Review - The Amaranth Enchantment by Julie Berry (4.5/5 stars)

Reading level: Young Adult
Genre: Fantasy
Size: 336 pages
Publisher: Bloomsbury USA Children's Books 
Release Date: July 20, 2010
ISBN-13: 978-1599904498
Stand Alone or Series: Stand Alone
Source: Swapped through paperbackswap.com
Rating: 4.5/5 stars

This was a fun and enchanting read.  Those you enjoy princess/fairy tale type stories you will definitely enjoy this book.  It was a sweet tale full of twists and turns with lovable characters.

Lucinda is being raised by her Uncle, who is a jeweler, and her Aunt who hates and abuses her.  She used to be the daughter of nobility but her parents' untimely death destroyed all of that.  When her uncle passes away Lucinda is forced out of the house by her aunt and ends up moving in with the Amaranth witch.  Now Lucinda is tasked with retrieving a special jewel and gets entangled with evil judges, a handsome price, a dashing thief, and a goat who acts like a dog.

This book was an excellent light fairy tale read.  The plot is incredibly well woven and full of magic and mystery.  There are some wonderful twists at the end which really keep the reader guessing.  The characters are all well-done and likable.  Lucinda has a good amount of spunk and a nice sense of humor that keeps things fun.  The writing style is easy to read and very engaging.  The book is appropriate for middle grade and older readers.

All of the characters in this book were interesting and fun.  You have to love the charming prince and the thieving rogue; sure they are kind of typical to a fairy tale story like this but they were really well-done in this story and lots of fun to read about.

Overall this was just a very fun and entertaining read.  A wonderful light read for fairy tale lovers out there.  If you like this book you might also be interested in Crown Duel by Sherwood Smith, Princess Academy by Shannon Hale, Princess Ben by Catherine Gilbert Murdock, or any of Tamora Pierce's books.

This book goes towards the following reading challenges:
- 100+ Reading Challenge
- Fantasy Reading Challenge