A Breton princess at the peak of the French Renaissance, Lilac lives prisoner in her parents’ castle after a wicked secret is revealed on the eve of her tenth birthday soirée. Years later, her coronation ceremony looms, and between the riotous townsfolk and scheming nobleman bent on snatching the throne, Lilac prepares for the worst… Until a mysterious letter arrives from The Witch of Lupine … Grotto, detailing a curious offer to cure her darkness forever.
Lilac begrudgingly trades her coronet for a cloak and ventures into the forest Brocéliande in pursuit of the impious enchantress at the edge of town. With only the protection of an inherited dagger—and unsolicited help of the gregarious stranger who inserts himself on her quest—she must traverse Brocèliande and return in time to claim her rightful position as sovereign monarch.
This is the story of a cursed princess,
A crestfallen killer,
The town that wants them to burn,
And the witch that can save them both.
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I LOVED THIS BOOK SOOO MUCH AND CAN’T WAIT FOR THE NEXT ONE!!!
I’m giddy!!! I just finished Disenchanted and I don’t want to leave this amazing, captivating world!!!! Not to mention I WANT MORE OF GARIN & LILAC…NOW!!!!!!
The main characters were so real and flawed, but watching them grow and falling in love with them was everything I want in a story!!!! The other characters that they meet up with in the story have me intrigued, I’m looking forward to reading more about the characters of this magical world!!!!
Speaking of the world!!!! The world building was freakin AMAZING!!!! I could smell the smells and fear the creatures that Lilac did. This book came alive in my hands!!!
Brianna Sugalski is a phenomenal writer. She’s a master at putting everything she sees in a way that we can feel it and visualize it. I’m looking forward to so much more from her!!!
“I’m at least glad I won’t have to reveal my life story with my interrogator lounging in a tub.”
What do you get when you cross Grimms fairy tales with “Princess Bride”? You get a smart, sassy, coming-of-age adventure. Lilac is the closeted princess who finally makes her first real decision in her life, and she runs away. She has an excuse: her darkling tongue is abhorred by the populace, and she wants to lead them. Unfortunately, her sassy tongue is all she has to protect her. She meets Garin at an inn in the Broceliande Forest, where the darklings hide, and they subsequently hit it off. He follows her like gum under her shoe. Their dialogue just carried me away.
I also loved the witch they meet at the end. I really want to read more about her. Lilac’s quest all along was to meet this witch and remove her curse, but the witch’s solution made me almost fall off the couch with laughter. Lilac’s betrothed is also a piece-of-work, Sinclaire is the entitled rich guy who is willing to rape her, hold a knife to her, and drag her to the coronation as “consort.” Douchebag.
This is young adult only in that Lilac needs to learn how to make her own decisions. She is led along by Garin, the Fairy King, Sinclaire, her parents, the witch. All make her decisions for her. I expect there will be a second novel with growth, but this story was so complete I could stop here and be content. I enjoyed this more as an adult, because this is Grimm. LOL.
When I read a book and I see a character is about to be very reckless, I try to see why they would instead of spending half the book judging their recklessness. Lilac is next in line to be queen. Everything was fine until one night when she was ten years old that changed everything. In a matter of minutes it was discovered that she has affliction that caused her parents to basically lock her away in the castle for the next ten years of her life. But the time as come to crown her queen..the problem is the people don’t want that. So off she goes …by herself..without telling anyone…with no skills…with her naive little self off to find what the thinks is the cure.
My heart broke for her. They just locked her away. The king and queen thinking that would be best for the people. If nobody saw her. She didn’t ask for any of this and still she wanted to do right by her people and do whatever she could to be a good queen for them. She was naive and reckless, yes..HOWEVER she wasn’t so gullible that somewhere along the lines she realized there was so much she didn’t know. She began to see Darklings not as evil or vile creatures..but actual living and breathing beings…that they weren’t that different from humans in many ways.
Garin. Garin is a vampire and the anti hero of this story. That’s all I need.
My biggest issue is that this was an ARC ..Not out until March 10….So that means I have wait even longer for book 2.