The Sisters Grimm: The Everafter War

After all their problems, Sabrina and Daphne Grimm finally have the means to bring back their parents from the magical sleep they have fallen under. Their father's old flame, Goldilocks, still loves him, and is willing to provide the kiss of true love to resurrect him from his sleep. Their mother will be awakened by their father's kiss.

But even with their parents back, things aren't turning out the way the girls want Their father is furious to find himself back where he grew up, the town he alway wanted to leave and never return to. Now, because the evil everafters have declared war on the Grimms, they are stuck behind the barrier, and he's furious at his own mother, Relda, who has only done her best to take the girls in and do her best by them.

And even though two years have passed by with her parents in their ensorcelled sleep, Sabrina and Daphne's father insists on treating them like children, still. Sabrina is rankled by that, and Daphne, who was already upset at Sabrina treating her like a child, only feels worse. Sabrina realizes how wrong she was to dismiss Daphne, and Daphne cuts her dead several times, emotionally at least, showing how angry Daphne is at her older sister.

Forced to join in with the good Everafters to reclaim the town, the girls' father flatly denies them the chance to help, even though they have been helping out the town for months though. But Sabrina learns that her father isn't as sure of himself as he pretends to be. Their mother also has a secret: she was pregnant at the time she was put into the enchanted sleep, but she isn't any more. Someone stole her baby!

But who could have done it, and where is the girl's brother now? A startling betrayal by one they believed was on their side all along leads to the discovery of an even greater betrayal. But can the girls enter a fairytale and retrieve their baby brother and set things right to undo all the problems that began the war? Or will they be trapped in the tale and never see their mother, father or grandmother again?

Wow. I thought that this was going to be the final volume of the series, but it seems not, even though things are pretty dark inside the story. Things are darkest just before the dawn, and they look pretty black here. Even the cover of the book is black, and seems to have been getting darker from the first.

Here, they finally get their parents back- but its not the happy ending the girls wanted. And they find out who "the master" behind all of their problems is, also. But that doesn't bring about a happy ending, either. And while Sabrina may have found out that she will marry Puck some day, that doesn't make her happy either, and Puck is very upset when he finds out, and sets out to make her life hellish- but when he ends up nearly killing her, will he realize that he really likes her?

I can't wait to see what's coming. The end might be in the next volume- but here's hoping that some kind of resolution comes to the story soon. I got a feeling when reading this latest installation, that this series somewhat parallels the Fables comic series, what with the evil fables, um- Everafters warring on the good ones. But the inclusion of the purely human Grimms gives kid readers someone to identify with. I highly recommend this series for kids who enjoy fairytales or twisted readings of old myths and stories like the Percy Jackson books.