THE BIG BAD WOLF

Eleven-year-old twins Willow and Jake return to Grimmworld, a bleak universe where fairy-tale tropes are recycled and have unhappy endings.

After wrenching a happy-ish conclusion from their first foray, The Witch in the Woods (2024), the siblings arrive home to discover their father has disappeared, and only they remember that he ever existed. Jake grows angry and rebellious, while Willow becomes inwardly resentful; their differing responses threaten their epic closeness. After suddenly being transported back to Grimmworld, they meet another sibling pair, Rot and her brother, Ruin, whose story bears echoes of “Little Red Riding Hood.” They all team up on a quest to find Rot and Ruin’s grandmother, who may be able to locate the twins’ father. The second half of the book details a contest with the society of Wolfs, which doubles as an indictment of selfish, autocratic leadership. As before, the rules of Grimmworld appear haphazard and changeable, an inconsistency that makes what could have been fun reveals instead feel contrived. Surviving the perils of Grimmworld restores Willow and Jake’s strong relationship, and the story’s end sets up for a hazardous mission to come in the third series entry. Human characters largely present white.

Further adventures in a fantasy realm whose worldbuilding is more convoluted than enchanting.