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Kendra Chronicles #2
Bewitching
Bewitching can be a beast....
Once, I put a curse on a beastly and arrogant high school boy. That one turned out all right. Others didn’t.
I go to a new school now—one where no one knows that I should have graduated long ago. I’m not still here because I’m stupid; I just don’t age.
You see, I’m immortal. And I pretty much know everything after hundreds of years—except for when to take my powers and butt out.
I want to help, but things just go awry in ways I could never predict. Like when I tried to free some children from a gingerbread house and ended up being hanged. After I came back from the dead (immortal, remember?), I tried to play matchmaker for a French prince and ended up banished from France forever. And that little mermaid I found in the Titanic lifeboat? I don’t even want to think about it.
Now a girl named Emma needs me. I probably shouldn’t get involved, but her gorgeous stepsister is conniving to the core. I think I have just the thing to fix that girl—and it isn’t an enchanted pumpkin. Although you never know what will happen when I start...bewitching.
Once, I put a curse on a beastly and arrogant high school boy. That one turned out all right. Others didn’t.
I go to a new school now—one where no one knows that I should have graduated long ago. I’m not still here because I’m stupid; I just don’t age.
You see, I’m immortal. And I pretty much know everything after hundreds of years—except for when to take my powers and butt out.
I want to help, but things just go awry in ways I could never predict. Like when I tried to free some children from a gingerbread house and ended up being hanged. After I came back from the dead (immortal, remember?), I tried to play matchmaker for a French prince and ended up banished from France forever. And that little mermaid I found in the Titanic lifeboat? I don’t even want to think about it.
Now a girl named Emma needs me. I probably shouldn’t get involved, but her gorgeous stepsister is conniving to the core. I think I have just the thing to fix that girl—and it isn’t an enchanted pumpkin. Although you never know what will happen when I start...bewitching.
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First published February 14, 2012
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About the author
Alex Flinn
30 books5,644 followersLove Jacaranda is out in the world! Hope you'll check out this fun wish-fulfillment romance!
Now, bio:
I grew up on a street called Salem Court. This probably influenced my interest in witches. When I was five, my mom said I should be an author. And when I was eight, I got my first rejection letter from Highlights Magazine.
I learned to read early. But I compensated for this early proficiency by absolutely refusing to read the programmed readers required by the school system -- workbooks where you read the story, then answered the questions. When the other kids were on Book 20, I was on Book 1! My teacher, Mrs. Zeiser, told my mother, "Alexandra marches to her own drummer." I don't think that was supposed to be a compliment.
My family moved to Miami when I was in middle school. I had a really hard time making friends, so I spent a lot of time reading and writing then. By high school, I'd made some friends and gotten involved in various "gifted and talented" performing arts programs. I studied opera in college (I'm a coloratura -- the really loud, high-pitched sopranos.) and then went to law school.
It was law school that probably helped with my first novel. Breathing Underwater deals with the serious and all-too-common problem of dating violence. I based the book on my experiences interning with the State Attorney's Office and volunteering with battered women. I thought this was a really important topic, as 27 percent of teenage girls surveyed have been hit by a boyfriend. I'm happy that the book is so popular, and if you are reading this bio because the book was assigned for school, I'm happy about that too.
I think I write for young-adults because I never quite got over being one. In my mind, I am still 13-years-old, running laps on the athletic field, wearing this really baggy white gymsuit. I’m continually amazed at the idea that I have a checking account and a mortgage. So I try to write books that gymsuit girl might enjoy. It’s a way of going back to being thirteen . . . knowing what I know now.
Right now, I live half a mile away from my old middle school, in Palmetto Bay, a suburb of Miami, with my husband, daughters, dogs, and cats.
Now, bio:
I grew up on a street called Salem Court. This probably influenced my interest in witches. When I was five, my mom said I should be an author. And when I was eight, I got my first rejection letter from Highlights Magazine.
I learned to read early. But I compensated for this early proficiency by absolutely refusing to read the programmed readers required by the school system -- workbooks where you read the story, then answered the questions. When the other kids were on Book 20, I was on Book 1! My teacher, Mrs. Zeiser, told my mother, "Alexandra marches to her own drummer." I don't think that was supposed to be a compliment.
My family moved to Miami when I was in middle school. I had a really hard time making friends, so I spent a lot of time reading and writing then. By high school, I'd made some friends and gotten involved in various "gifted and talented" performing arts programs. I studied opera in college (I'm a coloratura -- the really loud, high-pitched sopranos.) and then went to law school.
It was law school that probably helped with my first novel. Breathing Underwater deals with the serious and all-too-common problem of dating violence. I based the book on my experiences interning with the State Attorney's Office and volunteering with battered women. I thought this was a really important topic, as 27 percent of teenage girls surveyed have been hit by a boyfriend. I'm happy that the book is so popular, and if you are reading this bio because the book was assigned for school, I'm happy about that too.
I think I write for young-adults because I never quite got over being one. In my mind, I am still 13-years-old, running laps on the athletic field, wearing this really baggy white gymsuit. I’m continually amazed at the idea that I have a checking account and a mortgage. So I try to write books that gymsuit girl might enjoy. It’s a way of going back to being thirteen . . . knowing what I know now.
Right now, I live half a mile away from my old middle school, in Palmetto Bay, a suburb of Miami, with my husband, daughters, dogs, and cats.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 1,243 reviews
January 26, 2018
2.5/5
The problem I had with this book was that the main story is cut more than once because there are some random retellings throughout it.
The main story is a Cinderella retelling and I loved the beginning. The whole part where there’s this evil sister (Lisette) now orphan that stays at Emma’s and they are forced to interact because now they are sisters, I enjoyed those pages a lot and I thought that after the “prologue” of Kendra’s origins it was time then to dig into her present story.
Wrong.
This was supposed to be a Kendra book, where she is our main protagonist or at least she has a big part as a side character.
Instead she is seriously barely mentioned. She is always the freak basically or the strange girl or the “villain” in the shorter retellings and that’s it.
The thing that I really didn’t like though was that the main story is always interrupted by these 30/40 pages random retellings. Yes, some of them were nice but others were so boring that I wanted to skip them and go back to the main story. Every time that in the Emma's and Lisette’s parts tension is built and things started to get interesting, CUT. Retelling time. That was very frustrating to be honest. I wasn’t able to fully enjoy this book at all. Too many cuts.
This was a fast read in general, nice writing style and main story if put all together, except for the finale.
The beginning was pretty full of events and it really got my attention but then it slowed down so much and the finale was squeezed too much.
To stay true to the tale there had to be a ball somehow and somewhere but the situation in which was decided to put it in, was in my opinion too forced. It was too close to the end of the book and so little pages remained.
I still have in fact a very big question mark in my head for who that random guy in the end was.
He came out of nowhere and suddenly he was the main male protagonist, I mean what? Where was he during the past 300 pages or so?
Certainly if it was given more space to one story instead of putting in so many short retellings, the finale might have been worked out longer, giving space to explain better what was happening, like the beginning.
I’m not saying that the short stories where useless because we can explore more of Kendra's story and personality but maybe a companion novellas collection was better.
The problem I had with this book was that the main story is cut more than once because there are some random retellings throughout it.
The main story is a Cinderella retelling and I loved the beginning. The whole part where there’s this evil sister (Lisette) now orphan that stays at Emma’s and they are forced to interact because now they are sisters, I enjoyed those pages a lot and I thought that after the “prologue” of Kendra’s origins it was time then to dig into her present story.
Wrong.
This was supposed to be a Kendra book, where she is our main protagonist or at least she has a big part as a side character.
Instead she is seriously barely mentioned. She is always the freak basically or the strange girl or the “villain” in the shorter retellings and that’s it.
The thing that I really didn’t like though was that the main story is always interrupted by these 30/40 pages random retellings. Yes, some of them were nice but others were so boring that I wanted to skip them and go back to the main story. Every time that in the Emma's and Lisette’s parts tension is built and things started to get interesting, CUT. Retelling time. That was very frustrating to be honest. I wasn’t able to fully enjoy this book at all. Too many cuts.
This was a fast read in general, nice writing style and main story if put all together, except for the finale.
The beginning was pretty full of events and it really got my attention but then it slowed down so much and the finale was squeezed too much.
To stay true to the tale there had to be a ball somehow and somewhere but the situation in which was decided to put it in, was in my opinion too forced. It was too close to the end of the book and so little pages remained.
I still have in fact a very big question mark in my head for who that random guy in the end was.
He came out of nowhere and suddenly he was the main male protagonist, I mean what? Where was he during the past 300 pages or so?
Certainly if it was given more space to one story instead of putting in so many short retellings, the finale might have been worked out longer, giving space to explain better what was happening, like the beginning.
I’m not saying that the short stories where useless because we can explore more of Kendra's story and personality but maybe a companion novellas collection was better.
September 14, 2012
WOW! I absolutely love this book! It totally deserves to go in my favorite shelf! This is the best book of Alex Flinn so far, but I also love her Beastly and A kiss in time.
I was really excited about it once I've learned from Flinn's website that she will do a series about Kendra. And I saw this book already out on our local bookstores last week even though the expected publication date is on Feb 14. That's why I'm a bit shocked when I saw it on our stores and I bought a copy immediately. I have no time for hesitations since I'll just be thinking about it. ;) I also learned that there's a book giveaway and I can't join because it is only available in US. So I'm a bit jealous to those who won a copy while I bought my own. But it's all worth it!
Bewitching is mostly about Kendra's adventures since her discovery from the plague in London. What's the best part about the book is the combination of history, literature, and teen romance in it. I was introduced into different book classics which I know but haven't read such as Candide, Vanity Fair and Shakespeare plays. And I love the history part such as the Plague in London, the sinking of Titanic and the story of Louis, Dauphin of France. I even googled everything about them,haha. I also like the spin-off of different fairy tales such as Cinderella, Little Mermaid and Hansel and Gretel.
I had mixed emotions while reading it, I like the history of Kendra and her relationship with his brother. I like her personality, she's strong and smart, she loves to help even though everything doesn't go right and she got blame in the end. I got sad about what happened when she helped the children from a gingerbread house, the prince and the mermaid. They all turned out not well.
This is not just about Kendra, but also about a girl named Emma. She's a typical teenager with a gorgeous evil stepsister, Lisette. But it's not a typical Cinderella story, so you must read it to find out why. It's a great read, sometimes I hate Lisette and sometimes I pity her. But Emma is such a kind girl and I totally believe that she doesn't deserve Warner. Anyway, I highly recommend this book to everyone who loves fairy tales and happy endings. ;)
I was really excited about it once I've learned from Flinn's website that she will do a series about Kendra. And I saw this book already out on our local bookstores last week even though the expected publication date is on Feb 14. That's why I'm a bit shocked when I saw it on our stores and I bought a copy immediately. I have no time for hesitations since I'll just be thinking about it. ;) I also learned that there's a book giveaway and I can't join because it is only available in US. So I'm a bit jealous to those who won a copy while I bought my own. But it's all worth it!
Bewitching is mostly about Kendra's adventures since her discovery from the plague in London. What's the best part about the book is the combination of history, literature, and teen romance in it. I was introduced into different book classics which I know but haven't read such as Candide, Vanity Fair and Shakespeare plays. And I love the history part such as the Plague in London, the sinking of Titanic and the story of Louis, Dauphin of France. I even googled everything about them,haha. I also like the spin-off of different fairy tales such as Cinderella, Little Mermaid and Hansel and Gretel.
I had mixed emotions while reading it, I like the history of Kendra and her relationship with his brother. I like her personality, she's strong and smart, she loves to help even though everything doesn't go right and she got blame in the end. I got sad about what happened when she helped the children from a gingerbread house, the prince and the mermaid. They all turned out not well.
This is not just about Kendra, but also about a girl named Emma. She's a typical teenager with a gorgeous evil stepsister, Lisette. But it's not a typical Cinderella story, so you must read it to find out why. It's a great read, sometimes I hate Lisette and sometimes I pity her. But Emma is such a kind girl and I totally believe that she doesn't deserve Warner. Anyway, I highly recommend this book to everyone who loves fairy tales and happy endings. ;)
December 30, 2014
When I picked this up, I was hoping it wouldn't suck.
That's all.
Just...Please Don't Suck.
I have a love/hate relationship with fairytales and retellings. Most of the time the books aren't that good, but I can't seem to stop myself from snatching up the next one I see in the high hopes that this one will be better.
And Alex Flinn? Well, I like the fact you she updates the stories, but I haven't always liked everything she's written.
Beastly?
Yes.
A Kiss in Time?
Nooooo.
Well, I'm happy to report that Bewitching Did Not Suck!
It was, in fact, the best thing I've read in a while. And as far as contemporary Cinderella retellings go, this is my hands-down favorite so far.
Now because this is Alex Flinn, Cinderella is not the only fairytale in the book. Unlike Cloaked, that referenced obscure stories that I'd never heard of before (The Salad...???), Bewitching stuck to the classics that everyone knows.
Hansel and Gretel, The Princess and the Pea, The Little Mermaid...
The story starts off with Kendra's tale of how she discovered she was a witch, then bleeds into a fractured retelling of Hansel and Gretel.
Only after that do we get to present day, and Emma and Lisette's story...Cinderella with a twist.
I. Loved. It.
Loved it!
In between the main story told by Emma, Kendra narrates several mini-stories (Princess and the Pea...etc.) that explain her reluctance to step in and pull a fairy godmotherish fix out of her witch's hat.
And the ending?
I didn't see it coming...
Perfect!
That's all.
Just...Please Don't Suck.
I have a love/hate relationship with fairytales and retellings. Most of the time the books aren't that good, but I can't seem to stop myself from snatching up the next one I see in the high hopes that this one will be better.
And Alex Flinn? Well, I like the fact you she updates the stories, but I haven't always liked everything she's written.
Beastly?
Yes.
A Kiss in Time?
Nooooo.
Well, I'm happy to report that Bewitching Did Not Suck!
It was, in fact, the best thing I've read in a while. And as far as contemporary Cinderella retellings go, this is my hands-down favorite so far.
Now because this is Alex Flinn, Cinderella is not the only fairytale in the book. Unlike Cloaked, that referenced obscure stories that I'd never heard of before (The Salad...???), Bewitching stuck to the classics that everyone knows.
Hansel and Gretel, The Princess and the Pea, The Little Mermaid...
The story starts off with Kendra's tale of how she discovered she was a witch, then bleeds into a fractured retelling of Hansel and Gretel.
Only after that do we get to present day, and Emma and Lisette's story...Cinderella with a twist.
I. Loved. It.
Loved it!
In between the main story told by Emma, Kendra narrates several mini-stories (Princess and the Pea...etc.) that explain her reluctance to step in and pull a fairy godmotherish fix out of her witch's hat.
And the ending?
I didn't see it coming...
Perfect!
April 30, 2012
Where to start, where to start? Let me just start off by sayig this book was just the type of book I love to read. Of course I am a firm believer in fairy tales and love how Alex Flinn spices it up a bit and modernizes it up too.
Ok some spoilers may come so if you want to know nothing at all from the book I suggest you stop reading now!
The book starts off with Kendra as a young girl living in the 1600s about the time of the plague. Her whole family dies from it, except her little brother whom she saved through magic. And this is how Kendra, the witch is born! Since she miraculously saved her brother from a disease that wasn't curable, they decide to run away..
Which brings us to the gingerbread house.
At this Gingedbread house lives an old witch who cooks children, who eat her house, into gingerbread fence posts. So sad I know! While all this is happening the witch catches Kendra and her brother charlie and holes them captive. Kendra makes a deal with her and the witch teaches her more magic and she becomes more powerful. Charlie and her end up killing the witch by throwing her in the oven to burn. One of the only ways a witch can truly die. Once they kill her all the children that were baked into gingerbreads were all set free. Happily ever after right? Wrong!The children tell their parents what happen and Kendra and Charlie have to run for their life. And poor Kendra never sees her brother again.
Now is the story of Lisette and Emma. This is where the story gets real good. Its a Cinderella story told from the not so pretty step sister. Emma is smart, plain, and not very cool. In comes a step sister she never knew she had from her father. Lisette is around her age and is everything that Emma is not. Beautiful, talented, and everyone loves her. Except me, I despise Lisette to the max! She is a manipulative, coniving little brat and i spent the whole story wishing something bad would soon happen to her. It wasn't fair what she had done to Emma, I get that she was upset that she lost her father and he was stolen from her at a young age. But my God, there are better ways to handle things. She ended up taking away Emma's father, her boyfriends, her bedroom, and her clothes/other materlistic things. It enrages me because if it were me I would not have cared if she told about me busting up the pumpkin. Thats just me though, Lisette's blackmail was lame..and Emma sure acted stupid for falling for that. I hate stories where the beautiful girl is a real jerk. I liked how in the book it touched up on that. How in the movies the bad guy is always ugly but in books the villian is portrayed as beautiful. I think no matter what the villian wil always be ugly whether they are pretty or not. Its just easier to see a physically ugly person as the villian for some reason. The way Emma's story ended was sweet. I loved how she was the "cinderella" of the book. She had a mouse and got Prince Charming in the end. I feel like I am a lot like her. I would probably take a book to a party and just read too. The only thing is, most guys wouldnt find that too attractive. But its her I am and I am glad Emma stuck to who she was and never faltered. I admired her for that.
Some other fairy tales in the book was The Princess and the Pea, which I am not too familiar with. But I am familiar with The Little Mermaid. I loved Alex's take on the little mermaid. It was not a happily ever after and I found myself sad after reading it. I wish it could have ended differently for Doria. Her story was so tragic. She saves the boy she loves from drowing after the Titanic sinks. Also another thing i loved about the book, all the historical notes she put into this. It was well thought out.
I recommend this book to people of all ages, its just that good. If you love fairy tales, you will eat this up!
I am so happy to have recieved and early copy of the book, it has been good!
Ok some spoilers may come so if you want to know nothing at all from the book I suggest you stop reading now!
The book starts off with Kendra as a young girl living in the 1600s about the time of the plague. Her whole family dies from it, except her little brother whom she saved through magic. And this is how Kendra, the witch is born! Since she miraculously saved her brother from a disease that wasn't curable, they decide to run away..
Which brings us to the gingerbread house.
At this Gingedbread house lives an old witch who cooks children, who eat her house, into gingerbread fence posts. So sad I know! While all this is happening the witch catches Kendra and her brother charlie and holes them captive. Kendra makes a deal with her and the witch teaches her more magic and she becomes more powerful. Charlie and her end up killing the witch by throwing her in the oven to burn. One of the only ways a witch can truly die. Once they kill her all the children that were baked into gingerbreads were all set free. Happily ever after right? Wrong!The children tell their parents what happen and Kendra and Charlie have to run for their life. And poor Kendra never sees her brother again.
Now is the story of Lisette and Emma. This is where the story gets real good. Its a Cinderella story told from the not so pretty step sister. Emma is smart, plain, and not very cool. In comes a step sister she never knew she had from her father. Lisette is around her age and is everything that Emma is not. Beautiful, talented, and everyone loves her. Except me, I despise Lisette to the max! She is a manipulative, coniving little brat and i spent the whole story wishing something bad would soon happen to her. It wasn't fair what she had done to Emma, I get that she was upset that she lost her father and he was stolen from her at a young age. But my God, there are better ways to handle things. She ended up taking away Emma's father, her boyfriends, her bedroom, and her clothes/other materlistic things. It enrages me because if it were me I would not have cared if she told about me busting up the pumpkin. Thats just me though, Lisette's blackmail was lame..and Emma sure acted stupid for falling for that. I hate stories where the beautiful girl is a real jerk. I liked how in the book it touched up on that. How in the movies the bad guy is always ugly but in books the villian is portrayed as beautiful. I think no matter what the villian wil always be ugly whether they are pretty or not. Its just easier to see a physically ugly person as the villian for some reason. The way Emma's story ended was sweet. I loved how she was the "cinderella" of the book. She had a mouse and got Prince Charming in the end. I feel like I am a lot like her. I would probably take a book to a party and just read too. The only thing is, most guys wouldnt find that too attractive. But its her I am and I am glad Emma stuck to who she was and never faltered. I admired her for that.
Some other fairy tales in the book was The Princess and the Pea, which I am not too familiar with. But I am familiar with The Little Mermaid. I loved Alex's take on the little mermaid. It was not a happily ever after and I found myself sad after reading it. I wish it could have ended differently for Doria. Her story was so tragic. She saves the boy she loves from drowing after the Titanic sinks. Also another thing i loved about the book, all the historical notes she put into this. It was well thought out.
I recommend this book to people of all ages, its just that good. If you love fairy tales, you will eat this up!
I am so happy to have recieved and early copy of the book, it has been good!
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
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October 10, 2016I loved the flashbacks to the Titanic and Little Mermaid and to King Louis. They were super fun. My favorite, though, was the beginning with the witch's gingerbread house. So fun!
May 1, 2012
Rating: 2/5
I picked up this book because I had read Beastly and thought it (Beastly) was an enjoyable book. It features the witch who had turned the boy into a beast in Beastly. Kinda… Here we get to understand, Kendra, the witch. We get to see her life and how she became a witch… kinda. While the story was engaging in some parts, most times it fell short of being interesting. After a whole novel, the expectations of this novel were never reached and it left me feeling a bit confused of the fact of what was I suppose to get out of this? Because for me, the entertainment value wasn’t as high asBeastlyand maybe even the writing didn’t match the same caliber of writing.
Let’s start with Kendra and characterization. Flinn started off well with the story of her family and how she became a witch. The motivation of wanting to help, live and heal her family was there. I could feel her emoitons, but then as soon as that moment was gone and Kendra and Co. moved onto the next chapter of her life that intimacy disappeared. We get multiple fairy tale retellings but that was just it. I expected stories that altered Kendra’s worldview and/or her personality and thoughts on the world but in the end, it felt like a shrug of the shoulders. Kinda like Kendra was saying, “Eh, it happened. Life goes on.” With the exception of the first back story of Kendra’s, all the other felt like filler pages. Yeah, so they were giving examples as to why she shouldn’t meddle with other people’s lives but Flinn should be able to show that with the current story: Emma’s story.
Emma was a big contributor with the dropping in points. She was dull. Boring. Meek. Lacks any courage. Lacks faith in her self. Lacks a multitude of things. Yeah, so Kendra should help her. But no where in the story does Emma do anything right. She never stands up for herself and the only times she does something worthwhile was when she was alone and it’s not really even her doing, it’s Kendra’s. Her evil stepsister ruined her life, stole away everything and person important to her and Emma just sat and took it. She mope and just watches her world be stolen away. She gave no effort whatsoever in trying to reclaim her life. She lets them go, just like she didn’t care. I’m sorry, am I suppose to root for a girl like that? I felt no sympathy for her. If she tried – and I mean really tried, not the feeble one or two sentence comebacks, retorts, or responses – then yes, I would root for Emma, but nope she does absolutely nothing. She waits for the story/Kendra to fall into her lap and does things for her. By the end, I thought she pretty much deserves everything wrong in her life. If you can’t make any REAL effort to change your life, sorry I don’t feel sorry for ya. Even Cinderella was more likable because at least, she tries to be nice to her evil step sisters, wakes up early in the morning and does her chores with grace and a smile, singing happily… Emma just drowns herself in self-pity and resentment.
The overall romance – especially at the end – was cheesy. The developement of Warner and Emma’s relationship was nice. What Flinn does to it was not. What happened between the two was so shallow that I couldn’t buy it. Made me question if it was really love at all… No, it wasn’t. This romance had some potential… and that potential was tossed out the window followed by a gun down of a dozen Uzis so that the plots structure and the romance in the story felt weak and riddled with holes. Warner just became a puppet – a stupid, ignorant one at that and it made me wince every time I read about him. I neither felt sorry for him or Emma.
On to Lisette, the supposed evil sister. She’s evil all right, but in such a corny way I just roll my eyes. All of her evil ways happened only because Emma allowed it. Minor things became big issues because again Emma allowed it. The weak excuse of “We’re sisters,” is fed to readers as to why Emma allowed Lisette to act the way she does. It wouldn’t have surprised me if Lisette kills Emma and Emma’s ghost would be like, “it’s okay, she’s my sister. I ‘love’ her.” Then her soul gets burned in hell for eternity because Lisette made a pact with the devil with Emma’s soul, but you know what it’s okay… they’re sisters… Nope… sorry… should they all die and burn… I wouldn’t care.
I liked Kendra. Her initial story started out strong, but failed in the end. In the end, we’re taught that life’s not fair, but if we wait around and do absolutely nothing, a nice good looking boy, whose rich, will fall right into our laps and they will take care of us for the rest of our lives – and you heard right… you only need to do absolutely nothing. Well, just one thing… decide if you want to be with this boy or not. It’s a hard decision too. I know… so very hard.
Bewitching felt more like two separate novels smashed into one. Kendra’s life stories and Emma’s story though I see the point of the two being next to each other, they contributed nothing poignant or important to the other story. There was no deep tie other than Kendra proving a point as too why she shouldn’t intervene in human affairs. Weak excuse to have her life story told.
Whew. Harsh review I know, but that’s what I felt. Why two stars then? Well, the writing didn’t completely suck. It was written well enough. There were very good moments that pulled you in and you relished those moments. The romance between Warner and Emma started out in a believable fashion and progressed into a believable fashion until the “confrontation” – then it just dropped faster than an 10 million pound elephant into one huge pile of brown stuff. As much as Emma was detestable, there were moments where her feebleness and hesitation was believable.
Overall, the story had lots of potential. The delivery failed and mostly through the weak character build and scenarios.
Verdict: Quick read. Library check out if you must. But I can recommend a much better witch series if witches are what you’re looking for.
Visit my book review blog at ravenousbiblioworm.wordpress.com
I picked up this book because I had read Beastly and thought it (Beastly) was an enjoyable book. It features the witch who had turned the boy into a beast in Beastly. Kinda… Here we get to understand, Kendra, the witch. We get to see her life and how she became a witch… kinda. While the story was engaging in some parts, most times it fell short of being interesting. After a whole novel, the expectations of this novel were never reached and it left me feeling a bit confused of the fact of what was I suppose to get out of this? Because for me, the entertainment value wasn’t as high asBeastlyand maybe even the writing didn’t match the same caliber of writing.
Let’s start with Kendra and characterization. Flinn started off well with the story of her family and how she became a witch. The motivation of wanting to help, live and heal her family was there. I could feel her emoitons, but then as soon as that moment was gone and Kendra and Co. moved onto the next chapter of her life that intimacy disappeared. We get multiple fairy tale retellings but that was just it. I expected stories that altered Kendra’s worldview and/or her personality and thoughts on the world but in the end, it felt like a shrug of the shoulders. Kinda like Kendra was saying, “Eh, it happened. Life goes on.” With the exception of the first back story of Kendra’s, all the other felt like filler pages. Yeah, so they were giving examples as to why she shouldn’t meddle with other people’s lives but Flinn should be able to show that with the current story: Emma’s story.
Emma was a big contributor with the dropping in points. She was dull. Boring. Meek. Lacks any courage. Lacks faith in her self. Lacks a multitude of things. Yeah, so Kendra should help her. But no where in the story does Emma do anything right. She never stands up for herself and the only times she does something worthwhile was when she was alone and it’s not really even her doing, it’s Kendra’s. Her evil stepsister ruined her life, stole away everything and person important to her and Emma just sat and took it. She mope and just watches her world be stolen away. She gave no effort whatsoever in trying to reclaim her life. She lets them go, just like she didn’t care. I’m sorry, am I suppose to root for a girl like that? I felt no sympathy for her. If she tried – and I mean really tried, not the feeble one or two sentence comebacks, retorts, or responses – then yes, I would root for Emma, but nope she does absolutely nothing. She waits for the story/Kendra to fall into her lap and does things for her. By the end, I thought she pretty much deserves everything wrong in her life. If you can’t make any REAL effort to change your life, sorry I don’t feel sorry for ya. Even Cinderella was more likable because at least, she tries to be nice to her evil step sisters, wakes up early in the morning and does her chores with grace and a smile, singing happily… Emma just drowns herself in self-pity and resentment.
The overall romance – especially at the end – was cheesy. The developement of Warner and Emma’s relationship was nice. What Flinn does to it was not. What happened between the two was so shallow that I couldn’t buy it. Made me question if it was really love at all… No, it wasn’t. This romance had some potential… and that potential was tossed out the window followed by a gun down of a dozen Uzis so that the plots structure and the romance in the story felt weak and riddled with holes. Warner just became a puppet – a stupid, ignorant one at that and it made me wince every time I read about him. I neither felt sorry for him or Emma.
On to Lisette, the supposed evil sister. She’s evil all right, but in such a corny way I just roll my eyes. All of her evil ways happened only because Emma allowed it. Minor things became big issues because again Emma allowed it. The weak excuse of “We’re sisters,” is fed to readers as to why Emma allowed Lisette to act the way she does. It wouldn’t have surprised me if Lisette kills Emma and Emma’s ghost would be like, “it’s okay, she’s my sister. I ‘love’ her.” Then her soul gets burned in hell for eternity because Lisette made a pact with the devil with Emma’s soul, but you know what it’s okay… they’re sisters… Nope… sorry… should they all die and burn… I wouldn’t care.
I liked Kendra. Her initial story started out strong, but failed in the end. In the end, we’re taught that life’s not fair, but if we wait around and do absolutely nothing, a nice good looking boy, whose rich, will fall right into our laps and they will take care of us for the rest of our lives – and you heard right… you only need to do absolutely nothing. Well, just one thing… decide if you want to be with this boy or not. It’s a hard decision too. I know… so very hard.
Bewitching felt more like two separate novels smashed into one. Kendra’s life stories and Emma’s story though I see the point of the two being next to each other, they contributed nothing poignant or important to the other story. There was no deep tie other than Kendra proving a point as too why she shouldn’t intervene in human affairs. Weak excuse to have her life story told.
Whew. Harsh review I know, but that’s what I felt. Why two stars then? Well, the writing didn’t completely suck. It was written well enough. There were very good moments that pulled you in and you relished those moments. The romance between Warner and Emma started out in a believable fashion and progressed into a believable fashion until the “confrontation” – then it just dropped faster than an 10 million pound elephant into one huge pile of brown stuff. As much as Emma was detestable, there were moments where her feebleness and hesitation was believable.
Overall, the story had lots of potential. The delivery failed and mostly through the weak character build and scenarios.
Verdict: Quick read. Library check out if you must. But I can recommend a much better witch series if witches are what you’re looking for.
Visit my book review blog at ravenousbiblioworm.wordpress.com
November 24, 2015
Posibles spoilers de:
-La máscara de la muerte roja
-Hansel y Gretel
-La princesa y el guisante
-La Sirenita
-La Cenicienta
Bueno, esperaba descubrir algo más acerca de la bruja Kendra de Beastly(motivo que se repite en varios reviewers), de modo que me gustó la primera parte, acerca de su pasado.
Y hasta cierto punto me gustó el retelling de Cenicienta, y eso de dar vuelta la idea de la hermanastra.
Stepmothers get a bum rap, just like witches.
...a pesar de que viene a ser una versión de cientos de peliculas adolescentes de la chica bookish/nerdie y regordeta (-gasp- talla ¡7! -rolleyes-), sin amigos. Gran parte más que nada parece Mean Girls.
con unas pequeñas intervenciones de Kendra
Se supone que la bruja explica porque no es una buena idea que intente resolver las cosasmoviendo la nariz usando magia, para ello metiendo dizque ejemplos de cuentos de hadas. Aqui es donde falla la cosa, porque se siente todo pasando demasiado a lo rápido, donde destaca el hijito de mamá del rey de Francia , y no ayuda que metan después a la Sirenita (versión original y no Dismey), que es mi cuento menos favorito y terminé pasando páginas.
Lo mejor: La historia de Emma (me agradó que no estuviera segura, porque me pareció hasta más real) y que no estuvieras segura de cuál lado de te encontrabas ¿Emma o Lisette? El resto es cliché, incluyendo el final, aunque es el más adecuado.
-La máscara de la muerte roja
-Hansel y Gretel
-La princesa y el guisante
-La Sirenita
-La Cenicienta
Bueno, esperaba descubrir algo más acerca de la bruja Kendra de Beastly(motivo que se repite en varios reviewers), de modo que me gustó la primera parte, acerca de su pasado.
Y hasta cierto punto me gustó el retelling de Cenicienta, y eso de dar vuelta la idea de la hermanastra.
Stepmothers get a bum rap, just like witches.
...a pesar de que viene a ser una versión de cientos de peliculas adolescentes de la chica bookish/nerdie y regordeta (-gasp- talla ¡7! -rolleyes-), sin amigos. Gran parte más que nada parece Mean Girls.
con unas pequeñas intervenciones de Kendra
Se supone que la bruja explica porque no es una buena idea que intente resolver las cosas
Lo mejor: La historia de Emma (me agradó que no estuviera segura, porque me pareció hasta más real) y que no estuvieras segura de cuál lado de te encontrabas ¿Emma o Lisette? El resto es cliché, incluyendo el final, aunque es el más adecuado.
May 3, 2018
There’s a story here, I guess, but this entire book was more of a gimmick to capitalize on the Beastly movie (unfortunately, which I saw, wasn’t my choice, can’t be more of a captive audience than a passenger on a ten hour international flight) than a real novel. That’s the only way of explaining the weird structure of this book, a main story from Emma’s point of view interrupted by snide side stories about Kendra’s past whenever she feels like interrupting.
Actually, the structure’s kind of clever, if the stories had any kind of relevance whatsoever to the main plot. But they’re all about how Kendra’s magic backfires whenever she tries to help people, explaining why she doesn’t use magic to help anyone, until she, that’s right, uses her magic to help Emma in the main story. I didn’t really get it, except Kendra’s entire shtick about her burning desire to help her ‘victims’ despite learning her lesson about her magic backfiring all the time was incredibly annoying.
Then there’s Emma and Lisette. As far as I can tell, this is some sort of weird reverse Cinderella story where Cinderella (Lisette) is nasty and mean to the not-wicked stepsister (Emma, when the father’s alive and after he’s dead), piling all the Cinderella abuse blame on the shallow but not-so-wicked stepmother. Except all these characters are either whiny, clueless, mean, or shallow … who’d enjoy a book so devoid of likable characters? And the ending is just convenient, won’t spoil it but the only person who gets their comeuppance is the clueless one (if you read halfway through though, this is easy enough to figure out). Umm, ok.
Basically, Kendra annoyed me, Emma annoyed me, Lisette annoyed me, every other character except the one conveniently placed in the last couple of chapters (because he’s so conveniently written, I’m more incredulous than annoyed) annoyed me. Lots of annoyance all around.
Actually, the structure’s kind of clever, if the stories had any kind of relevance whatsoever to the main plot. But they’re all about how Kendra’s magic backfires whenever she tries to help people, explaining why she doesn’t use magic to help anyone, until she, that’s right, uses her magic to help Emma in the main story. I didn’t really get it, except Kendra’s entire shtick about her burning desire to help her ‘victims’ despite learning her lesson about her magic backfiring all the time was incredibly annoying.
Then there’s Emma and Lisette. As far as I can tell, this is some sort of weird reverse Cinderella story where Cinderella (Lisette) is nasty and mean to the not-wicked stepsister (Emma, when the father’s alive and after he’s dead), piling all the Cinderella abuse blame on the shallow but not-so-wicked stepmother. Except all these characters are either whiny, clueless, mean, or shallow … who’d enjoy a book so devoid of likable characters? And the ending is just convenient, won’t spoil it but the only person who gets their comeuppance is the clueless one (if you read halfway through though, this is easy enough to figure out). Umm, ok.
Basically, Kendra annoyed me, Emma annoyed me, Lisette annoyed me, every other character except the one conveniently placed in the last couple of chapters (because he’s so conveniently written, I’m more incredulous than annoyed) annoyed me. Lots of annoyance all around.
May 27, 2013
it was Awesome :"") but as usual a happy ending :/
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Photos Taken By me :')
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Photos Taken By me :')
February 14, 2012
THE FAERYS VIEW
Bewitching by Alex Flinn was FAN-FAERY-TASTIC! Ms. Flinn out did herself in this spectacular tale of my favorite witch. Ms. Flinn has written many successful remakes of classic faery tales-each and every one of them a joy to read.
Bewitching is Kendra Hilferty’s tale. You may remember Kendra best as the witch in Beastly when she cast the spell upon a boy making him as ugly on the outside as he was on the inside. Kendra is centuries old and has lived an amazing life, most of it trying to help others but as she explains in Bewitching, sometime even the best intentions can go awry.
Learning Kendra’s story from the start when she discovered she was a witch and traveling with her through the centuries was pure bliss to read. Kendra takes us through some of her more successful attempts at helping the less fortunate in love and some of her somewhat less fortunate attempts at helping those less fortunate in love and making things worse. This is why Kendra has learned to be very careful who she chooses to help.
In Bewitching, Kendra decides to help a teenage girl deal with her step-sister that is slowly taking over her life. I’m not going to go into detail on this but interspersed between the present, Kendra also tells us about her past. Giving a glimpse into her somewhat lonely life endears Kendra to the reader. I felt as if I knew her and understood the reasons behind everything she did.
Ms. Flinn has the most captivating voice in storytelling and I can’t help but be drawn into everything she writes. Kendra’s story is told within Emma’s story so as I read along I learned both about Kendra, the misunderstood witch who got a bad rap in Beastly but is so fully understood and loved in Bewitching and then there’s Emma, the teenager that Kendra is wondering if she should help or not. Emma's story is a modern day re-telling of Cinderella but it’s not (~Wink~) you’ll have to read to figure that one out!
Ms. Flinn’s perfectly poetic plot is full of action, suspense, mystery and of course, magic! Kendra manages to pull off some hilarious hijink’s that had me chuckling-nothing like seeing the ‘mean girl’ get hers! On top of all that, there is Kendra’s glorious history from Louis XV to the Titanic, each one a well known faery tale.
The entire book pulls together perfectly and I must say that Alex Flinn is a brilliant author and not one book that she pens will ever get by me! She is one of my favorite authors and will remain so, I feel so fortunate to have been able to read her books and even more fortunate to have been able to read the ARC of Bewitching; a masterpiece in storytelling and One-Sit-Read for this reviewer!
THE FAERY SAYS THAT BEWITCHING BY ALEX FLINN ROCKED MY WINGS!!!
Thank you to ATWT and the publisher for allowing me to view this ARC in exchange for my honest opinion.
Bewitching by Alex Flinn was FAN-FAERY-TASTIC! Ms. Flinn out did herself in this spectacular tale of my favorite witch. Ms. Flinn has written many successful remakes of classic faery tales-each and every one of them a joy to read.
Bewitching is Kendra Hilferty’s tale. You may remember Kendra best as the witch in Beastly when she cast the spell upon a boy making him as ugly on the outside as he was on the inside. Kendra is centuries old and has lived an amazing life, most of it trying to help others but as she explains in Bewitching, sometime even the best intentions can go awry.
Learning Kendra’s story from the start when she discovered she was a witch and traveling with her through the centuries was pure bliss to read. Kendra takes us through some of her more successful attempts at helping the less fortunate in love and some of her somewhat less fortunate attempts at helping those less fortunate in love and making things worse. This is why Kendra has learned to be very careful who she chooses to help.
In Bewitching, Kendra decides to help a teenage girl deal with her step-sister that is slowly taking over her life. I’m not going to go into detail on this but interspersed between the present, Kendra also tells us about her past. Giving a glimpse into her somewhat lonely life endears Kendra to the reader. I felt as if I knew her and understood the reasons behind everything she did.
Ms. Flinn has the most captivating voice in storytelling and I can’t help but be drawn into everything she writes. Kendra’s story is told within Emma’s story so as I read along I learned both about Kendra, the misunderstood witch who got a bad rap in Beastly but is so fully understood and loved in Bewitching and then there’s Emma, the teenager that Kendra is wondering if she should help or not. Emma's story is a modern day re-telling of Cinderella but it’s not (~Wink~) you’ll have to read to figure that one out!
Ms. Flinn’s perfectly poetic plot is full of action, suspense, mystery and of course, magic! Kendra manages to pull off some hilarious hijink’s that had me chuckling-nothing like seeing the ‘mean girl’ get hers! On top of all that, there is Kendra’s glorious history from Louis XV to the Titanic, each one a well known faery tale.
The entire book pulls together perfectly and I must say that Alex Flinn is a brilliant author and not one book that she pens will ever get by me! She is one of my favorite authors and will remain so, I feel so fortunate to have been able to read her books and even more fortunate to have been able to read the ARC of Bewitching; a masterpiece in storytelling and One-Sit-Read for this reviewer!
THE FAERY SAYS THAT BEWITCHING BY ALEX FLINN ROCKED MY WINGS!!!
Thank you to ATWT and the publisher for allowing me to view this ARC in exchange for my honest opinion.
April 5, 2016
A finished unsolicited copy was provided by the publisher for review.
In the beginning Kendra is a mere mortal trying to save her only living family member from the plague. Her parents, her sister are all dead. With help from a rumor that a witch can save her brother she goes to seem her out only to find out she’s gone. In an effort to save her brother Charlie she grabs some herbs from the witch’s garden and makes some medicine for him. Like a miracle he survives and they entire out of their village. Along the way she finds a house made out of gingerbread. This is only the beginning of her tale, but the main story revolves around Lisette and Emma.
The writing is fast paced and I absolutely loved Emma. Now here’s a character who is not beautiful for once. Whose looks are plain and simple, and she’s a rather voracious reader herself! I still don’t understand why Emma thinks her looks matter so much. I hated how she would say Lisette was always beautiful. Beauty is found on the inside as well and she definitely had no inner beauty.
Gah as for Lisette! Seriously wanted to punch her. Everyone knows she was being a fake but Emma being too trysting and kind thought the best in her which was a lie.
I had such a fab time reading this book! Little known tales like Hansel and Gretal, Cinderella, The Little Mermaid all spun into this one little book. I also love how the magic mirror made its appearance!. Mind you, they are sub chapters in the book that divides these fairy tales, but they’re not as intrusive as I thought it would be.
Quotes
“I may be young, but I am strong. I have power born of passion.”—Kendra (26)
“My life, once lived, could not unlive itself.”—Kendra (39)
“I knew I wasn’t ugly or fat either, just plain, like the heroines in books I loved, like Jane Eyre or Little Women. Of course, those gurk’s usually end up getting the guy.”—Emma (52)
“In stories like Cinderella and Beauty and the Beast, they always say the heroine is “as good as she is beautiful.” I wondered if people just wanted that to be true, wanted the beautiful to be good. I wondered if they wanted the ugly to be bad because then they wouldn’t have to feel sorry for them.”—Emma (162)
In the beginning Kendra is a mere mortal trying to save her only living family member from the plague. Her parents, her sister are all dead. With help from a rumor that a witch can save her brother she goes to seem her out only to find out she’s gone. In an effort to save her brother Charlie she grabs some herbs from the witch’s garden and makes some medicine for him. Like a miracle he survives and they entire out of their village. Along the way she finds a house made out of gingerbread. This is only the beginning of her tale, but the main story revolves around Lisette and Emma.
The writing is fast paced and I absolutely loved Emma. Now here’s a character who is not beautiful for once. Whose looks are plain and simple, and she’s a rather voracious reader herself! I still don’t understand why Emma thinks her looks matter so much. I hated how she would say Lisette was always beautiful. Beauty is found on the inside as well and she definitely had no inner beauty.
Gah as for Lisette! Seriously wanted to punch her. Everyone knows she was being a fake but Emma being too trysting and kind thought the best in her which was a lie.
I had such a fab time reading this book! Little known tales like Hansel and Gretal, Cinderella, The Little Mermaid all spun into this one little book. I also love how the magic mirror made its appearance!. Mind you, they are sub chapters in the book that divides these fairy tales, but they’re not as intrusive as I thought it would be.
Quotes
“I may be young, but I am strong. I have power born of passion.”—Kendra (26)
“My life, once lived, could not unlive itself.”—Kendra (39)
“I knew I wasn’t ugly or fat either, just plain, like the heroines in books I loved, like Jane Eyre or Little Women. Of course, those gurk’s usually end up getting the guy.”—Emma (52)
“In stories like Cinderella and Beauty and the Beast, they always say the heroine is “as good as she is beautiful.” I wondered if people just wanted that to be true, wanted the beautiful to be good. I wondered if they wanted the ugly to be bad because then they wouldn’t have to feel sorry for them.”—Emma (162)
February 22, 2012
MY THOUGHTS
LOVED IT
If you read Beastly, you will remember Kendra was the witch that had a very important supporting role. Kendra is an immortal witch and her story starts out with a retelling of Hansel and Gretel (my first two dachshunds!) where Kendra and her brother are the only survivors in her family after the plague wipes out most of her town. The story weaves back and forth between a Cinderella in current times with bits and pieces of her earlier existence during the early 1700 and the French Court and a sweet story about the Princess and the Pea. She is always trying to help people and do good with her powers but through the ages, she finds that sometimes things don't turn out how she would like them to. Her latest project is Emma and her step sister who is truly evil and out to ruin Emma's life. Kendra sees this and tries to help Emma cope with the ugly center of her beautiful step sister.
The story also make a side trip to visit the Titanic and place The Little Mermaid on board. This one does not have a happy ending. Then it is back to current times where Emma has figured out exactly who Kendra is and that is a witch. Emma tries not to take advantage of Kendra's powers as her own personal fairy godmother which is a really nice touch. I really loved how everything in the story meshed together to create a cohesive story.
The character of Emma is nicely done and I adored the fact that she was a bookworm which works in her favor for a change! I was really cheering for Emma through all her trials and would love to read more about her. Overall, this should appeal to younger teens since there are things happening in the book that occur in their everyday life like having to deal with the mean girls at school, first love and not feeling good about yourself. There are mentions of drinking, allusions to sex but mostly stuff that kids see on television today.
LOVED IT
If you read Beastly, you will remember Kendra was the witch that had a very important supporting role. Kendra is an immortal witch and her story starts out with a retelling of Hansel and Gretel (my first two dachshunds!) where Kendra and her brother are the only survivors in her family after the plague wipes out most of her town. The story weaves back and forth between a Cinderella in current times with bits and pieces of her earlier existence during the early 1700 and the French Court and a sweet story about the Princess and the Pea. She is always trying to help people and do good with her powers but through the ages, she finds that sometimes things don't turn out how she would like them to. Her latest project is Emma and her step sister who is truly evil and out to ruin Emma's life. Kendra sees this and tries to help Emma cope with the ugly center of her beautiful step sister.
The story also make a side trip to visit the Titanic and place The Little Mermaid on board. This one does not have a happy ending. Then it is back to current times where Emma has figured out exactly who Kendra is and that is a witch. Emma tries not to take advantage of Kendra's powers as her own personal fairy godmother which is a really nice touch. I really loved how everything in the story meshed together to create a cohesive story.
The character of Emma is nicely done and I adored the fact that she was a bookworm which works in her favor for a change! I was really cheering for Emma through all her trials and would love to read more about her. Overall, this should appeal to younger teens since there are things happening in the book that occur in their everyday life like having to deal with the mean girls at school, first love and not feeling good about yourself. There are mentions of drinking, allusions to sex but mostly stuff that kids see on television today.
January 16, 2012
Ms. Flinn, I love you! This book is amazing! I couldn't believe how amazing and simple it was to fall in love with this book. Ms. Flinn took another fairy tale making it so enjoyable that I just want to re-read the book over and over again.
So why did I love this book so much? Well first off, it is not your average Cinderella story. That's right. It's a Cinderella re-tale that is so awesome! The story starts off with Kendra's back round. I adored learning the history of Kendra. She is not the mean witch everyone makes her out to be. Kendra herself has been through so much it's who she is molded to be. After reading about Kendra I can understand where she is coming from.
One thing I loved about this book is that this is a book within a book. The reader is reading Kendra's point of view as well as reading the story of two sisters going through some tough times. I thought this type of writing is amazing. I wasn't confused but more enthralled! Ms. Flinn made me feel apart of the story. And of course with her great writing we got to see things from all point of views.
The love interest is very interesting. I did feel as though it could of worked with the other guy but seeing the way is worked so fast with the new guy kind of seem too fast for me. Still I did enjoy the appreciation for the sister that she at least gets to have once in her life.
If you loved a great fairy tale with a really good twist read this book. This is nothing like the original Cinderella story but so much more! The emotions of the characters and the things they go through will have you at the edge of your seat. This is really amazing book of characters going through real life.
So why did I love this book so much? Well first off, it is not your average Cinderella story. That's right. It's a Cinderella re-tale that is so awesome! The story starts off with Kendra's back round. I adored learning the history of Kendra. She is not the mean witch everyone makes her out to be. Kendra herself has been through so much it's who she is molded to be. After reading about Kendra I can understand where she is coming from.
One thing I loved about this book is that this is a book within a book. The reader is reading Kendra's point of view as well as reading the story of two sisters going through some tough times. I thought this type of writing is amazing. I wasn't confused but more enthralled! Ms. Flinn made me feel apart of the story. And of course with her great writing we got to see things from all point of views.
The love interest is very interesting. I did feel as though it could of worked with the other guy but seeing the way is worked so fast with the new guy kind of seem too fast for me. Still I did enjoy the appreciation for the sister that she at least gets to have once in her life.
If you loved a great fairy tale with a really good twist read this book. This is nothing like the original Cinderella story but so much more! The emotions of the characters and the things they go through will have you at the edge of your seat. This is really amazing book of characters going through real life.
December 9, 2011
I got the book Bewitching free to review through Goodreads. It is a fantastic book! I totally loved it! It is well written and filled with humor, fantasy and a bit of romance. Kendra Hilferty, a witch, tells how she found out she was a witch and how, kind of like Forrest Gump, she has been around for most of the major events in history. Remember the witch who made the gingerbread house? Kendra knew her. While telling how she helped Ella, a modern day non-wicked stepsister to deal with her rather wicked poor stepsister, Kendra also tells a few other twisted versions of tales we all know. The plot is filled with unexpected twists and funny events and is just a joy to read. I always feel kind of sad and empty when I finish reading a really good book, because it is over, and I have to leave the world that it created in my mind. Luckily for me, this author has written other books and I have not read them yet! I look forward to reading more of Alex Flinn's books!
Want to read
May 26, 2012Just won this book! Excited to get it and read it! :)
February 9, 2012
I read Beastly and Cloaked by Alex Flinn back in 2011 (I still need to read A Kiss in Time!), and loved them both. I thought that Alex Flinn told the fairy-tales in such a great and modern way, and when I found out that this novel was coming out, I nearly had a panic attack because Kendra was my favorite character from Beastly! Going more depth into her story was so much fun, and this book was simply wonderful.
This novel was absolutely stunning. Alex Flinn has weaved a modern fairy-tale that left me breathless, and every minute I was reading this, I was always pleased.
First, the characters. Kendra is one of the best characters in YA Literature ever! I love how she always does things for good, but she's sarcastic and magical. I felt for Emma a lot during the novel of how she was being pushed around by her stepsister and almost everybody in school. This novel had some of the elements that the movie Mean Girls did! There was jerk in there named Courtney who I hated. But the character that I wanted to throw off of a building and hopefully land on a moving semi-truck was a wicked character by the name of Lisette. I cannot stand Lisette! I hate mean characters, especially when the mean characters are mean to the protagonists. Ugh. Team Emma!
Next, the writing style. I loved how Alex Flinn made this a contemporary novel with fairy-tale aspects thrown in here and there. When she wrote about Kendra in her earlier days, she described everything so well! Through all of Kendra's journey, Alex Flinn never let me down. She's one of the best fairy-tale tellers!
Then, we have Kendra's journeys! From her finding out that she's a witch, to her in The Princess and the Pea, to The Little Mermaid, all the way to the Titanic, and finally to present day, Kendra's journeys were always fast-paced and fascinating. I loved every second of this novel! I picked it up and I just couldn't put it down.
Finally, the novel itself. Alex Flinn did an incredible job on this book, and I honestly think that it's her best book out of the ones that I've read! Bewitching had everything I was looking for in a fairytale.
Overall, Alex Flinn's Bewitching was a wonderful story where good always conquers evil with fairy-tale aspects mixed into the story. It was utterly fantastic!
This novel was absolutely stunning. Alex Flinn has weaved a modern fairy-tale that left me breathless, and every minute I was reading this, I was always pleased.
First, the characters. Kendra is one of the best characters in YA Literature ever! I love how she always does things for good, but she's sarcastic and magical. I felt for Emma a lot during the novel of how she was being pushed around by her stepsister and almost everybody in school. This novel had some of the elements that the movie Mean Girls did! There was jerk in there named Courtney who I hated. But the character that I wanted to throw off of a building and hopefully land on a moving semi-truck was a wicked character by the name of Lisette. I cannot stand Lisette! I hate mean characters, especially when the mean characters are mean to the protagonists. Ugh. Team Emma!
Next, the writing style. I loved how Alex Flinn made this a contemporary novel with fairy-tale aspects thrown in here and there. When she wrote about Kendra in her earlier days, she described everything so well! Through all of Kendra's journey, Alex Flinn never let me down. She's one of the best fairy-tale tellers!
Then, we have Kendra's journeys! From her finding out that she's a witch, to her in The Princess and the Pea, to The Little Mermaid, all the way to the Titanic, and finally to present day, Kendra's journeys were always fast-paced and fascinating. I loved every second of this novel! I picked it up and I just couldn't put it down.
Finally, the novel itself. Alex Flinn did an incredible job on this book, and I honestly think that it's her best book out of the ones that I've read! Bewitching had everything I was looking for in a fairytale.
Overall, Alex Flinn's Bewitching was a wonderful story where good always conquers evil with fairy-tale aspects mixed into the story. It was utterly fantastic!
October 4, 2019
3.5
Alex Flinn es la autora de Beastly, y éste libro vendría a ser algo así como un spin-off (historia derivada de otra). No es necesario realmente leer Beastly antes, pero no daña porque hace un spoiler del final... aunque tampoco es que esa novela tenga un final tan misterioso.
En este caso parece que la protagonista va a ser la bruja Kendra, y durante el principio de la historia lo es, pero lo cierto es que es más un compilado de sustiros por la culata aportes mágicos a las historias de otros personajes.
Hay varias historias en realidad. Empezamos con la de la misma Kendra allá por el año 1666. Es muy trágico el comienzo. Está ambientado en Inglaterra durante una peste que destruyó un pueblo y entre las víctimas se encuentra toda la familia de Kendra. Intentando salvar a su último hermanito vivo es que descubre que tiene poderes y luego debe escapar junto a él antes de que el pueblo se entere de que es una bruja. Porque por si no lo sabían, en esa época la brujería estaba un poquitito mal vista.
Y entonces esta mini historia de Kendra (que cuenta hasta con su epílogo) se convierte en un retelling de un cuento de hadas clásico, cosa que no esperaba. No les voy a decir cuál es porque es parte de la gracia.
Cuando termina la historia de Kendra (que fue por lejos la que más me gustó del libro) saltamos al presente y la narradora pasa a ser Emma, una chica adolescente cuya vida va a cambiar drásticamente cuando se entere que su padrastro tiene una hija de su edad que va a venir a vivir con su familia. A todas luces este va a ser otro retelling y es claramente el de la Cenicienta. Lo que no me quedó claro hasta bastante avanzada la historia era cuál de las dos iba a ser Ceinicienta, si Emma o su hermanastra (hermosa, perfecta y mesquina) Lisette. Tampoco se los voy a decir. Lo que sí puedo comentar es que me gustó como la autora usó la historia original y sin salirse realmente del cuento de hadas, le dio ciertos pequeños giros e invirtió ciertas cosas que lo volvieron bastante diferente.
Dos cosas para comentar. No, tres.
- Creo, creeeeo, que hay spoilers de Vanity Fair, Candide y el Mercader de Venecia. No los leí así que no se. De todos modos son comentarios al pasar que me resultaron fáciles de ignorar y que como ven, ni siquiera realmente parecían spoilers.
- Alex Flinn es realmente muy buena haciendo personajes detestables.
- Es más para chicas que Beastly, en parte porque la protagonista es una chica adolescente que tiene la cabeza en cosas de chicas. Sí noto una ¿fijación? de la autora con Jane Eyre, o quizás es una pequeña broma sobre sus protagonistas leyéndolo.
Sigamos.
Llegado un punto la inocencia de Emma comenzaba a resultarme repetitiva y por un momento temí que todo el libro girara sobre la misma situación contada en diferente contexto. Justo cuando estaba a punto de empezar a aburrirme Kendra volvió a hablar y saltamos a la corte francesa de 1744 donde el Delfín busca esposa... y su madre se lo impide todo lo que puede.
Esta historia breve me divirtió mucho, y más cuando finalmente se convierte en un retelling (que resultó ser mi cuento de hadas preferido) y el príncipe necesita la ayuda de una bruja.
Terminado este intervalo volvemos con Emma -que tiene por compañera de escuela a una muy vengativa Kendra- y nos encontramos con un pequeño salto en el tiempo y la historia continúa. En esta nueva etapa ocurre algo que lo cambiará todo.
Y nuevamente pasamos a otro retelling más, una original adaptación de la historia del Titanic y una sirena. No hay mucho misterio sobre qué cuento usó en este caso. Éste sin embargo no me gustó mucho, no por la historia en sí (que es bastante dura) sino porque algo en los personajes no me terminó de atrapar.
Y finalmente volvemos con Emma y Lisette y nos quedamos con ellas. Y si bien durante todo este tramo temí que la historia tuviera un desenlace predecible hubo un último giro que me volvió a comprar, y es por eso que le subí medio punto más.
Reseña de Libros junto al mar
Alex Flinn es la autora de Beastly, y éste libro vendría a ser algo así como un spin-off (historia derivada de otra). No es necesario realmente leer Beastly antes, pero no daña porque hace un spoiler del final... aunque tampoco es que esa novela tenga un final tan misterioso.
En este caso parece que la protagonista va a ser la bruja Kendra, y durante el principio de la historia lo es, pero lo cierto es que es más un compilado de sus
Hay varias historias en realidad. Empezamos con la de la misma Kendra allá por el año 1666. Es muy trágico el comienzo. Está ambientado en Inglaterra durante una peste que destruyó un pueblo y entre las víctimas se encuentra toda la familia de Kendra. Intentando salvar a su último hermanito vivo es que descubre que tiene poderes y luego debe escapar junto a él antes de que el pueblo se entere de que es una bruja. Porque por si no lo sabían, en esa época la brujería estaba un poquitito mal vista.
Y entonces esta mini historia de Kendra (que cuenta hasta con su epílogo) se convierte en un retelling de un cuento de hadas clásico, cosa que no esperaba. No les voy a decir cuál es porque es parte de la gracia.
Quizás las brujas puedan usar sus poderes sólo para el bien, para ayudar a aquellos que lo necesitan o castigar a los delincuentes. Ese era el tipo de bruja que quería ser. Juré que, si Charlie y yo sobrevivíamos, ese es el tipo de bruja que sería.
Cuando termina la historia de Kendra (que fue por lejos la que más me gustó del libro) saltamos al presente y la narradora pasa a ser Emma, una chica adolescente cuya vida va a cambiar drásticamente cuando se entere que su padrastro tiene una hija de su edad que va a venir a vivir con su familia. A todas luces este va a ser otro retelling y es claramente el de la Cenicienta. Lo que no me quedó claro hasta bastante avanzada la historia era cuál de las dos iba a ser Ceinicienta, si Emma o su hermanastra (hermosa, perfecta y mesquina) Lisette. Tampoco se los voy a decir. Lo que sí puedo comentar es que me gustó como la autora usó la historia original y sin salirse realmente del cuento de hadas, le dio ciertos pequeños giros e invirtió ciertas cosas que lo volvieron bastante diferente.
Dos cosas para comentar. No, tres.
- Creo, creeeeo, que hay spoilers de Vanity Fair, Candide y el Mercader de Venecia. No los leí así que no se. De todos modos son comentarios al pasar que me resultaron fáciles de ignorar y que como ven, ni siquiera realmente parecían spoilers.
- Alex Flinn es realmente muy buena haciendo personajes detestables.
- Es más para chicas que Beastly, en parte porque la protagonista es una chica adolescente que tiene la cabeza en cosas de chicas. Sí noto una ¿fijación? de la autora con Jane Eyre, o quizás es una pequeña broma sobre sus protagonistas leyéndolo.
Sigamos.
Llegado un punto la inocencia de Emma comenzaba a resultarme repetitiva y por un momento temí que todo el libro girara sobre la misma situación contada en diferente contexto. Justo cuando estaba a punto de empezar a aburrirme Kendra volvió a hablar y saltamos a la corte francesa de 1744 donde el Delfín busca esposa... y su madre se lo impide todo lo que puede.
Esta historia breve me divirtió mucho, y más cuando finalmente se convierte en un retelling (que resultó ser mi cuento de hadas preferido) y el príncipe necesita la ayuda de una bruja.
Terminado este intervalo volvemos con Emma -que tiene por compañera de escuela a una muy vengativa Kendra- y nos encontramos con un pequeño salto en el tiempo y la historia continúa. En esta nueva etapa ocurre algo que lo cambiará todo.
Y nuevamente pasamos a otro retelling más, una original adaptación de la historia del Titanic y una sirena. No hay mucho misterio sobre qué cuento usó en este caso. Éste sin embargo no me gustó mucho, no por la historia en sí (que es bastante dura) sino porque algo en los personajes no me terminó de atrapar.
Y finalmente volvemos con Emma y Lisette y nos quedamos con ellas. Y si bien durante todo este tramo temí que la historia tuviera un desenlace predecible hubo un último giro que me volvió a comprar, y es por eso que le subí medio punto más.
Reseña de Libros junto al mar
February 22, 2012
Bewitching is your typical Alex Flinn book (well... I've only ever read Beastly so that might not be an accurate assumption). It gathers a lot of inspiration from children's fairy tales with a modern, tween twist.
I'm going to be honest. I was really looking forward to this because I really liked Kendra Hilferty's character in Beastly and I wanted to read more about her life and her personality. I was somewhat appeased but honestly, I was not satisfied. The lack of Kendra disappointed me since after all, this is supposedly the first book to the Kendra Chronicles. She was mentioned around five, six times and all she gets are flashbacks and momentary lapses. This book basically has four twisted versions of the cutesy little fairytales we've grown to love like Cinderella, Hansel & Gretel, Princess and the Pea, and The Little Mermaid. None of them are exactly accurate (this, I am accountable to - I've read enough versions [including Brothers Grimm] to know as much) but they're passable modern accounts, just to cut her some slack. The plot of the book is WAY too fast paced. It's like bang-bang-bang-boom-bang the end. I appreciate some subtlety. It's based on Cinderella so of course (SPOILER!) the dad dies but the way it was presented was so abrupt that I didn't feel anything when he was such a vital part of the story. The characters (save Kendra) weren't well characterized. Lisette and Emma were one dimensional (not Mary Sues since there was some depth to them [... maybe I'm being too generous to Lisette, who is bordering on Mary Sue, but I'll let that go]) and honestly, I didn't care about them. Maybe I cared a little about Emma but honestly, I felt no sympathy for their sob story. I would have loved some more Kyle/Kendra interaction (because I SHIP IT!!!!!!!) but you can't always get what you want. Also, Flinn loves mermaids dying. Seriously. I did not like how she just put in random guys. Warner coming back was weird enough. His character is so random. Honestly, the reason why he moved back was so vague. Who was he staying with? We never really find out anything except his parents are getting a divorce. Don't even get me started on Travis. I mean, what the heck - he just popped up! WHO ARE YOU!? Total Mary Sue, in my opinion. Totally hot, rich guy who is sensitive and loves the same books you do and offers to take you to Italy and your mom loves him and kisses you within an hour of meeting you. MARY. FREAKIN'. SUE.
It wasn't well thought out but the plot's relatively okay. Courtney, Tayloe (WHAT KIND OF NAME IS TAYLOE? SERIOUSLY.), and Madori were just extras in the story, in my opinion. It would have been the same story if they weren't there, honestly. I hated how Tayloe's bulimia (I'm only assuming here since it was never really mentioned precisely) was just popped in like "Oh! This is information that everyone should know! And now for the weather...". Seriously. If you're going to put in something as serious as an eating disorder and your target readership is the youth from ages 12-18 (based on the writing), you don't just pass that up as something that's normal and acceptable! It's NOT! That really made me angry because of the message it's sending out to people. Okay, Kendra gave a note to her mom but what else happened? I hated that. It's so insensitive.
The writing style is elementary, at best. It's the usual Flinn writing. It's not impressive but there's an underlying tone of intelligence in there somewhere. I still like Kendra but the way she's presented is really annoying me, like it's supposed to be HER chronicles but she's barely in it.
It's an amiable read at best. I was disappointed but it's okay.
I'm going to be honest. I was really looking forward to this because I really liked Kendra Hilferty's character in Beastly and I wanted to read more about her life and her personality. I was somewhat appeased but honestly, I was not satisfied. The lack of Kendra disappointed me since after all, this is supposedly the first book to the Kendra Chronicles. She was mentioned around five, six times and all she gets are flashbacks and momentary lapses. This book basically has four twisted versions of the cutesy little fairytales we've grown to love like Cinderella, Hansel & Gretel, Princess and the Pea, and The Little Mermaid. None of them are exactly accurate (this, I am accountable to - I've read enough versions [including Brothers Grimm] to know as much) but they're passable modern accounts, just to cut her some slack. The plot of the book is WAY too fast paced. It's like bang-bang-bang-boom-bang the end. I appreciate some subtlety. It's based on Cinderella so of course (SPOILER!) the dad dies but the way it was presented was so abrupt that I didn't feel anything when he was such a vital part of the story. The characters (save Kendra) weren't well characterized. Lisette and Emma were one dimensional (not Mary Sues since there was some depth to them [... maybe I'm being too generous to Lisette, who is bordering on Mary Sue, but I'll let that go]) and honestly, I didn't care about them. Maybe I cared a little about Emma but honestly, I felt no sympathy for their sob story. I would have loved some more Kyle/Kendra interaction (because I SHIP IT!!!!!!!) but you can't always get what you want. Also, Flinn loves mermaids dying. Seriously. I did not like how she just put in random guys. Warner coming back was weird enough. His character is so random. Honestly, the reason why he moved back was so vague. Who was he staying with? We never really find out anything except his parents are getting a divorce. Don't even get me started on Travis. I mean, what the heck - he just popped up! WHO ARE YOU!? Total Mary Sue, in my opinion. Totally hot, rich guy who is sensitive and loves the same books you do and offers to take you to Italy and your mom loves him and kisses you within an hour of meeting you. MARY. FREAKIN'. SUE.
It wasn't well thought out but the plot's relatively okay. Courtney, Tayloe (WHAT KIND OF NAME IS TAYLOE? SERIOUSLY.), and Madori were just extras in the story, in my opinion. It would have been the same story if they weren't there, honestly. I hated how Tayloe's bulimia (I'm only assuming here since it was never really mentioned precisely) was just popped in like "Oh! This is information that everyone should know! And now for the weather...". Seriously. If you're going to put in something as serious as an eating disorder and your target readership is the youth from ages 12-18 (based on the writing), you don't just pass that up as something that's normal and acceptable! It's NOT! That really made me angry because of the message it's sending out to people. Okay, Kendra gave a note to her mom but what else happened? I hated that. It's so insensitive.
The writing style is elementary, at best. It's the usual Flinn writing. It's not impressive but there's an underlying tone of intelligence in there somewhere. I still like Kendra but the way she's presented is really annoying me, like it's supposed to be HER chronicles but she's barely in it.
It's an amiable read at best. I was disappointed but it's okay.
June 27, 2016
I really liked Kendra in this book, i didn't like the language in the beginning of the book, but thankfully the writing changes into the language we know. So Kendra is a witch, and she likes to use her powers to help people in need. She tries to help a spoiled prince find his princess, she had a hard time due to his snobbish and ignorant mother quizzing all the princesses. You learn at the end that this is a retelling of the story of the princess and the pea. This was one of Kendra's fails, due to unseen circumstances. In the beginning of the book, Kendra and a few other lucky people, survive a terrible plague that has killed nearly all the people in her village, the year is 1666. Kendra and her little brother stumble upon a witch who lives in a gingerbread house, you can guess what story this relates to. Kendra has to try and outwit the witch and escape. Her other failure was with a mermaid named Doria. It's supposed to be a retelling of the little mermaid. But this story is about a girl named Emma. Emma is a geeky girl, she loves poetry and shakespear. She thinks of herself as "not pretty". I felt really connected to Emma, mainly because she's a lot like me, she loves to read and watch Jeopardy. She even has the same colour hair as me, though i wouldn't describe mine as being the colour of rats. So what happens is a girl named Lisette gets dumped on them after her mother dies, apparently her father left them when she was three. So Lisette appears to be the perfect girl, drop dead gorgeous and super sweet. But things of Emma's start to go missing randomly, and Emma just assumes it to be a coincidence. It doesn't take long to see through Lisette's evil ways. Lisette steals everything from Emma at first, but after her father dies Emma's mother gets back at her for all the years she's tortured Emma. She gives her loads of chores and gives Emma her car and clothes, things that were rightfully hers anyway. Warner appeared to be a genuine character in the beginning, but after he falls for Lisette's "charms" you see that he didn't really love Emma at all. I'm surprised he couldn't see through the facade that Lisette was portraying. I mean he was a geeky guy, like Emma. A girl as hot and uptight as her would never go out with a guy like him. Maybe you're thinking sure it could happen, a girl could fall for a guy like him in real life. But not in this case. Lisette is to into herself and making Emma pay for having the good life all those years. I could see through her bullshit right from page one, i dealt with girls like her in high school. I even grew up around them when my cousin was babysitting a ton of kids. She's one of those girls, the one who puts on her halo when the adults are around and pops out the horns and tail when they're not. Because of these small factors i felt i could relate to Emma a lot. This book was a refreshing and unique read. Five stars for sure!
June 11, 2023
So this book was okay I guess but it didn’t hook me to well. This book retells Cinderella, The Little Mermaid, and The Princess and the Pea along with Kendra talking about stuff in between! If you want to read this book, please read the first book, Beastly, before you do. It’s a really good book and it’s a great retelling of Beauty and the Beast! It’s one of my favorite books!!
December 1, 2016
Rating: 3.75/5
Review to come!
Review to come!
October 26, 2017
Ich mag ihre Märchenadaptionen, aber irgendwie konnte mich bisher nur "Beastly" wirklich überzeugen:/
October 11, 2021
'Bewitching' is the second book within a series of retellings. The first, Beastly, was a retelling of Beauty and the Beast, which I liked a lot.
The second book tells more about the life of Kendra - the witch who causes all of this. This story spans 300 years - interwoven with takes on classic fairy tales (Hansel and Gretel, The Little Mermaid, and Cinderella) as well as historical events (the plague in the 17th century, the sinking of the Titanic). I liked the shorter retellings a little more than the big one with Emma and her stepsister Lisette.
In the end, this is an entertaining series, and I enjoy reading about Kendra. At times, the main story was tedious, but the twist on the original step-sister's story was good.
The second book tells more about the life of Kendra - the witch who causes all of this. This story spans 300 years - interwoven with takes on classic fairy tales (Hansel and Gretel, The Little Mermaid, and Cinderella) as well as historical events (the plague in the 17th century, the sinking of the Titanic). I liked the shorter retellings a little more than the big one with Emma and her stepsister Lisette.
In the end, this is an entertaining series, and I enjoy reading about Kendra. At times, the main story was tedious, but the twist on the original step-sister's story was good.
August 14, 2012
Dies ist die Geschichte von den beiden Stiefschwestern Emma und Lisette. Lisettes Mutter wurde vor Jahren von ihrem Mann verlassen. Nun ist sie tot und Lisette lebt fortan bei ihrem Vater, seiner Frau und ihrer Stiefschwester Emma. Die beiden Mädchen sind vollkommen unterschiedlich. Lisette ist in Armut aufgewachsen und ist bildschön. Emma ist blitzgescheit, eine Außenseiterin, weniger schön und musste sich über Geld nie Gedanken machen. Das Verhältnis der beiden Schwestern ist schwierig. Als Emma sich zum ersten Mal verliebt und im siebten Himmel schwebt, wird sie schnell von Lisette wieder auf den Boden geholt, denn wer könnte der schönen Blondine schon widerstehen? Doch Emmas Freundin, die Hexe Kendra lässt das Mädchen nicht im Stich.
Ich war bereits von ‚Kissed‘ und ‚Beastly‘ ein großer Fan und habe mich sehr auf die Neuerzählung des Aschenputtel Märchens gefreut, auch diesmal war es ein besonderes Lesevergnügen der Geschichte von Emma, Lisette und Kendra zu folgen. Wer ‚Beastly‘ gelesen hat, dem dürfte die Hexe Kendra noch in guter Erinnerung sein, die sich diesmal in die Rolle der guten Fee begibt, ob sie damit Erfolg hat, muss jeder Leser selber herausfinden. Alex Flinn hat sich des Märchens erfrischend anders angenommen. Emma erzählt, wie ihre Stiefschwester Lisette bei ihr Zuhause einzieht und mit ihrer Schönheit, nicht nur das Herz des Vaters erobert, sondern auch das der Mitschüler. Wird Emma in der Stiefschwester eine Freundin finden, oder wird die Eifersucht und der Neid auf ihre Beliebtheit ihr Herz vergiften? Die Charaktere sind sehr gut herausgearbeitet, es gibt viele Anspielungen auf Bücher und es macht einfach Spaß der Geschichte zu folgen. Einzig die beiden eingeschobenen Geschichten von dem französischen Prinzen und der Titanic, haben mich für kurze Zeit aus dem Lesevergnügen ein wenig herausgeholt, obwohl auch sie sehr gut geschrieben wurden.
Wer neu erzählte Märchen mag, kommt um die Bücher von Alex Flinn nicht herum und ich hoffe sehr, dass bald wieder ein neues Buch von der Autorin erscheint.
Ich war bereits von ‚Kissed‘ und ‚Beastly‘ ein großer Fan und habe mich sehr auf die Neuerzählung des Aschenputtel Märchens gefreut, auch diesmal war es ein besonderes Lesevergnügen der Geschichte von Emma, Lisette und Kendra zu folgen. Wer ‚Beastly‘ gelesen hat, dem dürfte die Hexe Kendra noch in guter Erinnerung sein, die sich diesmal in die Rolle der guten Fee begibt, ob sie damit Erfolg hat, muss jeder Leser selber herausfinden. Alex Flinn hat sich des Märchens erfrischend anders angenommen. Emma erzählt, wie ihre Stiefschwester Lisette bei ihr Zuhause einzieht und mit ihrer Schönheit, nicht nur das Herz des Vaters erobert, sondern auch das der Mitschüler. Wird Emma in der Stiefschwester eine Freundin finden, oder wird die Eifersucht und der Neid auf ihre Beliebtheit ihr Herz vergiften? Die Charaktere sind sehr gut herausgearbeitet, es gibt viele Anspielungen auf Bücher und es macht einfach Spaß der Geschichte zu folgen. Einzig die beiden eingeschobenen Geschichten von dem französischen Prinzen und der Titanic, haben mich für kurze Zeit aus dem Lesevergnügen ein wenig herausgeholt, obwohl auch sie sehr gut geschrieben wurden.
Wer neu erzählte Märchen mag, kommt um die Bücher von Alex Flinn nicht herum und ich hoffe sehr, dass bald wieder ein neues Buch von der Autorin erscheint.
February 9, 2012
Alex Flinn how I love your writing. This book was amazing. I have read only Beastly (& Lindy's Diary), but that was when I fell in love with her stories!
Bewitching is so magically beautiful. I love re-tellings of classic fairy-tales. This being a re-telling a Cinderella, with of course a twist.
You get to know more history about Kendra. The witch you first met in Beastly. While reading Bewitching I really grew to like Kendra. She is very misunderstood. She is not mean, on purpose of course. She has her reasons to what she does and how she is. With Flinn's writing you don't get just one point of view. As well as the Main Character Emma, you also get to experience things through Kendra's like. You also get to hear her thoughts on what is happening as well. This may sound like a lot in a book, but it was not confusing and was very enjoyable.
Emma & Lisette are put together after a tragic event. Although they have never met. They are step-sisters.
At 1st Emma tries to be the best sister and friend that she can be to Lisette. Not knowing this girl she wanted to do what was right in the situation that they was all placed in.
Lisette seemed to be like she was always trying to get one over on Emma. But why? It wasn't until Lisette showed her true colors that Emma realized that she would have to fight, every day, for what was hers. But would it matter?
Not to Lisette, who was into taking everything from Emma.... Everything.
I loved the characters in the book. Although I may not in the end had a like for all of them, they were all very well written characters, that you couldn't help but like... even if just a little.
Alex Flinn has really created a story that will have you bewitched, and leave you wanting more.
If you like re-telling's of classic fairy tales this is the book for you.
Bewitching is so magically beautiful. I love re-tellings of classic fairy-tales. This being a re-telling a Cinderella, with of course a twist.
You get to know more history about Kendra. The witch you first met in Beastly. While reading Bewitching I really grew to like Kendra. She is very misunderstood. She is not mean, on purpose of course. She has her reasons to what she does and how she is. With Flinn's writing you don't get just one point of view. As well as the Main Character Emma, you also get to experience things through Kendra's like. You also get to hear her thoughts on what is happening as well. This may sound like a lot in a book, but it was not confusing and was very enjoyable.
Emma & Lisette are put together after a tragic event. Although they have never met. They are step-sisters.
At 1st Emma tries to be the best sister and friend that she can be to Lisette. Not knowing this girl she wanted to do what was right in the situation that they was all placed in.
Lisette seemed to be like she was always trying to get one over on Emma. But why? It wasn't until Lisette showed her true colors that Emma realized that she would have to fight, every day, for what was hers. But would it matter?
Not to Lisette, who was into taking everything from Emma.... Everything.
I loved the characters in the book. Although I may not in the end had a like for all of them, they were all very well written characters, that you couldn't help but like... even if just a little.
Alex Flinn has really created a story that will have you bewitched, and leave you wanting more.
If you like re-telling's of classic fairy tales this is the book for you.
November 28, 2011
From Beastly to her own series, Kendra is a witch on her own mission in life. Bewitching is just that, a beginning to know that fabulous person a lot more. I have to say that I loved her snark and her wins and looses in the witchery business and throughout every page there are fabulous times in store for readers. From the characters POV in the stories Kendra recants we get a feeling for their lives and their times, but what I love the most was the retelling and manipulating of classic fairy tale characters in the story through Kendra's POV. I love her commentary through the books, and as she tries to help people in their lives we see that there are repercussions through the use of magic and not all good intentions end up making lives better.
The main fairy tales revisited are Hansel and Gretel and Cinderella and Alex Flinn has taken both of these tales and twisted them into a fantastical new tale.
Bewitching is the beginning of a new fairy tale adaptation that will keep readers smirking and reading hungrily to the last page. All we can for when we finish is sit back and let the good book hangover dwindle why we look up what is next in the life of Kendra the Witch and what classics she will be saving next.
The main fairy tales revisited are Hansel and Gretel and Cinderella and Alex Flinn has taken both of these tales and twisted them into a fantastical new tale.
Bewitching is the beginning of a new fairy tale adaptation that will keep readers smirking and reading hungrily to the last page. All we can for when we finish is sit back and let the good book hangover dwindle why we look up what is next in the life of Kendra the Witch and what classics she will be saving next.
January 1, 2012
I haven't read any books by this author before- what was I thinking? This was full of fairy tales and was such a satisfying fun book! Bewitching starts with Kendra's childhood and how she became a witch. It also talks about her involvement in the "Hansel and Gretel" story. It was so fun to see those stories tied into a piece of historical fiction.
The main story surrounds two sisters who resemble a "Cinderella" story. As that story progresses, Kendra breaks in with her thoughts about what is going on and brings up other tales she has been a part of. These fairy tale retellings are short- they are brief fun retellings that take some of my favorite fairy tales into new settings (The Little Mermaid- come on!)
Fans and non fans of Alex Flinn and fairy tale retellings will love this book. She writes with such skill and brilliance that I was completely drawn into the book. I will absolutely be looking back into the other books that this author has written- I am absolutely a fan now!
The main story surrounds two sisters who resemble a "Cinderella" story. As that story progresses, Kendra breaks in with her thoughts about what is going on and brings up other tales she has been a part of. These fairy tale retellings are short- they are brief fun retellings that take some of my favorite fairy tales into new settings (The Little Mermaid- come on!)
Fans and non fans of Alex Flinn and fairy tale retellings will love this book. She writes with such skill and brilliance that I was completely drawn into the book. I will absolutely be looking back into the other books that this author has written- I am absolutely a fan now!
December 2, 2011
If you remember Beastly that was written by this author, then you also remember the witch that was involved in that book named Kendra. In Bewitching, we get to read about how Kendra became a witch and her life before Beastly.
What I loved about this book was the new twist on the fairy-tales that author Alex Flinn does so well. With the new take on some well known stories, the author takes you on an adventure of survival, love, magic and so much more. I absolutely loved Kendra in this book. I loved how she was protective and willing to do what was needed of her. With new adventures of Cinderella and Hansel and Gretel, you will be rethinking everything you have heard about those fairy-tales of youth.
If you were a fan of Beastly then I think you will enjoy this one just as much. Enjoy the whimsical ride of Kendra and her life story.
What I loved about this book was the new twist on the fairy-tales that author Alex Flinn does so well. With the new take on some well known stories, the author takes you on an adventure of survival, love, magic and so much more. I absolutely loved Kendra in this book. I loved how she was protective and willing to do what was needed of her. With new adventures of Cinderella and Hansel and Gretel, you will be rethinking everything you have heard about those fairy-tales of youth.
If you were a fan of Beastly then I think you will enjoy this one just as much. Enjoy the whimsical ride of Kendra and her life story.
February 19, 2012
Alex Flinn certainly did a good job of retelling some of the classic fairy tales we grew up with. I don't know how she does it, but I appreciate the amount of effort she placed in this book especially how she tried to incorporate bits and pieces of history to make the book seem more realistic.
Honestly, I was pleased with the ending. I like how in the end, there wasn't a need for Kendra to lift a finger just to help Emma.
One thing that left me feeling unsatisfied about this book, however, is that it didn't really revolve around Kendra at all. Sure, there were parts entirely devoted to her, but still, I would've enjoyed really getting to know her instead of just brief glimpses of her past deeds. I felt like the book's really about Emma with Kendra playing a big supporting role.
Still, I can't deny that this book exceeded my expectations. And because of that, five stars.
Honestly, I was pleased with the ending. I like how in the end, there wasn't a need for Kendra to lift a finger just to help Emma.
One thing that left me feeling unsatisfied about this book, however, is that it didn't really revolve around Kendra at all. Sure, there were parts entirely devoted to her, but still, I would've enjoyed really getting to know her instead of just brief glimpses of her past deeds. I felt like the book's really about Emma with Kendra playing a big supporting role.
Still, I can't deny that this book exceeded my expectations. And because of that, five stars.
May 30, 2024
Loved reading this book, it was so enjoyable and I loved these takes in this book!
*First Read April 19th, 2012*
Oh, this was a really funny book, especially the french prince one, and what Kendra did to make sure that the princess felt the "pea" that was so funny!!! Great book, loved the different take on Cinderella! And there's going to be more! Yeah!!!
*First Read April 19th, 2012*
Oh, this was a really funny book, especially the french prince one, and what Kendra did to make sure that the princess felt the "pea" that was so funny!!! Great book, loved the different take on Cinderella! And there's going to be more! Yeah!!!
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