Brianna Sugalski

A Breton princess at the peak of the French Renaissance, Lilac lives prisoner in her parents' castle after a wicked secret is revealed on the eve of her tenth birthday soirée. Years later, her coronation ceremony looms, and between the riotous townsfolk and scheming nobleman bent on snatching the throne, Lilac prepares for the worst... Until a mysterious letter arrives from The Witch of Lupine Grotto, detailing a curious offer to cure her darkness forever. Lilac begrudgingly trades her coronet for a cloak and ventures into the forest Brocéliande in pursuit of the impious enchantress at the edge of town. With only the protection of an inherited dagger-and, unsolicited help of the sardonic stranger who inserts himself on her quest-she must traverse Brocèliande and return in time to claim her rightful position as sovereign monarch. This is the story of a cursed princess, A crestfallen killer, The town that wants them to burn, And the witch that can save them both.

Disenchanted

Faith

The beginning of this book was super engaging and quick to read, the middle felt too long, and then the end felt anticlimactic. I don't feel any sort of connection to the main character, and she would often contradict herself -sometimes within the same couple of paragraphs- and her actions sometimes didn't align with her motivations. Usually I'm okay with that; people don't always make sense. But something about the way it was done in this book didn't feel purposeful, so it just felt like Lilac was all over the place.
I did like Galin, but his reason for tagging along with Lilac was kinda flimsy tbh. Plus I never really felt any chemistry between them. And his relationship with his brother felt like it could've been so much more complex. 
Pacing was weird sometimes, and there are loads of grammatical and spelling errors through the book. There were even a few times where characters would reference something that literally didnt happen, or would essentially teleport during action scenes.
I don't mean to sound so negative about this book, because I did like it well enough. I just see so much potential here in this world and these characters, so I can't help feel a little disappointed. 

Sheila Goicea

Paige Green

Disclaimer: I received this book from the author. Thanks! All opinions are my own.

Book: Disenchanted

Author: Brianna Sugalski

Book Series: Disenchanted Book 1

Rating: 3/5

Recommended For...: vampire lovers, fantasy lovers, ya readers, romance lovers

Publication Date: March 10, 2020

Genre: YA Fantasy

Recommended Age: 16+ (sexual content, romance, language, death, violence, gore)

Publisher: The Parliament House Press

Pages: 456

Synopsis: A Breton princess at the peak of the French Renaissance, Lilac lives prisoner in her parents' castle after a wicked secret is revealed on the eve of her tenth birthday soirée. Years later, her coronation ceremony looms, and between the riotous townsfolk and scheming nobleman bent on snatching the throne, Lilac prepares for the worst... Until a mysterious letter arrives from The Witch of Lupine Grotto, detailing a curious offer to cure her darkness forever.

Lilac begrudgingly trades her coronet for a cloak and ventures into the forest Brocéliande in pursuit of the impious enchantress at the edge of town. With only the protection of an inherited dagger—and unsolicited help of the sardonic stranger who inserts himself on her quest—she must traverse Brocèliande and return in time to claim her rightful position as sovereign monarch.

This is the story of a cursed princess,
A crestfallen killer,
The town that wants them to burn,
And the witch that can save them both.

Review: For the most part I liked the book. I thought the author excelled at world building and I love all the lore she put into the book. The book did well to keep me intrigued in the story as well and the pacing was very on point.

However, wow I didn’t realize that this was a vampire romance book and I was thrown for a loop when I did realize it. The cover does not give that vibe at all lol. The book also had some weird writing, with the characters using modern language and swears and the characters doing some really weird things. The book was also super predictable.

Verdict: It was good, just needs some work.

Kerri McDonald

Thank you so much to Storytellers on Tour and the publisher for sending me an e-ARC in exchange for an honest review!

“My point is, if you cannot live with the shard of darkness that rests within you, then tell me, princess… How will you live with all of mine?”

I have to be honest. Even after reading the synopsis for this book, I wasn’t sure what to expect. I love a dark fantasy, but I don’t think I’ve ever read a dark YA fantasy. It sounded intriguing, though, so I decided to give it a go.

Disenchanted is definitely not lacking in action! This was a fast-paced read, with the action starting from chapter one and keeping you in it’s grip until the very end. There was no point in this story that I felt like it was lagging or getting dull. I do enjoy a fantasy that can keep me interested throughout the entire story. This was expertly paced, which made it a very quick read.

I also enjoyed the development of both our main characters, Lilac and Garin. It was interesting to follow a heroine who wasn’t immediately a badass. Lilac is definitely fierce and bold when she is cornered, but you can tell she’s spent most of her life locked away in a castle. She makes some… dubious choices, but, you know what? It’s a little refreshing reading about a heroine that isn’t instantly perfect. Lilac is messy and has flaws and it makes her a nuanced character. I felt like I would have like to see her grow a little more throughout the book, but this is the first book of a series, so it kinda makes sense. Her arc is yet to be completed!

As for Garin, he was an interesting protagonist. Again, like Lilac, he has his issues and flaws that made him come alive on the page. He is kind of your typical, tortured bad boy, but there are little traits sprinkled into him that make him just that much more intriguing. I honestly wish we could have had more of his prospective in the story! Either way, I liked watching his development as I read this book.

The one thing I would say felt a little rushed to me was the romance. This is probably because I went into this expecting more fantasy than romance. The fantasy elements were fantastic, but the romance very quickly took over. It felt a little insta-lovey, which is not my favorite thing. Still, even with the insta-love, I thought the author did a beautiful job of twisting the heartstrings as we watched these two spiral towards one another.

I think my favorite thing about this book was the world-building. I loved all the myths and supernatural creatures that were woven throughout this book! And the creepy, atmospheric descriptions of the forest Brocèliande were just… *chef’s kiss* The author has a way with beautifully wrought descriptions. It was so easy to picture the forest in my mind’s eye. I felt the closeness of the witch’s hut. Strong descriptions are something I always appreciate in my fantasy reads! It makes it so easy to get lost in the story.

Final thoughts: This was a dark, atmospheric fantasy book that will have you captivated from page one. The characters are interesting to follow and I really enjoyed watching their development. I was a little thrown off with how much romance was in this book, but I still enjoyed my reading experience.

Manon van Heumen

I was mesmerized by this! From the start, I was sucked into the story, and the world around me disappeared. I was hooked, and wanted to keep reading what happened next. I cannot wait for the next book in this series!

Jess Ostrander

Thank you to The Parliament Press and the author for a review copy! 

A prisoner in her parent's castle since an unfortunate curse was revealed on her 10th birthday, Princess Lilac longs for freedom and her own coronation. But with the hatred and anger of the townsfolk and a nobleman bent on stealing her crown, Lilac fears the worst. Even her own parents seem like they fear her. But then one day, a mysterious letter arrives. The witch Ophelia promises that she can rid Lilac of her Darkling tongue for good... if Lilac can get there. Escaping her tower, Lilac travels through the forest Brocéliande in search of Ophelia and her cure. With only a dagger and the unwanted help of a stranger, Lilac must make it through the dark forest, and survive the creatures who live there. 

Okay. So wow. I was initially drawn to this book because of the cover. Anything Queen Gabi illustrates is probably going to be my jam. And then the synopsis drew me in. And I was instantly hooked on the story! I loved Brianna's style. The world building was pretty good. I was wishing for just a bit more on the forest itself, but I feel like book two will give us even more. I loved the fantasy elements and how we get some classic fantasy races and some not so common ones. And can I just say I'm here for vampires making a comeback? Because I so am. And the characters were great too! I loved Lilac's development throughout the story. She starts so naive and inexperienced, having only learned of the world through books. But I love how she grew and changed. And then Garin. I loved him from the second we met him. I really liked how he was written and the ways he grew and developed over the story. His sass and snark are everything. I love that he wasn't perfect, and that his flaws didn't magically go away either. He's done some bad things, but he feels remorse. To say much more might give spoilers, but he's for sure my new book boyfriend. And the other side characters were interesting and well fleshed out. I feel like there's so much room for development and more of their stories in the next book too. I really want more of Piper and Bastion! 

Overall, I loved this book! It kept me up way too late because I couldn't put it down! It has all the fantasy elements I like. And well developed characters who don't feel like stereotypes. I loved the world and its blend of the real and the magical. I loved the romance, and can't wait for more in book two! I will be impatiently waiting until I can get my hands on the next book!! I highly recommend this one!!

Disenchanted

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