I know it’s been a long time since I last blogged. Recently, I was assigned a project at school in which I had to read a fantasy novel and do a response for. Therefore, I have decided to do a blog on “The Land of Stories: A Grimm Warning” (WARNING! If you have yet to read this book, and you do not wish to have anything spoiled, DO NOT read on)
Before I start, I’d like to give you a quick summary so you don’t get lost or confused. The Land of Stories: A Grimm Warning is the third book in the Land of Stories series, written by Chris Colfer. The two main characters are Alex and Conner Bailey, twins who are from another realm, called The Land of Stories. At first, they didn’t know another realm existed, when they did find out they learned that the fairy godmother was their grandmother. In each book, there is a huge problem that usually, Conner and Alex help settle, facing a series of obstacles in their way. In this book, there is a French army that had been put in a portal from Earth to the Land of Stories by the fairy godmother, and they were not to emerge until two hundred years later. Fast forward two hundred years later and the French army arrives in the Land of Stories. Seeing that the fairy godmother has fallen ill, the fate of the fairy tale world rests on Alex and Conner’s shoulders as they are the grandchildren of the fairy godmother. Some other characters I may be mentioning in this blog are Bree, Conner’s friend and love interest, Emmerich, a boy who helps Conner and Bree find the portal to the Land of Stories, and Mother Goose, one of the fairy godmother’s oldest friends. That is just an outline of what happens in this book, I really enjoyed it, and I think many other fantasy readers would enjoy it too.
In my opinion this book is very detailed and well thought out, it was showed in chapter eleven where Conner and his friend Bree had to use a special poker chip that he got from Mother Goose to access her vault in the Lumiere de Etoiles (Starlight) Casino. She said in her vault there was a panpipe that could open the portal to the Land of Stories. The poker chip they had used to access the vault was given to Conner in a previous book in the series, meaning that the author had his story well thought out from the beginning, or it was simply just a coincidence. I think this book can also give the reader courage, and teach the reader how to persevere through tough problems. An example of this in the text is in chapter two when Alex is training to be fairy godmother, and her goal is to grant three wishes each day. One day, it seems as though everyone who she helps, is snotty about it, and instead of thanking her, they insult her. Even though she did not get the respect she deserved on her first and second try, she persevered and completed her goal of three wishes.
My favourite part was when the Grande Armee was approaching the fairy palace and everyone was panicking since Alex and Conner hadn’t returned. Then, they all saw a blast of light, almost like an oversized comet shoot through the sky. It came bolting towards the fairy palace, just before the Grande Armee were about to strike, and in front of the fairy palace appeared Alex, Conner, and the remaining armies from all the kingdoms. This was my favourite part because the battle was about to begin, and as it was so exciting it was also so nerve racking, because it was their first battle they’d have to fight without the fairy godmother. But, they were very brave, and confident in fighting the Grande Armee and (SPOILERS) they won the battle. My least favourite part was when the fairy godmother (MORE SPOILERS) dies. She came back to fight the dragon that the Masked Man had brought at the end of the war, when the fairies thought they won. As it was approaching the fairy palace, Alex ran up to her grandmother’s chambers, kneeling at the side of her bed begging for her to wake up and help her. When she looked up, the fairy godmother and her wand were gone. The fairy godmother had come back to fight the dragon and defeated it. This part was my least favourite because once she had diminished the dragon she stumbled to the ground, feeling satisfied, and ready to leave. This part actually made me cry. It was amazing to read this because the description was so in depth and I could understand how they felt, almost as if I was losing the fairy godmother too, even though I knew she was a fictional character.
As you can see, The Land of Stories: A Grimm Warning is a great book to read, if you want a book to read for pleasure, or even for a project. I hope that if you do read this book, you’ll enjoy it as much as I did.
