A review by liralen
Enchanted Ever After by Shanna Swendson
4.0
And so the Enchanted, Inc. series comes to an end, much to my dismay. Katie & co. aren't done saving the world yet, but they can at least have their happily-for-now.
This isn't my favourite of the books. Don't get me wrong, it's still lots of fun—Enchanted Ever After takes place in 2007, when rapid changes in technology are making it harder for the magical community to keep their presence a secret from the general public. There's a note at the beginning of the book to remind readers that technology has continued to change, and that smartphones weren't a Thing back then, and at first that note felt superfluous...but as I got deeper into the book, it made more sense.
The chemistry between Katie and Owen was a bit lacklustre, though. It feels a little odd to say this, because for most of the series I've been enthusiastic about how low-key their romance is: very little manufactured drama, awareness from both characters that the things keeping them apart are external factors, et cetera. Here, though, the attempt to frame Owen (and thus create conflict that impacts their relationship) felt less fully conceived than conflicts in the earlier books, and their interactions felt a bit rote.
That said...I'm really, really sorry to see this series end. It's been my go-to light reading for just about as long as I've been on Goodreads(!). Perhaps I'm due a reread!
This isn't my favourite of the books. Don't get me wrong, it's still lots of fun—Enchanted Ever After takes place in 2007, when rapid changes in technology are making it harder for the magical community to keep their presence a secret from the general public. There's a note at the beginning of the book to remind readers that technology has continued to change, and that smartphones weren't a Thing back then, and at first that note felt superfluous...but as I got deeper into the book, it made more sense.
The chemistry between Katie and Owen was a bit lacklustre, though. It feels a little odd to say this, because for most of the series I've been enthusiastic about how low-key their romance is: very little manufactured drama, awareness from both characters that the things keeping them apart are external factors, et cetera. Here, though, the attempt to frame Owen (and thus create conflict that impacts their relationship) felt less fully conceived than conflicts in the earlier books, and their interactions felt a bit rote.
That said...I'm really, really sorry to see this series end. It's been my go-to light reading for just about as long as I've been on Goodreads(!). Perhaps I'm due a reread!