Review Detail

This story packs a lot of potential for deep discussion dressed up as a fractured fairytale. King Midas’ shadow magic is about to sweep the world and even though the Cursed City villagers no longer greet Lena with friendly smiles after learning she is a giant; she still is determined to help them. She is rocked to her core by people she trusts telling her giants are born from evil and that she can’t help because the shadow magic would overtake her too easily due to her evil origins. Therefore, she is grateful when she is nabbed by the Fairy Queens and sent on a series of magical quests to overcome her evil so she can save the world.
With each quest Lena is faced with something she is told is inherently wrong with her, yet using those traits is the only way to succeed and protect her friends. She is filled with deep disgust when she realizes a script for her to be the hero is laid out for her only if she denies who she is and becomes something the world is more comfortable with her being. With so many middle schoolers questioning who they are and where they fit in society, this is such a hard-hitting theme that she is exploring and her response to it makes me want to fist-pump the air and cheer her on!
Jin makes many discoveries about himself after learning the fairy queens do not like genies and are magically interrogated by them. The magical whammy they put him through leads to some hilarious interactions that were my favorite part of the book. However, it also leads to unintended consequences that seem to be a path to success.
There are a lot of parallels to the real world in how the city of Charm was presented. With people in power that have no filter in spewing hate the rest of the population didn’t hold back either and it became a very uncomfortable even dangerous place to live for anyone different. The Three Little Pigs’ farm exploited the masses with a few strong arms to back them and something the inhabitants needed to stay safe. Having the multitudes gain the courage to see that there are more of them than the bosses and that by demanding better treatment they can win has a lot of historical connections and current events that can lead to a deeper understanding for young children.
Final Verdict: Our heroes go on a much deeper quest than just saving the world, they must save their core selves and be true to who they were meant to be. That theme would be an excellent discussion topic and was much deeper than I expected in a fractured fairytale and am thankful it is there in a format that book banners are not likely to find but so many children need to. The ending was a twist and a great pushback on the idea of the idealness of order and sameness. I also loved the tie-in to the original trilogy and the expansion of so many side characters from the first books and cannot wait to see what will happen next because our characters are in even more danger than ever before.