J

I am 100% on board with Hersey ‘s thesis: “Rest is a form of resistance because it disrupts and pushes back against capitalism and white supremacy.” I agree with her that, “Grind culture has made us all human machines, willing and ready to donate our lives to a capitalist system that thrives by placing profits over people. The Rest Is Resistance movement is a connection and a path back to our true nature.”

I love several quotes throughout the book like this:
“We see care as unnecessary and unimportant. We believe we don't really have to rest. We falsely believe hard work guarantees success in a capitalist system. I have been told this constantly for as long as I can remember. On nights when I worked two jobs, still unable to pay my bills on time or save, I continued to tell myself, “Burn the midnight oil, keep working hard, go to college, find a third job and a side hustle.” (24)

My only complaint is that at just under 200 pages, it was repetitive enough to have been edited down into a really solid essay. But her message is so important. Hershey talks about how capitalism has devalued human life and rather than work ourselves to death we need to prioritize rest, resisting the pressure to be another cog in a machine.

I don't give many 1 star ratings, but I really didn't like this, at all. I know a lot of people love this series, that's why I gave it a try. Plus it was available on audio from my library. But it was PAINFULLY slow and boring, and way too dark for my taste. I think I don't like urban fantasy as a general rule. I didn't care for the writing style either. So I do not plan on reading any of the other books in this series.

Also, why does this have 4.06 average rating on Goodreads??? I really don't get it. I would have DNF'ed this one if I could ever bring myself to do that...

Very long. Very philosophical. But I still liked it. Just not as much as the first two books in the series.

I know I read this book when I was a child, but I cannot for the life of me remember anything about it!

Two stars because “it was ok” pretty much sums up my feelings about this book. I really thought I would enjoy it more than I did. I love the premise, that fairy tales are true. The stories written down by The Brothers Grimm were real accounts. I like that the fairy tale creatures are called “Everafters”. There were several things that reminded me of the TV show, “Once Upon a Time”, which I also loved (at least for the first few seasons). I even like that Buckley pulls in other fictional characters from The Wizard of Oz and Alice in Wonderland.

So if my lack of enjoyment is due to the fact that it's really written (down) to younger audiences or what. Another reviewer commented that the first chapter reminded her of The Series of Unfortunate Events by Lemony Snicket, which I really didn't like, so maybe that has something to do with it. And Sabrina, the older sister, was a really annoying character for at least the first half of the book.

I might have enjoyed this series when I was in elementary school. But since I'm not, I don't know if I will read the next book in the series. I know there are several more of them that are also available on audio through my library (which is how I read this one). So we shall see. It's certainly not a high priority though.