Grimmworld: The Witch in the Woods Book Review

ABOUT THE BOOK

Twins Willow and Jake Grimm are not prepared for the bizarre gadgets and scary changes in their new home of New Marburg, the location of the top-secret Think Tank where their parents now have jobs as scientists. In this town, people jetpack to work, robots direct traffic, and senior citizens duel with laser swords.

Yet nothing compares to what happens the day after lightning strikes the twins’ house. Their school building transforms around them, becoming a medieval castle—complete with moat, drawbridge, and a dangerous giant who looks strangely like the school’s overly aggressive hall monitor.

Barely managing to escape before a massive beanstalk lifts the castle above the clouds, Willow and Jake learn that their ancestors, the original Brothers Grimm, were more than storytellers. They were Grimmwalkers, able to travel from our universe to Grimmworld: the universe where all fairy tales are born.

Somehow, Willow and Jake have been transported to Grimmworld as well. But before the twins can figure out how to get back to their own universe, they discover that their best friends, Hank and Pearl, have morphed into the fairy tale characters Hansel and Gretel and been captured by a candy-obsessed witch deep in the Cursed Forest.

Now, aided by a mysterious wizard with shimmering golden eyes and a befuddled, talking naked mole-rat named Chet, the twins must trust in each other, believe in themselves, and find the courage to face their darkest fears in order to save their friends, return to their family, and maybe—just maybe—save the world.


ABOUT THE AUTHOR
One of the most versatile writers in the world, Michaelbrent Collings has written bestsellers for adults, teens, and children in nearly every genre. Thrillers, mysteries, horror, sci-fi and fantasy titles, even humor and non-fiction--Michaelbrent has found success in each and continues to write stories that surprise and delight fans all over the world.

In addition to popular success, Michaelbrent has also received critical acclaim: he is the only person who has ever been a finalist for a Bram Stoker Award (twice), a Dragon Award (twice), and a RONE Award, and he and his work have been reviewed and/or featured on everything from Publishers Weekly to Scream Magazine to NPR.

An engaging and entertaining speaker, he is also a frequent guest at comic cons and on writing podcasts like Six Figure Authors, The Creative Penn, Writing Excuses, and others; and is a mental health advocate and TEDx speaker.

Michaelbrent is also the owner of Bestseller Life, a comprehensive writing and self-publishing course that transforms storytellers into storysellers, and teaches authors how to become their own best story.

REVIEW
Willow and Jake Grimm move to New Marburg with their parents. This secretive town has robots directing traffic, jetpacks as modes of transportation, and senior citizen dueling in the park. The town becomes even weirder when a mysterious lightning strikes their house and the town merges with fairy tales with beanstalks, a giant, wizard and magic. Willow and Jake race to help their new friends, Hank and Pearl, who've merged with the fairy tale versions of themselves, from the wicked witch and try to save the world.

In Grimmworld, Michaelbrent weaves a new world that's full of fairy tales, robots, magic, and multiple universes. The story starts slowly as the author describes the world that he built. The world is big and full of different possibilities for other books from Greek mythology to sci-fi to fairytales. The characters are likeable, and the author shows us their flaws, strengths, and kindness. Despite the darkness the characters face, they find new friends, try to spread light to those around them. There were some scarier scenes that I did forewarn my kids before they read the book. My 10-year-old son read it, liked it, and said it was just the right level of scary. There was also a scene where Willow examines the oven that the witches uses and that was a little too much for me, but I think it was only because I read Stiff by Mary Roach. The scariness is manageable and something that's not terribly dark. Overall, I thought it was very imaginative and creative. I would read the next book in the series.  To learn more, click here. 

Please note that I received a free copy to review from the publisher, however, this is my honest opinion. This post contains affiliate links that help support this blog. This post is in cooperation with Shadow Mountain Publishing.