Enchanted Origins

by S.H. Dontell

Rebecca Wood has never known who her real family was. So when a boy named Liam finds her and tells her that he knows where her real family is, it seems like it could be too good to be true.

Oddly enough, that's far from the strangest part. It turns out, Rebecca is from the land of fairy tales, though it's not exactly the same as the stories—Snow White and Cinderella are notorious assassins, and the land is ruled by the Evil Empress Goldilocks, who seems to have a special interest of her own in Rebecca.

None of this makes Rebecca's journey any less fascinating as she travels through a perilous and beautiful land full of magic and mystery, looking for the one thing she's always wanted.

362 pages, Paperback

Published December 18, 2024

Reviews

[J. Elizabeth · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is my favorite book EVER. Literally. The dialogue is so well written, funny, and real, like it's an actual conversation, and the characters are INCREDIBLE and relatable!!! Rebecca is me. So is Liam, honestly. And the WORLD BUILDING!!!!! It's such a fun spin on the fairy-tale world!! Plus, it's clean, with minimal violence and no cursing or sexual content!!

[Kelly · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book is an absolute joy to read from cover to cover. The dialogue was so fun and natural (and hilarious 10/10).

The characters really make the whole book, you can't help but get super invested. Even the background characters are so thought out; the whole world itself is brimming with life it's incredible.

I need Book 2, like, immediately.

[Maddie Spicer · Rating 5 out of 5]

this book is INCREDIBLE!!!!!!!!!!!! this author writes the best dialogue ever! it’ll make you laugh SO MUCH and you’ll fall in love with the characters so fast; they’re so lovable!!!! the worldbuilding is insanely good, as are the descriptions!!!! the way the author takes the fairy tales we know and love (and some you may have never heard of!) and puts an entirely new spin on them is just magical! this world bursts with magic and wonder, and I can’t wait to read the whole series when it’s all out!!!!!

[Bri · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great story where the fairy tales you know aren't what they seem!

Loved this story! It was so fun! Rebecca has a great personality and I liked her right away! The other characters were also great, and I loved the unexpected twists on the fairy tales. I especially liked the chapter titles! They made me laugh a lot. So many authors are moving away from chapter titles, so their inclusion absolutely delighted me! I'm very excited to see where this series will go in the future!

[S.H. Dontell · Rating 5 out of 5]

Oh hey I wrote this! Five stars for the five years it took me to finish, and also because of the sick illustrations. Oh, and the soup 🍲🍲🍲

[Rachel · Rating 5 out of 5]

What a fun, engaging read with no inappropriate stuff. I enjoyed it as an adult and am looking forward to passing on to others. I’m off to look up the story of the Bremen Town Musicians that I have memories of liking as a child, but don’t remember the story. I can’t wait to read the sequel/next book!

[c · Rating 5 out of 5]

I loved this book!!! I wanted to read it slowly since it just came out, not rush it, but I finished it in one single day because I just couldn't put it down. I loved all the characters, and I'm so invested in the story and excited to find out what happens next!!

[Ani Birch · Rating 5 out of 5]

I wasn’t sure what to expect when picking up a fairytale fantasy as a middle-aged reader, but S.H. Dontell’s Enchanted Origins completely won me over. Set in a world where childhood fairytales collide, Dontell turns everything upside down—Snow White and Cinderella are evil assassins, and Goldilocks is the wicked empress.

The nostalgia drew me in, and I found myself laughing often as familiar characters revealed their polar-opposite selves. The story was genuinely fun and set in a magical world that kept me reading chapter after chapter without tiring or wanting to put it down. Rebecca, the main character, was funny and refreshingly realistic, and her guide, Liam, was an absolute gem.

I only wish it hadn’t ended so soon. I’m hoping Dontell continues Rebecca’s story because I definitely need more. This book was so enjoyable that it’s convinced me to seek out more fairytale-inspired novels. I even have a couple of ideas for my own future stories.

[Bethany Spiller]

I read through the whole thing over a span of less than twelve hours (that counts time spent sleeping, among other things, probably closer to three hours of actual reading time.) And I highly recommend it! If you like stories with incredible worldbuilding details, background characters who feel like real people with stories of their own, iconic dialogue that'll live rent free in your head, and plentiful descriptions of food so delicious it'll make you mourn that Dragon Cone isn't a real food, don't hesitate! Pick up your own copy today and enter a world where the stories you've always known aren't exactly what they seem....