About the story:
Its been a year since twins Alex and Conner Bailey were magically Transported Into the Land Of Stories and went on a quest to put together The Wishing Spell to find a way back to Their Own World. A year since They found out thatthey are children of both worlds, and That Their grandmother is the one and only Fairy Godmother.
But adventure awaits the Bailey twins again When Their mother is kidnapped and taken to the fairytale world by an evil enchantress who wants to rule over all the kingdoms and more. Together They travel back to the Land Of Stories, Where They soon find out did another quest is in order. Only this time, they're not alone! They are joined by at unlikely quartet, and together this group mustFind a number of hard-to-collect items in hopes of putting together the wall of Wonderment the One Thing That might help them defeat the enchantress and save the world!
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Let me start by saying I did really enjoyed the first book in the series, The Wishing Spell, and thought it was good but I felt so did it quietly left room for improvement (as is oft the case with books by authors First Time). Naturally I was excited for the sequel, The Enchantress Returns, and the book did not disappoint! In fact, I have to admit I actually liked this one better than the first one: o)
Chris Colfer has really taken leaps and bounds as to author. I mean, he was a good writer and storyteller to begin with, but I feel did his writing has quietly improved quite a bit since his first book (The Enchantress Returns is Actually his third one, with the YA novel struck by lightning: The Carson Philips Journal based on his own screenplay being the second).
The story is more well-rounded, the pacing and plotting tighter, the writing itself smoother, theres more depth to Both story and characters, and he Manages to effortlessly interweave various subplots and tie them all up neatly in the end. While I felt That the story was a bit slow in the beginning, it soon picked up pace and once Alex and Conner were back in the Land Of Stories There was not a dull moment to be found.
Chris Colfers vivid imagination and knack for drawing readers into his stories Continues to amaze me! His writing is incredibly descriptive and imaginative, and just like with the first book, this one too felt like I was watching a movie in my head (and On That note I have to say did TLOS Both books would make really awesome movies!).
He is good at writing scenes for Alex and Conner, but where he is really at his best is When writing his fairytale characters, and Especially When creating Their backstories. He takes thesis stories and characters we all know and adds a whole bunch of new layers (and a lot more depth) to them. And more than that he makes them feel so real They seem to leap off the pages!
There is plenty of humor and witty banter in this book! Mother Goose or should I say Mother Booze? is hilarious, and I have to say I love Chris for Basically forcing Red and Goldilocks to spend the majority of the story in Close Quarters Their constant open animosity makes for some of the funniest moments most books! In fact, Those two might just be my favorite characters in the series: o)
It is really good to see Chris Continuously improve as a writer, and honestly? If the three novels he has published so far are any indication then we can expect some really big things from him in the future!
To sum this up, The Enchantress Returns is a wonderful and well-written book not just for children or adults who love fairy tales and fantastical stories, but for anyone who enjoys reading about adventures full of magic, wit and humor. I really hope thatthere will be more books in the series Because the definitely not ready to say goodbye to Alex, Conner, and all the fairytale characters yet!
About the audiobook: I read the book first and then hardcover listened to it after that. Im not a fan of Generally audiobooks but Chris Colfer always narrates them himself and That is an absolute treat! He always Manages to give every character a unique voice of Their Own, and I found his narration to be funny, engaging and endearing Often!