Five Enchanted Roses by Anne Elisabeth Stengl

There was still the magical kiss, but it required a genuine relationship to develop first.

I absolutely loved how Michelle Pennington dealt with the romance.

Arabella was noble and good-hearted and all around a likeable princess.

Lady Rhoswen is another one of those love-to-hate-them villains!.

The rapport between Edmond and Martin reminded me of Sage and Mott from The False Prince at times.

Lona, the fairy who looks after the sleeping princess, lives alone in the thorn-riddled castle and has gone utterly mad.

Classic fantasy settings that popped off the page rather than settle into dusty clichés.

As Edmond drew even with him, Martin inquired, “Would Your Highness wish me to agree with you or disagree?” Reining in his horse, Martin turned his craggy face to look back in surprise. Props to Grace Mullins for her twisty plot and lovable characters! 5 stars!

Not much to say here, except for the very minor disappointment of not including crazy people in the way I expected.Īll in all, this was a complete pleasure to read.

A certain subplot I won’t name was really sweet.

All the magic! It was so layered and complex, with each chapter revealing more and more of the enchantment.

The fairies were trapped in the forms of a squirrel, a chicken, and a lizard.

Roselee, the green ghost, was adorable.

While Franz was the kind of hero I love to cheer for, Mara was the kind of antagonist I love to hate.He’s not strong enough to slay a dragon, he’s never saved anyone, and the only thing he has going for him is a big heart. Dear, dear Franz! He’s exactly the kind of unlikely hero that I love to cheer for! As a banker’s clerk wrongly committed to the asylum, he tries so very hard to be the True Hero everyone is looking for.

The second reason was that he was helplessly strapped, so, even if she’d been some sort of brute, the only harmful thing he could do was glare. This was another pleasant surprise! A solid 4 stars. But in the end, it did tie together, so this isn’t completely a negative!

At times, like when I thought the inclusion of the creatures was random, it felt like the story meandered.

Neriya, the prince: oh my goodness, he’s a sweetheart too! So brave and endearing.

Political happenings that were realistic, not ideal, but still not dry at all.

It felt like there was a whole world to explore. At first, they seemed random, but I should’ve known better–they all became important later on.

All the cool creatures! They were what gave the story a mythical slant.

Palli, the Sleeping Beauty character, was so sweet and altruistic.

When her other small sisters wondered why Palli went so willingly to bed, Palli only blinked at them and said, “It is good practice.” But if all she had to was sleep–well, she could do that! She slept every night. Palli did not know how she could save anyone.

Five Enchanted Roses by Anne Elisabeth Stengl