The Wells Bequest, by Polly Shulman

The Wells Bequest is the companion book to The Grimm Legacy, which I read (and loved) last year. You can see my review here. I had high hopes for The Wells Bequest, but it didn't really live up to my standard. Although there were huge differences between the two books, it almost seemed like there was a formula that Shulman followed...like she just plugged in some new stuff in the old book's template. In some ways, I think there are readers that will really appreciate that, but I was expecting more.

The last book surrounded items in the Repository that were connected to Grimm's fairytales. The Wells Bequest is connected to items found in H.G. Wells's novels, specifically The Time Machine. This book was packed with more real history that The Grimm Legacy, which I really enjoyed. In fact, the characters' time travel introduced the reader to Mark Twain, Albert Einstein, and Nikola Tesla, in an attempt to save the world. I did really enjoy that part.

All in all, I'd definitely recommend The Wells Bequest to readers who enjoyed The Grimm Legacy - the familiar characters will grasp readers, and the plot was quick-moving, I just wish it had seemed a little less formulaic.