The Amaranth Enchantment is Julie Berry's refreshing take on Cinderella--although the heroine, Lucinda, never quite makes it to the ball. She does manage to dance with the prince a few times along the way, though.Lucinda's parents died when she was only five years old, leaving her penniless and in the care of her aunt and uncle. Her aunt is a miserable woman who makes both their lives terrible, and when Lucinda's uncle dies, her aunt casts her out onto the street. Lucinda casts her fate with that of a strange woman, Beryl, a beneficent creature from another world; the two of them, lonely, find friendship with each other.
With the help of Beryl and a street thief named Peter, Lucinda has a chance to win true love... and save the kingdom, while she's at it.
The story was pretty good. I loved seeing the elements of Cinderella crop up without actually reading the same old story of Cinderella again. Overall, there were elements that didn't hang together, and too much crying and random coincidence for my personal taste. But this is a quick, fun read with a creative premise. It's worth checking out if you want something light to read.
October 1st Edit: It's currently $2.99 for the kindle, which is pretty reasonable if you want a chance to check it out.
I received this book for Christmas last year as I love fairy tales and their modern adaptations. As a YA title, I found this book to be a fun twist on the story of Cinderella.
ReplyDeleteBy the way, your post on the Secret of Moonacre reminded me to check out the film from my local library. I had read about the film a while ago, but had completely forgotten to look for it until I saw your review of the film yesterday. I ended up posting about it on my blog as well hoping that some of my friends will watch it. I wish my local library had a copy of the book that it is based on.
You have an awesome blog! I love reading your thoughts and reviews on fairy tales and their adapations! Keep up the great work :)
Yes, it was definitely one of the more original Cinderella twists. :) I'm glad you're enjoying the blog, thanks for reading and commenting!
ReplyDeleteAsk your library if they can get an interlibrary loan copy of The Little White Horse. Most libraries are part of some kind of system where they can borrow from other libraries to meet their patrons' needs. :)
Thanks for the advice about the library. I used to ILL from my university library all the time, but I've never used the same service from my local library. I think I just might :)
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