Series: The Enchanted Collection, Book 2
Author: Gail Carson Levine
Publish Date: March 1, 2001
Publisher: Eos
Genre: Young Adult, Fantasy, Reworked Fairy Tale
Started Reading: January 31, 2016
Finished Reading: February 1, 2016
Book Summary From Goodreads:Twelve-year-old Addie admires her older sister Meryl, who aspires to rid the kingdom of Bamarre of gryphons, specters, and ogres. Addie, on the other hand, is fearful even of spiders and depends on Meryl for courage and protection. Waving her sword Bloodbiter, the older girl declaims in the garden from the heroic epic of Drualt to a thrilled audience of Addie, their governess, and the young sorcerer Rhys.
But when Meryl falls ill with the dreaded Gray Death, Addie must gather her courage and set off alone on a quest to find the cure and save her beloved sister. Addie takes the seven-league boots and magic spyglass left to her by her mother and the enchanted tablecloth and cloak given to her by Rhys - along with a shy declaration of his love. She prevails in encounters with tricky specters (spiders too) and outwits a wickedly personable dragon in adventures touched with romance and a bittersweet ending.
My Two Cents:
Goodreads Rating: 3 Stars (I liked it)
This is a very sweet book. I love new/rewritten fairy tales and Gail does not disappoint. As with her other books, this has a gripping story filled with adventure and danger, a bit of love, and while the ending may not be happily ever after, it's a good one with a message that easily applies to reality.
That being said, I found that it was a book I liked, it was decent, but not one I couldn't put down. The main reason I picked this book up was to finish off the series. I'd read Ella Enchanted and Fairest previously, and when I noticed that this book was available in the library, I decided to give it a go.
The plot was decently paced, the deadline over the main character's head kept the story moving forward. The characters were all well developed, though the romance did seem a bit forced. I think for me this book would be one I would enjoy more reading to or with an early teen child rather than just for myself.
One of my favourite parts of the book was that I had a version that showed some of the various changes made to the book through the re-writing and editing process. It was very interesting to see what the author had originally envisioned for the book and her explanations for the changes she made as time went on.
To Sum Up: It's not one to rush out and get right now, but if you're in between books and looking for a quick, easy, and cute story to read, definitely check it out.
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