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A review by asreadbyallie
Enchanting Fate (Fairy Tales of Gallia Book One) by Ashley Evercott
emotional
hopeful
lighthearted
fast-paced
3.75
Actual rating: 3.8 out of 5 stars. This is a non-spoiler review of Enchanting Fate. I received this advanced reader copy in exchange for an honest review.
Enchanting Fate is a whimsical adaptation of Beauty and the Beast. If you’re familiar with the fable or the Disney version, you’ll see a lot of influences, and new changes to a tale as old as time.
The story follows Henri, a newly made count who is estranged from his father’s family. After a harsh childhood, he now has power, money and the control to live the life he wants. His upbringing and irrational choices catch up to him, causing his downfall and the people who serve him. It also follows Marguerite, the eldest daughter of a once-wealthy merchant who has lost everything. As the eldest, she takes it upon herself to sacrifice her happiness to save her family. Fate brings them together to break a curse, one that can only be cured by love. But can you really fall in love with someone out of obligation?
MY THOUGHTS
This story wasn’t the most thrilling story for me, but it was comforting and familiar, as I am a fan of Beauty and the Beast and its many iterations. It made me get out of my reading slump and had many good parts to it.
This adaption draws on a lot of influences from the source material and makes alludes to the Disney version as well (I really appreciated some of those references sprinkled in). I really like the changes in this story, particularly with the character backstories.
This story follows Henri and Marguerite (who are the Beast and Beauty in this tale), but it also switches perspective with Isa and Claude, two staff members who work for Henri (and are ultimately cursed with him), who get entangled with our two main characters; you do get invested in the personal lives of these other characters, and the dynamics of them as well. Evercott is really good at expanding them and making all the characters well-rounded.
However, as much as I liked it, there are a couple of reasons why I rated this book the way I did.
I felt like Henri, one of the main characters (the Beast), had a drastic change in character from Chapters 1-3. The story starts off with him, and it starts STRONG. However, his personality in that opening chapter and when the inciting incident of his character happens (when he turns into the Beast): seems detached. They seemed like two different people, and it left me confused.
As the story progresses, the conflict and damage of his nature are pieced together, and you get an understanding as to why he acted the way he did when he was transformed, but it was sudden enough for me to notice and personally didn't feel his severe flaws were properly expressed from the top (to add: I felt like his actions, in the beginning, were justified and made sense. Were they nice? No, but considering his upbringing... wasn't entirely selfish). On a positive note: his journey from emotional immaturity to responsibility and humanity was refreshing. It is a slow journey, but he gets there.
The writing was easy to follow, and the story world itself was easy to understand; I just wish we got to know more about it. The world these characters live in, Gallia, actually alludes to a rich culture with peoples who have progressed yet still have these very old beliefs in magic. It mentions gods, Three Hells, and a magic system that includes Enchanters who can curse people. It really is fascinating, and I would be open to reading a story with original characters set in this world.
The plot and conflict were pretty straightforward, but with a familiar tale like this, there are only so many ways to tell it. There were no major plot twists (at least that I perceived), at it was foreshadowed pretty early on/it was easy to piece together what would happen next. Also, this book was marketed as a 'new adult', but it reads more like a young adult novel.
But, as adaptations go, I appreciate how it didn’t follow that conventional ending, and that the rationale behind the character's romantic interests was realistic and grounded-which was refreshing. I think if you're someone that wants to read a fantasy romance that is familiar to get out of your reading slump, this would be the book for you.
MY RATING:
I'm giving this book a 3.8 out of 5 stars.
The driving force behind this story was definitely the characters and their relationships with one another. It wasn't the most complex story, but it brought some new twists to this classic tale. Having people in forced closed proximity to each other with a lot of tension always leads to something—and it always involves chaos and a resolution. And in this case, it was a good and satisfying one.
One thing I can say is that it’s evident Evercott had fun writing this story, and I enjoyed reading it at the end of the day. It's also clear that she cared so deeply about the characters and world she was writing about. She knows how to enthrall her readers, and has a bright future ahead of her as well.
Enchanting Fate is a whimsical adaptation of Beauty and the Beast. If you’re familiar with the fable or the Disney version, you’ll see a lot of influences, and new changes to a tale as old as time.
The story follows Henri, a newly made count who is estranged from his father’s family. After a harsh childhood, he now has power, money and the control to live the life he wants. His upbringing and irrational choices catch up to him, causing his downfall and the people who serve him. It also follows Marguerite, the eldest daughter of a once-wealthy merchant who has lost everything. As the eldest, she takes it upon herself to sacrifice her happiness to save her family. Fate brings them together to break a curse, one that can only be cured by love. But can you really fall in love with someone out of obligation?
MY THOUGHTS
This story wasn’t the most thrilling story for me, but it was comforting and familiar, as I am a fan of Beauty and the Beast and its many iterations. It made me get out of my reading slump and had many good parts to it.
This adaption draws on a lot of influences from the source material and makes alludes to the Disney version as well (I really appreciated some of those references sprinkled in). I really like the changes in this story, particularly with the character backstories.
This story follows Henri and Marguerite (who are the Beast and Beauty in this tale), but it also switches perspective with Isa and Claude, two staff members who work for Henri (and are ultimately cursed with him), who get entangled with our two main characters; you do get invested in the personal lives of these other characters, and the dynamics of them as well. Evercott is really good at expanding them and making all the characters well-rounded.
However, as much as I liked it, there are a couple of reasons why I rated this book the way I did.
I felt like Henri, one of the main characters (the Beast), had a drastic change in character from Chapters 1-3. The story starts off with him, and it starts STRONG. However, his personality in that opening chapter and when the inciting incident of his character happens (when he turns into the Beast): seems detached. They seemed like two different people, and it left me confused.
As the story progresses, the conflict and damage of his nature are pieced together, and you get an understanding as to why he acted the way he did when he was transformed, but it was sudden enough for me to notice and personally didn't feel his severe flaws were properly expressed from the top (to add: I felt like his actions, in the beginning, were justified and made sense. Were they nice? No, but considering his upbringing... wasn't entirely selfish). On a positive note: his journey from emotional immaturity to responsibility and humanity was refreshing. It is a slow journey, but he gets there.
The writing was easy to follow, and the story world itself was easy to understand; I just wish we got to know more about it. The world these characters live in, Gallia, actually alludes to a rich culture with peoples who have progressed yet still have these very old beliefs in magic. It mentions gods, Three Hells, and a magic system that includes Enchanters who can curse people. It really is fascinating, and I would be open to reading a story with original characters set in this world.
The plot and conflict were pretty straightforward, but with a familiar tale like this, there are only so many ways to tell it. There were no major plot twists (at least that I perceived), at it was foreshadowed pretty early on/it was easy to piece together what would happen next. Also, this book was marketed as a 'new adult', but it reads more like a young adult novel.
But, as adaptations go, I appreciate how it didn’t follow that conventional ending, and that the rationale behind the character's romantic interests was realistic and grounded-which was refreshing. I think if you're someone that wants to read a fantasy romance that is familiar to get out of your reading slump, this would be the book for you.
MY RATING:
I'm giving this book a 3.8 out of 5 stars.
The driving force behind this story was definitely the characters and their relationships with one another. It wasn't the most complex story, but it brought some new twists to this classic tale. Having people in forced closed proximity to each other with a lot of tension always leads to something—and it always involves chaos and a resolution. And in this case, it was a good and satisfying one.
One thing I can say is that it’s evident Evercott had fun writing this story, and I enjoyed reading it at the end of the day. It's also clear that she cared so deeply about the characters and world she was writing about. She knows how to enthrall her readers, and has a bright future ahead of her as well.