Beyond the Kingdoms (The Land of Stories, #4) by Chris Colfer

Beyond the Kingdoms (The Land of Stories, #4) Reviews

• 
  Bella Alcott

  OMG I just finished the third book and I am practically going crazy!!! I SO wish that I could go into time!!!! There is such of a cliffhanger!!!!!!!!!!!
• 
  Erica

  This series just keeps getting better and better.
• 
  Fafa's Book Corner

  This book was absolutely wonderful! As usual it was written beautifully and had an amazing plot to boast.
  
  The book starts off with the late Fairy-godmother meeting with Hans Christian Anderson. Through their interaction the audience finds out that The Masked Man is in fact her other son Lloyd. They are not twins but instead a few years apart (it's not specified how many). The brothers happen to look exactly like their father so that's why Alex thought it was her father. Through this interaction the Fairy-godmother decides to make a potion that will allow Lloyd to travel into his favorite books. Upon presenting it to him her heart sinks when he says that he has no interest in the potion whatsoever. She decides that the best way to please her son is to go into the hall of dreams and find out what it is that Lloyd desires. She finds that her son wants to overthrow her, become the next god-mother and cause destruction and mayhem. This is all that happens in the first chapter.
  
  It was very interesting to read about their adventures traveling into different books! I especially liked how Red was nominated to become the Lost Boy's mother. It was really cute to read. Conner used his magic for the first time without Alex. Bree and Emmerich's point of views come in this book. Alex's thing with King Arthur was unexpected along with Mother Goose and Merlin. I can actually see both couples working out but it's really weird considering that I was hoping that Alex would get back with Rook. Maybe she will, we'll just have to wait and see. I was pretty surprised that Mother Goose chose to stay in Camelot with Merlin. But whatever the case is she seems really happy and she did mention that whenever the twins need her she would come. As a parting gift she gives Alex Lester. When I read about Robin Hood and Peter Pan I was pretty annoyed with them. Peter had this thing for imitating Conner and Robbin Hood had a pretty large ego and yelled rather than speaking. I'm not sure what they are like in the original stories but this is what they are like in this book. The audience also discovers the identity of The Masked Man's son.
  
  The villain's for this book were as usual well done. I personally found the witches to be more intimidating than The Masked Man. The villains from the stories didn't play that big of a role. I can't wait to read about Red kicking Morina's (Thank you Alana for correcting me!) ass.
  
  Overall I am very excited to read the last book. I can hardly wait!
• 
  jillian

  4.5 stars. It was more of a filler book leading to the final battle in the last book with the masked man. I am glad we found out that the masked man is not the twins father, but it was equally saddening to find out that he is in fact dead. I enjoyed the new characters in the novel, and loved reading through many fairy tales that Disney has made movies for. I just really liked this book. I wish there was more action which is why it's missing the .5 stars, but I still really loved it. Also, Alex's new love interest is perfect but I love her old one as well and now I'm very conflicted and don't know who I like. If I can't pick, how is Alex going to!!!! Can't wait for the last book!!!
• 
  Elise

  Can't wait- after the end of the third I need to read this!
  Update-I loved it, the different book characters added a nice touch. I didn't like it quite as much as the first few for some reason, but still a nice continuation of the series
• 
  Diniya

  قبل از اینکه مدرسه ها شروع شه تروخدا منو ببرید سرزمین قصه ها. قول میدم خودم یه تنه با همه این ارتشا بجنگم
• 
  Chelsea

  I'm not sure if this one was a bit lacking compared to the first two, or it was just me, but I found this one to be mostly filler.
  
  There was around 100 pages of set up alone. I wasn't necessarily interested in that; I wanted to see Neverland and Oz!
  
  I know I've said this before, but it really bothers me that every single word with even slight significance to what's happening is italicized. I just feel like that could be toned down quite a bit.
  
  I mean, I still really like characters- especially Red! She's quite hilarious and I really enjoy every scene she's in.
  
  I really enjoyed book three, but I didn't feel like much happened in this one. As far as advancements in plot, twists and turns, it felt very lackluster.
  
  I really hope I'm not outgrowing books like these, since I do enjoy reading middle grade once in a while. I hope the next one steps it up a bit, and I bet it will, being that we're preparing for battle by the end!
• 
  Addy Lee

  This was a GREAT book, but Chris Colpher needs to HURRY UP!!! There is to big of a cliff hanger to be contained any longer. Please FINISH THE BOOK SO I CAN READ IT!!! It is an amazing series, keep writing Chris.
• 
  Aaron

  Can not wait!!! This series is the best!!!! Loved the ending in the last book! But is it really there dad or a twin?
• 
  jennyliest

  3,5 ⭐️ Der Einfallsreichtum von Chris Colfer & die Verbindung der verschiedensten Märchen ist einfach großartig! Es ist wieder einiges los & die Charaktere hüpfen von Ort zu Ort. Leider ging die Spannung für mich etwas flöten, das Ende allerdings hat mir wiederum sehr gut gefallen & macht Lust auf den nächsten Band!
• 
  Josiemaus85

  Wundervoll und weiter gehts mit dem nächsten Teil 🤗
• 
  Grüffeline

  "If there's one thing life is good at, it's surprising you!"

  
  4.75 stars
  What the... It can't end like that!! I need more! So many reveals, so many fantastic scenes, so many awesome characters. I cannot believe it ended like this (yes, I am obsessed with this ending)! I need my precious babies to be okay, I need this home (cause this is what these books have become to me, more than Harry Potter ever was) to be save and I... OMG!
  Most of all, I need to thank Chris Colfer for creating this. This is how you combine book after book after legend after myth.
• 
  Lila Webb

  I cannot wait for the next book!!! I wish this series could go on forever!!!
• 
  Devon Flaherty

  The Land of Stories series, by Chris Colfer, published from 2012-2015 by Little Brown. The series consists of four books so far, and Colfer says the series will end with the fifth book, assumed to be published in 2016. I read the series because my daughter–and just about every other kid her age–is in to the series, and there was no way she was waiting until next year to read the first four.
  
  The series is:
  
  The Wishing Spell
  The Enchantress Returns
  A Grimm Warning
  Beyond the Kingdoms
  An un-announced fifth book
  At least three spin-offs, coming out later this year
  
  
  I really don’t like giving scathing reviews. But I don’t know if there is any other way for me to do this. I want to be all nice and give Chris Colfer a pat on his talented back, but for this, I can not. Absolutely. Can. Not.
  
  I’m not exactly sure what it is about this series: the idea, the cover art, the marketing… but you want to like it. In fact, even as you are reading it, you still want to like the story. But there are so many obstacles, so many many obstacles, which begin with predictable and been-done. I knew almost all of the outcomes from near the beginning. I love the GoodReads review from Brett Axel, that asks, “What if C.S. Lewis, instead of honing his writing skills, watched lots of Shrek and Hoodwinked movies?” We are already getting to the point where we’ve seen way too much fractured fairy tale, and this one takes the been-done cake.
  
  Which in itself would not be terrible. Doing something “old” well justifies itself if you do it well enough. But this one, not even close. Let’s just jump right in.
  
  CHRIS COLFERMy daughter mentions frequently that mostly girls are drawn to the series. It doesn’t take a rocket scientist to figure out that only girls are going to tolerate all the outfit descriptions. Every time we encounter a new character, action pauses and Colfer gives a straight-forward, bland description. Example: “The Snow Queen was a tall woman with a large white fur coat, a snowflake crown, and a cloth wrapped around her eyes. Her skin was so pale and frostbitten it was practically blue. She had a strong jaw and tiny jagged teeth.” (By the way, where are the serial commas in that?) Mostly what a reader gets from this book series are prompts to imagine the story along with the writer. Mostly girls are going to enjoy this type of visual, especially about skin tone, clothing, and hair, not to mention the castles, throne rooms, and thrones. Then couple all that with the terrible action scenes. No, really terrible, and boys just aren’t going to be quite as interested.
  
  But that’s just the tip of the iceberg, a random introduction to the issues with this series. Here’s a list of some of the many, many things that constantly distracted me from enjoying the books (and yes, I read every word of the available books):
  
  Remedial writing. I just couldn’t get past it. I would swear Colfer wrote this as a teenager, or even a junior-higher.
  Distracting and over-used adverbs
  Slang. Modern, timely phraseology and expressions
  Dangling pronouns
  Inconsistencies
  Misused words, like “got ahold of” and “dived”
  Terrible action scenes (which don’t always make spatial sense)
  Abbreviated heightened-tension areas and drawn out other areas
  Confusion
  Swear words? (Colfer has intimated that this series is for the kid in us grown-ups, but it is clearly written for a middle grades audience)
  Geographical issues
  Hyperbole! Lots of “always,” “never,” mixed with “almost never,” and “nearly always,” etc.
  Telling, not showing: like the worst I’ve seen
  Passive verbs
  Passive language
  Coincidences! not obstacles
  Mixed prepositions
  Complete lack of flow (writing intuition)
  Jarring perspective shifts
  Unrealistic reactions
  Timing issues (especially while characters are conversing)
  Hackneyed conversation
  A blatant lack of editing, including obvious spelling and grammar mistakes. Chandler is printed as “chandelier”?!?
  
  If you name a writing rule, it was broken ten ways.
  
  I have to mention it again–and I also want to point out that I have company in this opinion–that I really felt like I was reading the work of a very determined teenager. And while I applaud the effort, I would rather see the content in someone’s more capable hands. Or not at all… I mean, this story has been told before, and it wasn’t nearly as cheesy the first time around.
  
  What I really wonder–and was even distracted by the thought as I read–was if Colfer should have written this series as a screenplay, instead. Especially when you read sentences like this: “Reruns of a dramatic television show set in outer space did nothing to stop his procrastination.” Or, “The Enchantress forced out a theatrical laugh that did little to comfort him.” Dramatic television show? Theatrical laugh? This would be great for staging direction.
  
  And the thought is furthered by all the telling, instead of showing. Like this: “The Evil Queen looked down at him coldly. She had no sympathy left inside her for anyone.”
  
  By the time I got to the second book, I was hoping the writing had drastically improved with the series’ popularity. Even the first couple paragraphs have you going. But then right there, near the beginning, I was sad to be submitted to a terrible (and slightly insulting), in-no-way-covert attempt at arguing with his critics. Colfer highjacks a character to argue for him that writing does not need to be “high” writing, as long as it has passion. But let’s be honest. Simple writing includes the likes of Ernest Hemingway and William Carlos William’s wheelbarrow poem. The distinction between “simple” writing and “high” writing is not one between “good” and “bad,” or even between “passion” and “dispassion,” so Colfer is arguing oranges and apples, and doing it in the wrong place, besides. Passion may be a boon, but it does not make up for other things, like hard work, practice, education, natural talent, quality, etc. It’s like Colfer’s arguing for the participation award. Let’s compare these “simple” sentences:
  
  “so much depends / upon // a red wheel / barrow // glazed with rain / water // beside the white / chickens.” -William Carlos Williams, “The Red Wheelbarrow”
  
  “‘They’ll keep out of my way,’ she insisted. ‘It takes two to make an accident’” -F. Scott Fitzgerald, The Great Gatsby
  
  “‘Fish,” he said softly, aloud, ‘I’ll stay with you until I’m dead.'” -Ernest Hemingway, The Old Man and the Sea
  
  “Aunty had a way of declaring What Is Best For The Family, and I suppose her coming to live with us was in that category.” -Harper Lee, To Kill a Mockingbird
  
  And I’ll have you know, as beautiful as all this writing is, Colfer has better ratings just about anywhere. Oh. My. Goodness.
  
  I was so frustrated at one point, reading the book, that I stopped on the sentence I was at and asked, how would I re-write this? The sentence then went from “What had once been an imposing structure was just a massive pile of stone bricks and pieces of wood now,” to: What was once a majestic fortress had been reduced to a mountain of broken stone and splintered wood. Do you need me to walk you through the problems with the first sentence? It’s weak, imprecise, choppy, anachronistic (dimension-speaking), and distracting. I could do this to any sentence in the whole series, except for (maybe) the first paragraph of the third book, which Colfer seems to have polished up especially well… that is, until a carriage is shooting “like a cannonball” through a dense forest with a narrow, curvy path.
  
  The real battle here is NOT whether or not Colfer’s style is simple, but whether it’s bad or worse and whether or not that means we should avoid reading it and discourage our children as well. Should we swallow a very popular book and all its bad art with its vaguely intriguing story and color-matching faeries in order to have some entertainment? One of the things that can really drive a person crazy in the arts biz is just this quandary. Because, while people swallow bad art in the name of being entertained (or titillated) every day, there are so many artists out there willing and trying to provide a product that is both beautiful and entertaining. In this sense, it matters more who holds the keys to the kingdom and not who’s making royalty-worthy art.
  
  And why aspire to great, or even good art, anyhow? What if no one wants it? Is the aesthetic a value unto itself? Is it a question of truth? Or reality? Or physicality: symmetry and alliteration? Or a Platonic form or God-ward longing? Are truth and beauty their own rewards? And am I in the position to encourage others to find the gems among the rough and discourage the fool’s gold?
  
  Yes, I suppose that is exactly why I write reviews. After all, I don’t get paid for telling you if a book series stinks or if a novel deserves a standing ovation. And not that I am always correct in my reading. But while on one hand I want to be gentle and kind, I also feel excited to exalt the worthy or to push the mediocre to rise to the occasion.
  
  So in the end, I find this extremely popular series to be terrible to a fault. My daughter reads it. No, she loves it. She is ten, and she anxiously awaits the next book, which I will buy for her. I would not say that reading bad literature is exactly harmless fun, but I will point out that I survived far worse than Land of Stories, and I expect my daughter to–through a life of reading and conversations with myself and others–eventually see the series for what it really is. She’ll probably fall in line with the rest of us, War and Peace under one arm and a battered old copy of The Wishing Spell under the other.
  
  ***REVIEW WRITTEN FOR THE DEVON TREVARROW FLAHERTY/STARVING ARTIST BLOG***
• 
  Evelyn

  I have to be careful I don't slip into an excitement coma.
• 
  genevieve

  Enjoy this a lot, looking forward to the next one!
• 
  Thibaut Nicodème

  Well. That took a surprisingly dark turn.
  
  But…you know, this book is great. Also, I love that it's basically tying together elements from the entire series and building up. Yay for no more fetch quest! (Well, there's still one, because tradition, but it only takes a couple chapters)
  
  There's just so much for the next book to pay off on, though. That's one huge escalation compared to the previous, mostly self-contained books. And I love it so much.
  
  Aside from that, it bears repeating that Chris Colfer's writing and humor speak to me, so I really have no complaints there. Though I am curious just how much this book is really still a children's book, and not in a "it's good and I like it as an adult so it can't be a child's book" way (I love plenty of children's stuff, and they're children's stuff) but more in a "can children really appreciate this sort of jokes/deviation from the original?" kind of way. Oh well.
  
  I have but one complaint to make, and it's this: did Alex really need another love interest? And another doomed one at that? (Though I guess he could always come back. There would be room—and justification—for it.)
  
  
  Anyway, this book is great, this series is great, go read it.
• 
  Andis / Slytherin 🐍

  Chris Colfer did it again
• 
  Mimi 'Pans' Herondale

  Despite this being my least favorite from the series... I STILL LOVE IT!!
• 
  Tobbi Garcia

  3.5 ⭐
  
  Mas allá de los reinos es la cuarta entrega de la saga de La tierra de las historias y tengo que decir que fue la que menos me gustó de toda la saga, hasta ahora. Pero aun así disfrute reencontrarme con Conner y Alex, y todos los personajes que adoro de esta saga.
  
  En esta entrega comenzamos con un prologo que nos explica un hecho que sucedió al final del tercer libro. aunque en mi caso fue algo obvio desde mas de la mitad de "La advertencia de los hermanos Grimm
  Empezamos con Alex obsesionada por dar con el paradero del "Hombre enmascarado" y todos sus amigos ayudándole a capturarlo, aunque sin suerte al final.
  El consejo de las Hadas creen que están malgastando muchísimo tiempo en capturarlo y deberían enfocarse en la extraña desaparición de niñxs que se esta dando en los distintos reinos. Alex esta en desacuerdo con ellos y al tratar de buscar apoyo en su hermano Connor y no encontrarlo, todo se sale de control y lleva a que haya una gran discusión, que termine con la huida de ella y con una orden de captura en su contra.
  Al mismo tiempo que pasa esto El hombre enmascarado, quien logró su cometido de recuperar la poción que tenía el Hada Madrina, se encuentra a punto de dar su segundo golpe pero para eso necesita un montón de libros que no están en su poder desde hace mucho tiempo y para recuperarlos necesita la ayuda de una antigua bruja llamada Morina.
  
  Bueno esta cuarta parte esta llena de mucho drama y también, como su título dice, llena de historias ya que la poción que el hombre enmascarado consiguió le sirve para viajar entre libros. Y es así como visitaremos mundos que muchos conocemos bien como son: Peter Pan, Alicia en el Pais de las maravillas, El mago de Oz, El rey arturo y algunos mas.
  Fue bastante entretenido toda esta parte de las visitas de los distintos mundos y sobre todo leer a personajes que conocemos tan bien y ver como se unen a la aventura de estos mellizos.
  
  Aparte de la historia de los mellizos y el grupo que los acompaña(Jack y Ricitos de oro, Roja, Mama gansa y Lester) también vemos como siguen Bree y Emmerich en el otro mundo, ambos están averiguando algunas cosas del mundo de TLOS y tienen muchas ganas de volver.
  
  Este libro no lo disfrute tanto como los anteriores, por que lo senti mas un libro puente. No avanzo mucho en la trama sino que nos presenta villanos y nos prepara para lo que va a venir en los siguientes, y últimos dos, libros. El final fue bastante abrupto y no me convenció que dejaran la historia justo ahí.
  Otra cosa que no disfrute fue el romance, me pareció totalmente innecesario todo lo que paso con respecto a Alex y fue hasta poco creíble. Lo de arturo se me hizo re raro, sobre todo por que se enamoraron de la nada y ya nos habían presentado en el libro anterior a Rook como su interés amoroso, el cual tampoco me convence mucho, pero sin dudas Arturo menos. el camino que esta tomando su personaje y a donde lo van a llevar, por que algo ya nos han dicho, no me agrada demasiado.
  En cambio Conner libro a libro me cae mejor y sin dudas es de mis personajes favoritos de esta saga.
  
  A pesar de todos estos puntos negativos, pude disfrutar de esta historia y siempre es bueno volver a leer sobre estos personajes y este mundo que siempre tiene algo para sorprender.
  Ya queda poco para terminar la saga y estoy muy ansioso por ver como siguen las aventuras de los Mellizos.
• 
  Stefie vom Buchschnack

  Sehr durchschnittlich und der bislang langweiligste Teil.
  Hoffentlich gehen ihm jetzt nicht die Ideen aus 🤔
• 
  Kristen

  I've really liked this series throughout, but this installment was a big disappointment. First of all, this one tries to incorporate EVERY SINGLE CHARACTER we have seen so far in the series--sometimes dedicating whole chapters to characters who play no role in the story at all. (Like Bree and Emmerich--I'm assuming the only reason they were even in this one is either because Colfer felt bad leaving them behind or to set up the next book.) On top of that, we have MORE NEW CHARACTERS to worry about and keep track of. It's just too much and doesn't allow the story to focus on...well...anything.
  
  Which brings me to the next problem: there is no story here. No build up of tension, no climax. The problem is presented almost immediately: the masked man is recruiting an army of villains from literature (Captain Hook, the Wicked Witch, etc.). That problem is never solved--and the book is over 400 pages long! Not to mention the other problems that pop up along the way--AND ARE ALSO NEVER SOLVED. I hate books in a series that appear to exist only as a way to build up for a big bang in the next (or last) book--and this is one of the worst offenders I've read. Huge let down.
• 
  Karla Jacqueline

  Ok, siempre que termino un libro de esta saga digo que lo devoré, pero esta ocasión fue mucho más rápido que las anteriores; amé como el autor combino los cuentos de hadas con historias clásicas como “El Rey Arturo” y “Robin Hood”. Me encantan todos los personajes, la trama, la forma en que todo va desarrollándose y ese final fue de 😱 quiero ya el quinto libro, creo que me comeré las uñas de los nervios, lo que me pone algo melancólica es que ya me acerco al final de esta saga que se ha convertido sin duda alguna en una de mis favoritas para toda la vida ❣️
• 
  Travis

  I am just so in love with this fun little romp of a series. It is one of those series where I just am filled with happiness. Chris Colfer has created this world and these characters to do just that.
  
  Beyond the Kingdoms means exactly that. Instead of focusing primarily on the fairy tails we know and love, this time we branch out to worlds like Neverland and Oz. Which made for some fun little adventures and even seeing how these characters are different then what we know them as.
  
  Can I also just say that there was a reveal at the end of the last book where I was hesitant with the route we were about to take. However Colfer must have known what I was thinking because he flipped that direction and I am so happy because it didn't follow that traditional plot mechanic.
• 
  Weinlachgummi

  Ich habe mich wahnsinnig gefreut als der vierte Band von Land of Storys bei mir eingezogen ist. Die vorherigen Bände haben mir schon sehr gefallen und ich wollte unbedingt wissen wie es weiter geht.
  
  Eines vorweg, man sollte die Reihe auf jeden Fall in der chronologisch richtigen Reihenfolge lesen, da man sonst nur extrem schwer der Handlung folgen kann, da diese aufeinander aufbaut.
  
  Auch in diesem Band müssen sich die Zwillinge Conner und Alex einigen schwierigen Aufgaben stellen. Dabei haben sie tatkräftige Unterstützung von ihren Freunden. Diese kennt man schon aus den vorherigen Bänden und hat sie dort schon lieb gewonnen. Mein Highlight war wieder Rot / Rotkäppchen, sie ist ein so wunderbarer Charakter. Man weiß nie, was als Nächstes aus ihrem Mund kommt und in diesem Band hatte sie einige geniale Szenen.
  
  Mutter Gans war auch wieder so klasse und sorgte für einige Lacher. Der Autor hat in dieser Reihe so wundervolle Charaktere geschaffen, die einem schnell ans Herz wachsen und die man nicht mehr missen möchte. Mittlerweile ist man mit ihnen schon sehr vertraut und freut sich, sie wiederzutreffen.
  
  Die Handlung war wie gewohnt rasant und dynamisch, Langeweile kommt keine auf. Die Truppe stürzt von einem ins andere Abenteuer. Anhand des Covers lässt sich schon erahnen, wer alles eine Rolle in diesem Band spielen wird. Chris Colfers hat so fabelhafte Ideen, so findet man in diesem Band nicht nur wie gewohnt Charaktere aus verschiedenen Märchen, sondern auch aus Klassikern. Hier gab es einige lustige Überraschungen und besonders Robin Hood fand ich zum Schießen, wortwörtlich ;-)
  
  Durch den lebhaften und bildlichen Schreibstil kann man sich vorzüglich in die Welt einfinden und genießt ein tolles Kopfkino. Die Szenen werden vor dem inneren Auge lebendig und man fühlt sich als Leser als wäre man ein Teil davon. Definitiv nicht nur etwas für Leser ab 10 Jahren, sondern für alle Märchenfans oder Liebhaber phantastischer Geschichten mit liebevollen und skurrilen Charakteren, die so einige Abenteuer erleben.
• 
  Nolan Mitchell

  I thought the 4th book in the Land Of Stories franchise was just to connect the dots and get ready for the main plot for the next two books. There was a lot of traveling and adventures that made the book that much better. There was also the connection to other popular fairy tales. I am also excited to have more characters along for the journey. Towards the end of the book we are left off with a bunch of cliffhangers that will hopefully be answered in the next book. Chris Colfer has made better books in the this franchise, but overall it was a great book.