Author: Julie Berry
Genre: Young Adult
Pub Date: March 2009, Bloomsbury USA
Format: Hardcover
Source: Purchased from Amazon.com
Synopsis (from Goodreads)
When Lucinda Chapdelaine was a small child, her parents left for the royal ball and never returned. Ever since, Lucinda has been stuck in perpetual servitude at her evil aunt’s jewelry store. Then, on the very same day, a mysterious visitor and an even more bizarre piece of jewelry both enter the shop, setting in motion a string of twists and turns that will forever alter Lucinda’s path. In this magical story filled with delightful surprises, Lucinda will dance at the royal ball, fall under the Amaranth Witch’s spell, avenge her parents’ death, and maybe—just maybe—capture the heart of a prince.
My Thoughts
Yes, this is another review that has been a long time coming, but this book got lost on my TBR bookshelf for the last couple of years and I only just got around to reading it! When I turned the last page, my first thought was that The Amaranth Enchantment was a Cinderella tale with a hint of the story of Anastasia Romanov (and of course, a paranormal element, as well). This was an easy read that wasn't overly involved, which is exactly what I needed this week with my limited time to read.
That said, I do think this book would have benefited from a little bit more detail to the plot and attention to the characters. I enjoyed the general story, but I felt like it had so much more potential than what we ultimately got. I would have loved to have seen more of Beryl and her involvement, not to mention some real development with Lucinda -- she fell rather flat to me. And I admit I had a bit of an eye roll moment when the story wrapped itself up at the end... It was a little too pretty and borderline ridiculous, though I admit I did have some suspicions about what kind of person Peter actually was.
Anyway, I still think The Amaranth Enchantment is a fun adaptation of the Cinderella story we all know and love. It will provide you with a great escape and you won't get too bogged down -- it's really a great read as we head into summer and vacation season.
My rating:
As always, if you have reviewed this book, please feel free to leave a link to your review in the comments section!
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