The Witch's Glass

The League of Beastly Dreadfuls #3

by Holly Grant

“Wonderfully witty.” —Chris Grabenstein, New York Times bestselling author of Escape from Mr. Lemoncello’s Library and coauthor with James Patterson of the House of Robots and Treasure Hunters series
 
Take one part Roald Dahl, a pinch of the Mysterious Benedict Society, and a dash of Lemony Snicket, then add a league of adventurous children, a little magic, and a centuries-old feud with witches, and you get this quirky and darkly hilarious middle-grade series!
 
Long ago, the evil wizard Calixto Swift committed a terrible crime against twelve-year-old Anastasia’s family, a crime that began the Perpetual War between witches and the people of Nowhere Special. The witches have long since been banished, but deep in the darkest, most forbidden back alleys of Nowhere Special lies Calixto’s mysterious, unbreakable glass cabinet. And that cabinet holds the key to Anastasia’s missing grandfather . . . if Anastasia, Ollie, Quentin, and Gus (aka the League of Beastly Dreadfuls) can decipher the clues and figure out how to open it.
 
Steel yourselves, dear Readers! As the feud between the witches and Anastasia’s family heats up in book 3 of the League of Beastly Dreadfuls series, our heroes’ wild sleuthing will put them far closer to WITCH MAGIC than proper children should ever be! Prepare for SHOCKING revelations about who Anastasia really is! It is safe to say that this may be the League’s Most Dangerous and Important Puzzle yet!

Genres: Fantasy, Mystery, Middle Grade, Childrens

306 pages, Library Binding

First published August 22, 2017

Reviews

[Jessica Van Tassell · Rating 4 out of 5]

Just when I was finally into it...it just ended?! If there isn’t a 4th book soon I am coming back and changing my rating.

[Melissa T · Rating 3 out of 5]

My library didn't have book 2 in this series, so I skipped right from 1 to three. I thought I might be missing too much from book 2 ro enjoy this, but that wasn't the case. There was enough of an explanation/reference to the last story to be able to move along with this one.

This is packed full of adventures, and Anastasia begins her morphing phase and has some chuckle worthy disasters.

The over explanation is a bit less in this book, which is nice. But the breaking of the fourth wall is still happening, and I still don't like it.

The ending of this was open enough to lead to more books, and it would have to for there to be any real resolution but I haven't been able to find any info on another book in the series being scheduled. It'll be unfortunate if this is just left hanging.

[Iris Kerns · Rating 4 out of 5]

Few things in life are sadder than an amazing series abruptly ending after a cliffhanger. . . I re-read it and re-read it and I long for closure, but alas! I have no idea what happened or why there is not a fourth book, all I know is that I am sad.

[Cindy Mitchell *Kiss the Book* · Rating 2 out of 5]

The Witch’s Glass (The League of Beastly Dreadfuls #3) by Holly Grant, 307 pages. Random House, 2017, $17.

Content: G

BUYING ADVISORY: EL, MS - OPTIONAL

AUDIENCE APPEAL: AVERAGE

The League of Beastly Dreadfuls (aka Anastasia, Ollie, Quentin, and Gus) are back in a third adventure. This time around, eleven-year old Anastasia is living in Nowhere Special but actively searching for her missing grandfather. The key to that seems to lie in mysterious unbreakable glass cabinet, where a literal silver key resides. Meanwhile, strange events are happening in Nowhere Special. One of their classmates goes missing while on a field trip to the local yodeling museum and witch magic seems to hound them. As Anastasia gets closer to the truth, the stranger events get.

This book is a fun ride. The Beastly Dreadfuls are resourceful and Anatasia is a quick thinker. Pictures by Josie Portillo help. My only grievance is I was just getting into the book and then the book ended. Just like that. It’s like Holly Grant reached her page limit and pushed save on the computer. If you’ve plowed through the first three books then you are for sure going to read the next one, but you’ll be as frustrated as Anastasia trying to shift.

Michelle in the Middle
https://kissthebook.blogspot.com/2020...

[Olivia · Rating 2 out of 5]

I enjoyed the first two books of this series way more than this third installment. Although it did continue the story, the pacing was poor and the most action of the book happened in the last 30-40 pages. I was under the assumption that this series was to be a triology, but the reader is left with VERY little conclusion if that's the case. With all of that being said, however, I would without a doubt read another installment just to get a little more closure. The characters in this were very static, and most of their growth is seen in the first two books.

[Emily Linacre · Rating 4 out of 5]

i had the idea that this was a trilogy, but this better not be the end!! such a cliffhanger!! these books are so witty and imaginative and fun! i love the author's style, using the occasional Capital Letters to call attention to something, and commenting directly to the reader throughout. srsly though... there better be a fourth. this was in No Way wrapped up...

[Pam · Rating 3 out of 5]

Starts a little slower than the other books in the series but adds info about the characters and the past history. Makes readers think about what they've been told and what might be true.
Cliffhanger ending as three of the League members end up in a witch colony.

[Mark Buxton · Rating 4 out of 5]

My name is Anastasia, and I'll never stop searching for my missing father. My grandfather's tattoo is the key, but no one knows where he is either. However, the Beastly Dreadfuls are helping me find clues, but we're finding ourselves in forbidden territory. My friends and I have found journals in the office of Calixto Swift, the wizard who did the Dastardly Deed that started the Perpetual War. Anything dealing with witches is now forbidden in Nowhere Special, so we'll be in big trouble if anyone discovers we're here, especially my grandmother, the queen. I still don't see myself as the crown princess in Nowhere Special, and I know it makes my aunt angry. The queen is worried the witches will send armies back to reclaim this land, so she wants higher taxes to bolster our own forces. I'm feeling an urgency to find my father, and I'm worried that something huge is going to happen soon.

It will probably be best if you read the earlier books first, although I hadn't read them in awhile. This book read like an adventure mystery, as the kids snuck around trying to collect clues to find Anastasia's grandfather. The biggest revelations in the story provided information about the dispute between witches and Morfos, the inhabitants of Nowhere Special able to transform into some type of animal. Anastasia had an internal conflict, as she tried to adjust to morphing into a bat. Silver was normally harmful, maybe deadly, to Morfos, so the fact that silver didn't affect her signaled she was significantly different. The expected truth was revealed near the end. The overall conflict was/is the Perpetual War between Morfos and Witches, although the dispute wasn't as clear as it seemed. The queen and some other leaders wanted to raise taxes in order to bolster their defenses, since they expected witches to invade in the near future. Anastasia uncovered some inconsistencies in the history she'd learned in school, so there's sure to be a major revelation soon. This will undoubtedly involve the disappearances of her grandfather and father, and the questions surrounding Calixto Swift. I recommend you give the series a shot.

[Grammar Gremlin · Rating 2 out of 5]

I really enjoyed the 1st book in this series, but the 2nd and 3rd seemed to drift from the original plot and Anastasia's purpose. The 2nd book really seems like it could have been omitted altogether, and we wouldn't really miss anything. In the 3rd book, Anastasia's quest to find her dad is a little bit more prevalent, yet still in the background. These sequels seem to drift, becoming enthralled with world-building and magic, and nearly forgetting about her missing family.

I would have loved to see Prim and Prude return. There isn't really a villain in the 2nd or 3rd books--just conflict with some relatives. I do love the illustrations throughout this series, although they did forget about Anastasia's mustache for 6 different pictures.

Most of all, I am disappointed that it's been 8 years and there is no 4th book published. This one ends without any full resolution, so now we cannot proceed in the story to discover more about Anastasia's journey. There is great potential here, as I like the characters.

[Doro · Rating 4 out of 5]

I was ready to let the series end with this volume, but now that part 3 has an open ending, I guess I need to continue after all ;-). Part 3 was nice, a bit confusing, and I found that I didn‘t remember as much from part 2 as I would have liked. Part 1 is still by far the best of the series, but the rest is worth reading as well.

[Diane · Rating 5 out of 5]

I loved this series, better than I would have imagined. My only disappointment is that the ending seemed to be set up for another book. It certainly needs another book to get all the unanswered questions answered, but it was written in 2017. Which leads me to believe there is not going be be another book. That makes me dreadfully sad.

[Holly Underwood · Rating 4 out of 5]

The author’s clever way with words makes this a very fun read!

[Sawyl · Rating 2 out of 5]

The book ends in a cliff hanger. The authors pretty good though.

[Kevin Zwiefelhofer · Rating 3 out of 5]

The book finished ahead of the story. Must be another in the works.

[Michael Lent · Rating 3 out of 5]

Disappointing that #3 came out 5 years ago and ends with a cliffhanger. #4?

[Holly Mclaughlin · Rating 4 out of 5]

Hilarious.

[Kendra Mcmillon · Rating 4 out of 5]

Idc

[Sarah Sammis · Rating 5 out of 5]

I hope there's a book four. A slight quibble, there are no fireflies in California.


http://pussreboots.com/blog/2018/comm...

[Debbie Tanner]

I should have read the first two in this series.