The best part about
this book is the characters:
1. Jack Woodcutter is a
seventh son and a teller of tales extraordinary. Just not always the truth.
2. Seven Woodcutter is a
seventh daughter and a sister to fairy godmothers. Whatever she speaks will
come to pass and thus has learned to speak very little.
3. Jack Junior is the
dead or vanished eldest son of the Woodcutters. He is the famous Jack of all
the fairy tales and nursery rhymes as well as a hero in the King’s Court.
4. Peter is another
Woodcutter son with yet to be well-established magical abilities although he
seems to lean towards sculpting, woodworking, and runes.
5. Trix is an adopted son
to the Woodcutter clan. He is a changeling left by the fey. He is wild and
forever young and you can never predict what will happen with anything he
touches. He might even sell the family cow for magic beans.
6. Monday Woodcutter is
the eldest daughter. She is fair of face and the Princess who discovered the
pea beneath a mound of mattresses. It did not end happily ever after.
7. Tuesday is Monday’s
twin who is full of grace. She danced holes into the soles of all her dancing
shoes until her mother requested shoes that would never wear out.
Unfortunately, they wore Tuesday to her untimely death.
8. Next is Wednesday,
full of woe. She is more fey than her sisters and speaks in poetic verses. She
lives in the tower of her family’s house far above the rest. She will capture
the eye of the ageless King.
9. Thursday has far to
go. Actually, she has already gone. She is the Pirate Captain to the Pirate
King. She uses her magic spyglass to keep in touch with her family.
10. Friday is loving and
giving. She makes clothing for the poor with her magic needle. She puts all
others before herself.
11. Saturday is the
Warrior Princess and works hard for a living. She joins her father and brothers
in the woods with her magic ax and never tires though always works.
12. Sunday is doomed to be
blithe and bonny and good and gay. She is our main character and the seventh
daughter of the seventh daughter. Similar to her mother, whatever she writes
comes true and so she always writes about the past – what has already happened.
But no one is interested in the past except for an enchanted frog she meets in
the forest by the fairy well.
13. Prince Rumbold is that
Prince. He is known as Grumble to Sunday. They love each other and sure enough,
a kiss from Sunday magically restores the Prince, only she doesn’t see it.
Unfortunately, Prince Rumbold is the cause of the Woodcutters’ sorrow. He must
win her heart despite former deceit.
14. Fairy Godmother Joy is
the Woodcutter Aunt who has blessed each child with a magical gift in the hopes
of setting all past wrongs – right.
15. Her sister is Fairy
Godmother Sorrow who is the ageless King’s closest advisor. She is perhaps
instrumental in his power and longevity.
16. The King has forgotten
his own name and so have his people. It is time for him to take a new wife.
17. Rollins is the Prince’s
right hand man who recognizes his return from enchantment. He will follow the
Prince outside of windows and onto clouds even though he is deathly afraid of
heights.
18. Erik is one of the
Castle Guards and another man who gives his allegiance to the Prince. He was
there with Rollins and the Prince’s cousin when Jack Junior and the Prince were
cursed.
19. Velius is the Prince’s
royal cousin. He is mostly fey and full of his own magic. He is well aware of
the magic, loyalties, politics and danger in the air. He is also able to supply
the Prince with strength and energy when needed.
These characters are
what tempted me to acquire this book and devour it immediately. And they make
the book worth the trouble. I only wish the plot was more succinct. Many times,
there were so many characters and plot lines and fairy tales and intrigues and
back stories that I was confused. Many times, I tried to go back to clarify
what I believed to be true. And many times, a closer reading did not clear
anything up any better. I almost would prefer for each of the sisters and even
the fairy godmothers to have their own book. I am positive they would be
interesting. We still don’t know what truly happened to Jack Junior… and the
Prince for that matter.
If you enjoy fairy
tales retold, you will have to read Enchanted. I think the author
has abundant potential. I wish she would have spent a bit more time on this
one. Maybe an extra draft or two would have helped. Or perhaps if she hadn’t
tried to shove so much in this one…
This belongs in young
adult even though sometimes it reads as a middle school novel. There is no sex,
but there are allusions to scandalous affairs… Some would let their tween read
it. I probably would not. She will have to wait.
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