They say you shouldn’t judge a book by its cover. But I stumbled across a book whilst browsing the Internet. And I was mesmerized. The magic of the book was practically spilling from its cover. I ordered the book, read it and am now mentioning it here. Covers matter. What’s on the inside matters more. But the cover matters. End of discussion.
The place is Enchantasia. The fairy-tale villains have turned turn over a new leaf and are now teaching at the “Fairy tale reform school”(FTRS). The school’s Headmistress Flora is the former wicked stepmother of Cinderella. On the staff are also the Wolf from Little Red riding hood, the Sea Witch who tricked Ariel and the Evil Queen from Snow White. They have all been reformed and wish to keep Enchantasia safe by steering the young minds in a right direction.
Gilly has sticky fingers and after having been apprehended for theft for the third time she is sentenced to three months at FTRS. In her mind there could be no worse fate. That is until she meets her fellow students Jax and Kayla. With friends nothing seems too bad. The school even has flying horses. But there is something that’s not quite right. Gilly and Jax catch Flora sneaking into the forest that is off limits. And did that Gargoyle just turn its head? That can’t be right. They are not real. Or are they?
“For some reason, I don’t think any of us are going to make the transformation Headmistress Flora is looking for. “Why do you want to break out so bad?” “I’ve got places to see, and Enchantasia isn’t one of them.” Jax swings the chandelier so hard that the crystals clang together. The window latch pops open, and I watch Jax leap from the chandelier to the tiny window ledge. I’m in awe. Jax looks down at us smugly before pushing open the window. “Are you sure you two don’t want to join me?”
The school is closing in on its five-year anniversary and to celebrate there is going to be a royal ball. All the princesses are going to attend. Princess Ella (Cinderella), Princess Rose (Sleeping Beauty), Princess Snow (snow White) and Princess Rapunzel. But even with security at high alert there might still be something wicked left at the campus.
This is a “real” fairy-tale. This is everyday life in the Fairy-tale world. This is good and bad, heroes and villains. But this is not a pink and fluffy story, still it is not a dark and gruesome tale. The book is about a young girl who must figure out right from wrong. Learn to sometimes sacrifice your own wishes for those of others. Learn who to trust and to believe in herself. And don’t judge people by their “covers”, or their past.
Throughout the book we receive “newsletters” coming to us in the form of “Happily Ever After Scrolls”. (Brought to you by FairyWeb – magically appearing on scrolls throughout Enchantasia for the past ten years!). They mostly tell about the various teachers at FTRS, the upcoming ball and the strange events taking place at the school.
This book is the first in a series. The next instalment is due out in the spring of 2016 and is to be called “Charmed”. The main characters are endearing and I for one like to see how the story develops. Can Enchantasia free itself completely from evil?