The Orphanage of Doom

The Orphanage of Doom (The Grimm Chronicles, #4)
by Isabella Fontaine and Ken Brosky

116 pages
Published October 9, 2012

This book was provided by the author in exchange for an honest review.

Senior year of high school has begun. For most students that means settling into classes, doing homework and maybe working part-time over the weekend.

For Alice Goodenough, it means navigating the tricky cliques of her high school, staying on top of her studies and making new friends ... in addition to experiencing more nightmares, more sword training and more doing battle with the Corrupted.

After facing off with the dreaded dwarf named Sam Grayle, Alice finds her dreams plagued by two separate visions. In one, she's floating through a massive mansion filled with old, dusty furniture and drafty windows. Shadows dance across the wall. Children cry out in terror. A mysterious animal growl echoes through the halls.

In her second dream, a terrible smoke-like creature roams the streets of Minneapolis, feeding off human victims while it plots a terrible revenge that threatens to have far-reaching consequences. Alice must decide which dream to pursue: does she foil the smoke-creature's plot or try to rescue the children from an unseen evil?

* * *

As with the other books in this series, The Orphanage of Doom is a fast, fun read.

This time through, Alice is dealing with the start of her senior year, parents who realize their daughter is growing up but still have the ability to ground her when she stays out all night, more Corrupted, and guy friends with potential.

Two separate situations require Alice's attention this time around, and she handles them well, with the help of Brer and Seth. With the book being short, there couldn't be a lot of time spent on each of the problems, which helps keep the book moving. I would, however, have liked more of each of the Corrupted situations. The idea of someone stealing music from a person is fascinating, and I really liked the whole thing with the orphanage. Especially a certain orphan who can see Alice even when she's only there in a dream.

One of the better books of the series.

4/5 stars