Are you looking for a lighthearted fairy tale retelling? Maybe something in the vein of the frog prince? Debut author Alethea Kontis’s Enchanted certainly fits the bill and is a charming, well written story about family, magic, and true love.
Enchanted
Sunday Woodcutter is the seventh daughter of a seventh son and seventh daughter, meaning the circumstances around her birth are very auspicious. She is a very joyful and happy sort. While frolicking in the woods, she comes across a talking frog named Grumble who listens to and cares about Sunday’s stories. Sunday experiences a growing attraction to the frog’s personality. After a farewell kiss, the frog turns back into Rumbold, the crown prince of Arilland. Sunday has no idea that Rumbold is her frog, and so he must try to woo her. There is also fairy magic in Enchanted’s plot as well as family secrets.
Alethea Kontis’s characterization is rather delightful. Sunday has an irrepressible personality and charm. As the youngest of her family, with a penchant for telling and listening to fairy tales, Sunday is mostly optimistic. She is not at all a drag to read about. Instead, one is compelled to root for Sunday and hope she is able to put things to rights while getting a shot at love.
Enchanted has a pace that moves along at a nice clip with just enough action to keep the reader engaged. The backstory of the Woodcutter family is interesting and makes the family seem very endearing. I liked reading about Sunday’s extremely different sisters with their various talents as well as her no nonsense mother and Sunday’s father who is one of those gruff kinds of men with a heart of gold. I absolutely fell for the Woodcutters which definitely enhanced my enjoyment, as supporting characters definitely take the story to another level for me.
Enchanted is a strong young adult fantasy debut. As a reader, I can’t wait to see what other stories are lurking within Kontis’s pen. Hopefully the last page of Enchanted is not the last we see of the Woodcutter family and Arilland, because I have a feeling there’s more stories in that family.
Disclosure: Received for review via Amazon Vine.
Other reviews of Enchanted by Alethea Kontis:
Bookworm1858 – “Perfect for lovers of fairy tales and romance”
Rather Be Reading – “Kontis is a beautiful writer”
The Book Smugglers -“a delightful, airy fable”
The Book Rat – “Breezy and quirky and fun”
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Okay whew, I really want to read this but was hesitating about getting it because I really hate spending money on books that end up being bad. But since it has your stamp of approval on it, I can go forth and splurge.
Glad you liked it! It sounds pretty good and I like fairy tale retellings in general.
Ahh! This sounds like such a perfect book for me! Thanks so much! I hadn’t heard of this and now I must add it to my to-read list! Yay for fairy tale retellings 🙂
I got a surprise copy of this in my mailbox awhile ago and wasn’t so sure about if I’d read it, but it actually sounds pretty good from this review so I’ll have to give it a try.
This sounds great! I’ve been hesitant about reading this, despite picking it up a few times. Based on the back cover I was unsure if I would like it or not, but I think I’ll give it a shot now.
I’ve been looking forward to reading this one! Sooo glad that it’s good! I had no idea that it would be lighthearted, though! That’s happy-making. I LOVE fairy tale retellings, but it’s nice to find one that isn’t broody sometimes. YAY!
I feel like there’s got to be more stories set in this universe-I mean, there was a definitive ending for this book but so much more could be said and explored. Hopefully Kontis will do so!
I hadn’t really been too interested in this book but this sounds so sweet and lovely so I’ll have to give it a go. Great review!
I love fairy tale books, and the covers lovely. Glad to know this is a good one. They can really be a hot mess.
Sounds awesome! I am a huge fan of fairy tales re-imagined! I wish there were more of them about. I’ll definitely add it to my TBR list! Thanks!
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I’m glad to hear that you liked it, especially given the number of mixed reviews I’ve been seeing. (But I trust you ;D) I’m about to start the audio… definitely looking for something light after the insanity that was City of Lost Souls.
So hopefully this will be a fun light book with fairytales re-imagined. Like Once Upon a Time, except actually good. (Just kidding… good or not I’m addicted to that show).
I’ve wanted to read this since I first saw the cover. I judged the cover and have since hoped the book lives up to it. I like your review because it supports my hopes!
Really, this book sounds fun. Just fun. Yay for fun!
This sounds fluffy and awesome! It just showed up in my mailbox and it sounds very cute.
I looove fairy tale retellings and I don’t think I’ve ever read one based on the frog prince! Frankly, all I remember was a kiss and poof! Prince Charming! In other words, this is rocketing to the top of my TBR pile now!
This sounds almost like a middle grade for some reason. Cool.