The Grimjinx Rebellion, by Brian Farrey, was published in 2014 by HarperCollins. It is the sequel to The Shadowhand Covenant.
Jaxter Grimjinx and his family haven’t had much time for thieving. Through no fault of their own, they’ve been too busy saving the day. But danger in the Five Provinces is only just beginning. The Palatinate Mages are almost ready to unveil their master plan, and legendary monsters will soon roam the land once more. Then Jaxter’s sister, Aubrin, is kidnapped by the Mages. It seems she has a power greater than her family ever realized, and she may be the key to the impending battle for the Five Provinces. Jaxter will do anything to get his little sister back—even if it means pulling off the greatest heist of his life and starting a large-scale rebellion.
Rating: 3/5
The biggest problem I had with The Grimjinx Rebellion was how fast everything happened. There were too many jumpcuts where I felt lost because Farrey eschews development for getting things to a certain point and then explaining how it got there later. There were also too many reveals that were done too quickly, such as Jaxter reading the whisperoaks and then dumping a bunch of information on his comrades. Then Farrey made it blindingly obvious where the Vanguard was, and it made Jaxter look a bit stupid for figuring it out so slowly.
In addition, I thought a number of things didn’t really make much sense (some of it may be because of the quick pace and jumping around, but not all—like why in the world Edilman didn’t take the most powerful thing in the world with him when he could have) and I wish some things had been set up more throughout the trilogy. I also wish that the last two books in the trilogy didn’t make The Vengekeep Prophecies feel entirely unnecessary except as a way to introduce characters.
I did like quite a few things about the book: the capers and heists, for one thing, and the humor is pretty good, too. But The Grimjinx Rebellion seems rushed at best and sloppy at worst, full of lots of things that don’t make much sense because of poor development or pacing or what-have-you. Farrey has a good, fun trilogy, but it lacks some technique that could have made it shine.
Recommended Age Range: 12+
Warnings: Some violence, death.
Genre: Fantasy, Middle Grade
“Hear me!”
Nalia’s voice shook in my chest and seemed to come from everyone at once: down the road, around the corner, right behind me.
“Benevolence? Wisdom? The Soranna family claims to have served the Five Provinces. That may have been true in the past. But this High Laird serves only himself.”
Nalia pointed to the High Laird, who looked bewildered by the sudden betrayal. I almost felt sorry for him.
“The time has come for a new law of the land. The Palatinate will guide you now. Under magical rule, there will be new order.”
Leaf's Reviews 