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Review of Enchanted to Meet You by Meg Cabot

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Synopsis:
It’s Magic When You Meet Your Match

In her teenage years, lovelorn Jessica Gold cast a spell that went disastrously wrong, and brought her all the wrong kind of attention—as well as a lifetime ban from the World Council of Witches.

So no one is more surprised than Jess when, fifteen years later, tall, handsome WCW member Derrick Winters shows up in her quaint little village of West Harbor and claims that Jess is the Chosen One.

She’s the Chosen One

Not chosen by West Harbor’s snobby elite to style them for the town’s tricentennial ball—though Jess owns the chicest clothing boutique in town. And not chosen finally to be on the WCW, either—not that Jess would have said yes, anyway, since she’s done with any organization that tries to dictate what makes a “true” witch.

No, Jess has been chosen to help save West Harbor itself . . .

As Summer Ends, Her Power Grows

But just when Jess is beginning to think that she and Derrick might have a certain magic of their own—and not of the supernatural variety—Jess learns he may not be who she thought he was. 

And suddenly Jess finds herself having to make another kind of choice: trust Derrick and work with him to combat the sinister force battling to bring down West Harbor, or use her gift as she always has: to keep herself, and her heart, safe.

Can she work her magic in time?

Review:
I started reading this book while sitting in the hospital waiting room with my cat Abby(who is featured on the website banner). It was the absolute perfect thing to take away worries and bring you to a completely other, though entirely realistic, place. There were so many things I adored about this book that I actually bought a hardcover as soon as I finished reading it on kindle.

The book starts off completely immersive, bringing forth vivid imagery and locking you in place with a timeline that seems completely plausible about when girls do things. There were lots of sweet little witchy “suggestions” from Goody Fletcher’s book in the beginning of the chapters which I thought was very cute. There were definitely times reading that I wondered why there wasn’t more threefold law taking place with a certain annoying blonde character, but in the end, I quite enjoyed the book and would highly recommend it to anyone who loves modern romantasy.

Star rating: ✯✯✯✯✯

**I finished this book in February, however, due to Abby’s hospitalization, many things (book reviews included) were pushed off.

Review of Owl Shook Up by Leanne Leeds

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Synopsis:
When Aunt Gwennie’s famous snickerdoodles go missing before the annual cookie competition, Astra and her sisters prepare for a bitter battle over the sweet treats. But the trouble turns deadly when Aunt Gwennie’s rival, Agatha Blackwell, is found dead with a snickerdoodle stuffed in her mouth.

With Archie’s help, Astra dives into the cutthroat competition of Forkbridge’s baking scene. Secrets are simmering about Agatha’s controversial new recipe, stolen ingredients, and suspected poisonings. As she sifts through motives and investigates shifty behavior behind the scenes, Astra discovers that she may be in over her head.

Can Astra clear Aunt Gwennie’s name and crack the case before the cookie crumbles? Or will the sisters watch Aunt Gwennie’s cookie legacy come crashing down like an underbaked soufflé?

Find out in this delectable tale filled with baked goods, betrayal, and bewitching hijinks galore.

No gore, intimate scenes, or swearing – only a captivating story suitable for adults.

Review:
As always, a decent story, quick read cozy mystery by Leanne Leeds. There were a few parts that I personally felt were a bit jumpy. Clearly a big point of this novel was to show that Astra wasn’t prioritizing the correct things, needs to learn to organize herself better, but it seemed daft that she never really investigated anything regarding the sudden death. She sort of visited the scene and checked her own house, but the whodunit being found out (and her presence when it did) was entirely coincidental. There were many angles and loose ends left out about Carla, Iva, and Clarkson. I really did love the introduction of another magic-tech gadget from her magical military days. I do hope that such things will continue to make appearances. All in all, a good quick read, and I’d recommend to anyone who likes modern fantasy cozy mystiers.

Star rating: ✯✯✯✯

Review of Owl In Due Course by Leanne Leeds

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Synopsis:
When a mysterious toy soldier arrives on her doorstep and announces it’s here to test Archie’s loyalty, witch Astra Arden can’t help but laugh. After all, it’s not every day that a plastic soldier shows up claiming to be sent by the goddess Athena.

As they work to unravel the clues surrounding the toy soldier’s arrival, ominous forces gather and Astra races against time to uncover the truth—and they realize that this might not be as funny as they thought.

With the fate of their family and Archie’s future on the line, the Arden sisters must navigate a series of impossible choices and confront divine secrets from the past that threaten to tear everything apart.

Amidst the magic and mystery of the yule celebration, Astra and her sisters must use all their wit and cunning to uncover the truth and outsmart the scheming gods. Will they be able to outmaneuver the powerful deities, or will the sisters succumb to their trickery like so many before them?

Review:
I loved this book and was instantly drawn to it once the story began; I couldn’t put it down. I thought this was it, finally, I was getting the full picture of all that could be with Athena’s tests and what Astra would do for Archie. Unfortunately, this story while a bit convoluted didn’t meet the expectations it set up from the beginning. While I’d say I loved 90% of the book, the ending 10% is what I didn’t quite enjoy. Including the ending; which was so frustrating and annoying to have that happen after all we have been through with Astra that if I weren’t so invested in these characters I’d stop reading the series! This had gripped me so tightly I finished it the day I started!

Mild SPOILERS:
While I am glad that there is sort of a resolution between Astra and Jason that was definitely not what anyone had in mind!! I am also glad that the girls learned who their fathers are, but I only found two of the four really made sense. Ayla’s father made sense entirely and I could understand Ami’s as well given what we know of her but I couldn’t really think of a good argument/connection between Althea and Astra and their respective father’s.

Star rating: ✯✯✯✯

Review of The Fairest Beauty by Melanie Dickerson

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The Fairest Beauty
By Melanie Dickerson

Star Rating: 

Genre: Young Adult Fantasy, Fairy Tale Retelling

Number of Pages: 336

Date Started: January 3, 2016
Date Finished: January 5, 2016

Synopsis:(From Amazon)15700446
A daring rescue. A difficult choice.

Sophie desperately wants to get away from her stepmother’s jealousy, and believes escape is her only chance to be happy. Then a young man named Gabe arrives from Hagenheim Castle, claiming she is betrothed to his older brother, and everything twists upside down. This could be Sophie’s one chance at freedom—but can she trust another person to keep her safe?

Gabe defied his parents Rose and Wilhelm by going to find Sophie, and now he believes they had a right to worry: the girl’s inner and outer beauty has enchanted him. Though romance is impossible—she is his brother’s future wife, and Gabe himself is betrothed to someone else—he promises himself he will see the mission through, no matter what.

When the pair flee to the Cottage of the Seven, they find help—but also find their feelings for each other have grown. Now both must not only protect each other from the dangers around them—they must also protect their hearts.

Review:
I’ll start by saying that this is part of a series of fairy tale retellings and I started in the wrong order.  If you want to start in the correct order, I believe the first on is The Healer’s Apprentice.

From the moment I started reading this book, I was enthralled in the world.  I wanted to know if Sophie really was who Pinnosa claimed her to be.  There were so many amazing twists and turns in this book, and although there was almost a dystopian feel, I absolutely adored it.  Although this book it very obviously marketed and listed as a fairy tale retelling, when wrapped deeply in the story and continuing on, I had forgotten that it was supposed to be a fairy tale when Gabe and Sophie reach the Cottage of the Seven, and it took me a few minutes to recall.  The fairy tale itself is expertly entwined with Dickerson’s plot, making this book a quick page turner, and hard to set down.

Again (and as I now suspect, in all of Dickerson’s Fairy Tale Romance stories) religion played a large role.  This time, religion almost played the part of a parent to Sophie, reminding her of morals and values, and that although she had been treated quite unfairly, she should not seek vengeance or harbour hatred in her heart.  Gabe also helped remind her of what God wants– for you to let go of all of your pain, and give it to him.  Everyone needs to learn, at some point, that no one is meant to weather everything alone, and sometimes it is easier to let things go, forgive, and try to forget.

The one inconsistency that drew me out of the novel was the mention of how having a crossbow meant that there would be no reload time versus a long bow.  A crossbow would be more deadly, and likely more accurate (easier to aim) especially on horseback, however, all traditional bows do need to be reloaded.  More importantly, traditional crossbows generally need to be either stepped on or cranked to set the draw string back, which means there would be a bit more time between each shot than if someone had a long bow.  Another inaccuracy mentioned is the arrows that Gabe would use for his crossbow– crossbows use bolts, which while comparable, are slightly different in that they are smaller and don’t have feathers.

71pR6EFJ7UL._UX250_Author Bio: (From Amazon)
Melanie Dickerson is the author of Historical Romances, and her favorite time periods are Medieval, which she has combined with her love of fairy tales, and Regency, which shows her love for Jane Austen and the fact that she has memorized the Pride and Prejudice movie–the one with Colin Firth, of course. She is a 2-time Christy Award finalist, a 2-time Maggie Award winner, winner of The National Reader’s Choice Award for 2010’s Best First Book, and winner of the 2012 Carol Award in Young Adult fiction. She earned her bachelor’s degree in special education from The University of Alabama and has taught children with special needs in Georgia and Tennessee, and English to adults in Germany and Ukraine. Now she spends her time writing, hanging out on facebook, and taking care of her husband and two daughters near Huntsville, Alabama. Visit her on the web at http://www.MelanieDickerson.com.

 

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Thank you! 

 

Review of The Golden Braid by Melanie Dickerson

/ lizzymarch / Leave a comment

The Golden Braid
By Melanie Dickerson

Star Rating: 

Genre: Young Adult Fantasy

Number of Pages: 320

Date Started: January 2, 2016
Date Finished: January 3, 2016

Synopsis:(From Amazon)24867658
The one who needs rescuing isn’t always the one in the tower. 

Rapunzel can throw a knife better than any man. She paints beautiful flowering vines on the walls of her plaster houses. She sings so sweetly she can coax even a beast to sleep. But there are two things she is afraid her mother might never allow her to do: learn to read and marry.Fiercely devoted to Rapunzel, her mother is suspicious of every man who so much as looks at her daughter and warns her that no man can be trusted. After a young village farmer asks for Rapunzel’s hand in marriage, Mother decides to move them once again—this time, to the large city of Hagenheim.

The journey proves treacherous, and after being rescued by a knight—Sir Gerek—Rapunzel in turn rescues him farther down the road. As a result, Sir Gerek agrees to repay his debt to Rapunzel by teaching her to read. Could there be more to this knight than his arrogance and desire to marry for riches and position?

As Rapunzel acclimates to life in a new city, she uncovers a mystery that will forever change her life. In this Rapunzel story unlike any other, a world of secrets and treachery is about to be revealed after seventeen years of lies. How will Rapunzel finally take control of her own destiny? And who will prove faithful to a lowly peasant girl with no one to turn to?

Review:
I’ll start by saying that this is part of a series of fairy tale retellings and I started in the wrong order.  If you want to start in the correct order, I believe the first on is The Healer’s Apprentice.From the beginning there are a few details that make it impossible not to know that our heroine/protagonist is, indeed, Rapunzel.  Starting with the obvious, her name is the same, but then she also has the quite long golden hair.  I greatly enjoyed that Rapunzel’s mother was given much more depth than the usual story allows, and that she appeared to have reasons for what she suggested to Rapunzel and the things she tried to make Rapunzel practice.  All in all, she was quite well done, and while empathetic, still quite villainous.  Rapunzel herself was also greatly characterized, ambitious, and well learned.

This was the first time I have seen a fairy tale so artfully mastered and wrapped around religion and the bible.  I quite enjoyed watching Rapunzel learn the scripture and contemplate what it meant to her, the reader left to assume that her mother had never spent much time speaking of religion.  For many, there needs to be a belief that someone will be there watching out for them, wishing them well, and loving them– especially for those who may not have a physical person out there doing so, and in that regard, entwining religion and God was quite perfect.

Unfortunately, while I did love the majority of the story, the reveal of who Rapunzel truly is (who her parents are) was too easily pieced together based on little snippets of foreshadowing given throughout the book, which made the official knowledge a bit lackluster, since, as a reader, it had been known for quite some time.

Overall, I greatly recommend this book, especially to people who wonder why their parents try to tell them to do certain things, to any that worry no one loves them or cares, and to those who believe every damsel in distress can’t save herself.

71pR6EFJ7UL._UX250_Author Bio: (From Amazon)
Melanie Dickerson is the author of Historical Romances, and her favorite time periods are Medieval, which she has combined with her love of fairy tales, and Regency, which shows her love for Jane Austen and the fact that she has memorized the Pride and Prejudice movie–the one with Colin Firth, of course. She is a 2-time Christy Award finalist, a 2-time Maggie Award winner, winner of The National Reader’s Choice Award for 2010’s Best First Book, and winner of the 2012 Carol Award in Young Adult fiction. She earned her bachelor’s degree in special education from The University of Alabama and has taught children with special needs in Georgia and Tennessee, and English to adults in Germany and Ukraine. Now she spends her time writing, hanging out on facebook, and taking care of her husband and two daughters near Huntsville, Alabama. Visit her on the web at http://www.MelanieDickerson.com.

 

If you like this review, and the writing style of this quirky reviewer, please consider visiting and liking my Facebook author page: Lizzy March.


Thank you!