Enchanted by Althea Kontis

Woodcutter Sisters #1. Harcourt (May 2012) Library

It isn't easy being the rather overlooked and unhappy youngest sibling to sisters named for the other six days of the week. Sunday’s only comfort is writing stories, although what she writes has a terrible tendency to come true.

When Sunday meets an enchanted frog who asks about her stories, the two become friends. Soon that friendship deepens into something magical. One night Sunday kisses her frog goodbye and leaves, not realizing that her love has transformed him back into Rumbold, the crown prince of Arilland—and a man Sunday’s family despises.

The prince returns to his castle, intent on making Sunday fall in love with him as the man he is, not the frog he was. But Sunday is not so easy to woo. How can she feel such a strange, strong attraction for this prince she barely knows? And what twisted secrets lie hidden in his past—and hers?

"Monday's child is fair of face,

Tuesday's child is full of grace,

Wednesday's child is full of woe,

Thursday's child has far to go,

Friday's child is loving and giving,

Saturday's child works hard for a living,

But the child who is born on the Sabbath Day

Is blithe and bonny and good and gay."

The Frog Prince is a tale where I've never enjoyed the princess. She's a brat who is cruel to a frog that helps her get something precious back to her. The frog isn't very charming himself. He's a bit pushy, however rightfully so. The circumstance of their "love" and marriage never made sense to me - most of fairy tale instalove doesn't make sense. Well, Enchanted followed this pattern of instalove, yet thankfully, our two main characters were more kind and interesting than the story they originate from.

Sunday is a writer, but she's no ordinary writer. Whatever she writes comes true. Her writing never goes right though. It comes back at her or the action she wants to be changed with full force. So she must content herself in writing about her life and past events. While she starts writing one day about her family a frog asks her what she's doing. Talking frogs - magic in general - is common in this world so she isn't shocked for too long. She reads to her frog friend, Grumble, about her life and her siblings and all the interesting things that have happened to them. Soon they become fast friends. When Sunday kisses her frog and walks away after reading him some stories she doesn't realize that he has become a man once again. A man her family has a serious grudge over.

Sunday's stories about her sisters were always magically connected. Her whole family are all very unique and interesting characters. I really liked Sunday's bond with her brother Trix particularly. He's her older brother but looks and acts like he is twelve. He has fey (faerie) blood in him so he ages very slowly. Fey's play a great role in this story and the magic that comes with them. I know this is called the Woodcutter Sisters series, but I hope Kontis decides to write about the brothers too specifically Trix (I found out she has started writing a series featuring Trix!). Trix is always in trouble and Sunday always has to keep him from getting out of control. I would have liked to see more of why their bond was so special. Why did they get along so well more than any of their other siblings? Although, I kind of understood at the end of Enchanted.

Sunday's sisters take a little while to decipher, but when you do you find amongst them a pirate queen, a kind sewer, a wood chopping master, a sullen poet, and a princess. They are all destined for greatness even if some of them don't know it yet. All their stories and personalities are sure to make wonderful books. I'm excited to read about Saturday in Hero and Friday in Dearest. I feel like since I know their stories more I'll be more inclined to enjoy them. Not that I didn't enjoy this one. It was very complex though and the instalove thing... I hope those two things don't befall the other books because their stories are truly fascinating. The world in which they live in accepts magic which means there are so many possibilities. 

Sunday herself was delightful because of her love of writing and her voice. All of the characters are unusual and interesting. They all have a story just waiting to be unfolded which I can't wait to read. Rumbold, the former frog struggles throughout Enchanted with his love for Sunday, the secret he is keeping from her, lost memories, and a wicked plot. He's very sweet and sort of innocent with his love for Sunday. There are things at play that he doesn't understand and he must figure out if he hopes to have a happy ending. 

Enchanted was a lovely story with a few faults, but with a great voice and an enchanting storyline. As far as Frog Prince retellings I know I want to read more after this. The Frog Prince retold is always far better than the original tale in my opinion. There are so many possibilities that come with a retelling like Enchanted.

Have you read any Frog Prince retellings?

What's your favorite fairy tale?