Chris Colfer

Representation: N/A?
Trigger warnings: Near-death experiences, death of a father in the past and another person, building collapse, fire
Score: Six points out of ten.
This review can also be found on The StoryGraph.

Man, I gave this author one last chance and he squandered it. I saw this book hiding on the shelves of one of the two libraries I visit so I picked it up hoping that it would be better than The Wishing Spell and finally read it. When I finished it, I felt that it was at the same level as the preceding instalment and not a step up. Shame. It starts (or continues) with the main characters Alex and Conner Bailey who recently left The Land of Stories when some new characters arrive on what they call the Otherworld (but I call it Earth.) They tell the news that a new villain (you know, the classic big bad one,) the Enchantress has kidnapped Alex and Conner's mother (did I mention that another person, Bob, would be their new stepfather?) Soon enough they return to The Land of Stories but here is where the flaws surface, the author still left all the old and new characters remain underdeveloped which I didn't appreciate, the worldbuilding was off and the writing style, well.

I get that the author would write the book so that it'd be more accessible to a greater amount of readers but I would've enjoyed it more if there were more details instead of telling everything in the narrative. Never have I seen a book abuse italics and capital letters as much as this one which irritated me since half the time I thought all the characters were shouting. If there was an award for a story with the most basic descriptions ever, the instalment I read would get it. As mentioned above, there is no representation. I understand that it's hard to get right (when I consider authors that write books that have Black, Asian, Latino/a, neurodivergent characters, those who have disabilities or different body types who sometimes get it right and other times get it wrong) but a story can be diverse and outstanding. What I read was neither of those. It underwhelmed me.

Alex and Conner build an airship considering The Land of Stories is centuries behind Earth and no one in the former would think of that except them, assemble the Wand of Invincibility to defeat the Enchantress but it wasn't necessary in the final pages. All for nothing save for Alex using compassion to remove the Enchantress' powers and a fairy tale wedding ending the book. Ah well. It's time to move on to the next one I suppose.… (més)

Even from the beginning of The Land of Stories, I loved Goldilocks. I thought she was brave, strong, and amazing. This book that focuses on her just proves me right.
In this book, we get to see how Goldilocks has been spending her years and surviving in the Dwarf Forests. We see the people she is close with (well, one person and her horse, Porridge), all the people she interacts with, and the people she hates. Goldie is portrayed as a strong and competent thief, which she is. She excels in what she does, and she’s found a way to live in the Dwarf Forests, despite what anyone may have thought about her before. That is, until the royals (more specifically: the Prince Charmings) start to threaten every creature that lives in the Dwarf Forests. Since the Charmings want to gain more land, they try to take the Dwarf Forests and execute everyone who lives there. Goldilocks ends up finding out about this scheme via Puss in boots and has to convince the creatures who live in the Dwarf Forests to fight for their home.
Firstly, it was great to finally know more about Goldie’s backstory. Since the beginning of The Land of Stories series, I have wondered what could force such a true love apart, and because of this book, I finally have an answer. We get to see how Goldie and Jack were as children, and personally, I thought they were very cute. Also, speaking of Jack, he gets to reunite with Goldie and explain to her that he never sent that note to her in this book. I was so happy to see them together, because they are my favorite couple from The Land of Stories. I loved getting to know more about both the new and old characters. I loved Jack and Goldie’s moments together, and overall, I loved this book.… (més)

* I got this book for review from the publisher for my honest thoughts*
I love this story so much. Another story set in this world. I also loved seeing how far these characters came from before we see them in the main series. I really loved not only seeing the origin story of Goldilocks but also the new characters we meet. I also really loved the art style and thought the chris added so many political undertones to the story that i LOVED. I am super excited to read anything else set in this world.… (més)