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The Grimm Legacy #2
The Wells Bequest
Leo never imagined that time travel might really be possible, or that the objects in H. G. Wells’ science fiction novels might actually exist. And when a miniature time machine appears in Leo’s bedroom, he has no idea who the tiny, beautiful girl is riding it. But in the few moments before it vanishes, returning to wherever—and whenever—it came from, he recognizes the other tiny rider: himself!
His search for the time machine, the girl, and his fate leads him to the New-York Circulating Material Repository, a magical library that lends out objects instead of books. Hidden away in the Repository basement is the Wells Bequest, a secret collection of powerful objects straight out of classic science fiction novels: robots, rockets, submarines, a shrink ray—and one very famous time machine. And when Leo’s adventure of a lifetime suddenly turns deadly, he must attempt a journey to 1895 to warn real-life scientist Nikola Tesla about a dangerous invention. A race for time is on!
In this grand time-travel adventure full of paradoxes and humor, Polly Shulman gives readers a taste of how fascinating science can be, deftly blending classic science fiction elements with the contemporary fantasy world readers fell in love with in The Grimm Legacy.
His search for the time machine, the girl, and his fate leads him to the New-York Circulating Material Repository, a magical library that lends out objects instead of books. Hidden away in the Repository basement is the Wells Bequest, a secret collection of powerful objects straight out of classic science fiction novels: robots, rockets, submarines, a shrink ray—and one very famous time machine. And when Leo’s adventure of a lifetime suddenly turns deadly, he must attempt a journey to 1895 to warn real-life scientist Nikola Tesla about a dangerous invention. A race for time is on!
In this grand time-travel adventure full of paradoxes and humor, Polly Shulman gives readers a taste of how fascinating science can be, deftly blending classic science fiction elements with the contemporary fantasy world readers fell in love with in The Grimm Legacy.
260 pages, Hardcover
First published June 13, 2013
105 people are currently reading
3898 people want to read
About the author
Polly Shulman
11 books474 followersPolly Shulman has edited and written articles about books, infinity, edible jellyfish, planets, circuses, and many other subjects for the New York Times, Science, Salon, and many other publications. She is an alumna of Yale, where she majored in math. She puts cayenne pepper in her chocolate cookies and reads forgotten books with frontispieces. In high school she worked as a page at the New York Public Library's main branch, where the librarians trusted her with the key to the special materials storage cage. She lives in New York City with her husband.
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November 24, 2012 MUST. HAVE. THIS. BOOK. NOW.
"The Grimm Legacy" is one of my favorite books EVARRRR!!
"The Grimm Legacy" is one of my favorite books EVARRRR!!
April 20, 2015
This was a fun book for tweens that I appreciated, although I'm much older than that age. :) Shulman moves from fairy tales The Grimm Legacy to science fiction novels with this book, but it still takes place in the New York Circulating Material Repository. Leo is the least scientifically-gifted in a family full of science geniuses. But he gets the opportunity to explore science in a way that his siblings never had. He'll find out for himself that time machines are real, among other really cool devices.
I thought this was pretty cute. I liked Leo's characterization. He was adorable with and his floppy black curl on his forehead. His crush on Jaya was very cute. Jaya seemed very mature for her age, which was interesting. I like that it's no big deal that he's Russian American and she's Indian American (not Native but the country). The use of various science fiction novels in the story was a fun touch. I mean, that would rock to be able to use The Time Machine and to meet Nicola Tesla.
Also, the use of Nicola Tesla was an interesting touch. I learned some new things about his conflict-ridden relationship with Thomas Edison and about Lewis Latimer, who was a black man whose work with electricity went a long way towards Edison inventing the light bulb. He actually drafted the patent for the telephone with Alexander Graham Bell before his work with Edison.
I'm always a fan of metafiction, and I liked that idea that devices from classic science fiction novels really worked in this book. Don't expect technical explanations that would stand up under rigorous scientific scrutiny. It's a major suspend disbelief in some aspects, but that's what fiction is often about.
I only gave this three stars because I felt like some parts of the story was lightweight. I would have preferred a little more story development in some areas. I think the ending wraps up a little too neatly. But I still enjoyed listening to this, narrated by the excellent Johnny Heller.
I thought this was pretty cute. I liked Leo's characterization. He was adorable with and his floppy black curl on his forehead. His crush on Jaya was very cute. Jaya seemed very mature for her age, which was interesting. I like that it's no big deal that he's Russian American and she's Indian American (not Native but the country). The use of various science fiction novels in the story was a fun touch. I mean, that would rock to be able to use The Time Machine and to meet Nicola Tesla.
Also, the use of Nicola Tesla was an interesting touch. I learned some new things about his conflict-ridden relationship with Thomas Edison and about Lewis Latimer, who was a black man whose work with electricity went a long way towards Edison inventing the light bulb. He actually drafted the patent for the telephone with Alexander Graham Bell before his work with Edison.
I'm always a fan of metafiction, and I liked that idea that devices from classic science fiction novels really worked in this book. Don't expect technical explanations that would stand up under rigorous scientific scrutiny. It's a major suspend disbelief in some aspects, but that's what fiction is often about.
I only gave this three stars because I felt like some parts of the story was lightweight. I would have preferred a little more story development in some areas. I think the ending wraps up a little too neatly. But I still enjoyed listening to this, narrated by the excellent Johnny Heller.
September 6, 2013
2.5 stars
I enjoyed The Grimm Legacy, but this one just did not interest me.
a) I am not all that big on scifi. In books. I know.
b) Teens barely into their teens falling in love is one of the things that will immediately annoy me and turn me away from any work, written or visual. Just. No.
c) The villain's whole raison d'etre is that he is madly in love with his what, 14 year-old co-worker? Buh-bye now.
Other than that , I applaud the idea. I just do not think that I will be continuing with the series.
I enjoyed The Grimm Legacy, but this one just did not interest me.
a) I am not all that big on scifi. In books. I know.
b) Teens barely into their teens falling in love is one of the things that will immediately annoy me and turn me away from any work, written or visual. Just. No.
c) The villain's whole raison d'etre is that he is madly in love with his what, 14 year-old co-worker? Buh-bye now.
Other than that , I applaud the idea. I just do not think that I will be continuing with the series.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
June 21, 2013
Originally posted at Random Musings of a Bibliophile.
"Would you really want to live in a world where only the possible is possible?"
Shulman introduced the New York Circulating Material Repository and its special collections in her novel The Grimm Legacy, a book I thoroughly enjoy and find to be tons of fun. The Wells Bequest is even better. It is a true companion novel and not a sequel. If fairy tale fantasy isn't your thing, but science-fiction is you can read this on its own.
Leo comes from a family of scientists. He is not going to be a great scientist in the traditional sense. He is a tech geek and does amazing and creative things with tech. When he discovers time travel is possible via seeing himself doing it, and with a gorgeous girl no less, he starts shifting his creative scientific brain in that direction. This leads him to the Repository where he is astonished to find the girl he saw with him when he time traveled. Jaya Rao is tenacious, determined, and creative. Readers of The Grimm Legacy will recognize her as the 10 year old little sister of Anjali-now a teen page herself. The intervening years have only made her more stubborn and lively. I loved watching the friendship and partenership between Leo and Jaya develop. They make a spectacular team. He needs someone to motivate his innate brilliance, she needs someone to inject some caution into her frantic headstrong rush through life. I enjoyed the dynamic between the two of them tremendously.
I also enjoyed how the whole time travel element was dealt with in the story. When Leo first starts to contemplate time travel he is desperately afraid he will mess up things up, disturb the timeline of history in horrible ways. What is interesting about the time travel devices is that they all act the way they do in whatever work they came from, making the Wells machine the most powerful and dangerous, because in it you can alter anything and cross your own timeline. I love how the possible paradoxes and consequences are discussed in theory, but not in an overly technical or boring manner, and what is important isn't the the theory but the actual result.
The plot is fast paced and engaging from start to finish. It is a fun story full of adventure, action, and just a touch of romance. This is a perfect read for anyone who loves being caught up in a good time-travel story.
I sincerely hope that we will be getting books from Ms. Shulman about the two other special collections at the Repository, the Lovecraft Corpus which houses the paranormal, and the Gibson Chrestomathy which houses cyber technologies. The want factor for this is pretty high for me.
"Would you really want to live in a world where only the possible is possible?"
Shulman introduced the New York Circulating Material Repository and its special collections in her novel The Grimm Legacy, a book I thoroughly enjoy and find to be tons of fun. The Wells Bequest is even better. It is a true companion novel and not a sequel. If fairy tale fantasy isn't your thing, but science-fiction is you can read this on its own.
Leo comes from a family of scientists. He is not going to be a great scientist in the traditional sense. He is a tech geek and does amazing and creative things with tech. When he discovers time travel is possible via seeing himself doing it, and with a gorgeous girl no less, he starts shifting his creative scientific brain in that direction. This leads him to the Repository where he is astonished to find the girl he saw with him when he time traveled. Jaya Rao is tenacious, determined, and creative. Readers of The Grimm Legacy will recognize her as the 10 year old little sister of Anjali-now a teen page herself. The intervening years have only made her more stubborn and lively. I loved watching the friendship and partenership between Leo and Jaya develop. They make a spectacular team. He needs someone to motivate his innate brilliance, she needs someone to inject some caution into her frantic headstrong rush through life. I enjoyed the dynamic between the two of them tremendously.
I also enjoyed how the whole time travel element was dealt with in the story. When Leo first starts to contemplate time travel he is desperately afraid he will mess up things up, disturb the timeline of history in horrible ways. What is interesting about the time travel devices is that they all act the way they do in whatever work they came from, making the Wells machine the most powerful and dangerous, because in it you can alter anything and cross your own timeline. I love how the possible paradoxes and consequences are discussed in theory, but not in an overly technical or boring manner, and what is important isn't the the theory but the actual result.
The plot is fast paced and engaging from start to finish. It is a fun story full of adventure, action, and just a touch of romance. This is a perfect read for anyone who loves being caught up in a good time-travel story.
I sincerely hope that we will be getting books from Ms. Shulman about the two other special collections at the Repository, the Lovecraft Corpus which houses the paranormal, and the Gibson Chrestomathy which houses cyber technologies. The want factor for this is pretty high for me.
June 1, 2016
This was book #2 in the Grimm Legacy series and you could tell Shulman's writing is getting better. I enjoyed this one more than the first. This one was also about the repository, the lending library of objects, but this was about a section called the "Wells Bequest" which help more futuristic type items. More science fiction if you will. This was all about finding Orson Wells Time machine and going back in time to fix some wrongs. Highly entertaining and better put together than the first book, it had slightly more character depth and I enjoyed that the characters were related to the ones in the first book. A good, fun, feel good book for the kiddos.
June 25, 2014
This book is just as entertaining as the first. It's wonderful how this series has a different genre each book.
The characters had depth and I liked the minor references to the first book, tying the whole series together.
It was not as good as the first, and the time travel parts were sometimes hard to follow. Some parts were very unrealistic, even for fiction.
Nice book, acceptable sequel. I'm looking forwards to another Grimm Legacy book. (Fingers crossed for a Lovecraft Corpus book!)
Alternate rating: B+
The characters had depth and I liked the minor references to the first book, tying the whole series together.
It was not as good as the first, and the time travel parts were sometimes hard to follow. Some parts were very unrealistic, even for fiction.
Nice book, acceptable sequel. I'm looking forwards to another Grimm Legacy book. (Fingers crossed for a Lovecraft Corpus book!)
Alternate rating: B+
June 16, 2013
I have to admit, I'm a little disappointed by this book. I loved The Grimm Legacy, thought it was absolutely charming, but The Wells Bequest seemed a little silly, in ways I'm not sure Shulman meant. However, it still managed to be pretty fun and I don't regret reading it, I just hoped for more.
January 27, 2013
Leo comes from a family of scientists. And not just any scientists, but really, really good scientists. He’s… creative. He’s a really good inventor, he can see the machines before he even picks up a tool. It’s just that they don’t always do exactly what he expects them to. One night a tiny machine phases into his bedroom. It is being driven by a miniature version of himself and an amazing girl. They tell him that they’re from the future and that it is important that he read The Time Machine by H.G. Wells (If that makes you think of the title of the book, good catch). The girl tries to tell him something else, but future-Leo stops her and they disappear.
When Leo goes to the New-York Circulating Materials Repository he meets the regular sized version of the beautiful girl. Her name is Jaya and she’s the head page at the Repository. Leo falls in love and manages to get a job as a page in fairly short order. Leo has two goals for his time at the Repository; spend as much time as possible with Jaya and find the time machine that was in his bedroom. Along the way he discovers the Special Collections at the Repository. The Wells Bequest, in particular, is of interest. It has a time machine. It’s just… it doesn’t work. The glittering rod doesn’t glitter and the machine as a whole doesn’t go. When one of the pages goes a little crazy and threatens New York with a (theoretically) working version of Tesla’s Death Ray it becomes vital for Leo and Jaya to go back in time and stop Tesla’s assistant from stealing the plans.
This was an amazingly fun read. The first book is pretty girl focused, but I think the second one will appeal to boys too. The book stands on its own. You know that something has happened at the Repository before, but you wouldn’t be lost if you started with the Wells Bequest. There’s romance, but not so much that I’d call it (in the immortal words of The Princess Bride) a kissing book. This novel has my whole-hearted recommendation.
When Leo goes to the New-York Circulating Materials Repository he meets the regular sized version of the beautiful girl. Her name is Jaya and she’s the head page at the Repository. Leo falls in love and manages to get a job as a page in fairly short order. Leo has two goals for his time at the Repository; spend as much time as possible with Jaya and find the time machine that was in his bedroom. Along the way he discovers the Special Collections at the Repository. The Wells Bequest, in particular, is of interest. It has a time machine. It’s just… it doesn’t work. The glittering rod doesn’t glitter and the machine as a whole doesn’t go. When one of the pages goes a little crazy and threatens New York with a (theoretically) working version of Tesla’s Death Ray it becomes vital for Leo and Jaya to go back in time and stop Tesla’s assistant from stealing the plans.
This was an amazingly fun read. The first book is pretty girl focused, but I think the second one will appeal to boys too. The book stands on its own. You know that something has happened at the Repository before, but you wouldn’t be lost if you started with the Wells Bequest. There’s romance, but not so much that I’d call it (in the immortal words of The Princess Bride) a kissing book. This novel has my whole-hearted recommendation.
February 2, 2014
I will admit that I didn’t read the synopsis of this book before starting it. I had just finished the Grim Legacy a week or so before starting on the Wells Bequest, and was hoping to see Shulman’s abilities as an author improve with this second in the series. And I guess it’s clear from my two star review that I didn’t like this book. Which was an enormous letdown! I was all set to like this book. And the plot wasn’t bad, but there were things in the book that made me almost stop reading it.
Let’s start with Jaya. She wasn’t my favorite character in the Grimm Legacy, but she was like 10 years old, so her being annoying made sense. When I realized she was in this book, I was excited because that grounded me in the world Shulman had already established. But Jaya hasn’t changed. She’s still an obstinate, contrary person who doesn’t think things through. Like how she keeps trying to reveal spoilers about the future. Leo has to cover her mouth to get her to shut up. You would think that the head page of the library would know better. It is in keeping with her personality, but that personality is basically the same now that she’s a teenager as it was when she was 10, and she drove me crazy.
Leo, the main character, was fine. Not exactly a well-rounded character, but he didn’t bug me. What did bug me was his infatuation with Jaya. Or rather, how that infatuation was handled. Without giving anything away, I felt that the romantic relationships/feeling in this book were not suited to 16 year olds. It was like an adult plot had been fitted to a YA novel, without changing anything. The ‘bad guy’ threatens to blow up New York because the girl he likes hates him now? Okay, ignoring how overdone that is, these are teenagers. Yes, they tend to the overdramatic, but come on. This is full blown cheesy super villain. He’s even British.
Some of the same complaints I had about the Grimm Legacy hold for this book. There is amazing potential in the library collections, and Schulman didn’t come close to exploring all of them. And while we got to see some of the items held in the Wells, Leo really only used the time machine and the shrink ray, and we saw the shrink ray in the first book. None of the characters are explored in depth, which means that they fit neatly into stereotypes.
Long story short, I will not be reading any of the hinted at future books.
Let’s start with Jaya. She wasn’t my favorite character in the Grimm Legacy, but she was like 10 years old, so her being annoying made sense. When I realized she was in this book, I was excited because that grounded me in the world Shulman had already established. But Jaya hasn’t changed. She’s still an obstinate, contrary person who doesn’t think things through. Like how she keeps trying to reveal spoilers about the future. Leo has to cover her mouth to get her to shut up. You would think that the head page of the library would know better. It is in keeping with her personality, but that personality is basically the same now that she’s a teenager as it was when she was 10, and she drove me crazy.
Leo, the main character, was fine. Not exactly a well-rounded character, but he didn’t bug me. What did bug me was his infatuation with Jaya. Or rather, how that infatuation was handled. Without giving anything away, I felt that the romantic relationships/feeling in this book were not suited to 16 year olds. It was like an adult plot had been fitted to a YA novel, without changing anything. The ‘bad guy’ threatens to blow up New York because the girl he likes hates him now? Okay, ignoring how overdone that is, these are teenagers. Yes, they tend to the overdramatic, but come on. This is full blown cheesy super villain. He’s even British.
Some of the same complaints I had about the Grimm Legacy hold for this book. There is amazing potential in the library collections, and Schulman didn’t come close to exploring all of them. And while we got to see some of the items held in the Wells, Leo really only used the time machine and the shrink ray, and we saw the shrink ray in the first book. None of the characters are explored in depth, which means that they fit neatly into stereotypes.
Long story short, I will not be reading any of the hinted at future books.
October 27, 2017
Unfortunately, this book did not work for me. It had an interesting premise, but such a disappointing execution. Here are some of my issues with the book:
1. Q&A. From the minute Leo discovered the Repository the dialogue between characters were mainly questions and answers. “How does this work?” “Like this” “but what about this?” “it’s like this” just enough already, I can read a YA without knowing how everything work and not question its credibility. Now it just got away from the story.
2. Took too long before time travel. Since it took a billion years to explain everything (in dialogue…) the time travel didn’t happen until when the book was almost over. We were too stuck on details. We had to suffer through every aspect on discovering where it was, getting it, getting back, getting a shrink machine, shrinking everyone, arguing about who would steer the machine, talk about the date, worrying if the apartment was built where they time travel so they don’t die and OH MY JUST GET ON WITH IT!
3. The villain. A British boy who feels entitled to Jaya since she was nice to him. She says no. No is not in his vocabulary so he decides to use a death ray. Toxic masculinity much? But seriously, I felt like this was not problematised enough. Sure, the death ray, but his entitlement?
4. Weird chemistry and solution to the villain. Leo and Jaya were so annoying together. Not only where their dialogue always a Q&A, but Leo was such a worrier and Yaya too careless. So basically, they always argued about the best approach. And SPOILER: the way to solve the villain’s obsession with Jaya? Find him another girl to be obsessed with!? Are you freakin’ serious? Also, are we not going to discuss Leo’s obsession with Jaya? No? It’s okay because he’s the main character? Got it…
5. Explaining the time travel decision. One would think time travel would be exiting. Well it wasn’t. It was either arguing about how something might mess up the future, explaining how it wont to cover up possible plot holes, or over-explaining (like, she took out some money and gave to the conductor, the conductor said to go to another person, they go to another person, give the other person money, the other person gives them a ticket, they give the ticket to the conductor, they take a seat and talk about where they should get off… just what I want to read about).
So no, this was not a book for me. Might work for some, but I just feel frustrated thinking about it.
1. Q&A. From the minute Leo discovered the Repository the dialogue between characters were mainly questions and answers. “How does this work?” “Like this” “but what about this?” “it’s like this” just enough already, I can read a YA without knowing how everything work and not question its credibility. Now it just got away from the story.
2. Took too long before time travel. Since it took a billion years to explain everything (in dialogue…) the time travel didn’t happen until when the book was almost over. We were too stuck on details. We had to suffer through every aspect on discovering where it was, getting it, getting back, getting a shrink machine, shrinking everyone, arguing about who would steer the machine, talk about the date, worrying if the apartment was built where they time travel so they don’t die and OH MY JUST GET ON WITH IT!
3. The villain. A British boy who feels entitled to Jaya since she was nice to him. She says no. No is not in his vocabulary so he decides to use a death ray. Toxic masculinity much? But seriously, I felt like this was not problematised enough. Sure, the death ray, but his entitlement?
4. Weird chemistry and solution to the villain. Leo and Jaya were so annoying together. Not only where their dialogue always a Q&A, but Leo was such a worrier and Yaya too careless. So basically, they always argued about the best approach. And SPOILER: the way to solve the villain’s obsession with Jaya? Find him another girl to be obsessed with!? Are you freakin’ serious? Also, are we not going to discuss Leo’s obsession with Jaya? No? It’s okay because he’s the main character? Got it…
5. Explaining the time travel decision. One would think time travel would be exiting. Well it wasn’t. It was either arguing about how something might mess up the future, explaining how it wont to cover up possible plot holes, or over-explaining (like, she took out some money and gave to the conductor, the conductor said to go to another person, they go to another person, give the other person money, the other person gives them a ticket, they give the ticket to the conductor, they take a seat and talk about where they should get off… just what I want to read about).
So no, this was not a book for me. Might work for some, but I just feel frustrated thinking about it.
May 8, 2022
Slow beginning and middle that didn't grab me as much as the first book, (perhaps made worse by the involuntary reading hiatus in the middle) but it really grew on me by the end.
Content isn't too bad for the age bracket, but it's worth mentioning that the main character spends a lot of time thinking about kissing the girl he has a crush on.
Original DNF review:
I was enjoying this one, and will definitely be coming back to it. It was just in a batch of books that had to be suddenly returned to the library for an emergency trip.
Content isn't too bad for the age bracket, but it's worth mentioning that the main character spends a lot of time thinking about kissing the girl he has a crush on.
Original DNF review:
I was enjoying this one, and will definitely be coming back to it. It was just in a batch of books that had to be suddenly returned to the library for an emergency trip.
June 15, 2025
Loved the references to different classic literature and science. It was fun to consider that the science in those books could exist somewhere, and that that reality is real, someway. However, the shoehorned romance didn't feel necessary especially for the intended age range. A good friendship would have been just fine, (Simon AND Leo could both still have a crush even), but it felt VERY unneeded.
November 12, 2024
I wanna be a page at a repository 😔
March 21, 2017
The New York Circulating Material Repository as described in The Grimm Legacy sounded incredible. The second book in the series confirms what a great place it could be. Lets answer a question straight away. Yes, this is a sequel. No, it has different characters. But as a whole it works just right. Let me explain. A page that works part-time would only work at the Repository a couple of years then go to College and if they chose a career come back to the Repository either as a benefactor or maybe a Librarian. So the changeover makes sense.
Now the "Wells Bequest" as opposed to the "Grimm Legacy" it contains only Science Fiction articles. Yes, those we have read from H.G. Wells. But it also contains artifacts and items from other Science Fiction writers and inventors. Just like the Grimm Legacy its articles can be dangerous if handled by dangerous people. But they can also be incredibly fun. Now handled by Polly Shulman they are definitely the latter.
I read the series because my daughter recommended the books. They might not be targeted for my age. But dammit I read "The Time Machine", "Twenty Thousand Leagues Under the Sea", "A Connecticut Yankee in King Arthur's Court". So guess what I loved this book. I enjoyed every item mentioned and remembered fondly the stories and what an opportunity it could be to get a story based on any of the items.
I enjoyed Leo and Jaya as main characters. The action is great I highly recommend the book.
After this book I'll have to go update by read books in Goodreads. I don't think I put The Island of Dr. Moreau , "The Invisible Man", "Around the World in 80 Days", and a bunch others I remembered while reading this one.
Now the "Wells Bequest" as opposed to the "Grimm Legacy" it contains only Science Fiction articles. Yes, those we have read from H.G. Wells. But it also contains artifacts and items from other Science Fiction writers and inventors. Just like the Grimm Legacy its articles can be dangerous if handled by dangerous people. But they can also be incredibly fun. Now handled by Polly Shulman they are definitely the latter.
I read the series because my daughter recommended the books. They might not be targeted for my age. But dammit I read "The Time Machine", "Twenty Thousand Leagues Under the Sea", "A Connecticut Yankee in King Arthur's Court". So guess what I loved this book. I enjoyed every item mentioned and remembered fondly the stories and what an opportunity it could be to get a story based on any of the items.
I enjoyed Leo and Jaya as main characters. The action is great I highly recommend the book.
After this book I'll have to go update by read books in Goodreads. I don't think I put The Island of Dr. Moreau , "The Invisible Man", "Around the World in 80 Days", and a bunch others I remembered while reading this one.
July 16, 2020
I really wanted to know what happened to Elizabeth in the Grimm Legacy book, but turns out this has almost nothing to do with the previous book. :'<
Book 1 and Book 2
So that was kind of let down, in this second book, Shulman basically sums it up and says that everything was resolved without mentioning it much and goes on to show us a new group of characters.
If there is a third book, I really want it to be classified as (The Grimm Legacy #1.5) that explains how the items that were stolen were recovered and who was behind the whole series of thefts in the Repository.
Shulman is writing currently a third book, so can't wait to read that one :D
Book 1 and Book 2
So that was kind of let down, in this second book, Shulman basically sums it up and says that everything was resolved without mentioning it much and goes on to show us a new group of characters.
If there is a third book, I really want it to be classified as (The Grimm Legacy #1.5) that explains how the items that were stolen were recovered and who was behind the whole series of thefts in the Repository.
Shulman is writing currently a third book, so can't wait to read that one :D
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
October 29, 2019
Overall, The Wells Bequest was a good read. It had good details and imagery that helped explain the setting and give the reader a sense of what was going on in the story.
One problem, personally for me, was the pace of the story. The pace of the book was slow in the beginning but then all of a sudden the the speed of which events happened increased greatly. At one point the main characters are in England then they go to the 1880's to speak to a very important scientific figure in order to save his work. The events while they were in the past seemed rushed though. The characters were in a lounge listening to a presentation, then they go to a lab, then they are back in the present within a few pages. The ending seemed as though the author was running out of things to say, so she came up with a rudimentary ending of the guy gets the girl and his enemy is now alive again... the end. Aside from the pace that the story is told, the other literary elements that are used help make up for the skipping around of the story.
One aspect of the book that was good was the imagery that was used. One of the main characters is named Leo. Leo is in love with the other main characters in the novel. When Leo describes this cahracter he uses words that really depict the physical appearance. "She has beautiful brown hair, dark brown eyes, and she wore a beautiful dress that belended with her skin tone". Also when describing the rooms in the reposity, he says "The main exam room was very odd. The ceiling showed an image of a clear blue sky when it was storming outside. The stain glass windows that surrounded the room seemed to be moving, the figures were moving around within their picture. I had to find the head librarian, but there was a ray of sunlight illuminating his work space. So I presummed that he was the head librarian".
After reading this book, I would say that it is geared toward a younger audience. I read this book and thought it was so imaginative, it seemed that a younger reader would enjoy it more than me. I am not saying that someone my age wouldn't enjoy it. If I am being broader with my statement, I should say young readers or a lower aged teenager (14-15) with an enjoyment for science fiction. Personally, I enjoy historical fiction. Though the story does include a chapter or two where history is not real, the overview of the story would probably categorize it as science fiction.
So in conclusion, this would an overall good book. It did have some elements that I personally didn't like, but there were other literary elements that made up for it. I would definitly recommomend this book to young teens who enjoy science fiction.
One problem, personally for me, was the pace of the story. The pace of the book was slow in the beginning but then all of a sudden the the speed of which events happened increased greatly. At one point the main characters are in England then they go to the 1880's to speak to a very important scientific figure in order to save his work. The events while they were in the past seemed rushed though. The characters were in a lounge listening to a presentation, then they go to a lab, then they are back in the present within a few pages. The ending seemed as though the author was running out of things to say, so she came up with a rudimentary ending of the guy gets the girl and his enemy is now alive again... the end. Aside from the pace that the story is told, the other literary elements that are used help make up for the skipping around of the story.
One aspect of the book that was good was the imagery that was used. One of the main characters is named Leo. Leo is in love with the other main characters in the novel. When Leo describes this cahracter he uses words that really depict the physical appearance. "She has beautiful brown hair, dark brown eyes, and she wore a beautiful dress that belended with her skin tone". Also when describing the rooms in the reposity, he says "The main exam room was very odd. The ceiling showed an image of a clear blue sky when it was storming outside. The stain glass windows that surrounded the room seemed to be moving, the figures were moving around within their picture. I had to find the head librarian, but there was a ray of sunlight illuminating his work space. So I presummed that he was the head librarian".
After reading this book, I would say that it is geared toward a younger audience. I read this book and thought it was so imaginative, it seemed that a younger reader would enjoy it more than me. I am not saying that someone my age wouldn't enjoy it. If I am being broader with my statement, I should say young readers or a lower aged teenager (14-15) with an enjoyment for science fiction. Personally, I enjoy historical fiction. Though the story does include a chapter or two where history is not real, the overview of the story would probably categorize it as science fiction.
So in conclusion, this would an overall good book. It did have some elements that I personally didn't like, but there were other literary elements that made up for it. I would definitly recommomend this book to young teens who enjoy science fiction.
February 6, 2017
C'était vraiment chouette !
J'ai un peu regretté au début que les héros soient d'autres personnages par rapport au 1er bouquin mais finalement, ça passe bien. L'histoire est cool, les persos amusants et ça se lit très bien, y'a plein de clins d'oeil/hommages sympas, c'est vraiment du bon divertissement. :)
Par contre
J'ai un peu regretté au début que les héros soient d'autres personnages par rapport au 1er bouquin mais finalement, ça passe bien. L'histoire est cool, les persos amusants et ça se lit très bien, y'a plein de clins d'oeil/hommages sympas, c'est vraiment du bon divertissement. :)
Par contre
February 7, 2021
Funny, philosophical, fast-paced, and sciency. A very sweet MG-appropriate romance does not take up many pages. I doubt I'll like the other two in the series as well, as they are similar in pace/adventure but about fantasy ideas. I'm sure I would have loved this as a kid, and I liked it plenty as an old hag.
April 1, 2018
Definitely not as good as the first book. Not terrible, but I didn’t like the characters as much. I would’ve preferred to continue reading a storyline with the characters from Grimm Legacy.
April 6, 2025
I love this series!!!
September 4, 2023
"The Wednesday when the whole time-travel adventure began, I was fiddling with my game controller, trying to make the shoot button more sensitive."
I don't believe I've read too many time-travel novels, but it's something that always fascinates me and gets my brain turning. I could get into a whole rant about my thoughts on the butterfly effect and such, but I'll spare you all instead. When I was reading the first book in this series and a time machine in the H.G. Wells collection was brought up I knew there had to be a sequel that got deep into that and I was incredibly happy to find out that this novel was a companion to the first that did just that. I was even happier when I found out Jaya had a large focus in this book as I thought she had just as much potential as the H.G. Wells collection. And with all of my hopes, this book did not disappoint. I found the characters compelling to follow and the plot kept me on my toes just enough so my brain was turning with all the time-traveling happening. Exactly like I would want a time-travel novel to do. This series continues to be super enjoyable, and perfect for younger readers looking to get into longer stories.
The Grimm Legacy:⭐️⭐️⭐️
I don't believe I've read too many time-travel novels, but it's something that always fascinates me and gets my brain turning. I could get into a whole rant about my thoughts on the butterfly effect and such, but I'll spare you all instead. When I was reading the first book in this series and a time machine in the H.G. Wells collection was brought up I knew there had to be a sequel that got deep into that and I was incredibly happy to find out that this novel was a companion to the first that did just that. I was even happier when I found out Jaya had a large focus in this book as I thought she had just as much potential as the H.G. Wells collection. And with all of my hopes, this book did not disappoint. I found the characters compelling to follow and the plot kept me on my toes just enough so my brain was turning with all the time-traveling happening. Exactly like I would want a time-travel novel to do. This series continues to be super enjoyable, and perfect for younger readers looking to get into longer stories.
The Grimm Legacy:⭐️⭐️⭐️
June 15, 2013
When a surprise package with The Wells Bequest showed up on my doorstep, I was actually super excited. For once, a sequel to a book I'd actually read and enjoyed; the gods were obviously smiling on me. The Wells Bequest turned out to be just as much fun as The Grimm Legacy, full of nerdy references and jokes, surprise historical figures, and adventure.
Let me explain this series a little bit for those who are unfamiliar. The Wells Bequest is more of a companion novel than a direct sequel. Jaya, Leo's love interest, had a role in the first book, but otherwise they're fairly unconnected. The series centers on a library: The New-York Circulating Material Repository. This repository loans items, rather than books, ranging from an ordinary toaster to automatons built centuries ago. Even more special, the repository contains items from fiction, made real through some sort of complex paradox. Believe me, you don't want to get the librarians started on whether fiction is fictional. Obviously, I love this premise. Where The Grimm Legacy focused on objects from the Grimm fairytales, The Wells Bequest deals primarily with items from H.G. Wells' science fiction stories.
Everything kicks off when Leo, sitting and playing video games in his room, gets some surprise visitors: himself and a very pretty girl. Also, they're six inches tall and riding on a little box. They inform him that they're from the future, and Leo's future self commands him to read The Time Machine. He does so, which interests him in the idea of time travel. Since he has a science project to do for school, he considers doing it on time travel, but decides to do robots instead and his teacher sends him to the repository to research.
Leo had some self-esteem issues at the beginning of the book. The son of genius parents with genius siblings, he didn't get admitted to the good school he'd applied to. He doesn't test well, and feels inferior to his family. Leo himself is a genius too in his own way, brilliant at building and fixing mechanical gadgets. His adventure and his work at the repository helps him to appreciate his own skills.
Some of the time travel stuff gets a bit convoluted, but overall this was just such a fun read. I love all of the references to various classic stories, which are not limited to H. G. Wells. If you're a fan of nerdy references of the literary or historical variety, then you'll want to check this out. For example, both Mark Twain and Nikola Tesla make appearances in The Wells Bequest. Another big perk of the series is how diverse it is, with characters from various countries and ethnic backgrounds.
The main weakness I found in the book was that some of the dialogue did feel a bit forced. Leo and Jaya know so much and are incredibly well-read. However, occasionally one of them would ask an incredibly simple question. It just felt like sometimes the characters were given an unlikely knowledge gap, so that they needed something explained to them, thus imparting the audience with that information. There are better ways to get that done.
Polly Shulman's The Wells Bequest is a fantastic sequel to The Grimm Legacy. This series will have a lot of appeal to middle graders, since it's full of humor, adventure and a bit of magic. Parents will love the amount of educational information snuck into the book. The series reads a bit like a middle grade version of the Thursday Next series.
Let me explain this series a little bit for those who are unfamiliar. The Wells Bequest is more of a companion novel than a direct sequel. Jaya, Leo's love interest, had a role in the first book, but otherwise they're fairly unconnected. The series centers on a library: The New-York Circulating Material Repository. This repository loans items, rather than books, ranging from an ordinary toaster to automatons built centuries ago. Even more special, the repository contains items from fiction, made real through some sort of complex paradox. Believe me, you don't want to get the librarians started on whether fiction is fictional. Obviously, I love this premise. Where The Grimm Legacy focused on objects from the Grimm fairytales, The Wells Bequest deals primarily with items from H.G. Wells' science fiction stories.
Everything kicks off when Leo, sitting and playing video games in his room, gets some surprise visitors: himself and a very pretty girl. Also, they're six inches tall and riding on a little box. They inform him that they're from the future, and Leo's future self commands him to read The Time Machine. He does so, which interests him in the idea of time travel. Since he has a science project to do for school, he considers doing it on time travel, but decides to do robots instead and his teacher sends him to the repository to research.
Leo had some self-esteem issues at the beginning of the book. The son of genius parents with genius siblings, he didn't get admitted to the good school he'd applied to. He doesn't test well, and feels inferior to his family. Leo himself is a genius too in his own way, brilliant at building and fixing mechanical gadgets. His adventure and his work at the repository helps him to appreciate his own skills.
Some of the time travel stuff gets a bit convoluted, but overall this was just such a fun read. I love all of the references to various classic stories, which are not limited to H. G. Wells. If you're a fan of nerdy references of the literary or historical variety, then you'll want to check this out. For example, both Mark Twain and Nikola Tesla make appearances in The Wells Bequest. Another big perk of the series is how diverse it is, with characters from various countries and ethnic backgrounds.
The main weakness I found in the book was that some of the dialogue did feel a bit forced. Leo and Jaya know so much and are incredibly well-read. However, occasionally one of them would ask an incredibly simple question. It just felt like sometimes the characters were given an unlikely knowledge gap, so that they needed something explained to them, thus imparting the audience with that information. There are better ways to get that done.
Polly Shulman's The Wells Bequest is a fantastic sequel to The Grimm Legacy. This series will have a lot of appeal to middle graders, since it's full of humor, adventure and a bit of magic. Parents will love the amount of educational information snuck into the book. The series reads a bit like a middle grade version of the Thursday Next series.
June 9, 2013
I have been waiting for A YEAR to write about this book! Soon to be released (in mid-June), I have been anxiously awaiting a chance to read this book... so I jumped on the chance when it became available.
Last year, The Grimm Legacy was arguably the book that I recommended the most to students. It was so original, the characters so engaging… many readers finished in just one or two nights because they couldn’t put it down. The Wells Bequest is Shulman’s companion to The Grimm Legacy, and it is going to be another book highly recommended by me.
Readers are almost immediately introduced to Leo and future Leo. One regular Wednesday, Leo is fiddling with a game controller when he is approached by a miniature, future version of himself and a striking girl about his age. When told by his future self to read HG Wells’ The Time Machine, he does. And so, he is rewarded with a fast paced adventure across oceans and into the past.
Leo’s family is chock full of geniuses. His parents, his sister, his brother… they are all brilliant. Leo doesn’t feel so confident about his abilities, and when it is Science Fair time, he checks in with his teacher. She recommends robots, and Leo is still thinking time machines. Knowing robots is more feasible, he finds himself at the New York Circulating Material Repository. Here, he finds robots from hundreds of years ago… and the full-size version of the girl he had seen the week before! After this girl – Jaya – helps Leo get a job at the Repository, Leo’s adventure into time begins. Leo begins to wonder... f this little library has ancient robots, could it have (maybe!) time machines?
Along Leo’s journey, he and Jaya have to work against Simon FitzHenry, a fellow page at the Repository. When the lovely Jaya spurns FitzHenry’s affections, he decides he needs to remedy the love triangle. His decision to ‘fix’ this causes trouble across time. Leo and Jaya race, often against the advice of adults, to prevent FitzHenry from finding a valuable – and terrible – invention.
In the past, Leo and readers are introduced to some of the most intriguing figures in history. I can imagine many readers being so charmed by some of these characters that they delve into their actual lives as well. This is a book I will recommend to most readers. Overall, it is very enjoyable. As a reader of the first book, too, I was a little disappointed by the explanation (or, more exactly that there is no explanation) of how the materials arrive at the New York Circulating Material Repository. In fact, I almost wish it had never been addressed. Sure, I was curious about it, but that mystery was one I didn’t mind having. The time travel discussions were interesting to me, and will certainly be interesting to some students, but may not connect with some readers. What WILL connect with readers is Leo's character. He is a little unsure of himself, not very confident in his abilities. Leo's thoughts on what it is like to fit in at a new place (the Repository) are realistic and readers will be able to relate. He is an interesting and unique character, and I like that he is not a perfect 'hero.' Leo gets nervous, and Leo makes mistakes. As a whole, I’d give this nine out of ten stars.
If you are a reader who is interested in time travel, science, or adventure, this book is for you. And if you've read The Grimm Legacy, you'll probably be as excited to read The Wells Bequest as I was.
Last year, The Grimm Legacy was arguably the book that I recommended the most to students. It was so original, the characters so engaging… many readers finished in just one or two nights because they couldn’t put it down. The Wells Bequest is Shulman’s companion to The Grimm Legacy, and it is going to be another book highly recommended by me.
Readers are almost immediately introduced to Leo and future Leo. One regular Wednesday, Leo is fiddling with a game controller when he is approached by a miniature, future version of himself and a striking girl about his age. When told by his future self to read HG Wells’ The Time Machine, he does. And so, he is rewarded with a fast paced adventure across oceans and into the past.
Leo’s family is chock full of geniuses. His parents, his sister, his brother… they are all brilliant. Leo doesn’t feel so confident about his abilities, and when it is Science Fair time, he checks in with his teacher. She recommends robots, and Leo is still thinking time machines. Knowing robots is more feasible, he finds himself at the New York Circulating Material Repository. Here, he finds robots from hundreds of years ago… and the full-size version of the girl he had seen the week before! After this girl – Jaya – helps Leo get a job at the Repository, Leo’s adventure into time begins. Leo begins to wonder... f this little library has ancient robots, could it have (maybe!) time machines?
Along Leo’s journey, he and Jaya have to work against Simon FitzHenry, a fellow page at the Repository. When the lovely Jaya spurns FitzHenry’s affections, he decides he needs to remedy the love triangle. His decision to ‘fix’ this causes trouble across time. Leo and Jaya race, often against the advice of adults, to prevent FitzHenry from finding a valuable – and terrible – invention.
In the past, Leo and readers are introduced to some of the most intriguing figures in history. I can imagine many readers being so charmed by some of these characters that they delve into their actual lives as well. This is a book I will recommend to most readers. Overall, it is very enjoyable. As a reader of the first book, too, I was a little disappointed by the explanation (or, more exactly that there is no explanation) of how the materials arrive at the New York Circulating Material Repository. In fact, I almost wish it had never been addressed. Sure, I was curious about it, but that mystery was one I didn’t mind having. The time travel discussions were interesting to me, and will certainly be interesting to some students, but may not connect with some readers. What WILL connect with readers is Leo's character. He is a little unsure of himself, not very confident in his abilities. Leo's thoughts on what it is like to fit in at a new place (the Repository) are realistic and readers will be able to relate. He is an interesting and unique character, and I like that he is not a perfect 'hero.' Leo gets nervous, and Leo makes mistakes. As a whole, I’d give this nine out of ten stars.
If you are a reader who is interested in time travel, science, or adventure, this book is for you. And if you've read The Grimm Legacy, you'll probably be as excited to read The Wells Bequest as I was.
February 2, 2014
4.5 stars. Researching a science project, Leo is introduced to the New York Circulating Material Repository, where items are loaned out - including ones from books, with seemingly magical qualities (although Leo doesn't know this yet). He falls in love with the place and with Jaya, a page who works there. Having seen himself on a time machine with Jaya, Leo assumes he's either crazy or that time travel actually exists. After things begin to go terribly wrong at the Repository, Leo and Jaya figure out a plan to use the time machine from Orson Wells' book, go back in time, and warn Nicolas Tesla about one of his inventions.
This is a companion book to The Grimm Legacy, which I read and absolutely loved a year or two ago. While I enjoyed the original book more, this was a very fun follow-up and I definitely liked it a lot! The characters were all entertaining and had such vivacious personalities; it was easy to want to be beside them and learn more about them. Leo was a great narrator and kept me entertained; Jaya was an excellent love interested, and together they helped the story move forward at a great pace. And, of course, the Repository itself was just as magical and wonderful as I remembered! I loved the idea of these "special collections" items, such as time machines, being available despite not belonging in our world, simply because they were created and belonged in another (fictional) world.
There were a lot of fun historical notes in this book, about both historical figures (such as Leo Tesla and his contemporaries) and also about books themselves - magical items from various books (some of which I'd never heard of but now want to read!) were available at the Repository and all had their various pros and cons. The entire story was just so clever and so fun! Because it dealt with time travel, there were the seemingly obligatory scenes that grew slightly confusing because I wasn't sure what was happening, exactly, but everything was explained well in the end and tied together perfectly.
You don't need to read The Grimm Legacy first to enjoy this, but it'd be a great introduction to this world (and there were a few nods to earlier events in here that would then make sense). The author created such an engrossing, interesting world - I want the Repository to be real!
This is a companion book to The Grimm Legacy, which I read and absolutely loved a year or two ago. While I enjoyed the original book more, this was a very fun follow-up and I definitely liked it a lot! The characters were all entertaining and had such vivacious personalities; it was easy to want to be beside them and learn more about them. Leo was a great narrator and kept me entertained; Jaya was an excellent love interested, and together they helped the story move forward at a great pace. And, of course, the Repository itself was just as magical and wonderful as I remembered! I loved the idea of these "special collections" items, such as time machines, being available despite not belonging in our world, simply because they were created and belonged in another (fictional) world.
There were a lot of fun historical notes in this book, about both historical figures (such as Leo Tesla and his contemporaries) and also about books themselves - magical items from various books (some of which I'd never heard of but now want to read!) were available at the Repository and all had their various pros and cons. The entire story was just so clever and so fun! Because it dealt with time travel, there were the seemingly obligatory scenes that grew slightly confusing because I wasn't sure what was happening, exactly, but everything was explained well in the end and tied together perfectly.
You don't need to read The Grimm Legacy first to enjoy this, but it'd be a great introduction to this world (and there were a few nods to earlier events in here that would then make sense). The author created such an engrossing, interesting world - I want the Repository to be real!
February 22, 2014
The Wells Bequest is a companion novel to The Grimm Legacy, a book I had not read before reading this one. The main character is Leo, who seems a miniature version of himself with an attractive girl flying on a miniature time machine. The only hint his mini self gives him is to read a book by H.G. Wells. Then Leo has a case of insta-love and his first thought is why would he be with such a beautiful girl. So he goes out in search of her and instead finds the New York Circulating Material Repository, which ironically enough the girl on on the time machine works at.
Jaya is the girl he saw himself with and she happens to work at the Repository. My favorite part of reading this book was learning more about the Repository and especially the special collections. I loved the idea of such a place. My problem came in a bit with the somewhat annoying budding romance between Leo and Jaya. Maybe it was due to Leo being the voice of the book, he becomes quickly obsessed, not unlike a teenage boy, with a beautiful girl. It helps when she turns out to be intelligent, creative and a bit kick butt when needed.
The plot itself circles around the relationship between Jaya and Leo. Jaya decides not to spend time with another employee, Simon, one who is plainly in love with her as well. After he is scorned, he becomes the villain of the story and the reason the preempts the time travel elements in the book. I really wanted to love this book, but it's hard to read a middle grade novel that is so entrenched in a love plot, doing something that bad YA novels do too often. I expect more for middle grade novels, deeper plots with deeper meanings. Not a time travel adventure prompted by a jealous love interest.
Final Verdict: The Wells Bequest did not live up to expectations and fell into the category of books that are too easily based on romance. I did enjoy the settings, the Repository, and the time travel adventures, but overall was disappointed.
Check out The Book Monsters for more reviews.
Jaya is the girl he saw himself with and she happens to work at the Repository. My favorite part of reading this book was learning more about the Repository and especially the special collections. I loved the idea of such a place. My problem came in a bit with the somewhat annoying budding romance between Leo and Jaya. Maybe it was due to Leo being the voice of the book, he becomes quickly obsessed, not unlike a teenage boy, with a beautiful girl. It helps when she turns out to be intelligent, creative and a bit kick butt when needed.
The plot itself circles around the relationship between Jaya and Leo. Jaya decides not to spend time with another employee, Simon, one who is plainly in love with her as well. After he is scorned, he becomes the villain of the story and the reason the preempts the time travel elements in the book. I really wanted to love this book, but it's hard to read a middle grade novel that is so entrenched in a love plot, doing something that bad YA novels do too often. I expect more for middle grade novels, deeper plots with deeper meanings. Not a time travel adventure prompted by a jealous love interest.
Final Verdict: The Wells Bequest did not live up to expectations and fell into the category of books that are too easily based on romance. I did enjoy the settings, the Repository, and the time travel adventures, but overall was disappointed.
Check out The Book Monsters for more reviews.
October 26, 2020
..Tiny Leo and a girl appear to Leo in his bedroom on a tiny time machine, and so it begins. Great middle school/YA story about some of the greatest science fiction authors and their inventions and machines with all the restrictions noted in their stories. I enjoyed the philosophical debates about changing the past and the ramifications. Different characters and science fiction spin instead of fairy tale/fantasy make this more of a companion book than part of a series with The Grimm Legacy. But I still loved this book and I can't wait to read Book #3 which is about Poe and obviously, horror. I will wait until next year, because I don't want it to end.
Likes:
* Time travel
* The Time Machine by H.G. Wells
* New York Circulating Material Repository started in 1745
* Jaya Rao, head page at New York Circulating Materials Repository
* Changing stained glass windows in Main Exam Room
* Dr. Leo Rust, Head Repositorian at New York Circulating Materials Repository
* Page entrance exam
* Jaya's father is on Board of Directors for Repository and sister Anjali was page in The Grimm Legacy
* Serious deposit for borrowing Special Collections objects
Dislikes:
* Unfriendly and jealous Simon FitzHenry
* Changing the past
* Unpredictable to use magical objects on each other
With-reservations:
jealousy, stalker, betrayal, stealing, borrowing without permission, greed, lying, stealing, changing history, threats, terrorist
New York Circulating Material Repository:
Likes:
* Time travel
* The Time Machine by H.G. Wells
* New York Circulating Material Repository started in 1745
* Jaya Rao, head page at New York Circulating Materials Repository
* Changing stained glass windows in Main Exam Room
* Dr. Leo Rust, Head Repositorian at New York Circulating Materials Repository
* Page entrance exam
* Jaya's father is on Board of Directors for Repository and sister Anjali was page in The Grimm Legacy
* Serious deposit for borrowing Special Collections objects
Dislikes:
* Unfriendly and jealous Simon FitzHenry
* Changing the past
* Unpredictable to use magical objects on each other
With-reservations:
jealousy, stalker, betrayal, stealing, borrowing without permission, greed, lying, stealing, changing history, threats, terrorist
New York Circulating Material Repository:
December 19, 2019
Again 4 for 4~5. I think the choice of book length of this series really put it at a disadvantage, to me any ways. Polly Shulman does a fabulous job at making people love her characters, and wanting more of them. In this book, one out of the two main characters (lmao) is someone, if having already read the first book, readers have met. I don't actually like this person too much, like, years passed between the two books, and I didn't really see character growth, and also not in this book alone or otherwise. The new main character though, this one I like. Even their family is pretty interesting, but like last book, those stuff weren't elaborated, which is a real pity.
I'd def. enjoy revisiting this series, and in one of those rereads, I'd def. rate a 5 at some point, because I do really think it's great, just that I also think it could have been even better, so that people like me couldn't complain "not getting enough of those character," so yeah, just a little longer would have done it. =P
P.S.: Because GR is sometimes retarded that they cannot get the simple thing such as reading order correctly displayed on the reading challenge, while I finished this book on Dec. 18 SF time and Dec. 18 TW time, I'll likely be changing it to Dec. 19 SF time when the option is available, just so it can correctly come after the book I read before it. I have no idea why this seemingly super easy thing couldn't be done right.
I'd def. enjoy revisiting this series, and in one of those rereads, I'd def. rate a 5 at some point, because I do really think it's great, just that I also think it could have been even better, so that people like me couldn't complain "not getting enough of those character," so yeah, just a little longer would have done it. =P
P.S.: Because GR is sometimes retarded that they cannot get the simple thing such as reading order correctly displayed on the reading challenge, while I finished this book on Dec. 18 SF time and Dec. 18 TW time, I'll likely be changing it to Dec. 19 SF time when the option is available, just so it can correctly come after the book I read before it. I have no idea why this seemingly super easy thing couldn't be done right.
August 31, 2016
What a wonderfully mix of imagination and science! I was first drawn in by the idea of time travel, but discovered this book was so much more than that. The main character Leo is an inventor, surrounded by a family of scientists. As a result, the more the plot unfolds the more Leo questions everything around him. I really enjoyed this aspect, as through Leo, Shulman addresses all the science questions that science fiction usually stays purposefully vague on or characters take as face value. This story is rooted in reality, with just a touch of fantasy where fictional objects exist in the real world. These items are kept and catalogued in a Library, and the Librarian in me loved the detail of the cataloging system. Endearing characters, an intriguing story and even a little time travel - I found this a very enjoyable read.
October 7, 2013
This was such a cool companion to the Grimm Legacy! The Wells Bequest focused on more of the science fiction collections. I am always a little hesitant to read books about time travel because they can get really messy. This one actually explained which rules were being followed, and what paradoxes could happen.
I also really liked the pairing of Jaya and Leo. They made a great team; Leo is a worrier and Jaya is impulsive. They both think very well on their feet which came in handy several times.
I hope that there will be more books in this series! I can't wait to read about the other special collections.
I also really liked the pairing of Jaya and Leo. They made a great team; Leo is a worrier and Jaya is impulsive. They both think very well on their feet which came in handy several times.
I hope that there will be more books in this series! I can't wait to read about the other special collections.
April 20, 2015
Actual Rating: 3.5
It was a little slow in the beginning, and it wasn't from Elizabeth's POV from the first book. Instead, it is from the point of view of a young boy by the name of Leo. It does make references to The Grimm Legacy and the characters within, but reveals more about the library than the first book.
It was a little slow in the beginning, and it wasn't from Elizabeth's POV from the first book. Instead, it is from the point of view of a young boy by the name of Leo. It does make references to The Grimm Legacy and the characters within, but reveals more about the library than the first book.
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