I received Alistair Grim's Odditorium from the author, Gregory Funaro, toward the end of January and I apologize again for taking so long to get to this review.
Odditorium is the story of Grubb, a young chimney sweeper at an inn. He manages to get away from his cruel life and hides in the coach of a man staying at the inn named Alistair Grim, and when he arrives at a new place he finds it to be the Odditorium, run by the mysterious man. Filled with magic, Alistair and his crew accept Grubb as one of their own and he becomes the man's apprentice, but he must save the Odditorium when a threat emerges.
I really enjoyed this book, even though it felt like it was more for younger kids, I still liked all the fantasy and the magic surrounding it. Alistair Grim is a pretty cool dude, I have to admit. I would totally work for him. And Grubb was an adorable character. I read a lot of books where the underdog has to fight for himself and everyone around him, and that's basically what this was, but I felt like Grubb's character was different and more well-built than most.
The world-building was something I also really enjoyed, I'm a fan of fantasy and this may have been a middle-grade fantasy book, but it was so good. I give Odditoriuma 4/5 stars and would definitely recommend it, more to younger kids but it's great for teens as well. I'll hopefully get a chance to pick up the sequel! Thanks to Mr. Funaro for the book!
