RATING: ★★★★★
I received this book free from Sourcebooks (via netgalley). This does not influence my review.
Okay Emma, you need to write this review without only writing how much you love Spelled. You need to actually explain why you love this book. Reader, I'm so going to try to do this, but I can make no guarantees that I'll actually manage, because I LOVED SPELLED and it was flawless to me and let's pray on a fairy godmother that I can explain why.
Plot
Fairy Tale Survival Rule #32: If you find yourself at the mercy of a wicked witch, sing a romantic ballad and wait for your Prince Charming to save the day.
Yeah, no thanks. Dorthea is completely princed out. Sure being the crown princess of Emerald has its perks—like Glenda Original ball gowns and Hans Christian Louboutin heels. But a forced marriage to the brooding prince Kato is so not what Dorthea had in mind for her enchanted future.
Talk about unhappily ever after.
Trying to fix her prince problem by wishing on a (cursed) star royally backfires, leaving the kingdom in chaos and her parents stuck in some place called "Kansas." Now it's up to Dorthea and her pixed off prince to find the mysterious Wizard of Oz and undo the curse...before it releases the wickedest witch of all and spells The End for the world of Story
So why do I love this book so much?
First thing: Fairytales. I love fairytales. I love the Grimm tales, I love Disney movies, I love Once Upon A Time and now I love Spelled. It's all about the fairytales and I guess that could be a downfall for some readers. If you don't know any fairytales or just don't enjoy reading them, you won't like this book. So many jokes hinge on your knowledge of those classic Western fairytales and being obsessed with them, this worked perfectly for me.
Bratty narrator
I've heard that people don't enjoy this book, because they think Dorthea is a brat - and yes, she is. She's spoiled, bratty, demanding, rude, mean and I absolutely loved her. Dorthea was never allowed to leave the castle and never even had a real friend - can you blame her for being rude? She doesn't have a clue how to communicate with people, except for when she's bossing them around. Seeing her so bratty actually only made me feel worse for her; how sad to be 16 and have no clue how to bond with people. I loved the journey she made in the story and the fact that she learns how to communicate without losing her bratty edge. Some people just are bratty and Dorthea rocked it.
Rating
This book is a five out of five for me, because it seemed like it was just written for me. I love bratty narrators, I love fairytales and there was a realistic romantic story too. However, I do think this book target a very specific audience and if you don't like any either a demanding, at times childish, narrator or the magical fairytale elements, you won't enjoy this book at all. But if you do like those elements; please read this book so we can talk about it!