Customer Reviews

The Amaranth Enchantment

5 star:		(27)
4 star:		(16)
3 star:		(14)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(3)

 

 

A very loose retelling of the Cinderella tale. Lucinda's parents died in a carriage accident when Lucinda was a young child. Since then, her aunt (cruel) and uncle (nice) have raised her in their jewelry shop. Lucinda's life was fairly ho-hum until a mysterious woman known as the Amaranth Witch drops off a gigantic jewel in need of a new setting, a beggar boy steals the jewel, Lucinda's uncle dies, and Lucinda is kicked out of her home after her aunt accuses her of theft. Does that sound like a bit much to believe? Wait, it gets worse.

I could swallow all of the above if the characters were good enough to carry the story and the suspension of belief didn't require much more than your average fantasy/fairy tale (or at least made some sense). However, the characters weren't good enough to carry the story. Lucinda was almost the tough and spunky, but not in that annoying way, heroine, but she didn't quite get from character storyboard to endearing and memorable. Beryl was just so sad and desperate it was pathetic, wallowing around instead of either trying to fix her situation or move on with her life. The prince was cut from the same cardboard early Disney princes were cut from, but with a dash of "annoying" thrown in for good measure. There was also zero chemistry between them. Peter had the makings of a good character (and much better love interest), but he never reached his promise and the conclusion of his storyline was over the top silly. The goat named Dog was the best character in the book, and even he was completely random and never explained.

And then we get aliens. Yeah, aliens. This brought the book from "Ok, but nothing memorable" and into the realm of "What was the author thinking?" Instead of remembering the book as, "What was that one about again? I think it was ok?" I'll now remember it as, "Oh, isn't that the one with that alien well thing thrown in?" Not the best lasting impression.

My 15-year-old daughter, Bailey, recently wrote this review of The Amaranth Enchantment:


By R.Bailey Scott

Original, relatable, humorous, and fantastic do not begin to describe the fresh, yet masterful, prose of Julie Berry, author of The Amaranth Enchantment. The story grabs you within the opening lines:

`Someday, Lucinda," she says,"these jewels will all be yours.

"They smile, kiss me and hurry down the hall warning me to be good for Nurse. Papa so tall and handsome. Mama sparkling and trailing perfume

"They leave for the ball.

"But, they never come back."

When it ends 306 pages later, you will find yourself asking for more.

The Amaranth Enchantment follows the captivating story of fifteen-year-old Lucinda Chapdelaine as she struggles to find herself and replace the sense of family she lost when here parents died.

Sent to live with an evil aunt, Lucinda works as her house servant until one day when a mysterious stranger arrives at her uncle's jewel shop and sets her off on a magical journey full of astonishing twists and turns, temporary disappointments and joy.

The story line is fast-paced and exciting, and the plot unique and intricate, something rarely found in fairy tales. While headed toward a happy-ever-after-ending, the book entertains and amuses with many laugh-out loud moments, while still revealing a depth of understanding about loneliness, home, and discovering one's sense of purpose.

While the focus is on Lucinda's adventures and victories, Berry inserts the character of a predictable prince, for, as she puts it, "What's a fairy-tale without a prince?"

However, Berry deliberately did not let the prince get in the way of developing the female protagonist, Lucinda, who is both strong and independent. "It's not like other fairy tales where the heroine is destitute until the prince comes to save her. Lucinda's victory did not depend on the prince," Berry said.

"I saw Lucinda as having a lot of strength, character, and grit, which she uses to reclaim her home and identity. I hope that upon reading this girls will know that they have the ability to build their own future homes and identities by choosing the life they want to live and pursuing their dreams through education and experience. Love, while wonderful, doesn't have to come along to achieve happiness."

Along with creating a strong and independent character, she wanted to develop a heroine whom adolescent girls could relate to. Berry insists that that Lucinda could be any girl, for she is neither excessively brave nor exceptionally brilliant. "She is a very believable person whom I hope girls can see themselves in," she said.

As Lucinda searches for self and home, Berry breathes life into fantastical settings, people, and creatures. Many female Mormon authors who write for teenagers -- Shannon Hale and Stephanie Meyer, for example - create worlds within best-selling novels, leaving teenage girls hungering for more.

Such electrifying fantasy added great strength and originality to their works. Now, The Amaranth Enchantment takes magical imagery to new heights. She "paints" settings so vividly that readers will find themselves entering her imagined world instantaneously.

Berry said, "my religion has given me perspective of life and love stretching beyond this world to the afterlife and really helped in shaping my creation of Lucinda's world."

"I hope that young people will think of me as someone who produces works that are exciting and fun," she said. But The Amaranth Enchantment , while amusing, also beautifully illustrates and brings insight to complex themes and emotions such as loneliness, home, and identity.

Berry says: "It is my hope that at least one girl will read The Amaranth Enchantment , love it, and be swept away by the fantasy and adventure."

The Amaranth Enchantment by Julie Berry is a very loose Cinderella story. Lucinda was the prized daughter of wealthy and influential parents, but when they die, she is left penniless and sent to live with her uncle and evil step-aunt. Now she's fifteen, her life is bleak, and she doesn't see a way out. All of this changes in a matter of hours when three strangers separately enter her life - a mysterious lady, a handsome thief, and a prince (princes don't need adjectives).

Strengths: The evil aunt is given a reason for being evil - not an excuse, but the reader understands a bit better why she behaves the way she does. She's also not entirely irredeemable. Basically, she's a villain with a little bit of depth. Nice to see, and not something required of a Cinderella retelling. So, points for that.

Lucinda was interesting. The plot was compelling - I did want to know how it turned out (ok, mostly I wanted to see the bad guy vanquished and find out what boy she ended up with). I laughed in a few places. I was invested.

But.

Yes, but. You knew this was coming.

I have to question if any fantasy elements were even necessary. I honestly don't think they were. This could have been written as a simple historical fairy tale (minus the, er, fairy bits) and, frankly, I think it would have been a stronger story for it. Alternate realities? Preternatural goats that that verge on magical, but are left without explanation whatsoever? There was a whole secondary world built up here, and very little need. It's like normal evil wasn't evil enough and needed to be ramped up with magic evil. And, ok, if magic was needed, why the alternate reality? Why go to the trouble? It's not like the powers were all that special to require that. They were pretty typical magical powers.

It was just too complicated. Which is a pity, because Berry did a good job with giving a known entity (Cinderella) a very fresh turn. I just, in my humble opinion, think she went a bit too far, straying out of my ability to suspend disbelief.

And, seriously, WTF was with that goat?

(a modified version of this review appeared at [...] )

Lucinda Chapdelaine spent the first five years of her life with a privileged upbringing and loving parents. She even met the king at one of her parents' parties, and he promised that when she came of age, she could have two dances with the prince. But her world crashed to a painful end when her mother and father died in a carriage accident. According to the accountant, their wealth had dwindled to nothing, and Lucinda was left penniless. A kind uncle and his new wife agreed to take her in, but the wonderful life she had before drifts away into distant memories.

Now at 15, Lucinda toils away at her aunt and uncle's rather unsuccessful goldsmith shop. She sleeps in a drafty closet of a room, works from pre-dawn until after dark with her belly only half-filled and her heart empty and alone. Her uncle is kind, though he is no match for his cruel and sadistic wife, who takes pleasure in forcing Lucinda to slave away and then beats her for any little mistake she makes. But all of this changes the day the woman rumored to be a witch walks into the shop.

She calls herself Beryl, but the village considers her a witch. She enters the goldsmith shop with a huge, unusual gem and would like a new necklace casing made for the beautiful jewel. Beryl also brings up employment to Lucinda, but quickly withdraws the offer after seeing the reaction of Lucinda's aunt. The unusual woman and her gem aren't the only visitors that day; the handsome prince stops in as well, searching for a gift to give his fiancé. Never has this little shop received such attention before. And yet, the fun has only just begun.

Later that night, a fast-talking, scalawag pickpocket named Peter forces his way into Lucinda's room, attempting to elude capture. Lucinda reluctantly agrees to hide him for the night, and he generously returns the favor by stealing Beryl's jewel. The next day, the only kindness in Lucinda's life, her uncle, passes away, and her aunt proceeds to kick her out of the house. Without anywhere to go and no one to turn to, Lucinda makes her way to Beryl's house, hoping she will still want to hire her. But what Beryl really wants --- and needs --- is to get that special gem back, as it holds powers and importance beyond belief. She makes a deal with Lucinda to get the gem, and Lucinda sets off to find the pickpocket, only to learn he sold it to the prince.

Lucinda does the only thing she can think of --- she asks Peter to teach her how to pickpocket so she can steal from the prince. Unfortunately, Lucinda has yet another challenge to tackle. She finds out that her parents' carriage accident may not have been an accident, and the person responsible wants to complete the job by finishing off her as well.

THE AMARANTH ENCHANTMENT is Julie Berry's first novel, and what a wonderful debut it is. Filled with murder, mystery, an exotic visitor, a handsome prince, a forbidden romance, and a few humorous tidbits thrown in for good measure, the book has something for everyone to enjoy. Berry has a real talent for storytelling, hooking readers' attentions and flying them through the pages with action and excitement. And her amazing writing style is enhanced by her choice of action verbs, keeping "was" and "were" verbs to a minimum, a refreshing change from a lot of other novels. Book lovers will want to keep an eye on this new and gifted author. May she have another winner in stores soon.

--- Reviewed by Chris Shanley-Dillman, author of FINDING MY LIGHT and THE BLACK POND

I couldn't put this book down! Captivating characters, unexpected twists and turns, a strong and smart heroine, clever humor, and lots of romance. I loved the story and now plan to share it with my 15-year-old daughter. Can't wait for book II! When is it coming out?!?!

This book was given to us as a gift and both of my daughters read it. One is a reader and one not so much. However, this book captivated both of them. My 12 year old says it is the very best book that she has EVER read. My 14 yr old is almost finished and she thinks it is also the best book she has read as well. A great read for girls 10-15. If you have a reluctant reader and want something for her, this is the book and if you have an avid reader and want something new for her, this is the book as well. A wonderful story! Very Clean! Neither of them could put it down until it was finished and now want a sequel. Great read!!!!

The Amaranth Enchantment was a really fun, fairy tale sort of read. There was a lot more emphasis on a magical element than I was expecting from the synopsis, but I really enjoyed the addition in the story.

The story is beautifully written and the world that Berry created was fascinating, I only wish it would have been further explored.

Lucinda was a very relatable character, but I found her to be very naive at times. Allowing a strange thief to come in your bedroom late at night and then leaving him ALONE in your room. If that doesn't spell disaster I don't know what does. The thief in question however, was one of my favorite characters of the novel, Peter. Sarcastic and brash, he made the novel that much better.

Overall, I was expecting something a little more adventurous and exciting but it is still a very fun story that is beautifully written!

This book was a delightful adventure! I loved Berry's light yet lyrical voice, the book flowed along effortlessly! I also loved the characters, especially Beryl, and I would love to have a sequel or companion book written about her and her people!

Lucinda Chapdelaine has been an orphan ever since her parents left for a ball and never returned. She was taken in by her uncle at his jewelry shop, and must endure her wicked step-aunt.

And then a woman named Beryl came into the shop. Since then, Lucinda's life has changed forever.

All in the same day that she saw Beryl, the Prince comes to the shop, and a thief boy sneaks into Lucinda's room and stays the night. Peter, the thief, steals something from Lucinda, and she must find him to get it back to Beryl, the rightful owner.

But she isn't the only one looking for it.

When she finally finds the thief, he has sold it - to the Prince for his betrothed.

What will Lucinda do to get it back to Beryl? What other twists and turns will she get herself into along the way?

This story, overall, was very interesting. It kept me guessing and that made it hard to put down. My favorite character was Peter, the young thief, because he was fun and sarcastic. The only thing I wasn't happy with was the ending. It was very abrupt, and it gives you hardly a hint as to what happens to all of the characters.

Other than that, the story was well-written, and I really enjoyed it.

Reviewed by: Ashley B

Hard to believe that this is a first book for Julie Berry. The book flowed, the prose was witty and the heroine was endearing. I couldn't put it down - either could my 10 year old daughter. I can't wait for Berry's next books and for the Amaranth movie!!