Bewitching (Kendra Chronicles, #2)

Bewitching
Alex Flinn
332 pages
Released: February 14th
Publisher: HarperTeen
Source: Goodreads win
★★★★★

You can read the Goodreads summary here.

Why did I wait so long to read this!?  I absolutely loved this novel.  "Unputdownable" comes to mind... I really didn't want to put it down when I went to bed last night and I eagerly picked it up again today.   This is the first book I've ever read by Alex Flinn and it won't be the last.  I have Beastly sitting on my shelf somewhere, and I can't wait to read it and see how the story began.

Bewitching focuses on Kendra, a witch who claims to try to do good in the world by helping others, though her plans frequently backfire in ways she doesn't anticipate.  Her main focus in Bewitching is Emma and her step-sister Lisette, while at first they get along they end up battling for their father's affections and continue competing after his death.  Classic Cinderella story.  When Lisette steals Emma's boyfriend, Kendra decides to step in and help Emma, but will her plan go smoothly?  Her plans certainly have backfired in the past, as she demonstrates in a few side stories throughout the novel.

I love a good fairy-tale retelling but what I didn't realize when I picked up Bewitching was that I was going to get four fairy-tales in one!  From Kendra's personal experience with the "Hansel and Gretel" story (a delicious treat to read, har har) to her unfortunate interventions with "The Princess and the Pea" and "The Little Mermaid," this book isn't lacking in the fairy-tale magic.  Kendra was such an intriguing character to me.  I haven't read Beastly, so I don't know how she came off in that book, but I kind of felt for her in Bewitching.  It seemed to me like she really does want to help people, even if her plans backfire in the end sometimes.  And I think she really did want to help Emma.  I won't tell you if her plan worked or not (that would be giving away the ending!) but I will tell you the ending to the book was pretty great and it left the door open for Kendra to show up in future novels... which I will definitely be reading!

Five stars!  This novel was entertaining on so many levels.  From the modern day retelling of "Cinderella" from a different prospective, to the three mini-retellings of "Hansel and Gretel," "The Princess and the Pea," and "The Little Mermaid," the whole book was enthralling and entertaining.  Though it's technically a sequel (I think) it can definitely be read as a standalone with no problem.  Of course, I'm looking forward to reading the book that stated it all, Beastly, and catching up.  If you haven't read either of these books yet, I highly recommend that you give them a look, especially if you're a big fan of fairy-tale retellings like I am.