Book Review: The Land of Stories, The Wishing Spell

This New-York Bestselling Author, Chris Colfer, steadily builds a vivid world with the Land of Stories as two twins accidentally end up trapped in another world and go on what can be called the largest treasure hunt ever!

Age Rating: 11+

Pleasure Rating: 9.3/10

Chris Colfer is a 30-year-old author and actor who's books mainly revolve around fantasy. This book is the first book in a 6 book series along with 6 companion books about different characters. This book involves all of my favorite characters from the fairy tales I read as a young kid from all the royals like Cinderella, Sleeping Beauty and the three Prince Charmings to the prince that turned into a frog to Goldilocks who is history's best lock-pick and criminal. This book stimulated and energized my mind for over a month and it was absolutely mind-blowing

Summary

"Alex and Connor tossed and turned with thoughts of the Wishing Spell all night, but there was no decision to make. If the journal offered a possible way home, they would have to do anything and everything it instructed them to. They had no choice. They were about to embark on the greatest scavenger hunt of their life." - Land of Stories, Chris Colfer

Alex and Connor Bailey's world is about to change. When the twins' grandmother gives them a treasured fairy-tale book, they have no idea they're about to enter a land beyond all imagination: the Land of Stories where fairy tales are real.

But Alex and Connor soon discover, the stories they know so well haven't ended in this magical world - Goldilocks is now a wanted fugitive, red Riding Hood has her own kingdom, and Queen Cinderella is about to become a mother.

The twins know that they must get back home somehow. But with the legendary Evil Queen hot on their trail, will they ever find the way?

What I Like:

First off, I especially like that the protagonist twins are so different in their personalities and reputation but in their heart, they are the same caring and determined person, which is possibly one of the most interesting parts of being a twin.

Which brings me to my next point, they're TWINS! Being a twin is like having another half while still having second opinion and looking at another point of view. I wonder what Chris Colfer was thinking when he made twins the main characters, what a brilliant and innovative idea. Tell me what you guys think of this in the comments.

There was also a lot of humor mainly from Connor's side which Alex severely reprimanded, mainly because Connor is extremely sarcastic and snarky. Along with this, there is a healthy dose of intense history, sensitive and emotional parts, humorous encounters and life-or-death experiences.

"There's always a choice" - The Masked Man, Land of Stories, Chris Colfer

The characters are also so well developed and you feel as though you are going through a journey with them. Then again, that also feels unrealistic because its almost like all these people go through their life and they're at this breaking point where their life is dull, depressing or its going so perfectly well that it's almost like you're stuck in the same timeline for an extended period. But then, Alex and Connor come on and suddenly your life is exciting and fun, especially since you live in a fairy-tale land. Maybe that is because I haven't seen their history, but it is mentioned that Alex and Connor's arrival was pretty exciting. Am I the only person who feels like that? Let me know.

I also seriously enjoyed the fact that suddenly, these fairy tales made sense. You're probably thinking, how on earth can a fairy tale make sense. Well, first of all, in most fairy tales, female characters are often portrayed as helpless, delicate maidens or evil, heartless queens. In this book, all the female protagonists are humane and yet they are as strong, smart and determined as the male protagonists (and yes, I do realize that the main antagonist is a female but there is a magical reason, so it's not the same).

Also, there are politics and people grasping for power, inadequate rulers (ahem, I'm talking about you, Little Red Riding Hood) and even terrorists that are in the form of wolves. Alex and Connor's "tour guide", even mentions normal things that happen like wars and truces (such as the C.R.A.W.L. revolution, whatever that means).

What I Didn't:

There's actually not much I missed in this book, it pretty much satisfied all my needs, but there were a few things that I wasn't satisfied with.

Firstly, I didn't think Alex and Connor's father's diary was very accurate. He describes everything up to the way he runs and speaks, which is honestly not how someone would write a diary. In a diary you would note own what happened through the day and possibly what you spoke to someone. It may even have a bit of detail because what was happening in this book is incredibly interesting and definitely not something that happens on a day to day basis, but the immense amount of detail in that diary is so unrealistic.

Other than that, there's not much that's missing in this book. For me at least, this book was life-changing and I was hooked from the first page. Be sure to check out Chris Colfer's official Land of Stories book website: https://thelandofstories.com/

That's all from me,

"The Book Keeper"