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(3.5 / 5)
The Land of Stories #4
A fun continuation of the Land of Stories series. I particularly like the introduction of new worlds into the series, though I wished we could have spent perhaps a little more time in them. Each new land, which included Oz, Neverland, Wonderland, Sherwood Forest, and the world of King Arthur (pre-Camelot), only received a couple chapters of detail and I would have liked to have spent the whole book between these locations. I particularly liked Camelot; it was fun getting to see Arthur as a boy; one already knowing the great burden of the legend he would become. I saw the beginnings of a great character there, and I hope that he will be worked in again sometime in later books.
We see the return of our infamous “scavenger hunt” troupe in this book, but it is handled much more quickly and distinctly (with a bit of self-deprecating humor tied in). Oddly enough I think I enjoy the Bailey twins better when they are acting independently; and we got some of that, but not quite enough for my tastes. I feel like they grow and shine the most when they are separated, and that is where we get the best development in their characters.
Unfortunately, we were also left without a good climax in this story. Things were left mostly unfinished and the ending was a bit quick and lackluster; much more of a “to be continued” then a concrete ending. But I’m definitely starting to see the seeds of a grander plot, something that will test our heroes’ mettle to the max. I have a feeling that the final novels of this series are working towards a grand explosive finale, and I’m looking forward to reading it.