Christine and I picked up Enchanted by Alethea Kontis because of how cute it sounded. And we were not disappointed! Fairy tales, family drama, political intrigue, and a dashing frog-prince. What’s not to love?
Caitlin: So, I picked up this book based solely on its potential to be adorable. And it did not disappoint.
Christine: Me too. I was very excited to see it at ALA. I love fairy tales of all sorts, and the sudden popularity of them in books, television and movies nowadays makes me very happy. Enchanted is like the culmination of all the fairy tales you’ve ever known in one book. Seriously, I lost count at how many were either hinted at or directly involved in the plot of this book.
Caitlin: Yes! The plot was a lot more complicated than I’d gotten the impression it was going to be from the blurb. I was expecting a Prince-former-frog to be doing all he could to win the affections of a girl who loved him as a frog but instead we got family drama, political intrigue, and more siblings than I knew what to do with.
Not that this was a bad thing. I loved Sunday’s family and all the different fairy tales they brought into the mix and how they were all more important than you think at the beginning of the book.
Christine: The family dynamic did take some getting used to. Just getting the siblings in order was confusing at first, but it definitely helps all the girls are named after a day of the week, Sunday being the youngest.
I don’t know why, but for some reason, I wasn’t expecting magic to be as prevalent as it was in this book. Like, does everyone have a fairy godmother? It was like that in Ella Enchanted, and they are quite common in other fairy tales, Cinderella and Sleeping Beauty coming to mind. After reading about their fairy godmothers, I don’t want one. I thought when I was younger that having one would be cool, but no. I don’t want one. I’m good being normal and un-magic-y.
Also, what Rumbold went through just sounds horrible. I really felt bad for the guy. He was caught in the middle of something that wasn’t even his fault. Poor Rumbold.
Caitlin: I agree about the fairy godmothers, they seemed to cause more trouble than they warrant. I suppose it’d be nice to be the only person in the world with one, but if everyone has one then they all seem to cancel each other out.
And Rumbold, whether as a frog or a prince, was always so adorable and nice. I didn’t want anything bad to happen to him.
Christine: He was adorable and nice. But I have to wonder if he was like that because of his change or if he was like that before. Would he have turned out nice and adorable if he hadn’t met Sunday and gone through what he did? Without the change hanging over his head? It was hinted that his behavior that last year before he ‘went under’ was reckless and scandalous. I wonder what kind of man he’d have been if he hadn’t changed. Regardless, since I don’t think time travel is possible in this world, Rumbold is adorable. His love for Sunday and his utter need for her made me grin.
This book was also funny, especially between Sunday’s family members. I also liked Rumbold’s friends, well, cousin, knight and servant… person. Can’t quite remember his title. Manservant? Butler? Eh, I guess it doesn’t matter. He was still Rumbold’s friend. The relationships in this book were very well written, even from people who didn’t physically appear and were only talked about. I very much want to learn more about Thursday and Monday and what really happened to Jack Jr.
Caitlin: Yes! I need a Thursday book so bad! And Trix. He was so intriguing. I need more about him. Also, I loved when he went to town to sell the cow and immediately you know they aren’t getting any money from the cow. Trix is so the type of person to think highly of magic beans.
I want to talk about the ending but we can’t really without going into too many details. But (a) wow, the situation in the castle was MESSED up. And (b) I just loved every little bit of the ending. I loved how things turned out for Sunday, and I loved that it was a little mysterious and bittersweet. And I loved that Sunday did not enjoy wearing shoes.
Christine: I liked the ending as well. It definitely wasn’t typical and wow, yes, the situation was messed up. I was not expecting that at all. Also, now that I think about it, I want to know more about Wednesday and why she is the way she is and what that’s going to mean for the fey. Oh, and also I want to know more about Victor, Rumbold’s cousin, because he was very intriguing and I think him and Wednesday would have interesting interactions.
Um, basically, can Alethea write a book for every person ever mentioned in Enchanted? That would be great, thanks.
Caitlin: Seconded.