Enchanted - Alethea Kontis

Enchanted by Alethea Kontis
Series: Woodcutter Series #1
Publisher: Harcourt Children's Books
Publication Date: May 8, 2012
Source: Borrowed from Estelle (Thanks!) || ARC

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? (from Goodreads)

I grew up reading fairytales, and that explains my weakness for books like this one which incorporate them into an entirely new story. Enchanted contains a whimsical collection of characters and plots and objects from my childhood favorites. The author managed to weave these familiar elements into a tale with a unique twist, and I enjoyed it, though I lacked a personal connection to it.

The book follows a typical fairytale set-up, with a main character or, in this case, two main characters who must face all these challenges in order to win their happily-ever-after. Readers will initially meet Sunday, who is the seventh daughter of a seventh daughter. She's also girl gifted with the power of writing stories that just so happen to come true. Though the bits of her writing we become privy to are fun, I found that I lacked a personal connection to her. I can commend her great devotion to her family, and her earnest desire to do the right thing.

The second main character, Grumble the frog, is the character I love most. When he's a frog, he's kind to Sunday and eager to listen to her amazing stories. And when he transforms into Rumbold, he just gets even more interesting! I loved reading about his struggle to cope with being human again, and his struggle to regain his memories, as these things made him seem more real to me. Plus, his occasional awkwardness and his intense devotion to Sunday are all things that work in his favor!

There are so many other characters in this book, and even though I got little bits and pieces of insight into their personalities, I still feel like they could have been developed more. For instance, her siblings have a wide range of personality quirks, and I definitely think it would be interesting to explore each of their stories a wee bit more!

This book is definitely a fairytale - there are princes and princesses, fairies good and evil, lots of crazy random magical moments and more. Though there's a tendency to be a little over the top and very far-fetched, it works simply because of the premise. The book ended up being very entertaining, and just fun to read.

The only complaint I have is that the deluge of fairytale elements is a bit intense, as there's a lot to try to keep in mind. I was overwhelmed slightly, though my comprehensive knowledge of familiar fairytales helped me sort of keep things in place.

Enchanted manage to combine a lot of familiar fairytale elements into this unique new story, which will have you rooting for Sunday and Rumbold to get together. While I certainly think that the story was a tad overwhelming, I did have fun reading it and closed the book with the satisfaction of knowing that there's always a way to find happily ever after.