 200 years of being trapped in the portal.
And even though the portal was sealed- it's opening now. Because the Fairy Godmother's magic is fading. She is dying.
After Conner makes sense of the warning- things got so exciting. I'm jealous. I want to have the same adventure as Bree and Conner and Emmerich around Europe. And the Land of Stories, of course.
The POV of Alex got boring without Mother Goose. And when she realizes that Rook betrayed her, honestly, she acted so dramatically. You're NOT about to become Ezmia, Alex. Alex wasn't so likable here. But I would still give 5 stars because this book deserves it.
I tried not to care about the characters because this time because it was too sad! I knew the ending of course since it was a reread, but still! This was the final happy book, and after this, the books grow more sorrowful. Noooo.
This reread was worth everything. The cliffhanger- ugh. I hate cliffhangers. -
Another exciting adventure for Alex and Connor in the Land of Stories. Killer cliff hanger at the end! I need book four now!
-
Ich bin ein Fan der Reihe & tauche einfach immer wieder gern ins magische Land ab 🧙🏻♀️🪄Es hat Spaß gemacht zu lesen, gab interessante Wendungen & der letzte Satz ist der übelste Cliffhanger überhaupt 🙀 Freu mich auf Band 4!
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OH MY GOSH!
That was brilliant. I loved every second of it. It was beyond awesome. I can't believe what I just read.
At first it was a but slow and I was like 'get to the point' but ad usual it was so worth it.
There are probably parts to this book I don't like but I don't remember them... Well hated reading about the Grandè Armèe. It was terrible.
And what I don't understand I that they said the masked man was in prison for a decade and I am pretty sure the twins dad has only be supposedly dead for three year. Though it was a very good surprise, bad for the twins, but brilliant for the book. I wonder what he is doing there?
So because of the Grandè Armèe and the little glitch with the masked man I am giving the book 4.5 stars.
I loved that the twins got love interests. It's so cute. Connor and Bree are so adorable. I wish they kissed. What Rook did was bad, but understandable, I hope things work out there, but I still would have loved if miraculously there was a prince she could be with, but that's just me being a girl and saying it's a fairytale...
Oooh and I was so so so so so so so so so so so so so happy when Goldilocks tools Jack she was pregnant, it was the sweetest thing.
I was quite sad when Sleeping Beauty couldn't have kids, but it was probably very realistic and I loved that. But everything worked out I the end and now they have Princess Ash. It's quite a beautiful unique name, I like it. It's modern, but still perfect to be a fairytale name.
Trollbella is so cute. I love how she says
“I tried to stay faithful to you for as long as I could and it was the hardest six days of my life. I was weak without you, Butterboy, and my heart strayed. I couldn’t bear the thought of being alone forever so I gave my heart to someone else.”
It was adorable. So cute. She is dramatic and cute. Like how she tried to fight, and when the guy was dying and she just assumed he wanted to marry her, she doesn't really care about consent, does she? She just is free and happy. Also I love how the chapter ends with Connor saying
“I just can’t believe Trollbella picked that troll over me.”
It's like even though he never liked her he was still cocky about himself. He is the cutest 14 year old ever.
I can't wait for the next book. It's going to be awesome! -
Wow! I wasn't expecting that ending
-
I really enjoyed this installment of the series. It was very creative with the Brothers Grimm role and the reason for the war that was brought into the Land of Stories world. I will say, there were two teenagers traveling across Europe by themselves and having no issues with it, while my own teen still gets lost in her school sometimes, so that was hard for me to wrap my head around. And the writing is a bit repetitive and simplistic. But the story was great and I had a good time reading it. The ending was SOLID!
-
"When someone is treated as half of or less than half of one identity, they're not being treated like a human being at all."
4.25 stars
What a ride! What a cliffhanger!
I mean... I expected to meet that person at one point but like this?! What happened? I feel like there's some more behind this but I can't really put my finger on it yet.
So much happened in this installment and I'm still trying to wrap my head around it all. It was so funny (I love Bree!) and it was so full of suspense and so so soooooo saaaaaad! I was a crying mess during the final fighting scene.
-
Buddy read with RoRo 💛
This was my least favorite book in the series however million years ago I read it, but idk what my past self was thinking. This book is good, not perfection or anything but a good spin on fairytales and characters we know and love.
3.5 stars -
Wieder wunderbar unterhaltsam und das Ende, ey. Da muss ich direkt mit dem 4. weiter machen 😬
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“They taught me that every creature is an individual and we can’t punish an entire race for mistakes made by individuals. As easy as it is to label large groups with the reputations of their ancestors, it isn’t right.” Damn, this book hit a little too close to home. I’m so glad this is a children’s series filled with valuable lessons. Kids could learn a lot from this.
Connor and Alex are adapting to their new lives without each other. While Alex is becoming an excellent fairy-in-training, amateur writer Connor is sent to Berlin to hear three newly discovered stories of the brothers Grimm. Trouble is arising, and a warning for the Land of Stories is clear in those new releases. Together with recently made friends, Connor has to travel around the world to solve the mystery and warn Alex. The twins will have to face their most dangerous enemy yet, combined with the most difficult thing to do: uniting everyone to defend their land. Meanwhile, the heroes will have to deal with heartbreak, loss and some hidden secrets coming out. Get ready to sit on the edge of your chair.
My first point is, there were dragons! This is no spoiler, because it’s visible on the cover. DRAGONS! There even was a moment that had Daenarys vibes to it, and it left me squealing. Furthermore, this book dealt with serious issues, like death, racism, and infertility of women. These are all topics children should know more about. And about dragons, of course.
There was a cliffhanger ending that made you crave the next book. I’m still here thinking about theories. The ending and other temporary ‘plot holes’ resulted in a logical build-up , making a sequel necessary. This is something the previous books didn’t,;they couldn’t have easily been standalones. Best part is, Colfer’s writing is also getting better. Or maybe it just didn’t bother me that much, since the plot was that exciting.
We get more clues about the history of the Land of Stories, before the Queens lived. This showed Colfer is thinking more about world-building. Additionally, the past of our world was crucial to the story. Big names, like Napoleon and King Ludwig II of Bavaria (who was obsessed with castles) were mentioned. Does anyone want to go visit castle Neuschwanstein with me, because Colfer described it magically?
Where the set-up in the former books was always based on an object hunt, The Grimm Warning incorporated a puzzle to solve during a travel trip. It felt as if we were actually traveling along with Connor. There were so many plot twists that I didn’t see coming, and I just want to have the answers right now. The mysterious touch felt very refreshing, ex. villain’s identity, secret children, …
Unfortunately, what irritated me in the first books happens many more times in The Grimm Warning. Everything happens because of coincidences. There were coincidences helping getting problems solved, but also making problems happen. This made things unrealistic, as if they never really had any obstacles to master.
Secondly, Connor’s friends, Bree and Emmerich, became a bit useless after 200 pages into the book. Although they were involved in a plot twist, I do would have loved to see them more involved into everything. The same goes for the princesses, who again got little identity. Also, I only realized now there’s a serious lack of diversity? You would think that a queer author, who was an actor in Glee, would think about some POC or queer characters.
Nevertheless, The Grimm Warning is currently my favorite book in the series. 4 stars. There was actual tension, and some powerful lessons. Alex and Connor teach us that forgiveness and an open mind is necessary to have in our world. Colfer also knows what he’s talking about; it is clear he has delved into the subjects of folklore. He uses multiple minor unknown fairytales in comparison to Once Upon A Time, which simply started introducing Disney characters after a few seasons. If you’re into fairytales, prophecies and fantasy, feel free to check out these series. And maybe if your kids are looking for something to read, you could recommend this to them. -
I love this series, I really do. I think it's a great idea and a great concept, it's just so unfortunate that it isn't a great writer. I can't help but feel that the almost unanimous 5 stars it's due to it being Chris Colfer. But this book was ridiculous. It was hardly believable; extremely repetitive; unnecessarily melodramatic; lacking relatability; and there was far too much 'convenient' timing and convenience in general. I really, really hope the 4th one reflects the first two, because whilst the first two weren't perfect, they were still very very good stories.
Now the bad has been said, I have given this two stars because there are some good points. The main one is the humour. Chris Colfer is a WIZARD with humour. Red is one of the most hilarious characters I have ever read. And as I said previously, I love the whole idea of the series.
It was hard for me to write this review but I was left so disappointed. I'm really really rooting on the others to be better! -
Another great installment in the series!
I was shocked by the ending (no spoilers) and delighted in learning more about the twins as they each navigated their own worlds (Connor in our world and Alex in the Land of Stories). When the potential for the portal to be reopened emerged I couldn't wait to find out what would happen next. And I was not disappointed by the adventures that came after that!
The version of Mother Goose in this series makes me laugh, by the way! -
3.75 stars
Thank you to Cass for buddy reading this book with me!
Ok, so, this book, again I am just going to read the messages between me and Cass because I am to lazy to write about the book fully.
When I started the book I enjoyed it. I definitley think that in this book I enjoyed Alex better then in the last one. In the bgeginning of the book it says that Conner has a big crush on Bree. First off, why they don't make sense. Second off, your like 13.5 why are you crushing on someone. The prolouges of every single one of the books are so good, probably the best part of every book. The brothers grimm are good too. The house of progress is the bestttt.
About 25% through the book, Bo was annoying me. I feel to many emotions throughout this whole series. Hanzel and Gretel also made an appearence to, like slay Gretel pop off. The French Army were also annoying too. Trobella is beautiful as usual. -
4✰
this book was much slower than the first two books (especially in the beginning), but it was still really enjoyable!!
like always, the characters are amazing and lovable! red’s character development was really good in this book!! i really love her.
the plot was good, but slower. i actually forgot some of the plot-twists from the last time i read this series so i was surprised when some things were revealed! also, the last line from this book, omgg…
i’m really excited to read the next book!! ₊˚ ⋅* ☽˚｡･ﾟ✧:･
➪ my favorite quotes:
”if you spend your whole life worrying about getting hurt, then you aren’t really living.”
”the reason i write is because i believe there is more to life than most people are willing to believe.”
➪ spice rating: 0/5
➪ age rating: 10+ -
I think THE LAND OF STORIES A GRIM WARNING is a fantastic book.
About in every chapter there is are clip hangers. My favorite
part is when the fairy count soul defeats the army and dragon.
I think the sad part of the book is when the Godmother dies.
But there is a problem. The book ended in a cliff hanger!And the army
never finished being defeted! Tell me PLEASE if there is a 4th book.
I need more!!! -
This review was originally posted at
www.jutonemorechapter.ca
I hate to say this, but A Grimm Warning was a let down. The first two books in this series were incredible- The stories moved quickly, they had an awesome concept, and they added extremely creative back story and depth to the Fairy tales we all thought we knew inside out. Unfortunately, when it came to this third installment things slowed down too much for my taste, and I felt I was just skimming the pages waiting for something interesting to happen. (A problem I never had for books one and two).
For those of you who don’t know, Chris Colfer is most commonly known for playing Kurt Cobain in the very popular TV show, Glee. I’ve watched most of Glee, and Chris’s character is one of my favourites, so when I heard he was trying out novel writing I couldn’t wait to get my hands on his books. I was even happier to find out how creative a writer he is… however I found this series, The Grimm Warning in particular, was the most literarily advanced book.
I have not gone to University and studied English, so it’s probably not my place to say someone’s writing isn’t that great, but the problem is, neither did Chris Colfer. He’s only gone to college for two weeks before dropping out to be in Glee (which obviously ended up being a great idea). I don’t mean to sound pretentious, but some parts of The Grimm Warning sounded like something a high school student came up with for creative writing in English. I never noticed that in the first two books, but I’m guessing that’s because of how absorbed I was by the actual storyline. Either way, The Land of Stories is meant for more of a younger audience, so I guess I shouldn’t be complaining.
Like I mentioned previously, The Grimm Warning (and this series in general) is one of the most creative series I’ve come across. The first two blew my mind, but though the Grimm Warning had yet another amazing idea, there was too much waiting around, and development happened rarely and slowly. The whole concept of the Grimm Brother’s having written a story nobody had heard before had so much potential! Based off the other books, Chris Colfer could have done an amazing job with it. The problem was, a real-life historical figure was mixed in with the fairy tales, and I feel like it was just too much at once. There wasn’t enough action, and too much of awkwardly forcing two different things together.
In the end, the INSANELY UNEXPECTED plot twist in the last pages of the book saved this series for me, as if it weren’t for that twist I definitely would not have gone on to read the next book in the series. I’m not going to spoil it for anybody, but I had absolutely no idea it would happen AT ALL. I hadn’t even considered that plot twist.
In conclusion, The Grimm Brothers had a pretty flat plotline that made finishing it very difficult. There’s no way I’m not reading the next book after that plot twist, though. This series is a must-read for any 11-13 year old who likes the classic fairy tales.
-R -
Oh my magical mama!!! This was a super exciting. I was freaking out at the end. (I won't give away anything though!) I already have the fourth book and am going to start reading it ASAP.
I know at most places people put this series in a kids section but it is actually a good book for anyone. All of the characters are super exciting. And oh my princesses, I loved all of the princesses in this book. They kicked butt!!
But overall, good book for anyone who loves fairy tales! -
Alltså slutet!!!!!!!!!!!!!
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Darn! Now I have to read the next installment...
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This third installment is part of a series that brings back memories of childhood fairy tales told at our bedsides, named the 'The Land of Stories'. Highly recommended for children and adults alike!
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That was good, very good! I can't believe the ending I was suspecting it but didn't want to believe it. Horrible yet pretty cool. So far, this is my favorite one in the series. Enjoyed it very much!
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Diese Reihe gefällt mir einfach sooo gut, aber zugegeben dieser Band hatte zwischendurch seine kleine Länge. Dennoch merkt man, dass die Reihe wohl jetzt erst richtig an Fahrt aufnimmt.
Rotkäppchen konnte ich ihn diesem Band einfach nur feiern. Richtig genial 🤣
