“‘One day her prince will come, and it will be her worst nightmare.’ Going to the Fae plane against Jared’s orders has cost Mina dearly. Her decision haunts her as a new danger surfaces back on the human plane. The Grimms are fading from existence. To save her family’s future, Mina Grime will have to travel to the past with the help of her Fae Godmother and a pair of magic shoes. She must go to the Story’s very beginning, to the days before the dark prince’s reign. But can she finish her quest before her time runs out, or will she be trapped in the past forever?”
What is the book about?
When Mina went against Jared’s wishes and went to the Fae plane to retrieve something dear to her she hadn’t been expecting to lose something else she loved in the process. The events that transpired that day still haunt her and her decision has led to the creation of a danger far greater than anything she has ever faced. But now there is something worse happening, something that would lead to Mina and every other Grimm disappearing from the human plane as if they never existed, and this would mean that both the human and the Fae plane would be at risk from the monster that plagues Mina’s nightmares and there would be no Mina to help. So, the only way that Mina can save her family from ceasing to exist is if she goes into the past and finds the root of the problem and fixes it before she disappears. With the help of the Godmothers Guild and some magic shoes, she will be transported in time to before the Story began, before her family was ever cursed and before Teague became the dark prince who threatens to destroy her and all her friends. But her time in the past has an expiration and she needs to finish her quest, or she will be trapped in the past forever and her entire bloodline will disappear.
What were your initial thoughts on the book?
After reading Fable I knew I needed to immediately start reading Reign. Fable had ended with one of the most heart-breaking plot twist and cliff-hanger I have experienced and I was left in utter shock and devastation as I struggled to understand and cope with the final events of the book. I almost instantly started to read Reign when I finished Fable, but I did stop to read the blurb, which just left me feeling even more desperate to start reading as I had even more questions and immediately wanted to know what was going to happen and how in the world Mina would travel in time. Since learning about the true identity of the Story (Teague) and his other half (Jared, who was trapped in the Grimoire), I had a ridiculous amount of questions about what happened to cause the prince to become so evil and I needed to know about the backstory. So when I learnt that Mina was going to be travelling back in time to when Teague was just a normal royal Fae I was so excited to see if I would finally get answers to my questions. My initial thoughts on the book were that I was going to really enjoy reading it, like all the others in the series, and when I started I continued with Mina’s adventure as if there had never been a break in the story and loved it from the first chapters.
Who was your favourite character and why?
In this book there were a lot of characters who I really liked, however I would probably have to say that my favourite character is probably still Mina. I really liked Nix, who was just so entertaining and I loved seeing how he adjusted to human life, and, surprisingly, I started to like Ever as she became less of the grumpy pixie that I had grown accustomed to and she stated to become friendlier (and I learnt more about her past). However, both of these characters weren’t as present as Mina (because she is the main character and she went time-travelling so didn’t see much of them). Ever since reading Fable and seeing the change in Mina, I have really liked her because she was no longer the whiny teenager narrating the story and she had finally come to accept that this was her life and she had to do things that a normal teenager would never have to deal with. At the start of the book, when she first realised that she was going to have to go back in time, she was in danger of going back to the terrified girl who didn’t want to be cursed and just wanted to live a normal life, but, after a few words from Ever (which is one of the reasons why I started to like her more in this book), Mina realised that this was her role and she had to do this or her whole family would be gone. I did feel bad for Mina; however I admired her lot more because of how she handled her situation and was willing to keep risking everything to help the people she cared about, and this selfless personality of hers is one of the biggest things I like about her.
What was your favourite part of the book and why?
My favourite part of the book would probably have to be when Mina (and I) finally understood that all these events were meant to happen and that everything had started with Mina, and she was destined to end it too. It took her a while to come to terms with what was happening and that she was the reason for everything, however when she finally did I knew this had to be my favourite part because of all the questions it answered and the amazing structure it gave the series. From the very start of the first book I had so many questions about how the curse started to begin with and why in the world the Grimm Brothers would go to the Fae plane, and since those questions first appeared in my head I have been worried that I would never find out the answer, however now I know everything and I feel like my eyes and mind have finally opened up. It made so much sense and I loved the way it made the story flow and meant that Mina was destined to break the curse since before she was even born. It was a great part of the book, and really it was a great book overall.
What was your overall impression of the book?
Overall, I absolutely loved reading Reign and there is nothing that I could possibly change about it because it was perfect. One of the things I loved about this book was how incredibly fast-paced and easy it was to read. I am not joking when I say that I started reading it one night at about 10 pm and had finished it before 10 pm the next day. I found it so hard to set it down because of how easy and enjoyable it was to read and how time literally flew by as I forgot I was reading and fully submersed myself in the experience and adventure Mina was going on. I devoured the book and as soon as I reached the end I was in absolute shock from not just the ending but also the speed I read the book at. Another thing that I loved about the book was its cyclical structure, which I realised from all the new information I gained from Mina travelling back in time. From what I learnt I now know that all of this started with Mina and she is destined to end it all – hence the cyclical (circular) structure of the whole series. I loved this because it made the whole story really flow and it also filled in all the gaps that I had and answered all of my questions. That is another huge reason for why I loved reading Reign because I love getting answers to my questions and I specifically love getting them in the form of flashbacks to the past (or in this case travelling back in time). When I first started to read I had no idea what it was that Mina had to do while she was in the past, but slowly the pieces started to fit together and I started to understand that there was so much more to the story and now Mina was not only the one destined to fix everything, but she had been the one to cause the problem to begin with (and all of this blew my mind). One last thing I really liked about the book was the ending. The shocking event that happened at the end of the book had left me and all the characters in the book feeling heart-broken, however none of the character let that make them lose the hope they had to stop Teague and end the curse once and for all. I loved how now Mina had both of the humans who meant the world to her back in her life and that they were never going to be brainwashed again. This all left me feeling beyond excited for the last book in the series as I knew that together they were unstoppable. I can’t believe that after all of this time Mina will be the Grimm to break the curse and stop it from plaguing generation after generation and I know she can do it because she has gotten further than every other Grimm to ever try (and it turns out all they needed to do was have a girl try). I can’t wait to read the last book in the series, but I will be sad to see it end.
Which book did you like better: 1, 2, 3 or 4?
Every book in the An Unfortunate Fairy Tale series which I have read so far has been incredible and I truly liked reading every single one of them. However I would have to say out of the 4 of them (UnEnchanted, Fairest, Fable and Reign) my favourite book so far would have to be Reign. The biggest reason for this decision is because there is one huge thing that is different about Reign. Once Mina finished whatever adventure and quest she went on in the other three books, the book would end with Mina right back at the beginning with a complete reset in the minds of her closest friends. Every single time they would forget her and everything she went through and she would be back at the start going through some immense déjà vu as she had to restart her relationship with Brody and had to once again explain everything to her best friend, Nan. However, with Reign it was different and no one’s memory was wiped. This gave me such as sense of hope and also made me so grateful for the fact that I wouldn’t have to once again watch Mina and Brody, or Mina and Nan argue about how weird Mina was being. This was such a huge change and left me loving Reign more than any of the other books. One other thing I loved about Reign was the amount of new information and backstory I got on the main characters. I hate being left in the dark and the suspense of not knowing the whole truth, however Reign gave me answers to so many questions and this left me feeling overjoyed as I finally understood the truth. Reign was a great book and I know that the fifth and final book, Forever, will be just as amazing and will hopefully be a magical conclusion to this fairy tale series.
Would you recommend this book?
I definitely recommend reading Reign, but obviously after the previous three books in this series (UnEnchanted, Fairest and Fable). It is the perfect book for all readers who love fantasy, adventure, romance and fairy tale retellings, and specifically those over 13.
Summarise the book in one sentence. (Verdict)
A crazy, time-travelling adventure that links the predicted ending to the beginning of the whole story, hundreds of years before, and will leave you in shock.
Reviewed by Jimena Gutierrez Reviriego
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