Enchanted

Enchanted (not the Disney movie, but a YA novel) written by Alethea Kontis combines a number of fairy tales into one complete story which is magical in its own right.  This is the story of Sunday Woodcutter who is born to be (as written in the childhood rhyme) “but the child born on the Sabbath Day, is blithe and bonny and good and gay.”  She is also born the seventh daughter of the seventh daughter providing her with magical powers, she doesn’t fully understand.  She’s a writer, but can only write of the past, for when she writes about the present, she can change the future.

When she meets an enchanted frog, the reader begins to realize that everything is not as it seems – the story has fairy tale references sprinkled throughout and as much as I love retellings and fractured fairy tales, I’m not sure I even caught them all!  This story had just enough magic, action, adventure, intrigue, and romance to satisfy just about any reader, especially girls who love chick lit!

I really loved the characters – especially the Woodcutter family – each person had a very specific personality and the magic added an interesting element you wouldn’t find elsewhere.  There were a few times that I felt the author jumped ahead a little too quickly – but overall I really enjoyed the story and I’m excited to find out that book 2, Hero, will be released next fall and another book is planned on being released in 2014.

For more information about the author and to find out what else she has written, visit her website.

Title: Enchanted
Author: Alethea Kontis
Publisher: Harcourt Children’s Books
Page Number: 320 pgs.