★★★ ½
Once upon a time, fairy tales were AWESOME!
Adam Gidwitz remembers the old tales – the ones with violence and blood – and truly regrets the watering down the modern times.
And so he decides to tell the true tale of Hansel and Gretel.
Their story is not all gingerbread and breadcrumbs – there’s vampires, werewolves and monsters galore.
There will be trials, tribulations and betrayal.
They each die at least once.
“You’re being foolish,” Gretel told herself. “Rain can’t talk.”
No, of course it can’t. The moon can eat children, and fingers can open doors, and people’s heads can be put back on.
But rain? Talk? Don’t be ridiculous.
They have a kingdom that needs saving and they are ready to do something about it.
There is a wisdom in children, a kind of knowing, a kind of believing, that we, as adults, do not have. There is a time when a kingdom needs its children.
Will they be able to save the entire kingdom in time? Or will they lose everything they’ve ever known?
Overall, I liked this one!
It was fun and funny, though at times it seemed to try too hard to insert humor by breaking the fourth wall.
I did enjoy how Gidwitz took all the old tales and told them in a fresh and fabulous way.
Hansel and Gretel developed quite nicely from timid children into heroes.
It was quite interesting to follow along on their adventures.
The stories did have a slight old-timey feel (ie lots of magic just happens without explanation) but the author balanced it well enough with the plot that I wasn’t bothered by it too much.
I never knew what direction this book was going but the journey was a great adventure.
Audiobook Comments
Read by Johnny Heller and it was great to listen to. Loved it!!
Interested in this one from Adam Gidwitz? Buy it here: Amazon
Miranda Reads 