Michaelbrent Collings

What a splendid book for readers of all ages! I loved the mix of modern-day science and old-school fairy tale magic which intertwine in this fantastic tale of two siblings who have to combine their individual strengths to overcome the evil witch in this retelling of the classic fairy tale.
It was heart-warming to see how Willow and Jake stood up for and believed in one another, giving each other the strength to go through with the mad challenges they have to face.
The plot is so complex I don't even know where to begin with describing it, but let me say I was amazed at the amount of crazy (the good kind of crazy, of course) ideas that build this new universe, where the real world collides with a parallel magic one called Grimm world. It is obvious that the author spend a lot of time figuring out the intricate details, making up a believable background history for the Grimm family and their well-known heritage. Some of the complex explanations seemed a bit challenging to understand, which I very much appreciated - kids are far more clever than a lot of people may think, so it's good to see there are books out there which challenge their minds and expand their imagination.
Instead of my usual bottom line, I dare to make three wishes: first, I wish this book to become a word-wide success, complete with movie rights and all. Second, which should be the logical conclusion: I wish for a sequel, or rather: lots of sequels! Third: I wish for a translation, so I can let my kid enjoy the book as well.

First, some advice: do read the series in order, otherwise some chapters can be confusing. But most of all you would miss the fine tunes of Legion's character and transformation which play a great part especially in this volume.

So, as already hinted at, this book gets very emotional for Legion - and the readers - which is absolutely remarkable. The author managed to establish a complete turnaround considering Legion's mostly evil role in the first book. This time, Legion gets to help a mother and her daughter on the run from some evil thugs (did I already say you should read the previous books before getting into this?). The girl - let's call her Marnie for the moment - is absolutely lovely and very clever for her age - as really most kids are (but lots of adults do not acknowledge). Her love for Pokémon felt strangely familiar and made me smile each time they were mentioned - guess we found the one thing Legion sucks at, after all... The mother was a real tough cookie and seemed like a perfect match for Legion - but happy ends belong to fairy tales, don't they? However, there is an evil queen in this book who really deserves the title, as mean and depraved as she and her 'entourage' are.

One minor thing that bothered me was the explicit focus on her bedroom activities, which was overdone in a ridiculous way and did not achieve the desired effect (I guess) for me.

Other than that, I was pleased with the development of the story and, of course, Legion. The ending was a mean little cliffhanger, which I do hope will introduce an already in-the-making follow-up (to steal a quote from legendary Sepp Herberger: 'after the sequel is before the sequel').

Thank you very much Mr Collings for reviving Legion and his family with this awesome = action-packed, wondrous, emotional,  strange, odd, magnificent, extraordinary book!

There are horror novels that are pure fiction, and then there are horror novels based on real events, or at least suggesting that the story could happen in the real world just like that. And those are the really scary ones. While otherwise you can always comfort yourself that 'it isn't real', here you can not. Because the most frightening monsters, which are always of the human kind, can be everywhere: out on the streets, in your neighborhood, even in your own home.
That said, 'Malignant' is one of those scary horror novels that are pure fiction, not based on one distinct real event, but rooted nonetheless in the darkest depth of reality. So how do you deal with a book like that? Can I say I enjoyed reading a book that deals with such vile stuff? Sounds strange to me, maybe even sick, and is definitely not true with 'Malignant'. But what I can say without feeling odd is that the book moved me, upset me, shocked and scared me.
The author uses a clever trick to present the story: it is told in the voice of Connie Kendall, a journalist who happens to become a close witness of the tragedy, and this is her story. The book Connie wrote is not only based on her own observations but also on interviews and other research. By adding different POVs to each moment described, she creates a very comprehensive picture rather than just one subjective and incomplete perception. And her wit and writing definitely makes reading this uncomfortable book - her book - a bit more bearable. In the end, we know about the motives and the meticulous details of the execution, but while there are some foreseeable twists, most of the time I was totally blindsided.
Having read the book and the afterword, I'm still struggling with the fact that the issue the book is based on is real. 'Malignant' is a very uncomfortable read, but IMHO those are just as necessary as the books you read for entertainment. Because even if they can't make the world a better place, they raise awareness for the horrors that surround all of us everywhere every day, and that is also an important job to do.
If you are looking for a story to take your mind off things, to get away from it all: do not read this book. But even if you dare take a look into the darkest abyss aka the human mind, you won't be prepared for what is coming. So go ahead, but: enter at your own risk.