Book Review: Into the Forest and Down the Tower by Ann T. Bugg

This is the second book in the Before Happily Ever After Series. You can read my review of Book 1 here.

In this book, Val and Sam are back together, and they’re hoping they can find a way back into the world of Fairy Tales. The mirror (which had formerly allowed them entry) now hangs in Val’s house, but it hasn’t let them back to see their friends. That all changes when one of Val’s mother’s animals, a horse, becomes sick. The horse is going blind, and he’ll be limited in his activities from now on. Of course, not if Val has anything to say about it. The girls receive communications from “the other side” (the world of fairy tales) in the form of clues they must solve. Eventually, they find their way back, and their quest to help their horse turns into a series of sub-quests related to saving Rapunzel from the clutches of the evil witch. It turns out that the girls need to find a unicorn, which will be the key to saving Val’s horse.

As we learned in Book 1, one of Val’s friends in the world of fairy tales is one of the brothers Grimm. Val and Sam constantly wonder, after they experience the tales for themselves, why the Grimm version is so dark. It’s interesting to experience the girls’ adventures in the world and compare them to the stereotypical (as well as the Grimm) versions of the tales. I enjoyed being asked to solve the riddles along with the girls at the beginning of the book. It helped engage me as the reader. The book was fast-paced. It’s a middle-grade read that would appeal more to girls than to boys, and for a “grown-up,” it can be read in one or two sittings if you have the time. If you like fairy tales, you’ll like the imagery and characters. If you like the dark, violent Grimm tales, this book might be a little PG for you. As I mentioned before with this series, I would have loved it as a young reader.

I plan to review Book 3 soon, so be sure to follow my blog for updates!

I received a copy of this book in exchange for my honest opinion as part of the following blog tour. Click on the picture for author links, and use the Rafflecopter link for a chance to win a copy of all thee books!