Out of the Woods

by Lyn Gardner

Summary: The magical pipe that caused so many problems in Into the Woods finds its way back to Storm Eden from the bottom of the sea where she tossed it, hoping never to see it again. In this fractured fairy tale/fantasy, the evil witch Belladonna wants the pipe, but her time is short if she can’t convince Storm’s beautiful older sister Aurora to promise the witch her heart. Using a magic mirror (one of many nods to Snow White) to improve her looks, Belladonna fools Storm, Aurora, and baby Any into believing their father is dead and that they are now in her care. Snappy dialogue and familiar fairy-tale references, some of which cleverly poke fun at well-known characters, create the feeling of a fairy tale community to which the Eden sisters now belong. The girls’ characters are sometimes misguided but always believable as they venture into the Underworld, the only way to rid themselves of the pipe and save Aurora’s life. Readers of the first book will happily revisit Eden’s End. However, those who haven’t read the first installment may struggle since no back story is provided and minor characters greatly influence the plot with little to no introduction. Themes of loyalty and family are creatively and unexpectedly interwoven, and playfully point out that sisterhood is sometimes both a blessing and a curse. Mimi Grey's black and white illustrations manage to be gorgeous and hilarious at the same time, and thankfully, sneak in on almost every page.

My thoughts: I reviewed this book for a librarian's magazine (that's my review above), and so read it without reading the first in the series. I think if I would have read Into the Woods first, I would have liked this book a lot more.