Mini Reviews

Prophecy of the Sisters by Michelle Zink

I'd heard really good things about this one, but I had a hard time starting it. It sat on my shelf for at least a month before I actually began reading it. It was a fairly slow read, but I did enjoy it. After losing their father, twin sisters Lia and Alice discover that they each play a role in a prophecy that pits them against each other. From there, the twists and turns written by Zink had me guessing what the outcome of the story would be.

There was one scene in particular that really emphasized the differences between Lia and Alice. It was really heartwrenching to see Lia lose someone that was so important to her. Despite my personal opinion of Alice, I do wish that the reader had gotten to see from her perspective. The book focuses on Lia, but I think seeing through the villain's eyes is always interesting.

It was a good start, but at times it seemed like the sole purpose of certain plot points was a setup for the second book in the series.

Rating: C

The Grimm Legacy by Polly Shulman

I stumbled across this book at the library, and decided to check it out on a whim. Of course, I had a huge pile of books waiting to be read at home, but something about this one pushed it to the top of my list. The book begins with Elizabeth getting a recommendation to work at The New York Circulating Material Repository. Of course, this isn't a typical library. Elizabeth soon discovers that items, including magical ones, are loaned to patrons, and shenanigans ensue. As a fan of fairy tales, I was delighted to see a book that took such a new spin on things.
I will admit that there were some things about the book that I didn't like. I felt that the story lost some of it's steam toward the end. Things seemed to move more slowly, despite the characters working to catch the thief who is stealing the magical items from the repository. I also thought that something was missing from the romance in the story. Since the romance wasn't the main focus of the book, it wasn't a huge deal for me. Plus, I was rooting for the characters to get together.

Overall, it was a really interesting premise involving magic and fairy tales. Even though I had a few issues with the story, I'm glad that I happened to pick it up.

Rating: C