The Enchanted Wreath by Brittany Fichter
Fairytale. 258 Pages. 4 Stars
Synopsis:
Gisele’s life has been a nightmare since her mother died. Can a faerie-blessed flower wreath and a few little birds change not only her fate…but that of her kingdom as well? Gisele’s stepmother has no greater purpose than to see her own daughter married well, and she’ll turn Gisele’s own father against Gisele to do it. Without the money or means to escape, Gisele’s plight seems nearly hopeless…until an act of kindness puts her in possession of a faerie-blessed flower wreath. And although the wreath makes her stepmother green with envy, it catches the eye of none other than the handsome, charismatic Prince Julien. Enamored with the girl kind enough to receive such a gift from the faeries, Prince Julien makes it his duty to protect Gisele from the poisonous hatred of her stepmother and stepsister. But when her stepmother resorts to magic of the darkest kind to take what is Gisele’s and give it to her daughter, Gisele and Julien must decide how far they’ll go to protect the kingdom…even if it means losing one another. Delve into these standalone fairy tale retelling novellas of lesser-known tales as told by Wendy and Peter Pan. The Nevertold fairy tales are not set in the same world as the Classical Kingdoms Collection, but they have the same clean romance, magical mystery, and heroic happily-ever-afters.
My Review:
I’ve loved seeing these not-so-commonly-told fairytales in Fichter’s novella series here. I’m familiar with a lot of fairytales, even many uncommon ones; however, I can say I was not familiar with the story behind this book. My thoughts may reflect my unfamiliarity as I cannot compare the two.
This one is longer than the other two, closer to novel length than novella, I think, but it was still a quick read. I liked that Giselle was a woodcutter’s daughter and how that gave her strength and character. Her story gave me strong Cinderella vibes, but many tales have similarities with the stepfamily that takes advantage of the poor girl stuck with them.
The stepmother was intriguing in this one. She didn’t just feel like the stereotypical evil stepmother, but she kept me guessing, on my toes, trying to figure out what her motives and personality were. Her goals were pretty clear, but she was secretive and unexpected in some ways too.
I also really liked the prince in this one. I loved his intentionality, his jovial nature, and his generous heart. He was kind and showed depth of character I think our modern fiction desperately lacks. We even got to see his perspective a little here and there which was very fun!
Ooh, and Giselle’s father! He definitely added an interesting layer to the dynamics. I could understand Giselle’s yearning for her father as well as her heartbreak. That natural love we crave from our parents leads to an eternal hope that they’ll do better next time. And every now and then, there seemed to be a spark in him that made me wonder how his part of the story would truly end.
The wreath element and the birds were what I was most unfamiliar with, but I thought it lent a cozy, folksy vibe to the story. And I love Fichter’s faerie in the Classical Kingdoms. This story truly felt like something that could happen in some far off place in that world. Makes me want to reread the series!
Perhaps since I don’t know the original tale I found some of the turns this story took a little surprising. I’m curious now to read the original and see what Fichter kept and what she didn’t as well as how she made it her own, as I know she inevitably did.
Content: no swearing, sweet, clean romance, and some mild fantasy violence. Themes of sacrificial love vs. selfish pursuits, and some fae magic. Suitable for preteen and up.
More:
Book 1 in the Nevertold Fairy Tales is The White Slipper (5 Stars)
Book 2 is The Prince’s Dangerous Wish (4 Stars)
Book 3 is The Enchanted Wreath (4 Stars)
These are standalones and can be read in any order. However, I’ll be reading them in publication order cause…I’m me. XD
On GraceBought
See my thoughts on the previous books here!