Willow and her twin brother, Jake Grimm, knew their world was going to change when their parents announced the family was moving. Going from Los Angeles, California to a place called New Marburg, Idaho, sounded bad enough, as Willow and Jake had access to all sorts of activities and places to go in their current home, but Willow and Jake couldn’t even find any information on the internet about New Marburg or the company their parents will be working for. Things get weird quickly though, starting with an old robe-wearing man with a laser blaster their parents can’t even hear them mention, never mind see him. New Marburg isn’t what either of them expects, and it’s about to get weirder when it becomes Grimmworld!
I love stories based on the Brothers Grimm and THE WITCH IN THE WORLD is an enchanting and sometimes dangerous take on the fairy tales! Michaelbrent Collings does a phenomenal job with world-building, as it’s fun to see how things translate from one world into the next- and what things are anomalies. I particularly like how we can transition from high-tech to more of a medieval fantasy with just one shift as the world-building is top-notch!
However, it is the relationship between Willow and Jake that makes THE WITCH IN THE WOODS stand out. They are twins, but very different in their skills and abilities. Willow is social and athletic, while Jake is a science nerd who struggles with social situations. Despite their differences, they are close and the love between them is enjoyable to see rather than the usual bickering and ugliness portrayed in books. I also applaud Michaelbrent Collings for how he shows Willow and Jake working together and why their differences matter just as much as their commonalities. It’s the very thing that saves their lives on more than one occasion!
THE WITCH IN THE WOODS is the first book in the Grimmworld series and wow, what a fun start! Written as a middle-grade fantasy, THE WITCH IN THE WORLD is clever and funny (or should I say “pun-ny” based on a large number of puns) and will appeal to a wide range of readers. Readers looking for a fantasy that delves into the world of the Brothers Grimm but maintains the power of sibling and family love will relish THE WITCH IN THE WOODS. I can’t wait to read the next installment!
When twins Willow and Jake Grimm move to the isolated town where their parents work for a top-secret Think Tank, they are amazed to discover a place where people jetpack to work, robots direct traffic, and senior citizens battle with lightning swords.
But after a freak lightning storm, which transforms the twins’ school into a medieval castle—complete with moat, drawbridge, and a giant who looks strangely like the school’s overly aggressive hall monitor—the twins discover the truth: just like their ancestors, the original Brothers Grimm, Willow and Jake are Grimmwalkers. And just like their ancestors, they have been transported to the place where all fairy tales are born. The most dangerous place in existence: Grimmworld.
But before the twins can figure out how to get home, they learn their best friends have been transformed into the fairy tale characters Hansel and Gretel and have been imprisoned by a candy obsessed wicked witch.
Now, aided only by their wits, their courage, and their love for each other, the twins must venture deep into the Cursed Forest to save themselves and their friends. And maybe—just maybe—save the universe from falling into the clutches of the witch in the woods.
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