The second volume of an imaginative and fun duology in an original fantasy world inspired by classic fairy tales.
Twelve-year-old Maud was created by Mother Agatha (who happens to be queer) from gingerbread and magic. In this story, she receives a strange message from her friend Gretel, who lives in a witch-hunting family—but in trying to see if Gretel is all right, Maud may have accidentally unleashed the Class IV sleeping curse that was contained in a princess’s thorn-covered castle. Maud, Gretel, adorably nerdy friend Ludo, wolf pup Grim, and Nuss the hazelnut mousse squirrel must try to stop the curse, which of course involves finding the princess’s true love. (Slight spoiler: the princess’s love is nonbinary).
There are also evil witches, a dragon library, enchanted gummy snakes, exploding jelly beans, and lots of other imaginative details to fill out the world. It is the characters who give it life, however, and we see Maud continuing to learn more about who she is and what matters to her. Nuss steals the show with her snark and cynicism, and Gretel and Ludo also change and grow. There’s a crush between two boy characters, as well, but I won’t spoil things by saying who.
We also see one character “come out” to his parents about one (non-queer) aspect of himself; the parents are unexpectedly accepting. There’s an obvious queer analogy here, and a lesson for parents. If the book had no actual queer characters, I would have dismissed this as a too-coy analogy, but the queer content elsewhere in the book is clear and varied, so this plot thread feels like an extension of that, rather than an avoidance.
Once again, author Alexandra Overy has created a unique world, sprinkled with elements from traditional fairy tales, but with a fresh plot, original characters, and light themes of friendship, growth, and chosen family.
The series is said to be a duology, but I hope Overy might be convinced to give us more tales from this enchanting world.
Maud is White.
