I joined the YA Blogger's Best Overlooked Book Battle, hosted by Alyssa at
The Shady Glade as a Round 2 judge. For this wonderful event, it was my job to read two books and judge which one is better. I was supposed to have a partner for this, but due to a cancellation I am on my own. So, I figured that to make it more fun I would have an argument with myself to choose the winner.
To start, please read my reviews for both of the books I will be judging;
The Grimm Legacy and
Keturah and Lord Death. As you can see in the reviews, I loved both books but they are very different from each other and hard to compare, hence the argument.
So, here it goes. Be warned, there may be some spoilers below.
I will start with guys:
Death
Lord Death is quite swoonworthy with his melancholy, mysterious air. He wields great power and you can tell that he grieves at his job sometimes and is very lonely.
John Temsland, the other possible love interest, is handsome and kindhearted. Though the son of a lord, he is not stuck up or arrogant and he isn't insulted too easily.
Grimm
Marc Merritt is the high school star. All of the girls sigh over him and he is always the tallest, coolest person in the room. He is very nice but often careless and he doesn't always think things through.
Aaron Rosendorn is a sullen, jealous boy but there is more to him than immediately meets the eye. He is honest and brave and willing to admit himself to being in the wrong (eventually).
The girls:
Death
Keturah Reeve is caring and lovely but occasionally foolish. She has an inner wisdom and an ability to overcome and see through fear to the heart of the matter. She doesn't want too much out of life, just a cottage, a wee child to hold in her arms and her one true love as her husband.
Grimm
Elizabeth Rew is spunky and stouthearted. She gives her shoes to a freezing woman even though she has little money to buy new ones. She is loyal to her friends and, though she cares what people think of her, she does not let that influence her actions.
The writing:
Death
Poetic and and lush, this book was very well written. The words get you thinking and wondering about life and death and other important things, but sometimes it is hard to understand.
Grimm
The dialogue and descriptions in this story are lighthearted and fun. I love how Elizabeth attempts to describe what magic smells like and fails miserably. I spent most of the book smiling or laughing.
The romance:
Death
This book definitely has the better guys and the more romantic plot. Keturah has multiple suitors but she has trouble deciding between them. And who can blame her with Lord Death and John to choose between? (Though I personally would go for the dark and tormented Lord Death right away.)
Grimm
The romance in this book is fresh and innocent. Elizabeth had a small crush on Marc, who likes Anjali, whereas Aaron adores Anjali and hates Marc. All of them are teenagers who tend to take things either a little too seriously or a little too lightly. In the end, I thought the romance was quite cute.
The settings:
Death
This one is set in a lovely little medieval village that you can easily imagine an Arthurian knight galloping through on his way to rescue some fair damsel. In the forest I could easily see anything from a unicorn to a bear, not to mention a certain trouble-making hart, wandering through the foliage.
Grimm
I love, love, love the Repository. I am completely serious about wanting to work there. With its huge Stacks of historical, fictional and magical artifacts just waiting to be explored...heck, I could probably live there happily enough. It even has a Table-Be-Set so I wouldn't have to leave to eat.
So, dramatic or fun? Romantic or cute? Thought-provoking or silly? Haunting or sweet? I like the hero of
Death best, the heroine of
Grimm, the writing of
Death is technically better but in
Grimm it is more fun. The two styles of romance are really too different to compare. When it comes to the setting
Grimm wins hands-down.
I loved both books, but I have to declare
The Grimm Legacy to be the winner. Barely. I can see myself re-reading both of them in the distant future, though.
Just for fun, which one do you thing is better?
Lieder Madchen
