Scan barcode
A review by lawbooks600
The Enchantress Returns by Chris Colfer
lighthearted
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.0
Representation: N/A?
Score: Six points out of ten.
Man, I gave this author one last chance and he squandered it. I saw this book hiding on the shelves of one of the two libraries I visit so I picked it up hoping that it would be better than The Wishing Spell and finally read it. When I finished it, I felt that it was at the same level as the preceding instalment and not a step up. Shame. It starts (or continues) with the main characters Alex and Conner Bailey who recently left The Land of Stories when some new characters arrive on what they call the Otherworld (but I call it Earth.) They tell the news that a new villain (you know, the classic big bad one,) the Enchantress has kidnapped Alex and Conner's mother (did I mention that another person, Bob, would be their new stepfather?) Soon enough they return to The Land of Stories but here is where the flaws surface, the author still left all the old and new characters remain underdeveloped which I didn't appreciate, the worldbuilding was off and the writing style, well.
I get that the author would write the book so that it'd be more accessible to a greater amount of readers but I would've enjoyed it more if there were more details instead of telling everything in the narrative. Never have I seen a book abuse italics and capital letters as much as this one which irritated me since half the time I thought all the characters were shouting. If there was an award for a story with the most basic descriptions ever, the instalment I read would get it. As mentioned above, there is no representation. I understand that it's hard to get right (when I consider authors that write books that have Black, Asian, Latino/a, neurodivergent characters, those who have disabilities or different body types who sometimes get it right and other times get it wrong) but a story can be diverse and outstanding. What I read was neither of those. It underwhelmed me.
Alex and Conner build an airship considering The Land of Stories is centuries behind Earth and no one in the former would think of that except them, assemble the Wand of Invincibility to defeat the Enchantress but it wasn't necessary in the final pages. All for nothing save for Alex using compassion to remove the Enchantress' powers and a fairy tale wedding ending the book. Ah well. It's time to move on to the next one I suppose.
Score: Six points out of ten.
Man, I gave this author one last chance and he squandered it. I saw this book hiding on the shelves of one of the two libraries I visit so I picked it up hoping that it would be better than The Wishing Spell and finally read it. When I finished it, I felt that it was at the same level as the preceding instalment and not a step up. Shame. It starts (or continues) with the main characters Alex and Conner Bailey who recently left The Land of Stories when some new characters arrive on what they call the Otherworld (but I call it Earth.) They tell the news that a new villain (you know, the classic big bad one,) the Enchantress has kidnapped Alex and Conner's mother (did I mention that another person, Bob, would be their new stepfather?) Soon enough they return to The Land of Stories but here is where the flaws surface, the author still left all the old and new characters remain underdeveloped which I didn't appreciate, the worldbuilding was off and the writing style, well.
I get that the author would write the book so that it'd be more accessible to a greater amount of readers but I would've enjoyed it more if there were more details instead of telling everything in the narrative. Never have I seen a book abuse italics and capital letters as much as this one which irritated me since half the time I thought all the characters were shouting. If there was an award for a story with the most basic descriptions ever, the instalment I read would get it. As mentioned above, there is no representation. I understand that it's hard to get right (when I consider authors that write books that have Black, Asian, Latino/a, neurodivergent characters, those who have disabilities or different body types who sometimes get it right and other times get it wrong) but a story can be diverse and outstanding. What I read was neither of those. It underwhelmed me.
Alex and Conner build an airship considering The Land of Stories is centuries behind Earth and no one in the former would think of that except them, assemble the Wand of Invincibility to defeat the Enchantress but it wasn't necessary in the final pages. All for nothing save for Alex using compassion to remove the Enchantress' powers and a fairy tale wedding ending the book. Ah well. It's time to move on to the next one I suppose.
Content Warnings
Minor: Death and Fire/Fire injury
Full trigger warnings: Near-death experiences, death of a father in the past and another person, building collapse, fire