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3.77 AVERAGE
3.77 AVERAGE
adventurous
dark
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
adventurous
dark
mysterious
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Updated Review Nov 2022: This is the original Young Adult version of Disenchanted, published by The Parliament House Press in 2020. As of December 2023, I have since discontinued it and rereleased a rewritten, re-edited version geared for a New Adult audience, and the rest of the trilogy will follow this NA rating. The new edition is entitled, Disenchanted (A Lay of Ruinous Reign: Book One) and is now available on all online retailers and select bookshops. Please reach out on my social media with any questions.
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.
The original Young Adult version of Disenchanted was poorly, poorly edited at the hands of my publisher, and I frankly did not want that to be my public impression as an author.
Drafting book two for a year has also begged for more thorough world building and lore in the series foundation, and so I am grateful for this second chance to give my characters the detail and romance they deserve. This is a scary jump for me, perhaps my own leap into an enchanted forest filled with unknowns. What I do know is that this version is the story that needed to be told, and that you all deserve.
I am endlessly thankful for your support and patience, and I would not be able to get this story in your hands without the help and support of a whole team of talented professionals and readers who have become family. My editors, Olivia Swenson, Loni Crittenden, and Julia F. (EntirelyBonkerz), thank you for your honesty and keen insight, and for making me laugh while helping my manuscript suck substantially less. Aimee Jones, Beth Wilkinson, and Lucas LaChaize, thank you for your history lessons and brainstorming sessions; I’m so grateful for your time and friendship, and that you’ve shared your colorful, stunning cultures with me and this book series.
The rest of the A Lay of Ruinous Reign series will follow the Adult rating elevation, and each will come with a trigger warnings page. If you’ve read YA Disenchanted before, I hope you’re ready. If you’re new here, Welcome to Brocéliande.
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.
The original Young Adult version of Disenchanted was poorly, poorly edited at the hands of my publisher, and I frankly did not want that to be my public impression as an author.
Drafting book two for a year has also begged for more thorough world building and lore in the series foundation, and so I am grateful for this second chance to give my characters the detail and romance they deserve. This is a scary jump for me, perhaps my own leap into an enchanted forest filled with unknowns. What I do know is that this version is the story that needed to be told, and that you all deserve.
I am endlessly thankful for your support and patience, and I would not be able to get this story in your hands without the help and support of a whole team of talented professionals and readers who have become family. My editors, Olivia Swenson, Loni Crittenden, and Julia F. (EntirelyBonkerz), thank you for your honesty and keen insight, and for making me laugh while helping my manuscript suck substantially less. Aimee Jones, Beth Wilkinson, and Lucas LaChaize, thank you for your history lessons and brainstorming sessions; I’m so grateful for your time and friendship, and that you’ve shared your colorful, stunning cultures with me and this book series.
The rest of the A Lay of Ruinous Reign series will follow the Adult rating elevation, and each will come with a trigger warnings page. If you’ve read YA Disenchanted before, I hope you’re ready. If you’re new here, Welcome to Brocéliande.
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Rating: 5/5 Penguins
Quick Reasons: unique world building; intriguing magics; Pride and Prejudice meets vampires meets magical fantasy; steamy, slow burn, enemies to lovers; touch her and ☠️; I need more
IF you had told me when I bought this book in December 2023, that it was GOING to be a 5 Penguin read from me....that I would have THE BIGGEST BOOK HANGOVER after finishing it....that it would contend with books like Pride and Prejudice, The Loom Saga, Daughter of Smoke and Bone in JUST HOW MUCH I WOULD ENJOY IT........... I'd probably have ignored you and continued on with whatever I was doing. Which is why I'm here to tell you, you NEED to drop what you're doing and PICK. THIS. BOOK. UP.
"Menacing," she repeated, riding her nerves. "That's a funny way of calling someone beautiful."
"Beauty is what people admire from afar. Menace is the lure that draws them near."
Brianna Sugalski wove a fiercely entertaining, stubbornly snarky, could-not-bring-myself-to-put-it-down read that swept me entirely off my feet and left me slack-jawed and surprised on the final page. There is no "stopping to catch your breath" with this book. There is no "just going to take a break and have some dinner and maybe do something else for a moment." This book is give it your all, MUST finish it immediately, soul-wrenchingly beautiful. The characters are well-written; the romance is slow burn and steamy and scorching; the story is gorgeous, driven by both character and plot. The redemption at the end felt maybe a little bit.....TOO easy if I'm being honest, but at the same time I can't deny that in my head I was ABSOLUTELY CHEERING for the win so take that with a grain of salt.
"I may be a monster, but I am humane, princess. I am a gentleman, and I would be gentle until you splintered and begged me to f*ck you."
If you are looking for something with a little bit of the historical meets a little bit of vampire meets a little bit of magical realism meets.....EVERYTHING ELSE? This is definitely the read for you. I definitely recommend to lovers of uniquely magical worlds, seekers of their next pulse-pounding romance, and anyone who wants to just forget reality for four or five.... HUNDRED ....pages or so. Are YOU ready to be Disenchanted, Penguins?
Quick Reasons: unique world building; intriguing magics; Pride and Prejudice meets vampires meets magical fantasy; steamy, slow burn, enemies to lovers; touch her and ☠️; I need more
IF you had told me when I bought this book in December 2023, that it was GOING to be a 5 Penguin read from me....that I would have THE BIGGEST BOOK HANGOVER after finishing it....that it would contend with books like Pride and Prejudice, The Loom Saga, Daughter of Smoke and Bone in JUST HOW MUCH I WOULD ENJOY IT........... I'd probably have ignored you and continued on with whatever I was doing. Which is why I'm here to tell you, you NEED to drop what you're doing and PICK. THIS. BOOK. UP.
"Menacing," she repeated, riding her nerves. "That's a funny way of calling someone beautiful."
"Beauty is what people admire from afar. Menace is the lure that draws them near."
Brianna Sugalski wove a fiercely entertaining, stubbornly snarky, could-not-bring-myself-to-put-it-down read that swept me entirely off my feet and left me slack-jawed and surprised on the final page. There is no "stopping to catch your breath" with this book. There is no "just going to take a break and have some dinner and maybe do something else for a moment." This book is give it your all, MUST finish it immediately, soul-wrenchingly beautiful. The characters are well-written; the romance is slow burn and steamy and scorching; the story is gorgeous, driven by both character and plot. The redemption at the end felt maybe a little bit.....TOO easy if I'm being honest, but at the same time I can't deny that in my head I was ABSOLUTELY CHEERING for the win so take that with a grain of salt.
"I may be a monster, but I am humane, princess. I am a gentleman, and I would be gentle until you splintered and begged me to f*ck you."
If you are looking for something with a little bit of the historical meets a little bit of vampire meets a little bit of magical realism meets.....EVERYTHING ELSE? This is definitely the read for you. I definitely recommend to lovers of uniquely magical worlds, seekers of their next pulse-pounding romance, and anyone who wants to just forget reality for four or five.... HUNDRED ....pages or so. Are YOU ready to be Disenchanted, Penguins?
What can I say about this book, Brianna did an amazing job writing Disenchanted. It is filled with rich history that I can’t help but want to learn more about. Instead of just making up a place, Brianna took the time and actually studied and learned about the places that she was writing about.
On top of that, she did an outstanding job at creating characters that have more than just a pretty face, her characters had realistic personalities. Lilac and Garin would bicker as if real couples. She also made a point of making it known through her writing that a deep hatred for a character is COMPLETELY acceptable.
Her dialogue, allowed gave me laughs that I did not expect to happen. It was natural, nothing was staged for the reader to read. I felt as if she made it possible for the reader to understand what Lilac was feeling through the ups and downs of her journey.
Reading this book wasn’t a challenge. It was honestly fun, when it ended I hope there would be some more drama that Lilac had to deal with.
Honestly so glad I had the chance to read this.
On top of that, she did an outstanding job at creating characters that have more than just a pretty face, her characters had realistic personalities. Lilac and Garin would bicker as if real couples. She also made a point of making it known through her writing that a deep hatred for a character is COMPLETELY acceptable.
Her dialogue, allowed gave me laughs that I did not expect to happen. It was natural, nothing was staged for the reader to read. I felt as if she made it possible for the reader to understand what Lilac was feeling through the ups and downs of her journey.
Reading this book wasn’t a challenge. It was honestly fun, when it ended I hope there would be some more drama that Lilac had to deal with.
Honestly so glad I had the chance to read this.
Stay up until 2AM reading this book!
This book started off weak—I literally thought it was gonna be a DNF—but it really picks up once FMC and MMC meet, which goes to reinforce my long-held opinion that all romance MCs should meet in chapter one, lol. The problem in the beginning was historical accuracy, and then there were quite a few typos throughout the text. More than half a dozen, I think.
As for the historical accuracy issue, whilst I don’t expect every single thing to be meticulously researched in order to enjoy a novel (and I rated 5 stars in spite of that), I expect authors to know the basics like, what clothes would the characters have worn? The year is 1532; FMC wears “silk breeches” under a “slip” with a dress over top. Women didn’t wear underpants under their chemises. There is a mention of her mother forcing her to wear a “corset” for the first time at age 15; the boned garments of the time were called “pairs of bodies” and were worn by children of all ages from the moment they were capable of standing upright. The mother also makes a comment about the FMC’s curves suiting a corset, and I think the author had a curvaceous Victorian corset in mind when she wrote this, but it’s actually a hilarious backhanded compliment when you consider the fact that the fashionable female silhouette in this time period was flat-fronted and conical.
And then there’s things like guillotines and matches that just… weren’t invented yet.
Anyway, enough of that, on to the stuff I want to rave about!
This book gave me ALL of the delightfully messy, blood-drenched, amoral vampire shenanigans my little heart could take, and made me WANT them. MMC doesn’t come off as the genre-typical “200-year-old teenager” hot mess; he’s capable of being calculating, restrained, charming, frightening, apologetic, tormented and tormentor, cruel and kind, and he is believable in all of these facets, like you’d expect of someone who has centuries of life experience to draw upon.
The FMC’s journey is essentially a coming-of-age, or rather coming into her own. Her father, the king, has inexplicably decided to abdicate the throne to her at the tender age of twenty, and apparently this cannot wait a single day—if she misses the coronation, he’s going to give the crown to someone else. But there’s a problem: FMC has the strange and otherworldly ability to talk to the things that go bump in the night, and people are terrified of her for it. Knowing her time before the coronation is running out, she endeavors to find a cure for this affliction. On the way, she proves herself to be a quick thinker under pressure, adaptable and juuuuust the right amount of merciless to make a vampire fall in love with her, and maybe, given time, a kingdom as well.
This book started off weak—I literally thought it was gonna be a DNF—but it really picks up once FMC and MMC meet, which goes to reinforce my long-held opinion that all romance MCs should meet in chapter one, lol. The problem in the beginning was historical accuracy, and then there were quite a few typos throughout the text. More than half a dozen, I think.
As for the historical accuracy issue, whilst I don’t expect every single thing to be meticulously researched in order to enjoy a novel (and I rated 5 stars in spite of that), I expect authors to know the basics like, what clothes would the characters have worn? The year is 1532; FMC wears “silk breeches” under a “slip” with a dress over top. Women didn’t wear underpants under their chemises. There is a mention of her mother forcing her to wear a “corset” for the first time at age 15; the boned garments of the time were called “pairs of bodies” and were worn by children of all ages from the moment they were capable of standing upright. The mother also makes a comment about the FMC’s curves suiting a corset, and I think the author had a curvaceous Victorian corset in mind when she wrote this, but it’s actually a hilarious backhanded compliment when you consider the fact that the fashionable female silhouette in this time period was flat-fronted and conical.
And then there’s things like guillotines and matches that just… weren’t invented yet.
Anyway, enough of that, on to the stuff I want to rave about!
This book gave me ALL of the delightfully messy, blood-drenched, amoral vampire shenanigans my little heart could take, and made me WANT them. MMC doesn’t come off as the genre-typical “200-year-old teenager” hot mess; he’s capable of being calculating, restrained, charming, frightening, apologetic, tormented and tormentor, cruel and kind, and he is believable in all of these facets, like you’d expect of someone who has centuries of life experience to draw upon.
The FMC’s journey is essentially a coming-of-age, or rather coming into her own. Her father, the king, has inexplicably decided to abdicate the throne to her at the tender age of twenty, and apparently this cannot wait a single day—if she misses the coronation, he’s going to give the crown to someone else. But there’s a problem: FMC has the strange and otherworldly ability to talk to the things that go bump in the night, and people are terrified of her for it. Knowing her time before the coronation is running out, she endeavors to find a cure for this affliction. On the way, she proves herself to be a quick thinker under pressure, adaptable and juuuuust the right amount of merciless to make a vampire fall in love with her, and maybe, given time, a kingdom as well.
adventurous
funny
mysterious
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Disenchanted was one of my favourite books that I read last year, and I was obsessed with Garin, the snarky vampire who's incredibly Astarion coded. Well, after listening to the audiobook, I've fallen even deeper in love with this fictional man.
Krys Janae and Zachary Johnson have done an absolutely amazing job at bringing these characters to life. Not only the mc's Garin and Lilac, but also with the different accents for the side characters. I thoroughly enjoyed this re-read via audiobook.
•••
𝑰 𝒓𝒆𝒄𝒆𝒊𝒗𝒆𝒅 𝒂𝒏 𝑨𝒅𝒗𝒂𝒏𝒄𝒆 𝑳𝒊𝒔𝒕𝒆𝒏𝒊𝒏𝒈 𝑪𝒐𝒑𝒚 𝒇𝒓𝒐𝒎 𝒕𝒉𝒆 𝒂𝒖𝒕𝒉𝒐𝒓. 𝑴𝒚 𝒐𝒑𝒊𝒏𝒊𝒐𝒏𝒔 𝒂𝒓𝒆 𝒎𝒚 𝒐𝒘𝒏.
Krys Janae and Zachary Johnson have done an absolutely amazing job at bringing these characters to life. Not only the mc's Garin and Lilac, but also with the different accents for the side characters. I thoroughly enjoyed this re-read via audiobook.
•••
𝑰 𝒓𝒆𝒄𝒆𝒊𝒗𝒆𝒅 𝒂𝒏 𝑨𝒅𝒗𝒂𝒏𝒄𝒆 𝑳𝒊𝒔𝒕𝒆𝒏𝒊𝒏𝒈 𝑪𝒐𝒑𝒚 𝒇𝒓𝒐𝒎 𝒕𝒉𝒆 𝒂𝒖𝒕𝒉𝒐𝒓. 𝑴𝒚 𝒐𝒑𝒊𝒏𝒊𝒐𝒏𝒔 𝒂𝒓𝒆 𝒎𝒚 𝒐𝒘𝒏.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Violence
Moderate: Sexual content
Minor: Sexual assault
adventurous
funny
medium-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
The written word was awesome! The audio book took my breath away!
Content Warnings
Moderate: Death, Sexual assault
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
funny
mysterious
tense
slow-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:
Complicated