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Enchantment (Channie #1)

by Charlotte Abel (Goodreads Author)

3.72 of 5 stars 3.72 · rating details · 898 ratings · 223 reviews

Channie is a lovable teenage mage that lives a simple but magical life with her clannish community deep in the Ozark Mountains. She's blessed with the ability to enchant those around her, charming not only her family and friends, but any boy with a pulse that doesn't know how to shield himself against her magic.

When her father's gambling addiction earns the wrath of a pow...more

Paperback, 364 pages

Published August 17th 2011 by CreateSpace (first published June 17th 2011)

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Apr 08, 2013 Karla(Book Addict) rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition Recommends it for: Everyone

Recommended to Karla(Book Addict) by: Red Hot Readers

Shelves: favorites, romantic, trapped-me

deleting reviews if you want to take a look at them you can do so on my blog, link on my profile

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Oct 13, 2011 Midu Hadi rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition Recommends it for: fantasy and romance fans

Shelves: fantasy, romance

I got this amazing book to read and review from Paranormal Romance & Urban Fantasy Fanatics! Loved every bit of it. It was the right length and it left me wanting the next book. Channie's a girl who has a backbone and Josh is pretty cute. I loved that they fought and made up like any couple would and the way they kept wanting to be with each other. I liked how the magic could be used to cheat and for mundane tasks. I would have liked to meet the villains once, though. The concept of a power-...more

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Jan 03, 2012 Nicole rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: paranormal-romance, witches, young-adult

Let me first say that I got this book from read 2 review and did not expect to love it so much. I thought this would be a sweet YA book for the younger audience.

I was wrong...
Simply Brilliant.
This story was sweet and endearing, fit for all audiences. Mothers can read with their daughters and boys can enjoy as well. Completely heartwarming and the promise that true love con conquer all.This is a must read for all ages, I could not put it down.

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Oct 24, 2011 Terri ♥ (aka Mrs. Christian Grey) rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Recommended to Terri ♥ (aka Mrs. Christian Grey) by: R2R

Shelves: reviewed

I received this book as a part of R2R.

This book was certainly enchanting. Overall it was a very good read. It certainly was different than anything else I’ve read. I really enjoyed it a lot. I haven’t read a lot of books that center around witchcraft, so I’m not as familiar. But for me it was really different. I enjoyed learning the mythology built in it. Once I got into the story, I was in it until the end. I laughed a few times at the situation the couple found themselves in. Plot lines, I hav...more

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Feb 26, 2012 Vanya D. rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: read-in-2012, paranormal-urban-fantasy

I just finished reading "Enchantment" about half an hour ago and I feel a little pressured about writing the review. I just wish I had more time to gather my thoughts and all, but since I don't... well, I'll just try my best.

To be honest, I feel a little bipolar about this book. Because at moments it was so amazing, I was literally holding my breath in anticipation. Unfortunately there were also those other moments when I just rolled my eyes. A couple of scenes seemed like they took forever to...more

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Feb 07, 2012 Maddy Edwards rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

I had been seeing positive reviews about this for a while and I finally decided to see what all of the fuss was about. Well, turns out the reviews were right! I really enjoyed this book. The heroine, Channie, is a strong character, but she also has some vulnerabilities. It made her easy to relate to and root for. The magical aspect was great. I liked that Channie already knew about magic and that her navigating its use among non-magical humans created complications for her. Overall, this was a f...more

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Oct 25, 2011 Maghon Thomas rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition Recommends it for: everyone!!!

Shelves: young-adult, read-2-review, paranormal

Ok so first, I'm a little in love with both Josh and this story! Second, I don't know if I feel more sorry or frustrated for Channie. I really enjoyed this and even better I got it from read 2 review! I have nothing but good things to say, except for Channie's parents, who are pretty horrible, but if they weren't horrible the story wouldn't be so heart warming, so I guess that means I only have good things to say! I am even more happy to find out there is another book to continue this wonderful...more

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Oct 28, 2011 Sher A. Hart rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: my-reviews

I loved a lot of things about this book once I got used to Channie's hillbilly voice which lacks commas between many clauses. Her teenage angst comes across as authentic and entertaining. The whole fish out of water angle makes her character sympathetic even when she does something that would upset normal parents. Hers are definitely not normal and abusive by most standards, which makes Channie rebel when they hide from a clan war in a non-magical environment. They make things worse by cursing h...more I loved a lot of things about this book once I got used to Channie's hillbilly voice which lacks commas between many clauses. Her teenage angst comes across as authentic and entertaining. The whole fish out of water angle makes her character sympathetic even when she does something that would upset normal parents. Hers are definitely not normal and abusive by most standards, which makes Channie rebel when they hide from a clan war in a non-magical environment. They make things worse by cursing her to keep her from interacting with magically disabled boys. Enter Josh. He's sympathetic from the start for his depth of caring for other people.

It's been a long time since I read a romance so I'm not sure how much time most of them spend on the "trying to get some" aspect vs. other problems blocking the lovers from connecting. I would have preferred more focus on non-sexual things like Channie trying to fit in better at school after the first fiasco and making friends with at least one girl. It threw me that the school never notified her parents of her cutting class so often, and the inevitable parent meetings could have been hilarious. In spite of those lapses, Channie's misadventures with her magical powers are entertaining. She often solves one problem by creating another, usually for Josh, who gets more beat-up as an innocent bystander than most guys who go looking for trouble. Okay, maybe he's not so innocent, or standing by. But these two teens get ample payback for trying to get past 1st base. That's the whole point of the curse.

What I like most about Enchantment is when Channie learns to sacrifice her own happiness for the sake of others, but I hate preditors and its gut-wrenching when she uses poor judgement and nearly loses her life as a result. It's a good thing there are other ways to skin a possum than magic because it's hardly a spoiler to let you know that magic is going to fail at the worst possible time. More lives than Channie's are at risk. That's the price of dealing with dark magic. In the end, it's going to take a twist of fate and revealing a long kept secret to make things turn out even half-right. The author pulled off a conclusion that still makes me smile. You'll be as anxious as I am to read the next book.

(less)

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Jan 30, 2013 Alexei rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

{Come check out my website TeenageBookaholic }

SYNOPSIS: "How many times could her heart break before it shattered?"

Channie, a 16-year-old mage in a traditional Southern family, thought her bare-necessity life was perfect. Her family, while dysfunctional, is all she thought she needed as she trained to be a powerful mage, until a blood oath is sworn on her family after her Daddy makes a mistake. Her family must flee Arkansas and leave behind all that Enchantment knows- to Louisville, Colorado, wh...more {Come check out my website TeenageBookaholic }

SYNOPSIS: "How many times could her heart break before it shattered?"

Channie, a 16-year-old mage in a traditional Southern family, thought her bare-necessity life was perfect. Her family, while dysfunctional, is all she thought she needed as she trained to be a powerful mage, until a blood oath is sworn on her family after her Daddy makes a mistake. Her family must flee Arkansas and leave behind all that Enchantment knows- to Louisville, Colorado, where Channie will change more than she likes.

When her parents decide Channie's power-name, Enchantment, which is the source of all her power, is too seductive on the magically disabled people, or Empties, of Louisville, they tamper with a dark magic spell, placing the curse of Chastity on Channie. However, she meets Josh, an Empty, and begins to fall head-over-heels for him, but how can she love an Empty if Chastity's Curse stops them? Can Channie destroy the curse and love Josh before the blood oath is fufilled?

REVIEW: WHY??? WHY DID IT HAVE TO END??? (Just the book, not the awesomeness)

After having the author ask me to review her ebook, i got into my ebook mode, meaning I lowered my usual expectations of a well-edited, well-published books, to be fair to the one-man-band (usually).

I was so wrong.

Straight off the bat, I was hooked! The storyline just kept throwing punches and kept my attention. I saw that it would be a long book at first and I was worried, but oh I was so glad!

The book was very sensual in romance, but never much past that. I enjoy books that keep teen relationships mature (they're not all sex-crazed!). Some may argue that the book was less realistic since Channie and Josh's relationship really wasn't like the stereotypical relationship, and I could agree, but I happen to like a little mushy romance and this was perfect.

Now, I have never been a fan of books that incorporate a Southern accent into the writing. Take the classic book, Shiloh by Phyllis Reynolds Naylor. I couldn't stand the "grammar" in that book and was done in an instant, but in Enchantment, I was okay with it. I'm not saying it was written like Shiloh, not at all! The "Momma" and "Daddy" had me a little grumpy, but Abel turned it into a joke in the book and It was great!

My only 2 concerns were this: the pace of time and Channie's hair-length. I never had much of a sense of a regular time flow forward, and I was never sure about how long Channie's hair was! The usual picky me would knock this down a 1/2 star, but I'm giving this the benefit of the doubt. It was probably clarified in the book, but I was too enchanted (HA!) with the book and just devoured it too quickly to get tie fine details, which happens!

All in all, an amazing book that should not be judged because it is an ebook. Recommended for EVERY YA fan!(less)

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Apr 30, 2012 Jessica Ramirez rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: favorites

Wonder what my power name would be?!

Will post a review later! Great book!!

Ok let me start off by saying what a wonderful read this was. It gives me hope that someday I will find a love as true as Josh and Channies. It was full of magic and was very original. I have never read a book like this ever. I felt for Abby and her predicament. Although I didn't agree with her decision at the beginning of the book. I do believe in love and I do believe in following your dreams but what she did was selfish...more

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Oct 17, 2011 Airicka Phoenix rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

I finished this book in one day. It was so sweet and heartwarming. I think Charlotte Abel did a fantastic job creating a world inside our world. Her characters are rich and so 3D. The plot was unique and the flow of the story was fast pace and captivating. If I had any doubts about this story at all, it would be my dislike for Channies' parents. I can't say I feel overly bad for them at all. But even that was so in character with what was going on that it was hard to see it as a downside.

A wond...more

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Feb 12, 2012 Melissa Haggerty rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Channie was a witch who had always lived her life within a magic community. She lives with her father, mother, sister, and her triplet nephews. Channie is studying to become a healer with her aunt.

Suddenly Channie's whole life is changed. Her father get's into some trouble and uproots the whole family, taking them to live in an entirely non-magical community. Channie's parents go even farther by changing her name with a powerful curse. Now Channie zaps any boys who are showing too much interest...more

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Dec 20, 2011 Lauren rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition Recommends it for: Someone who enjoys YA Paranormal

I really enjoyed this book! There were a lot of things I liked about the book and a few things I didn't. I didn't care for Channie's parents. One minute they where nasty, rude and abusive, the next minute they seemed caring and loving. I wanted them to pick a side and stay there. In the end, i'm glad they were left behind and I didn't have to read more about them.

I stayed up way to late to finish this book because I couldn't put it down. The thought of having to wait until the next evening made...more

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Feb 22, 2013 Charity Santiago rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

I received a copy of this ebook from the author in exchange for an honest review- yesterday. That's right, I was so captivated by this book that I read it in a single day.

The story itself is about witches and wizards, or "mages," as they prefer to be called. Channie is a 16-year-old mage in a rural community in Arkansas, and we soon learn that her "power-name," Enchantment, gives her the ability to enchant other people, not only to attract them to her but to manipulate them to do her bidding, as...more I received a copy of this ebook from the author in exchange for an honest review- yesterday. That's right, I was so captivated by this book that I read it in a single day.

The story itself is about witches and wizards, or "mages," as they prefer to be called. Channie is a 16-year-old mage in a rural community in Arkansas, and we soon learn that her "power-name," Enchantment, gives her the ability to enchant other people, not only to attract them to her but to manipulate them to do her bidding, as well. Fortunately, Charlotte Abel makes it very clear from the start that magic can't force anyone to do anything they don't want to- it can only influence their existing behavioral traits. Anyway, in the first chapter of this book, Channie's world is turned upside-down when her father packs up Channie and the rest of the family and moves them to Colorado in the hopes of escaping a blood debt to a rival clan.

I wish I could talk about everything else that happens in the book, and the twists and turns the story takes, but the last thing I want to do is give away any spoilers. This is a coming-of-age story that touches on a lot of the issues young adults face on a daily basis while adding a supernatural twist. The magic was intriguing, but the best part about the book is the relationship between Channie and her seventeen-year-old love interest, Josh. Their connection appealed to me because it went deeper than physical lust and became something very genuine and unhurried. This was a brilliant plot point and the driving force that kept me turning pages.

Just a note- there was only one reason why I gave this book four stars instead of five. It was because I felt conflicted about Channie's family. While Josh and Channie were very likable characters, Channie's family was...not. I couldn't decide if I was irritated at the family because the author had deliberately written them without any redeeming qualities, or if I was missing a "love them in spite of their faults" message somewhere. I'm having a hard time figuring out why Channie turned out so decent and the rest of her family is totally bonkers. This is a very small caveat, though. I loved this book, I truly did.

Can't wait to find out what happens in book two!(less)

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Nov 01, 2011 Tana rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Enchantment by Charlotte Abel

Reading this story it reminded me of young love and the wanting and dreaming of meeting your very own Prince Charming. This is one of those stories that you see the story unfolding and you turn every page to make sure it’s going to happen. The writing is great, easy to read, words flow so you just keep reading till you reach the end.

The story begins with Channie (Enchantment) moving to a new city with her family, her father is on the run from a very powerful family,...more

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Dec 20, 2012 Andrea Kelleher rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: leandable

Enchantment by Charlotte Abel
Rating: four starts

Summary:
Sixteen year old Channie Kerns leads an idyllic life of seclusion and magic deep in the Ozark Mountains ... until her family is forced to flee for their lives.

They leave everything and everyone behind to start over in Louisville, Colorado. Magic is forbidden while they are in hiding, but Channie can't resist the temptation to enchant a group of local boys. When her overbearing parents catch her flirting with these "sex-crazed, non-magical d...more

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Feb 28, 2013 Brenda Ayala rated it 1 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: read-4-review

I have to say I'm disappointed. This was a really great idea, and for me it kind of just fell flat. I had really high hopes for Enchantment. And while I think the idea is there, I wouldn't say the execution is.

First: I didn't get immersed into the story. So much information was thrown at me in the beginning that while I'm still trying to figure out how the whole magic things works the whole family just up and moves and throws me into a whole new situation. The emotions Channie had bounced back...more

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Nov 27, 2011 Gina rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: winning-the-guessing-game, e-reader, 5-star

First of all I would love to thank the amazing Charlotte Abel for providing me with this eBook, after winning the write-a-spell-for-a-day contest (I wrote a prophecy but when taking a look to this novel, the kind of prophecy it is does suit the whole context of the spells used). You did a marvellous job at writing this novel that I can't wait for the next novel in the Channie series.

Ironically, this book truly is enchanting. We are drawn into Channie's world from the very beginning and we learn...more First of all I would love to thank the amazing Charlotte Abel for providing me with this eBook, after winning the write-a-spell-for-a-day contest (I wrote a prophecy but when taking a look to this novel, the kind of prophecy it is does suit the whole context of the spells used). You did a marvellous job at writing this novel that I can't wait for the next novel in the Channie series.

Ironically, this book truly is enchanting. We are drawn into Channie's world from the very beginning and we learn with her as well as through Josh. What really needed to be done was to give more of a 'face' to the characters, we need to be able to picture each and every character. However, this really is the only lacking thing in this novel. Even the Goodreads synopsis had proved me wrong as I thought it would be a completely different novel than to what the synopsis had percieved it to be.

I love how we are completely taken into the story and get straight to the point, not waiting expectantly for something to happen, which would quickly make us tired of the story when we have only just gotten us into it. No, this novel takes on a ride and makes us wonder if a spell has been put on us to keep reading and not to put the book down. Although this novel had it's bits of predictability (view spoiler) it wasn't overbearingly predictable and did have some shockers (view spoiler)

Honestly, I didn't expect to know if the novel would last (view spoiler). Why I ever thought this I have no idea. The story was not lacking in any way and I can't think of much (much else to the very minor things stated above) that would have made this novel into anything but lustworthy.

The spark between Channie and Josh, brought us back to the times when youthful teenage lust was enveloping the air and the talks with our parents and lectures on the 'birds and the bees' as many subtley call it. Hormones raging, cramps playing in the background, as well as dirty minds fill our youth, but also through the remembrance of firsts. First kisses, loves and fights are also part of it and we look back and connect our youthful teenage selves within this story that we don't nedd to be given explanations to explain because we already know the feeling and were there once before.

Channie and her families innocence on some matters of everyday life (like mobile phones and BMX Racing) is cute and makes us laugh at how unaware and naive at some of our lifes everyday occurrences. It just brings on a side to her charactervand to her world of magic that we wonder what else they don't know or are unaware of.(less)

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Mar 18, 2012 Aisling rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: witchy, free, e-books-i-own, asked-to-review

At first I couldnt get into this. When it comes to paranormal YA I go for vampire and werewolve based stories. I usually dont enjoy witch\magic\faerie stories. I blame J.K Rowling for ruining other magic based books for me.

But i did start getting into this storyline. I found myself laughing out loud at some really humour filled moments.

However I found it dragging out too much at points. Personally I think the chapters are too long. And each chapter is split too many times.

But I do think I will...more

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Jan 19, 2012 Alexandria Nicole rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: fiction, gift, indie-author, kindle, paranormal, romance, ya, smashwords

The beginning of this book was a little slow for me but I really liked it after they moved and she met Josh.

There was a good plot, and even though I guessed at the end, I wasn't completely sure it would happen.

What I really liked about the book was the characters, they definitely had strong personalities of their own. They were very believable and they grew, which is always important!

I kept picturing the Channie and Josh as younger, probably because Channie calls her parents Mommy and Daddy s...more

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Mar 26, 2013 Jason Graves rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

I received this book for free from the author in exchange for an honest review as part of the Read 4 Review forum.

Enchantment is a YA-geared tale of a young witch, Enchantment or Channie, whose family is forced to move from their Ozarks home and relocate in the witch-free state of Colorado. Due to circumstances, Channie's parents 'curse' her with a new name: Chastity. As if the name is not bad enough, Chastity takes over Channie's magic, changing it and making the girl cranky and downright dange...more I received this book for free from the author in exchange for an honest review as part of the Read 4 Review forum.

Enchantment is a YA-geared tale of a young witch, Enchantment or Channie, whose family is forced to move from their Ozarks home and relocate in the witch-free state of Colorado. Due to circumstances, Channie's parents 'curse' her with a new name: Chastity. As if the name is not bad enough, Chastity takes over Channie's magic, changing it and making the girl cranky and downright dangerous to lusty young men. In particular, a BMX racer by the name of Josh, who falls in lust/attraction to her; Shenanigans ensue

I must give praise to Ms. Abel for her writing, which is clear and clean. I was pleasantly surprised by how well written this story is, with mostly engaging characters and well-described scenes. An inevitable romance between Channie and Josh takes off, but Romeo and Juliet this is not. Channie/Juliet (or more aptly, Chastity/Juliet), it turns out, has big magic now and she's not afraid to use it to get her way.

Cycle in a subplot of Josh's bicycle motocross racing (national champion it seems, which is unfortunate for the simple expedient that it puts the character on a pedestal that he cannot live up to--he simply doesn't live the life of a national champion. That is, he doesn't practice nearly enough, and the amount of time he spends running around cuddling with Channie (including sleepovers) is ridiculous given the national champion premise), and Channie's undersuccessful/oversuccessful attempts to defeat Chastity's curse and touch the boy she loves. This plot element soon becomes almost absurd and dominates the story line, as Josh and Channie pine about their desire to touch, kiss, and have sex with each other. A little more than halfway into the book, Channie does some magic stuff that is seriously selfish and stupid, and the whole 'suffering for love' takes on a disturbingly physical manifestation.

I could read no more.

As I said, the book is well written, but it loses its way in the middle in a wallow of teenaged sexual angst and 'healing' torture that I could not generate the enthusiasm to read through. I have nothing but respect for Ms. Abel's ability as a writer, but this story would have benefited from more aggressive content editing.(less)

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Mar 12, 2013 Elise rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

This book was hard for me to get into. In the beginning I would have given it a 2 but the twist at the end of the book pushed it up to a 3. The twist at the end of the book took me by surprise I wasn't expecting it.

Plot: This book is about a girl mage named Enchantment (aka Channie) whose father ends up owing a blood debt to the Veyjivik clan after a bet went awry. The Veyjivik's want to hunt down his entire family. They go into hiding. But Channie's parents are worried that her power-name Ench...more This book was hard for me to get into. In the beginning I would have given it a 2 but the twist at the end of the book pushed it up to a 3. The twist at the end of the book took me by surprise I wasn't expecting it.

Plot: This book is about a girl mage named Enchantment (aka Channie) whose father ends up owing a blood debt to the Veyjivik clan after a bet went awry. The Veyjivik's want to hunt down his entire family. They go into hiding. But Channie's parents are worried that her power-name Enchantment will get her in trouble with boys so they change her power name to Chastity. Now every time Enchantment gets too close to a boy with lustful feelings she curses them. Only problem is she's fallen in love with a boy named Josh and the only way to be with him is to break Chastity's hold on her which can only be done with the help of the Book of the Dead the most dangerous and powerful spell book. She will have to sacrifice everything to be with Josh. The only question is will she? The plot was a great and original concept but it wasn't executed right. It was slow, repetitive, and down right boring at times. The ending was good though. It was strong and interesting. The book was choppy and made no sense at all in places. Most of the book was about how Channie and Josh couldn't touch and them complaining about it. 80% of the book was like that and it got old after a while.

Now my biggest problem with this book was the characters. All the characters were underdeveloped and shallow. All of the characters were choppy also. Channie's character was the worst. She was shallow and her reason for doing things in places made no sense. She didn't change, she was spoiled and most of the time I couldn't stand her. Her parents also made no sense. Why change her name to a DARK power-name obviously that would make her worse? Also her interaction with her parents seemed a little flat me. I couldn't feel her wanting to rebel against them all I felt was that she was indifferent to them. Josh was a good character though. I did enjoy him and Elijah quite a bit. (less)

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Oct 05, 2012 Marisette Burgess rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

I picked this book up because I was looking for something to read for fun. The title caught my attention. I’ll admit I started reading it and felt like I was reading a middle grades novel. I wasn’t too impress with the beginning. I put it down.
When I picked it up again, I finally got to the part where Channie moves into her new home. At this point the book picks up and her love interest makes an appearance, Josh. There were bits that got on my nerves, Channie was very whinny and at first seemed...more

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Aug 07, 2012 Eperdu rated it 1 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: stopped-reading, read-in-2012

I'm 33% finished with the book and cannot go on.

Channie is a bully. I can only hope that at some point in the book everything she's pulling backfires on her and she learns to be a decent person. As of now though, I can't stand her. I don't like mean girls as main characters--the people I'm supposed to be rooting for.

You don't beat people up (physically or magically) when you don't get your way or don't like what they've done. She's a spoiled child who always wants her way and when she doesn't g...more

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May 07, 2012 Michelle rated it 2 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Having seen all the rave reviews I decided to give Enchantment a try and for the first say 20% of the book I was really enjoying it. It had all the makings of a good story - but it didn't keep my attention for long - from about 20% right through to about 75% there was absolutely no action other than spells going wrong and them trying to kiss without being being scorched, sigh.......... it could have been so much better, the plot was absolutely predictable, I knew exactly who the Royal mage was g...more

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Apr 23, 2012 Laura Thomas rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

You know that saying about something tickling your funny bone? Most people's funny bones are in their elbow. Mine is in my heart and that is where this story tickled me.
Channie grew up in a community of witches in the Ozarks. When children are born, the parents bestow them with a magic name and bind it to them.
Channie's older sisters name is Abundance, Abby for short. When she gets pregnant and has triplets you can see how the magic name fits. Prudence is her mothers name, and as you read you wi...more You know that saying about something tickling your funny bone? Most people's funny bones are in their elbow. Mine is in my heart and that is where this story tickled me.
Channie grew up in a community of witches in the Ozarks. When children are born, the parents bestow them with a magic name and bind it to them.
Channie's older sisters name is Abundance, Abby for short. When she gets pregnant and has triplets you can see how the magic name fits. Prudence is her mothers name, and as you read you will see that it suits her just fine. Her father has a gambling problem. He can't hang on to his money and maybe that is because his magic name is Money. When his gambling problems endanger the family, they have to run for their lives, winding up in Louiseville, Colorado.
Now, let me tell you about Channie. Enchantment is her magic name and now that she has turned 16 her body has blossomed. In Louiseville she must hide the fact that she is a witch since everyone there is an Empty, slang for MD or Magically Disabled. They don't know that witches are real. The boys at her school can't shield themselves from Channie and her magic draws them to her like bees to honey. This is new and exciting for her and a cause of great concern for her parents. They decide that the only way to protect her is to change her magic name. She is very upset and begs them not to. Her father tells her, "We made the mistake of naming your sister Abundance, and look what happened to her." Channie's argument that it doesn't mean she will get pregnant like her sister falls on deaf ears. They've made up their minds.
My first spontaneous outburst of laughter was at Channies response when she learned her new magic name.
"What?No! You can't name me Chastity-not when our last name is Belks!"
Her new name comes with a curse. Any boy that gets too close to her gets zapped. This becomes a problem when she meets Josh. As their friendship grows into attraction, Channie is forced to tell him her secret to protect him from the curse. After several electrifying episodes, Josh comes to believe her. They put their heads together, trying to come up with a way around it. This is what lands them in a pickle!
Channie is the girl I wished I could have been when growing up. She is strong-willed and confident, with plenty of sass, and Josh has stolen my heart. That grin of his! He is loyal and self-aware and never wavers in his affections for Channie.
The whole time I was reading, I was rereading parts of it out loud to my mother. She is down here visiting for the summer and I use her as my sounding board for my reviews. We were both chuckling, and at times laughing out loud as I read parts of the book to her. I was so excited about the book that I told some of it to my sister and she now demands to know the ending. We were all wet-eyed from laughing about the IFB's and had plenty of snickers throughout the day when one of us would say, "Those IFB's!"
This book is a delightful journey, filled with humor, drama and action. The pacing is smooth and the sexual content is handled delicately, suitable for young adults. I am still aglow about it and I want everyone to read it and feel like I do. You too will fall in love with Channie and Josh. My fingers are itching and I am off to start reading Taken, Book 2 in this story. I'll be back later to tell you about it.
(less)

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Apr 12, 2012 Kathy LaMee rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: my-reviews-on-tracyriva-com

Enchantment weaves an enticing tale of magic, love, and classic good versus evil- with a modern twist. The story follows a young teenager, Enchantment, or ‘Channie’, as she is known to friends and family. She is part of a traditional mage family of the Ozarks; one where things like hunting for dinner and making your own dish soap are the norm. Her father is cursed with the need to gamble and much as it does in any normal life, the addiction leads to trouble. Her father is linked to the death of...more Enchantment weaves an enticing tale of magic, love, and classic good versus evil- with a modern twist. The story follows a young teenager, Enchantment, or ‘Channie’, as she is known to friends and family. She is part of a traditional mage family of the Ozarks; one where things like hunting for dinner and making your own dish soap are the norm. Her father is cursed with the need to gamble and much as it does in any normal life, the addiction leads to trouble. Her father is linked to the death of a mage from a rival clan, and they will come after Channie’s family for revenge. Suddenly, Channie’s life is turned upside down when the family up and moves to a Colorado suburb full of ‘magically-disabled’, or Empties to stay safe. Channie is suddenly faced with not only the loss of her way of life, but her extended family as well. To make matters worse her overprotective parents, in an effort to keep her magic from enticing young men use powerful but illegal magic to change her spell-name from Enchantment to Chastity, zapping any boy who looks at her. From that point on poor Channie is battling a new form of magic and a new school at the same time. Luckily, she meets Josh, a BMX racer with Olympic aspirations. He helps her navigate the strange new world of homerooms and cell phones. Ultimately they fall in love, which presents a whole other realm of trouble for everyone.
The imagery and suspense is fantastic! Without giving too much away, the scene with Channie, Josh, and the book of the dead made me feel as though I were right there in her mother’s bedroom with them. I literally turned away from the book (momentarily of course) to keep the flying shards from hitting me! Abel also did a fantastic job of developing characters that draw you into the story and, more importantly, keep you there. I picked up the book and read it straight through- anxious to see what happened to Channie and her supporting cast. Abel spiced up a standard romance plot with magic and well-written themes and sub-plots, including single-parenting and child abuse. The story overall had a very ‘Romeo and Juliet’ feel to it- the mage versus the Empties, love triumphing over all and knowing no bounds. Instead of feuding parents however, it is her deadly magic that keeps Channie and Josh apart creating the tension that keeps us cheering for them as they fight for their love.
Overall, I enjoyed Enchantment immensely. I would definitely recommend it to adult readers of YA; however, I’m still on the fence about younger readers. The relationship and ‘sex-talk’, however veiled, was a little too mature, in my opinion, for tweens and young teens. That, of course, is my own opinion, and doesn’t belittle the fact that I cannot wait to pick up Taken, Abel’s follow-up novel to Enchantment.

Reviewed for Tracy Riva Books and Reviews - TracyRiva.com(less)

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Mar 13, 2012 Justine rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: read-2-review

I was given this book by the author for free in exchange for an honest review. This is a read 2 review book.

This is the story of Channie, or her real name Enchantment, a sixteen year old mage (witch).She is the youngest master healers apprentice.

*SPOILER ALERT*

Hunter is Channie's crush. but they clan does not trust him, not because of him but because his mother left the clan to marry his father. His mother swore a death pledge of loyalty and bound herself to the Feenie clan by marrying his fathe...more

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Mar 12, 2012 Elsa Carrion rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

A story with a sport, I wasn’t feeling it, didn’t know what to think about it especially were the sport was BMX. But it was 5 stars good! It made the reader experience different feelings, from funny, to sad, but the best is the love the characters felt for each other. The story starts with a family that has magical powers. An accident occurs that her dimwitted father is responsible for and the family have to leave their make shift cabin shack in the mountains and head west into Colorado were the...more

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Feb 28, 2012 Phaedra Seabolt rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

What an unusual book for me to read. I honestly stay away from a lot of books that advertise that witches are the main characters. I don't know why, but this book seemed interesting to me right away. I guess it is because I once played a role playing game called Mage and I wanted to see if this was anything like that setting. It isn't but the link I had made in my mind was enough to leave me receptive to this story. And guess what? I couldn't put it down. I started it and finished it in less tha...more What an unusual book for me to read. I honestly stay away from a lot of books that advertise that witches are the main characters. I don't know why, but this book seemed interesting to me right away. I guess it is because I once played a role playing game called Mage and I wanted to see if this was anything like that setting. It isn't but the link I had made in my mind was enough to leave me receptive to this story. And guess what? I couldn't put it down. I started it and finished it in less than 24 hours. I was feeling really sleepy and had no energy to play with my son, so I pretty much took him outside to play all day while I read. It was a wonderful read! My only complaint was that in the beginning of the book the Belks family dialog was in their native Arkansas tongue. That means that they sounded very uneducated and their grammar was terrible. I don't mean that to sound like that is how the people of Arkansas sound, so please don't take it that way. I just mean that the place where Channie's family came from in the story all spoke that way. They used "ain't" a lot which was a word my parents screamed at me for using. Interestingly enough, Channie actually was correcting her family's native speech in the beginning of the book because it bothered her as well. If you are an English teacher, you will probably struggle in the beginning of this book.

I absolutely loved how Channie comes into her cursed powers. I laughed a bunch every time her chastity curse came out to torment the lustful people around her. I also laughed at her ways with dealing with other girls' behavior towards her boyfriend. There are some very funny moments in the story. I fought it quite endearing how her boyfriend Josh takes everything in stride. He is willing to put up with so much pain just to be near Channie. He loves her instantly even though he has to deal with a LOT of PMS from her. When you read the story you will understand why she is PMSing all the time and it isn't just because her parents put a chastity curse on her, though that is enough for a teenage girl to be moody when she's in love. It seems that along with the curse her parents gave her, she is constantly being put under new curses from the mistakes her parents made. As a result, Josh is also cursed over and over again. You will laugh and want to cry as you see what the two of them must endure just to get their true love's kiss. It was a wonderful read.

I was left wanting to know what will happen next at the end of the story, but also felt a good sense of closure. However, there is an excerpt at the end for the next book in the series that will definitely leave you wanting more. I kind of wish I hadn't read the excerpt because now I really need to get the next book. Unfortunately I have a few others on my review list before I can get to that one.(less)

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Quotes from Enchantment

“WHAT! What do you mean you got kidnapped? What happened?” “Calm down, it’s okay. I killed him.” — 2 people liked it

“You have completely captured my heart. I promise to do everything in my power to make you as happy as you’ve already made me. I’d do anything for you, Channie. No sacrifice is too great. Will you accept this ring as a token of that promise?” — 1 person liked it

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