The Amaranth Enchantment by Julie Berry

Title: The Amaranth Enchantment

Author: Julie Berry

Published: March 2009 Bloomsbury

Pages: 320

ISBN: 9781449824716 

Source: Library e-audio book

Description: 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.  

I Give This ...

 

I've had this book on my radar for awhile now.  My library got it in as an e-audio book (I check it out online and downloaded to my ipod).  I was a little hesitant to this, but really wanted to read it.  While, I'm not sure about the person who read the story (I thought she was ok, my husband thought she was awful), I loved the story itself.  It had a wonderful fairytale feel.  Lucinda was a wonderful narrative.  I loved watching her grapple with who she really was and making her place in a world that was rightfully hers.  Once she set her eyes on what she wanted, she never stopped until she achieved it.  Her companion, Peter, was the most interesting side-kick.  I found myself actually laughing out loud at some of the exchanges between and Lucinda and Peter.  He's a thief by nature, but has a heartfelt goal.  I'm not sure he deserved his fairytale ending, it seemed way to convenient.  But, it wrapped up the story in a nice little bow.  The prince, Gregor, I wasn't quite sure of.  I was so afraid he was going to walk away from what he truly wanted, all because of his title.  The only thing I wish was that we got to know Beryl and her world a little more.  I didn't get enough.  Overall, an enchanting story that I would recommend to anyone who likes fairy tales and maybe even historical fiction mixed with fantasy (it had a historical fiction feel even if it's not based on any fact).