The Grimm Legacy

I just realized that I read this book a while ago, but never posted anything about it... Oops!
I really liked this book, mainly because I just have such a soft spot for Grimm fairytales. I don't really know why either, they are all so gory... Did you know that they cut off Cinderella's stepsister's toes? Creepy... Anyways, this book was interesting regardless. Elizabeth Rew, who feels lonely in the midst of a new step family, is ecstatic when she gets a job at a library at the New York Circulating Material Respiratory. However, instead of lending out boring ol' books, they lend out items, including items that were once owned by the Brothers Grimm. Of course, one person starts to create havoc with a Grimm item, and an adventure ensue. Polly Shulman (the author) has written an interesting and fun novel that is definately worth the read (or maybe that is just my nerdy librarian side talking who wants to now work in the Grimm item checkout). Regardless, this book gets 4/5 stars.

For the measure,  I find this line on the cover: "Borrow the magic... If you dare!" really cheesy. Just sayin.

The Looking Glass Wars

The main reason I read The Looking Glass Wars was because of how much I hate Alice in Wonderland. I'm probably getting a ton Wonderlanders wanting to kill me now, but I do have my reasons. My mom read this book to me as a child, and I just have this horrid memory of a little baby that Alice picked up turning into a pig. It was a moment in my childhood where it was like, "Okay, what the hell is this? This is so ridiculous..." As a result, I have been yelled at by several friends who loved the movie Alice in Wonderland (which I again didn't like, Johnny Depp is so creepy. I don't get why people think that he is hot. And besides, its all "Ohhh... Johnny Depp," but its ALICE in Wonderland. Not Mad Hatter in Wonderland. I apologize for this rant, back to the topic at hand...)  Plus, in Creative Writing we had to do a report on a different poet, and one group got Lewis Carroll. They presented on him, and to be blunt, he is a creeper. I am not going to get into the details because they make me sick, so do the research yourself.
I just realized how off topic I got, so back to the main point. What was it again? Ah, The Looking Glass Wars. Yeah, I pretty much read this, because it I heard it shows Carroll in a bad light, and that it was what REALLY happened in Wonderland. Not all of the drugged up gobblededuke that Carroll came up with. (Gobblededuke is a real word! Trust me!) And that is exactly what I got out of it. A completely different version of Alice in Wonderland. And I must say, it was very good. Alyss as a small girl was attacked by her Aunt Redd on her birthday, but barely managed to escape. Hatter Madigan saved her and she accidentally ended up in our world, without Hatter (who is the Mad Hatter for those slow on the uptake). She meets Lewis Carroll and tells him her story and he completely changes it, and destroys Alyss. She looses faith in Wonderland while Wonderland itself is undergoing turmoil brought on by Queen Redd. This version was much better than Carroll's and I felt completely satisfied with author Frank Beddor's version of events. (4/5 stars)