Don't you love it when the book has a pretty cover? It makes the whole experience of reading that much better. Really . You know when you finish and look at the book longingly it makes you think " yeah the story deserved such a wonderful cover ". Ok now on to the story and to stop rambling about pretty pictures....

I am a sucker for fairy tale retellings so I went expecting to like it and that I did. This book uses some of the traditional Cinderella signatures. She is born of a wealthy family, l More...

The Amaranth Enchantment, Julie Berry's debut novel, has the shadow of a fairy tale in its soul. Yes, there's a prince, but not just any prince; this prince looks like he swallowed the sun for breakfast. Yes, there's a royal ball, but not just any royal ball; this ball is to announce the engagement of the prince to a princess who looks like she was sculpted from spun sugar. And then there's our heroine, Lucinda Chapdelaine, who has not only wit, but compassion as well, not to mention brains and More...

This is the first novel by Julie Berry and it is a lovely fairy tale - aimed at ages 10-14 but I really enjoyed it. It gives nods to many of the classic fairy tale stories and includes everything you need - princes, lost inheritance, wicked step aunts, witches, evil lawyers,a magical stone and a loyal goat named DOG. The writing is lovely with wry touches of humor -even a well hidden moral or two - and a happy ending.

Highly recommended for the young ladies of your acquaintance or you might want More...

The Amaranth Enchantment was a really fun, fairy tale sort of read. There was a lot more emphasis on a magical element than I was expecting from the synopsis, but I really enjoyed the addition in the story.

The story is beautifully written and the world that Berry created was fascinating, I only wish it would have been further explored.

Lucinda was a very relatable character, but I found her to be very naive at times. Allowing a strange thief to come in your bedroom late at night and then leavin More...

Don't you just love the cover? I do. It drew me to the book immediately. Luckily, the text lived up to the promise of the cover. What is it about? Why should you read it? It's a fairy-tale-esque book that is satisfying through and through. Our heroine, Lucinda Chapdelaine, is an orphan, now fifteen. Her parents left to attend a royal ball and never returned. Now, ten years later, Lucinda finds herself in a bit of a mess. Her evil step-mom Aunt treats her as a servant--and a stupid one at that. H More...

When Lucinda Chapdelaine was just five years old, her parents left for the royal ball—and never came back. Since then, she has had no taste of her old fancy life, forced instead to work for her cruel aunt at a jewelry store. Then, as if by fate, a mysterious woman and her equally mysterious jewel enter the shop, and Lucinda’s life is irrevocably changed. This chance meeting and others acquaint Lucinda with a varied cast of characters including the Amaranth Witch, a street thief named Peter, and More...

I'd hoped so much to like this book - and I did! It's a fun read, with enough brilliant moments that you know this first-time author is going to produce better and better books. The heroine overcomes any tendency to remain a victim, and by the end even the villains have a chance at redemption.

Written for young teens, but I loved this book- read it in two days. Ending was delightfully unexpected and heroine was very likeable.

I was tempted to give this four stars because the end was a tad dissapointing.

The entire novel was fun, witty, and a charm to read. It wasn't until page 200 or so that I realized I was reading a fairy tale that loosely resembled Cinderella, then I began noticing the similarities. However, it also had some other fairty tales mixed in (that if I revealed which ones, would give away too much plot). I found the writing to be enchanting but it ended too suddenly. I wanted more from this author who s More...

What’s better than a traditional Cinderella story? One that steals elements from the tale, but forges its own path. The Amaranth Enchantment is about a girl named Lucinda whose parents died in a horrible accident the night of a ball. She goes to live with her uncle and step-aunt, a woman who treats her like a servant. A magical woman—the book’s version of a fairy godmother—is the catalyst for Lucinda leaving to make it on her own. Following the elements of a fairy tale, she falls in love with a More...

Part Cinderella story, part sci-fi story; it's an odd mix, and I'm not entirely sure it works all that well. The other world was an interesting twist, but bothered me in that both the world itself and the rules for coming and going from it seemed ill-defined, and ended up not really making much sense to me. It also bothered me that the relationships between various characters seemed to become too deep within too short a time period. I have a hard time with books where people fall in love at firs More...

A very enjoyable book. Its got a good pace; it doesn't suck you in from the get go but it doesn't take too long to get the plot started. Lucinda is a likeable character. She gets tricked but she isn't stupid. She isn't mean but isn't a pushover. Overall she is a well rounded character.

The other characters are very interesting too. Like Peter, who is a bit self-centered but funny. Beryle who is kind and giving but has a dark secret.

The story got me hooked. Its got the bad guy, a few surprises, More...

What a wonderful take on fairy tales: part Cinderella, part fallen-star, part lost prince and yet wholly original.

The idea that our world is linked to others is not new - the whole Well Between the Worlds is one of those ancient tropes, right? But the idea that criminals from another world might be sent to ours (with a "keeper") via this well (or they might end up in other worlds), and be almost godlike here, isn't that widely used as a plot. Beryl's trip through the well and her life here play More...

How lucky am I that the author's publicist dropped off an advance proof copy at my doorstep? I read it in a 24 hour period and enjoyed it. This Young Adult book resembles the fairy tale as novel genre, but takes some surprising twists that turn this fantasy nearly to a science fiction book. I'm a sucker for true love and happy endings. Kudos to Julie Berry! Great job on your first published work!

This is the type of book that makes you happy. It made me giggle. Full of enchantment, romance, and a little bit of stolen goods, I liked it a lot.

Good, if you are feeling bad about anything! ;)

Yet another Cinderella story.

Lucinda Chapdelaine is orphaned after an unfortunate chariot accident. Rather than the luxurious estate she had in her small childhood Lucinda is instead forced to spend the rest of her youth with a cranky, greedy Aunt. Still more misfortune awaits her and she is forced to be brave as the true villain of the story comes after her.

Berry has managed to add a new twist in the age old fable along with a bit of prince and the pauper and science fiction to make the tale More...

A blend of fantasy, supernatural, romance, and adventure. Lucinda is a great heroine - you couldn't help but root for her. Wrapped up a bit too neatly... but happy endings are nice. Fast read.

This story is a loose retelling of cinderella. "Lucinda was orphaned as a young child when her parents left for a royal ball and never returned. Ever since, she has toiled away in her uncles lonely jewelry shop under the cruel hand of her step-aunt. But now, all at once, Luncinda's lot is about to change. A mysterious woman, a young gentleman and an unusual gem all enter the shop on the same day...Family secrets, magical surprises and another royal ball will test her, but Lucinda is determined t More...

I was disappointed actually. Confusing, unsatisfying plot, I never sympathized with the protagonist, never saw why she liked the love interest. Obviously, anything with folkloric themes is going to be formulaic, but this managed to be formulaic without having any sort of clever addition.

It was a quick read, and maybe a teen who devours anything with a fairy tale plot will enjoy it.

Elements of several fairy tales permeate this fantasy.

A blend of supernatural, fantasy, romance, and adventure. Couldn't put it down!

REVIEW
Do you like romance? Fairy tales? Adventure? Mystery? If you do, then you will LOVE The Amaranth Enchantment. With a plot that hints at Cinderella, this book took me on a wild ride as Lucinda searched for a very special stolen necklace.
I absolutely adored the way Berry described the setting – from the poor area where Lucinda lived all the way up to the magical castle. I felt that I was taken away to a far- away land.
Lucinda was a likeable main character who rose to the occasion. She was lo More...

Lucinda Chapdelaine became an orphan at the age of five when her parents left for a ball and never returned. She was taken in by her ex step uncle and his wife and became the grueling slave of her demanding and head strong aunt. Her uncle is the gold smith of the town, fixing bracelets, rings, pendants, and any jewelry which wander into his shop. Lucina's aunt runs the business, ordering Lucinda to do any job to keep her out of the way. Once, when Lucinda was working, cleaning the shop, a woman More...

The Amaranth Enchantment sounded so good when I read the blurb.

But blurbs are deceptive.

I find it really hard and disappointing to rate a historical--and fantastical!--book 2.5, but if I should be honest with myself, the book was a major let-down.

I was ready to give the book 5 stars at the beginning. I mean, why not? It was nice and funny. I LOVED Peter and Lucinda's first scene together. However, as the story progressed, everything went downhill.

I gave it 2.5 stars because I liked the plot More...

WOW! I loved this book! It's a fairytale with magic but the magic isn't the focus of the story. And there is a very surprising ending, which I won't give away. The story: Lucinda's parents left for a ball when she was 5 years old and never returned, being killed in a carriage accident. Forward 10 years- Lucinda lives with an uncle and his mean wicked wife above a jewelery shop where she is constantly abused by the step aunt. One day into the shop comes a woman with a large unfamiliar jewel and t More...

"The Amarath Enchantment" is a young adult fantasy novel with similarities to the Cinderella story. It's set in the real world at a vague time period, but it has fantastic and fantasy elements. The characters were engaging and varied, and the suspense (from physical danger, relationship tensions, and the mystery of what will happen next) kept me reading.

I was a bit sad that all of the "good guy" characters got their happy endings except one who had it snatched away. Since it pushed realism that More...

Lucinda led a privileged with he mother and father up until the age of five. One night her parents left for a ball and never came home. They died in a carriage accident and she was sent to live with the husband and new wife of her late aunt. She was raised as a servant and was beaten by the new aunt. One day two extraordinary events happen... a wealthy woman comes into her uncles goldsmith shop to have a very rare precious gem fitted to a setting... the other is the prince comes in looking for a More...

Ever since the death of Lucinda's parents, she has been forced to live under the thumb of her bitter and overbearing aunt and her weak uncle, working at their jewelry store. Within one eventful day, Lucinda's life drastically changes. During this short period of time, she deals with a lovesick prince, a mysterious witch, a charming thief, and a tragedy that leaves her homeless. Things quickly go from bad to worse for Lucinda as she tries to put the pieces back together.

When I picked up The Amar More...

Despite the two star rating, this book really was enjoyable. However, it was a very generic fantasy/fairy tale novel. One thing that really frustrated me was that the setting was so ambiguous that certain things seemed out of place. Details pointed me towards the Victorian Era (the use of the words hats, the emphasis on Christmas), but others suggested another era. The last names suggested France, but the first names were decidedly English. Berry was clearly going for her own made up place, but More...