The Amaranth Enchantment by Julie Berry

Rating: 3/5 Stars

Genre: Fantasy

Release Date: 3/9/2009

About the Book: When Lucinda Chapdelaine was young, her parents left for a royal ball and never came back. Now Lucinda works in her Aunt and Uncle's jewelry store where her Aunt treats her like a slave. When a mysterious woman with a strange piece of jewelry and a handsome enter the store on the same day, Lucinda finds herself on a journey that is full of magic and mystery.

GreenBeanTeenQueen Says: I thought this story was very creative and I enjoyed it. Lucinda's story is sometimes reminiscant of Cinderella, but there are hints of other fairy tales that show up throughout. I really liked how the author introduced several characters along the way and then showed how each one was connected. Each person was important to the story.

The thing I didn't like was that I felt it started off strong, but then started to drag. I'm not what it was exactly, but it just lost some of it's magic for me. I think I just wasn't as interested in all the characters. Also, the ending seemed abrupt, and I would have liked to know just a little more about what happened to everyone.

I have to say that my favorite character was Peter, the street thief. At first, I wasn't sure how he would play into the story, but I liked how the author tied everything together. The banter between Peter and Lucinda was some of my favorite and it was scenes with the two of them that would make me laugh. I also have a soft spot for Dog, the goat and I'd love to have Dog as a pet.

Overall, The Amaranth Enchantment is a charming story and a great read for fans of fairy tales. This is also a great fantasy/fairy tale pick for tweens as well as teens.