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sucharita's review
adventurous
dark
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.0
whitneyyambrick's review against another edition
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
3.0
thebiasedbibliophile's review against another edition
5.0
This anthology was absolutely phenomenal! Never before have I read an anthology where I enjoyed every single story included in the book, but that was the case with Enchanted Forests! Not to mention that the proceeds of the sales for the book go to the Rainforest Foundation!
When I first heard about Enchanted Forests, I immediately loved that the authors created it for a good cause. However, if I’m being completely honest, I was a little worried that 10 stories about forests would start to sound similar and monotonous. Thankfully, my worries were entirely unfounded! The amount of creativity in this book was off the charts, and all the stories felt unique and compelling! Here were my top three stories from the book:
“The Fern Flower” by Elena Shelest: While it was difficult to pick my top three stories out of so many wonderful pieces, it was so easy to pick my favorite! “The Fern Flower” is a story about Miray, a girl who was saved from a fire as a child, and brought back to live with the family who saved her. She has always been curious about Savko, a boy who works on her family’s farm, but is too insecure to approach him. On the night of a festival, everything changes when the two cross paths.
Everything about this story was adorable, yet also complex. Miray’s character was extremely likeable, and it was interesting to read about her backstory, and why she experiences so many insecurities. Additionally, Savko ended up having more depth to his own story than I thought he would, so Savko and Miray together were simply perfect!
“Gems of Fae and Foolery” by Alice Ivinya: This is the story of Fi and Andie, two dwarves who desperately wish to escape slavery and working in the mines. On the night of their escape, things don’t go as planned and then end up brining a dreaded fae along on their journey.
My absolute favorite aspect of “Gems of Fae and Foolery” was the ending! I don’t want to give it away, but I’ll just say that it was unexpected in an entirely wonderful way. Ivinya incorporated subtle messages of body positivity throughout the story, which I also greatly appreciated.
“Blood of the Unicorn” by N.D.T. Casale: This story is about Calypso, a young Princess, who does not wish to fulfill her destiny and become Queen. However, when a mysterious woman offers her an enchanted piece of fruit that will fulfill one’s dreams, Calypso can’t resist her wish for freedom.
There were so many aspects about this story that I adored, from the friendly creatures who helped Calypso along her journey, to the dynamics between Calypso and her grandmother. I liked the premise of Calypso fighting her destiny out of a desire to follow her passions of gardening and archery. Finally, I appreciated the way Casale portrayed both Calypso’s and her grandmother’s grief for loved ones they lost, and how that grief develops and changes over time.
Overall, this anthology is not one you want to miss out on! Between the beautiful stories and the fact that purchasing a copy supports a good cause, you don’t have an excuse not to read it!
When I first heard about Enchanted Forests, I immediately loved that the authors created it for a good cause. However, if I’m being completely honest, I was a little worried that 10 stories about forests would start to sound similar and monotonous. Thankfully, my worries were entirely unfounded! The amount of creativity in this book was off the charts, and all the stories felt unique and compelling! Here were my top three stories from the book:
“The Fern Flower” by Elena Shelest: While it was difficult to pick my top three stories out of so many wonderful pieces, it was so easy to pick my favorite! “The Fern Flower” is a story about Miray, a girl who was saved from a fire as a child, and brought back to live with the family who saved her. She has always been curious about Savko, a boy who works on her family’s farm, but is too insecure to approach him. On the night of a festival, everything changes when the two cross paths.
Everything about this story was adorable, yet also complex. Miray’s character was extremely likeable, and it was interesting to read about her backstory, and why she experiences so many insecurities. Additionally, Savko ended up having more depth to his own story than I thought he would, so Savko and Miray together were simply perfect!
“Gems of Fae and Foolery” by Alice Ivinya: This is the story of Fi and Andie, two dwarves who desperately wish to escape slavery and working in the mines. On the night of their escape, things don’t go as planned and then end up brining a dreaded fae along on their journey.
My absolute favorite aspect of “Gems of Fae and Foolery” was the ending! I don’t want to give it away, but I’ll just say that it was unexpected in an entirely wonderful way. Ivinya incorporated subtle messages of body positivity throughout the story, which I also greatly appreciated.
“Blood of the Unicorn” by N.D.T. Casale: This story is about Calypso, a young Princess, who does not wish to fulfill her destiny and become Queen. However, when a mysterious woman offers her an enchanted piece of fruit that will fulfill one’s dreams, Calypso can’t resist her wish for freedom.
There were so many aspects about this story that I adored, from the friendly creatures who helped Calypso along her journey, to the dynamics between Calypso and her grandmother. I liked the premise of Calypso fighting her destiny out of a desire to follow her passions of gardening and archery. Finally, I appreciated the way Casale portrayed both Calypso’s and her grandmother’s grief for loved ones they lost, and how that grief develops and changes over time.
Overall, this anthology is not one you want to miss out on! Between the beautiful stories and the fact that purchasing a copy supports a good cause, you don’t have an excuse not to read it!
mamabookowl's review against another edition
adventurous
inspiring
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? N/A
- Strong character development? N/A
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? N/A
4.0
Enchanted Forests: A Magical Collection of Short Stories is an anthology of ten short stories by various authors, which I received as an advanced reader's copy. This collection has stories with various magical creatures, locations, and cultures, but the one thing each story has in common is there's always a magical forest.
I was incredibly excited to be a part of this pre-release book tour, because not only is this anthology filled with beautiful stories, but it was written for a great cause. All proceeds will go to the Rainforest Foundation to help with their work in rainforest conservation.
The stories in Enchanted Forests are original, and opened my eyes to the possibilities of how a forest can be present in a story. Each forest is alive with such rich culture, fauna, and diverse inhabitants.
Enchanted Forests: A Magical Collection of Short Stories will be available on Amazon on July 1, 2022. Get your copy and help out our rainforests.
talesfromthedragonslair's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
funny
hopeful
inspiring
lighthearted
mysterious
reflective
relaxing
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
What's better than reading a book? Why, reading a book that helps a good cause of course! All proceeds from the Enchanted Forests anthology are donated to the Rainforest Foundation to support their conservation efforts. This collection consists of ten magical, illustrated short-stories written by multiple authors.
I've loved this amazing bundle <3 somehow, somewhere along the road of life I forgot about the joy of reading short stories and fairytales and I'm so glad that this bundle has reawakened that feeling. The illustrations were also so very beautiful. I would love for them to be published as a colouring book.
These stories will enchant you, move you, make you reflect, and make you laugh out loud.
I would recommend these to everyone!
I gave this book 4 stars out of 5!
the_bookworm_rabbit's review against another edition
lighthearted
mysterious
relaxing
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? N/A
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.0
I was so lucky to be asked to join the ARC team for this collection of wonderful stories.
The stories are all fantasy based but each of them create their own unique, beautiful, detailed, and immersive worlds.
All of the stories were incredibly well written. Thankfully, following each short story is some information on where the story continues or is included in so if one really grabs your interest you know where to read more of it.
A couple of my favourite stories were: The Lucky Tortoise; The Fern Flower; and To Snare a Prince. But all of them were fantastic.
I also love that this collection has been made for such a wonderful cause.
I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.
The stories are all fantasy based but each of them create their own unique, beautiful, detailed, and immersive worlds.
All of the stories were incredibly well written. Thankfully, following each short story is some information on where the story continues or is included in so if one really grabs your interest you know where to read more of it.
A couple of my favourite stories were: The Lucky Tortoise; The Fern Flower; and To Snare a Prince. But all of them were fantastic.
I also love that this collection has been made for such a wonderful cause.
I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.