Review : Enchanted by Alethea Kontis

Summary (from Goodreads)

It isn't easy being the rather overlooked and unhappy youngest sibling to sisters named for the other six days of the week. Sunday’s only comfort is writing stories, although what she writes has a terrible tendency to come true.

When Sunday meets an enchanted frog who asks about her stories, the two become friends. Soon that friendship deepens into something magical. One night Sunday kisses her frog goodbye and leaves, not realizing that her love has transformed him back into Rumbold, the crown prince of Arilland—and a man Sunday’s family despises.

The prince returns to his castle, intent on making Sunday fall in love with him as the man he is, not the frog he was. But Sunday is not so easy to woo. How can she feel such a strange, strong attraction for this prince she barely knows? And what twisted secrets lie hidden in his past - and hers?

Personal Thoughts

I think I can safely say that most of us have loved reading fairy tales when we were younger. In fact, from time to time, I still do read some of fairy tale stories. There's something about them that is so appealing. Maybe, it's the prospect of a happily ever after. When I read the blurb of Enchanted, I was surprised to learn that it was a blend of fairy tales and I immediately dove into the story.

Enchanted tells the story of Sunday Woodcutter, the seventh daughter of a seventh daughter. She is blessed with happiness. While writing outside one day, Sunday meets Grumble, a frog, who's very interested in learning about the stories she crafts. Soon, she and Grumble forge a friendship and this friendship turns into love. When Sunday kisses Grumble, he turns into the Prince he was before he was cursed, but Sunday doesn't see him. Now, the Prince,Rumbold, has every intention to make Sunday fall in love with the man that he is. But Sunday's family hates the Prince's family. So, will he be able to fulfill his goal ?

Enchanted has a vast number of characters. At times, it was difficult to remember who was who, especially since I didn't read the book in one seating. However, most of the characters had distinct personalities. Sunday was the quiet and sweet one. She appeared to be plain on the outside, but on the inside she was a dreamer. She yearned for love and so many other things. I especially loved the relationship she had with her adoptive brother, Trix. They had a very tightly-knit bond and it was heart-warming to see such a beautiful sibling relationship. I loved each and everyone of Sunday's sisters. They were a very odd pack since they were so different from each other, but the love that they shared for each other was present in all the pages. Grumble/Rumbold was a sweetheart. He was a genuinely sweet, caring and lovable guy. You could say that he was a very charming Prince. His relationship with Sunday was utterly cute. It's one of those romances that isn't excessive, but is very touching. Plus, the relationship was a healthy one. One great thing about Rumbold was that he allowed Sunday to make her own decisions when he came out with the truth that he was indeed Grumble. That showed that he respected Sunday and he cared about her decisions.

I don't know how Alethea Kontis did it, but she managed to intertwine so many wonderful fairy tales to create an imaginative and unique story. There's no doubt that Enchanted was a highly original book. The writing was simply beautiful. At times, though, I felt a little confused by the circumstances in the book, but fortunately that didn't occur on numerous occasions. I ended up really enjoying the story. Enchanted was the kind of story that wasn't exactly mind-blowing, but it will remain etched in your mind for some time since it is so different from the usual YA books.

Overall, Enchanted was a beautiful story that will appeal to lovers of Sleeping Beauty, Cinderella, Jack and The Beanstalk and all those wonderful fairy tales out there. Splendidly well-written with its wonderful characters and stories of magic, witches, princesses and fairy god-mothers, Enchanted will bewitch you. This isn't a book you want to miss out !

Rating

Cover : 3/5

Plot : 3/5

Characters : 4/5

Writing : 3/5