Enchanted by Alethea Kontis

Enchanted by Alethea Kontis
Series: Woodcutter Sisters, #1
Source: Bought
Publisher: Harcourt Children's Books
Publication Date: May 8, 2012

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?

I honestly think that I may have waited a bit too long to review Enchanted, but hey. Whatever, right? Anywho, when Enchanted started off, I was really excited about it! Another fairytale retelling, woohoo! But then, well, it became another fairytale retelling. Which...wasn't all that awesome, although this was still an enjoyable story. I liked the take on most fairytales being linked to the same family (they have all kinds linked to them. You don't even know), but I felt like everyone else was most of the story.

There was way too many unneeded details, like how stylish and fancy and whatever some random person's dress was, as well as the fact that the evil godmother that cursed so-and-so was the good godmother's sister who was related to Sunday's mom who was a magical person in her own right...it's like, I don't know. I just felt like I didn't need all of those little connections. It was neat, sure. But it overpowered the story in it's own right.

It almost crossed the line into way weird, but I think it strayed back enough to be alright. But you'd think after all the connections of the fairytales...well, that the story of Sunday and Rumbold would have been cooler. And it was okay, I just...I felt like there was no real reason for it. What use is it finding your soulmate (after losing him) if you don't even recognize his personality/soul? I don't understand, you know?

I liked the spin, and the alternating points of view, but I think that the premise and overall execution could have been better. But it did have a nice, peaceful, resolved ending.

The Hero's Guide to Saving Your Kingdom by Christopher Healy

The Hero's Guide to Saving Your Kingdom by Christopher Healy
Series: The League of Princes, #1
Source: Bought
Publisher: Walden Pond Press
Publication Date: May 1, 2012

Prince Liam. Prince Frederic. Prince Duncan. Prince Gustav. You’ve never heard of them, have you? These are the princes who saved Sleeping Beauty, Cinderella, Snow White, and Rapunzel, respectively, and yet, thanks to those lousy bards who wrote the tales, you likely know them only as Prince Charming. But all of this is about to change.

Rejected by their princesses and cast out of their castles, the princes stumble upon an evil plot that could endanger each of their kingdoms. Now it’s up to them to triumph over their various shortcomings, take on trolls, bandits, dragons, witches, and other assorted terrors, and become the heroes no one ever thought they could be.

Christopher Healy’s Hero’s Guide to Saving Your Kingdom is a completely original take on the world of fairy tales, the truth about what happens after “happily ever after.” It’s a must-have for middle grade readers who enjoy their fantasy adventures mixed with the humor of the Diary of a Wimpy Kid books. Witty black-and-white drawings by Todd Harris add to the fun.

The Hero's Guide to Saving Your Kingdom was a very fun book. I first picked it up because of the awesome illustrated cover, but after I read the intro there was no putting it down. First off, well, the premise itself was just awesome. I love the idea of it! Anything done with fairytales is A-OK by me, seriously. But anywho, this is one of those books that I kind of feel to old for...it was way fabulous, and I loved it to death, but it was written for kids much younger than me.

But that's not the point. The illustrations were awesome, the story was captivating, and the overall experience was something special. I loved all the princes-- Gustav, Liam, Duncan and Frederic. Weirdly, I think that anti-social Gustav was my favorite, being the youngest of two sets of octuplets (seriously laughter occurred when that was announced). His dorky heroism and complete uncaring nature won me over, y'all.

In spite of that, though, I thoroughly enjoyed all of the other princes, and of course the princesses too! Almost every chapter was in a different point of view, which you'd think would be confusing, but it really wasn't at all. It was fan-freaking-tastic. Each point of view was uniquely fleshed out, and each and every character had their own quirks. It was all very whimsical and imaginative.

All in all, The Hero's Guide to Saving Your Kingdom was a really interesting break from all the bad books I've been reading lately. I really loved it, and I'm hoping to get to the sequel soon!