Audiobook Review: "The Amaranth Enchantment"

"The Amaranth Enchantment"   by Julie Berry

Genre: YA, Fantasy, Fairy-tale
# of CDs: 7
ISBN:9781449824716
Published: March 2009

Goodreads Blurb:

When Lucinda Chapdelaine was a small child, her parents left for the royal ball and never returned. Ever since, Lucinda has been stuck in perpetual servitude at her evil aunt’s jewelry store. Then, on the very same day, a mysterious visitor and an even more bizarre piece of jewelry both enter the shop, setting in motion a string of twists and turns that will forever alter Lucinda’s path. In this magical story filled with delightful surprises, Lucinda will dance at the royal ball, fall under the Amaranth Witch’s spell, avenge her parents’ death, and maybe—just maybe—capture the heart of a prince.

My Review:

I found this audio book at the library  and I knew nothing about the book or the author but I was drawn by the cover, seeing that it was beautiful and a historical, and when I read the back it had some fantasy elements so I decided to give it a shot. I was pleasantly surprised that I enjoyed every moment of this audio.

Lucinda was born into a wealthy family and at age 5 her parents die when their chariot crashes. After their death it turns out that her parents were penniless so she is taken in by a Uncle by marriage. Her uncle's wife is mean and abusive to Lucinda and treats her worse than a slave. When her Uncle dies and her Aunt finally kicks her out of the house without even a coat to keep her warm she sets out on a great adventure. A homeless boy named Peter gets her into all kinds of trouble. Through all this she meets the Prince and ends up falling in love after a few cherished moments but it seems impossible that they'll ever be together.

The story was very exciting and suspenseful at moments. It seems Lucinda has the worst luck in the world so through out the story your wishing something finally goes her way. I also enjoyed the narrator, she was great at creating all the different voices but Lucinda's voice was actually my least favorite but she doesn't distract from the story.

I listened to this audio book in the car while I was driving and I found myself sitting in my car after I had already reached my destination so that I could listen to more. I think the print edition would have been a page turner for sure. I recommend this book to readers, young and adult, that enjoy a good retelling of a great fairy-tale. This book had Cinderella like parts but was much better.