Review: Enchanting Fate

• Title: Enchanting Fate

• Author: Ashley Evercott

• Series: Fairy Tales of Gallia #1

• Genre: Young Adult Fantasy / Beauty and the Beast Retelling

• Rating: ☆☆☆☆☆

** Thank you BookSirens and the author for access to this ARC. This is my honest review.**

Enchanting Fate is a fantastic Beauty and the Beast retelling. I enjoy retellings a great deal and was intrigued by the synopsis to this one that I’m so glad I chose to read it! From a debut author, this world blew me away with how intricate details were woven into it. From the characters to the world-building, and the presence of the original fairytale, Ashley Evercott succeeded in making this world its own within the boundaries of a retelling. This is a book told from four POVs, though mostly the two main characters Marguerite and Henri, and at no time did I find this confusing or hastily done. Each voice was clear and purposeful towards the story’s progression, and I enjoyed having the insight from all four characters. I really appreciated both Marguerite and Henri’s past storylines of struggles. Both have faced a great deal of suffering, and from the heavy expectations of sticking to propriety and birth status. Their families have caused pain that has been long-lasting on how they react to those around them, and I liked watching how they navigated their certain weaknesses in the company of each other and with those who have been kind to them, which helps uncover new desires for their futures. I also liked the level of honesty they established over time whilst enduring the curse. Seeing their building connection blossom into what it was in the ending made the angstier moments worth it. I have to admit that Isa didn’t leave nearly a lasting impression on me as Claude did, and whilst I understood her feelings, she was my least enjoyed of the four voices in this novel. Claude, however, was a fantastic character and I enjoyed his thoughts, along with how he prompted action from both Marguerite and Henri along the way. The curse itself was cleverly strung together, woven in through some of the elements of the original fairytale and by Evercott’s skilled imagination. I loved the change that everyone cursed was an animal of some sort, and how that continued to afflict changes the closer to the curse’s culmination. I also enjoyed the addition of other fairytales used in some scenes, which again, knowing the plans for the next book in Fairy Tales of Gallia, was a neat touch by the author in setting up the overall series. Many times throughout reading Enchanting Fate, I was surprised this was a debut novel, from how well-thought the plot and characters were. Because of that, I marked it as an enjoyable 5 star read.