BEA Book Club: The Wishing Spell

The Wishing Spell by Chris Colfer (See my review here!)
Series: The Land of Stories #1
Publisher: Little, Brown and Company
Publication Date: July 17, 2012
Source/Format: BEA 2012 || ARC

The Land of Stories tells the tale of twins Alex and Conner. Through the mysterious powers of a cherished book of stories, they leave their world behind and find themselves in a foreign land full of wonder and magic where they come face-to-face with the fairy tale characters they grew up reading about. But after a series of encounters with witches, wolves, goblins, and trolls alike, getting back home is going to be harder than they thought.

As part of the BEA Book Club, Shanella came up with three questions for us to answer about THE WISHING SPELL. You can see both our answers below. And don't forget to check out Shanella's review!

1. The Land of Stories utilizes a lot of fairy tale characters, focusing on the things that happened after the Happily Ever Afters. Which story did you enjoy the most? 

Shanella: I really loved what Chris Colfer did with the Evil Queen's story. He not only gave her a follow-up after the happily ever after (though, her ever after wasn't very happy), but he also gave her some background story into why she became the Evil Queen, it almost made me feel sad for her.

Alexa: That was actually going to be my answer as well! I love the Evil Queen's story. However, I also loved how he incorporated the story of The Frog Prince. I thought it was a pretty clever way to slip it into the book, and plus, I've always had a soft spot for that fairytale.

2. Was there anything you would have wanted to see added to the story? 

Shanella: Personally, I thought there were a lot of things that could have been added, but that's only because there are so many great fairy tales out there! The story was already overflowing with stories, but, I suppose if he could have fit more into this installment, I'd have loved to hear more about the Little Mermaid or else, more about Rapunzel.

Alexa: I'd have to agree. Having read so many fairytales, I know there's definitely a lot more that could be added to the story (and hopefully will be in the next one!). I would have loved to learn more about the Little Mermaid, since I've always found that fairytale captivating and tragic.

3. Overall, what did you think about the story? 

Shanella: I, for one, was surprised! It was a brilliant little story. I see a lot of silly stories by celebraties that make the bestseller lists because the authors are already popular, but, this story stands on it's own. It certainly doesn't need Chris Colfer's popularity to sell as it would sell well just on its own.

Alexa: I thought it was a fun adventure! Though it's certainly catered to a younger audience, it really did blow me away. The incorporation of fairytale characters into a completely new story - fantastic!