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The Grimm Chronicles #4
The Orphanage of Doom
Senior year of high school has begun. For most students that means settling into classes, doing homework and maybe working part-time over the weekend.
For Alice Goodenough, it means navigating the tricky cliques of her high school, staying on top of her studies and making new friends ... in addition to experiencing more nightmares, more sword training and more doing battle with the Corrupted.
After facing off with the dreaded dwarf named Sam Grayle, Alice finds her dreams plagued by two separate visions. In one, she's floating through a massive mansion filled with old, dusty furniture and drafty windows. Shadows dance across the wall. Children cry out in terror. A mysterious animal growl echoes through the halls.
In her second dream, a terrible smoke-like creature roams the streets of Minneapolis, feeding off human victims while it plots a terrible revenge that threatens to have far-reaching consequences. Alice must decide which dream to pursue: does she foil the smoke-creature's plot or try to rescue the children from an unseen evil?
For Alice Goodenough, it means navigating the tricky cliques of her high school, staying on top of her studies and making new friends ... in addition to experiencing more nightmares, more sword training and more doing battle with the Corrupted.
After facing off with the dreaded dwarf named Sam Grayle, Alice finds her dreams plagued by two separate visions. In one, she's floating through a massive mansion filled with old, dusty furniture and drafty windows. Shadows dance across the wall. Children cry out in terror. A mysterious animal growl echoes through the halls.
In her second dream, a terrible smoke-like creature roams the streets of Minneapolis, feeding off human victims while it plots a terrible revenge that threatens to have far-reaching consequences. Alice must decide which dream to pursue: does she foil the smoke-creature's plot or try to rescue the children from an unseen evil?
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First published January 1, 2012
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Displaying 1 - 16 of 16 reviews
May 13, 2020
This series just keeps getting better and better.
January 24, 2016
Actual Rating: 3.75
I read this story along books 5 & 6 of the series. This story was better than the last 3 books. I thought there was greater information about the Corrupted and how they are now targeting larger groups of people rather than only one person at a time.
Alice was a good character so far. She is the heroine to help fight against the Corrupted and destroy the Grimm Fairy tales. In this book, she has to balance between being the heroine and a normal senior girl at school. Also, in this installment, we see her second sidekick, Seth, one of close friends. She knows that she is capable of taking down the Corrupted, but she has to not be overly confident.
I love Briar the Rabbit. He is funny, smart and cool. It was interesting to get into his mind. I also think he is very interesting character as a rabbit because you do not think he would be the greatest sidekick for Alice. However, he turned my opinion of him around.
This book was fun and fast. I wish there was more to the story because it is a great world. It reminds me of my favourite TV show, Once Upon A Time. I would definitely recommend this book series to fans of the TV show OUAT!! Overall, a great read.
I read this story along books 5 & 6 of the series. This story was better than the last 3 books. I thought there was greater information about the Corrupted and how they are now targeting larger groups of people rather than only one person at a time.
Alice was a good character so far. She is the heroine to help fight against the Corrupted and destroy the Grimm Fairy tales. In this book, she has to balance between being the heroine and a normal senior girl at school. Also, in this installment, we see her second sidekick, Seth, one of close friends. She knows that she is capable of taking down the Corrupted, but she has to not be overly confident.
I love Briar the Rabbit. He is funny, smart and cool. It was interesting to get into his mind. I also think he is very interesting character as a rabbit because you do not think he would be the greatest sidekick for Alice. However, he turned my opinion of him around.
This book was fun and fast. I wish there was more to the story because it is a great world. It reminds me of my favourite TV show, Once Upon A Time. I would definitely recommend this book series to fans of the TV show OUAT!! Overall, a great read.
June 3, 2016
As I read more and more of this series I can't stop.
I tore through this book, and I was shaken when the Alice dreamed of children screaming. The story is getting darker, and more desperate. Alice isn't perfect, she is struggling with her role as a hero. She is real, she fears and she isn't made out to be some super unbreakable robot.
Alice is growing more and more, and she is pretty much my hero. The more she fights the more she learns and the more she suffers. She is human, she doesn't have superpowers, just a magic pen and dreams. She know she could die and has come close more then once. God I love this story so much!
Alice is the protagonist I've been waiting for, this series is everything I've been looking for. I highly recommend this book this series. It's full of heart racing action, breaths stoping danger and a hero that has surpassed every cliché. Finally we have a girl that use her head, and keeps her eye on the goal.
Happy Reading
-E.A. Walsh
I tore through this book, and I was shaken when the Alice dreamed of children screaming. The story is getting darker, and more desperate. Alice isn't perfect, she is struggling with her role as a hero. She is real, she fears and she isn't made out to be some super unbreakable robot.
Alice is growing more and more, and she is pretty much my hero. The more she fights the more she learns and the more she suffers. She is human, she doesn't have superpowers, just a magic pen and dreams. She know she could die and has come close more then once. God I love this story so much!
Alice is the protagonist I've been waiting for, this series is everything I've been looking for. I highly recommend this book this series. It's full of heart racing action, breaths stoping danger and a hero that has surpassed every cliché. Finally we have a girl that use her head, and keeps her eye on the goal.
Happy Reading
-E.A. Walsh
June 16, 2020
A bit of a filler episode with a habit of telling rather than showing bits and pieces that are obviously foreshadowing (Briar's sudden inability to stay invisible that just happened? Hmm), but action-packed enough. Alice takes on two fairy tales this time, ones that are less familiar and that she doesn't have an encyclopaedic knowledge of! In one, a rock band are causing irreparable damage to music lovers everywhere, while the other features a nasty stepmother with an obsession to nurture.
I felt some of the comedic bits that fell a bit flat and seemed tacked on - a carpool karaoke of misheard lyrics, the guy who assumes he's boyfriend material - because they didn't add much to the story and dragged the pace down. I also didn't get the thing about a character being an alcoholic and having people lecture Alice on the perils of drinking - was it meant to be a joke or was it an attempt at doing a "don't do alcohol, kiddies!" public broadcast message? There's also the inconsistencies from the earlier books, where some established details and characters don't seem to be quite the same...
But again it builds on the world and adds in a new character with a little bit of chemistry (and not the horrible hormonal YA kind, it's kinda nice to get something subtle hint-hint for once). Beware the cliffhanger ending in true TV episode style.
Silly, OTT and fun enough, though my interest is probably starting to wane from the inconsistencies and cliff hangers. Tightened editing of the story would have made this series even better.
-Read as part of the Grimm Chronicles Box Set-
I felt some of the comedic bits that fell a bit flat and seemed tacked on - a carpool karaoke of misheard lyrics, the guy who assumes he's boyfriend material - because they didn't add much to the story and dragged the pace down. I also didn't get the thing about a character being an alcoholic and having people lecture Alice on the perils of drinking - was it meant to be a joke or was it an attempt at doing a "don't do alcohol, kiddies!" public broadcast message? There's also the inconsistencies from the earlier books, where some established details and characters don't seem to be quite the same...
But again it builds on the world and adds in a new character with a little bit of chemistry (and not the horrible hormonal YA kind, it's kinda nice to get something subtle hint-hint for once). Beware the cliffhanger ending in true TV episode style.
Silly, OTT and fun enough, though my interest is probably starting to wane from the inconsistencies and cliff hangers. Tightened editing of the story would have made this series even better.
-Read as part of the Grimm Chronicles Box Set-
March 13, 2019
Interesting read
Loosely based on Grimm's Fairy tales. Young teen became a hero. with her invisible rabbit friend. They go and save people, and try to keep the music from dying out over the world.
Loosely based on Grimm's Fairy tales. Young teen became a hero. with her invisible rabbit friend. They go and save people, and try to keep the music from dying out over the world.
May 11, 2018
Great book
Very good book the story was enjoyable plus easy to follow the story. very well written by a good author thank you
Very good book the story was enjoyable plus easy to follow the story. very well written by a good author thank you
September 17, 2019
I enjoyed this story. The characters are now familiar and likeable. A clever twist on a Grimm story.
January 18, 2013
School has started! And the delicate balancing act Alice has been doing is about to start crashing. Not now, though, that will start in book five. But here, you can see the different pressures that Alice has to face.
One of the pressures being school. Alice's friend Trish is trying to get Alice to be popular again, but seriously, after you've been fighting all sorts of monsters, are you going to let an immature brat boss you around and tell you what friends you should unfriend from facebook? I didn't think so. I do think, though, that it gets much worse in the next book.
Also, this book is the first that features two Corrupted. Or rather, two Corrupted battles in one go. One is about music (who wants to guess the fairytale?) and the other is about the titular orphanage (this one is really hard to guess). In fact, I would say that the storyline involving music is the pre-dominant storyline.
Carrying on from Book three, Seth continues to play a bigger part in the series. In fact, it's almost as though he's Alice's partner (along with Briar). Also coming from Book three (with a mention in Book two!) is the dwarf Sam. You remember Sam, good-ole-heart-of-greed Sam. He's quite amusing here (not very scary though).
We're also introduced to a new character - Chase. Right now, we're just given his backstory, but he's probably going to play a significant role as the series goes on.
And as the series goes on, the Corrupted get more and more fleshed out. I like how there are Corrupted that aren't evil yet. They all acknowledge that they will turn evil one day, but for some, that day has not come. It's quite sad that most of them have to "die" after their encounter with Alice.
And tomorrow: the blog-tour post you've all been waiting for - Book Five in this series!
Disclaimer: I got a free copy of this book from the authors in exchange for a free and honest review.
First published at Inside the mind of a Bibliophile
One of the pressures being school. Alice's friend Trish is trying to get Alice to be popular again, but seriously, after you've been fighting all sorts of monsters, are you going to let an immature brat boss you around and tell you what friends you should unfriend from facebook? I didn't think so. I do think, though, that it gets much worse in the next book.
Also, this book is the first that features two Corrupted. Or rather, two Corrupted battles in one go. One is about music (who wants to guess the fairytale?) and the other is about the titular orphanage (this one is really hard to guess). In fact, I would say that the storyline involving music is the pre-dominant storyline.
Carrying on from Book three, Seth continues to play a bigger part in the series. In fact, it's almost as though he's Alice's partner (along with Briar). Also coming from Book three (with a mention in Book two!) is the dwarf Sam. You remember Sam, good-ole-heart-of-greed Sam. He's quite amusing here (not very scary though).
We're also introduced to a new character - Chase. Right now, we're just given his backstory, but he's probably going to play a significant role as the series goes on.
And as the series goes on, the Corrupted get more and more fleshed out. I like how there are Corrupted that aren't evil yet. They all acknowledge that they will turn evil one day, but for some, that day has not come. It's quite sad that most of them have to "die" after their encounter with Alice.
And tomorrow: the blog-tour post you've all been waiting for - Book Five in this series!
Disclaimer: I got a free copy of this book from the authors in exchange for a free and honest review.
First published at Inside the mind of a Bibliophile
March 31, 2013
Source: ARC of The Grimm Chronicles, Volume 2 from the authors
Review: “The Orphanage of Doom” is a story just as captivating as the first three books in the Grimm Chronicles series. Alice is back with her snarky yet intelligent voice, walking a fantastic line between sounding like a credible heroine and a realistic teen. In this installment, school has started once again for Alice, and she must balance the demands of her homework, her social life, and her duty as the world’s hero.
Fontaine and Brosky never let their stories feel episodic, and they add a twist in “The Orphanage of Doom” by introducing the creepiest plot and atmosphere of the series yet. Previously Alice was dealing with adults. Here, there are children’s happiness and lives at stake, and the reader cannot help feeling as badly for them as Alice, as she spends night after night dreaming about their sufferings in preparation to take down the Corrupted who has trapped them. The imagery of her dreams, and then the reality, is brilliantly chilling.
The authors also dig a little deeper by introducing Corrupted who have larger plots than before. Alice’s previous enemies were dangerous, but tended to take down one victim at a time. In Book 4, things get worse, as the Corrupted victimize larger groups of people and even intentionally plot to ruin the world. Higher stakes keep the series exciting and also encourage Alice to continue growing as a heroine. She is capable but not allowed to become overly confident or cocky.
A great addition to the series that hints Alice’s story will continue to become bigger and more exciting with each book.
Review: “The Orphanage of Doom” is a story just as captivating as the first three books in the Grimm Chronicles series. Alice is back with her snarky yet intelligent voice, walking a fantastic line between sounding like a credible heroine and a realistic teen. In this installment, school has started once again for Alice, and she must balance the demands of her homework, her social life, and her duty as the world’s hero.
Fontaine and Brosky never let their stories feel episodic, and they add a twist in “The Orphanage of Doom” by introducing the creepiest plot and atmosphere of the series yet. Previously Alice was dealing with adults. Here, there are children’s happiness and lives at stake, and the reader cannot help feeling as badly for them as Alice, as she spends night after night dreaming about their sufferings in preparation to take down the Corrupted who has trapped them. The imagery of her dreams, and then the reality, is brilliantly chilling.
The authors also dig a little deeper by introducing Corrupted who have larger plots than before. Alice’s previous enemies were dangerous, but tended to take down one victim at a time. In Book 4, things get worse, as the Corrupted victimize larger groups of people and even intentionally plot to ruin the world. Higher stakes keep the series exciting and also encourage Alice to continue growing as a heroine. She is capable but not allowed to become overly confident or cocky.
A great addition to the series that hints Alice’s story will continue to become bigger and more exciting with each book.
March 8, 2013
Orphanage of Doom is the 4th book in the Grimm Chronicles. Alice is back in school, she's doing good pretending to be living a normal life but then again, there's this "hero thing" she must attend to. Alice cannot ignore the "hero tasks" because even in her dreams, she sees the Corrupted ones doing bad things to people... and she can't let the Corrupted live knowing people are in constant danger.
The first story didn't hold my attention probably because I am not familiar with this particular Grimm story. I had to skip to the next and I found the Orphanage story to be better than the first one. I'm happy that Seth is helping Alice do her "hero tasks". I hope they'd be together, like in a relationship *yaaay!* in the next book and I'm so annoyed with Trish! Wish she would leave Seth alone - forever!
The first in the Grimm series that I did skim through *insert sad face*. Now reading book #5, Blood and Thunder, so far, I'm enjoying it!
The first story didn't hold my attention probably because I am not familiar with this particular Grimm story. I had to skip to the next and I found the Orphanage story to be better than the first one. I'm happy that Seth is helping Alice do her "hero tasks". I hope they'd be together, like in a relationship *yaaay!* in the next book and I'm so annoyed with Trish! Wish she would leave Seth alone - forever!
The first in the Grimm series that I did skim through *insert sad face*. Now reading book #5, Blood and Thunder, so far, I'm enjoying it!
December 11, 2012
As with the other books in this series, The Orphanage of Doom is a fast, fun read.
This time through, Alice is dealing with the start of her senior year, parents who realize their daughter is growing up but still have the ability to ground her when she stays out all night, more Corrupted, and guy friends with potential.
Two separate situations require Alice's attention this time around, and she handles them well, with the help of Brer and Seth. With the book being short, there couldn't be a lot of time spent on each of the problems, which helps keep the book moving. I would, however, have liked more of each of the Corrupted situations. The idea of someone stealing music from a person is fascinating, and I really liked the whole thing with the orphanage. Especially a certain orphan who can see Alice even when she's only there in a dream.
One of the better books of the series.
This time through, Alice is dealing with the start of her senior year, parents who realize their daughter is growing up but still have the ability to ground her when she stays out all night, more Corrupted, and guy friends with potential.
Two separate situations require Alice's attention this time around, and she handles them well, with the help of Brer and Seth. With the book being short, there couldn't be a lot of time spent on each of the problems, which helps keep the book moving. I would, however, have liked more of each of the Corrupted situations. The idea of someone stealing music from a person is fascinating, and I really liked the whole thing with the orphanage. Especially a certain orphan who can see Alice even when she's only there in a dream.
One of the better books of the series.
October 25, 2012
This book absolutely rocked. It was the sole reason that I almost didn't finish my book club book in time this month. I couldn't put it down. Once again, we join Alice, Br'er Rabbit, and her maybe new sidekick/boyfriend-my-fingers-are-crossed-on-this-one friend Seth as they take down more Corrupteds and find the answers to the troubling new dreams that Alice is having about a certain orphanage. For a young adult book, this read was simply steller. Being back in Alice's world is like putting on a favorite pair of jeans. I enjoy the way that she's written so much. She and the world of the Grimm Chronicles are one of my favorite places to read/be right now. My only issue is that now I have to wait two months for the next installment! Please keep them coming.
October 24, 2012
Isabella has done it again! Another great book in the Grimm Chronicles series. This time Alice is a senior in high school. She now has extra help, with her friend Seth knowing her secret. Together, along with Briar, they tackle more fairy tale characters.
I read this book in one day! I couldn't put it down! Ready for December to see what happens next.
I read this book in one day! I couldn't put it down! Ready for December to see what happens next.
December 13, 2012
This isn't my usual sort of thing, but I actually really liked it. It was definitely fun, and I'm pretty impressed that the series still feels new and interesting. I wasn't sure whether or not things would get repetitive as the series went on, but it is in no danger of that anytime soon. I definitely enjoyed reading.
November 13, 2015
This series is addictive. I love that Alice now has 2 sidekicks, Briar & Seth. I would love it if the books were a bit longer but they hold my interest so that's ok. On to book 5!
July 17, 2016
More of a book fragment than a stand-alone. Reading this was like reading one chapter of a Percy Jackson.
Displaying 1 - 16 of 16 reviews