Riley returns to the series that started his career. Though the dimension has no name, the fairytale characters are larger than ever.

Except Lena. She’s a giant, only she’s 12 feet tall. She’s more like a taller than average human and a doll to the giants. She’s been hidden from her people most of her life but when the opportunity comes to join the traditional giant sparknaming ceremony, she joins and disaster strikes!
On the other side of the kingdom, a young jinn is enslaved to the Golden King, forced to give wishes to learn humility. The lesson is only having the opposite effect on arrogant Jin whose mistreatment fuels his resentment and bitterness. When he is sent to capture the Golden King’s enemy, the Last Knight, he is sent on a collision course with the cute giant girl and together, they find out the shades of evil and purity isn’t as clear as the storybooks led them to believe.

1. Tall Tales: It’s rare when the sophmore book gets top spot, but Riley does an excellent job in introducing new characters and higher stakes as the true agendas of various heroes, villains, and heroes who are really villains are revealed. Plus the inevitable heroes-on-the-edge-winning-lose-at-last-minute actually felt real and urgent and all the more soul crushing when the rug is pulled from under them. The lesson felt very applicable as Lena learns how stories can be used to demonize others for narrow-minded purposes and those who preach purity are usually more monsterous than those they claim to be monsters. Plus it was laugh out loud funny like Sherin, the Lilliput with a Napoleon complex and Jin getting “drunk” from a spell.
2. Happily Ever After: If you read Riley’s first trilogy or The Story Thieves series, one knows that Riley enjoys his convulated meta-ness and it’s no different here. Everyone’s minds are erased by the fairy queens but Gwentell’s use of the magic book restores Lena as she teams up with Jack, May, Jillian and several other old friends to get Jin back and save the fairytale world from becoming human again. Not only was it delightful to see the old characters return, but Sherin and Lena get some major character development as they wreastle with their insecurities. Lena also learns the power of stories in understanding others’ motives but not excusing their hatred or prejudice yet not getting consumed by it herself, just hoping for change. Again, very applicable to real life and fairytale worlds. It only gets second place because while I understood the message about it being Lena/Jin/Sherin’s time to shine and May/Jack are no longer the protagonists, I did feel like the plot thread of their children being used for shadow magic was completely dropped. I mean, as parents I imagined they’d be a lot more worried after being separated from them for almost twelve years but it was hardly mentioned. Same with Prince Phillip and Jillian getting completely shafted as well as Wolf King and his triplets. It’s a minor complaint but still there. The ending twist was cool though and promises possibly another spin off to come.
3. Once Upon Another Time: This was a cool re-introduction to the world and its chaacter especially as both Lena and Jin come off as distinct, earnest characters in their own rights to lessen comparisons to Jack and May. The adventure was solid but can get confusing with shifting alliances, and only hints at what’s to come. Also there was a lesson in here too as there was in the following books but it felt more like an after-thought and shoe-horned in.

So if anyone wanted to return to the mixed up world of fairytales hyped on sarcasm, Riley does it again and readers will happily devour the books with old and new friends.