Spoilers Ahead! (marked in purple)
You think you’re ordinary. You never suspect that you’re stronger than you seem, braver than you feel or greater than you imagine.
It’s been three years since we last spent time with the Sisters Grimm. We catch up with them in the lead up to their 21st birthday.
‘Tonight we’re stronger than we’ll ever be again.’
Goldie’s adorable younger brother, Teddy, isn’t quite as adorable anymore; he’s found some attitude since we last saw him. Goldie is still reeling from loss. Liyana is increasingly worried about her aunt, Nyasha. She’s also missing her girlfriend, Kumiko, who is away studying. Scarlet suspects Eli of keeping secrets. I can’t provide an update about Bea because that would involve spoilers.
We visit Everwhere, which remains magical and beautiful, but is not without its shadows.
This is a story of love, hope and hopelessness, of longing and loneliness, of losing others and yourself.
Goldie’s stories, co-written by Vicky van Praag, are scattered throughout the book, as they were in The Sisters Grimm. My favourite was The Good Girl.
‘Not to worry, your voice has been long drowned out by the voices of others. But it’s never too late to listen to your own.’
I may have missed something but I found it confusing that Leo could “barely see five miles in any direction”, yet he can’t see Goldie when she’s right in front of him.
There are fewer Alastair Meikle’s illustrations in this book but they were still wonderful.
I would definitely recommend reading this series in order. If you attempted this book without having already read The Sisters Grimm, you’d be in for some major spoilers and confusion.
‘There’s a storm coming, child, and you’re the only one who can contain it.’
Content warnings include death by suicide, death of an animal, mental health, mention of abortion and miscarriage, sexual assault, suicide attempt and suicidal ideation.
Thank you so much to NetGalley and Bantam Press, an imprint of Transworld Publishers, Penguin Random House UK, for the opportunity to read this book.
Once Upon a Blurb
And then there were three …
Three years ago, the sisters confronted their demon father in that strange other-world called Everwhere. It was a battle that ended in a devastating loss, and the scars they carry seem to have slowly pushed the sisters apart …
One sister, still raw with grief, is now a near recluse but determined to use her powers to resurrect what she has lost.
Another has made the journey to learn more of her family, her culture and her roots.
And another seems to have turned her back on what she is and opted to lead a more normal life.
But now the sisters are about to be brought together once more. Because when the clock strikes midnight, when October ticks into November, when autumn wilts into winter, when All Hallows’ Eve becomes All Saints’ Day, the sisters Grimm will turn twenty-one and reach the zenith of their powers.
And on this night, at this time, in this place called Everwhere, anything is possible …
Schizanthus Nerd 