Tuesday, September 29, 2009

Mini Review: The Unusual Suspects

Here we are. Time for the first mini review of the fall. If you happen to be new to my blog, following the link will take you to my full review at Epinions.

Today's subject is The Unusual Suspects, the second Sisters Grimm book by Michael Buckley. The story is set in a universe where fairy tale characters are real. They are trapped in a small New York town, and the Grimm family is responsible for keeping them in line.

Our heroes are Sabrina and Daphne Grimm, two kids who have just learned all of this. They have also learned that their parents are being held prisoner by some strong magic, but no one knows where.

This book, however, centers around their new school. Something strange is happening as half of the students sleep through the day. Then Sabrina's teacher is found murdered in a giant spider web. What's happening?

I found the start of the book rather slow, but once the plot actually got going, it picked up speed quickly and stayed that way. Heck, I read the second half in one evening. And the cliffhanger made me wish the next book in the series were on my Fall Into Reading list.

The characters were a tad on the flat side, but there are moments that hint at the potential for more development in future books.

My take is that the book is aimed at 6th to 8th graders. That did make it a rather fast read for me, but it didn't dampen my enjoyment in the slightest.

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