I am pleasantly surprised by this book. I honestly had some reservations at the beginning, I wasn't sure just how well a modernization of a classic like Pride and Prejudice would translate. I have to say that I believe it came across quite well. The only thing I had trouble picturing in a modern setting was the mother still trying to marry off all her daughters to wealthy bachelors, because that was (in her mind) the best they could possibly hope for. That ideal felt too antiquated to belong in this time period, in my humble opinion.

   Other than that I thought  most everything else, including the main themes of the original story, shone through brilliantly. I must admit though that after I devoured this book, I then went and watched the YouTube videos that it was based off, and I thought those were fabulous. I might be slightly biased there though, just for the fact that I actually got my daughter to watch them with me and she really liked them too....she even asked to borrow the book when I was finished!

(yeah this was a huge victory, she's 12 and a total busy body who has a really hard time getting/staying interested in anything book related. *Insert devastating sad face* So yeah, total win for team mom!)

   I think that's probably the best part about this story, it bridges a gap between generations. I mean obviously I would love to see youngsters picking up the Jane Austen original, but quite frankly I don't think a lot of them are. So this was a really genius way to bring a classic story to a new demographic. And who knows, maybe this new group of enthusiasts for The Lizzie Bennet Diaries will be so taken with the story that they'll want to pick up Pride and Prejudice and see where it all came from.

   The Accidental Hero was, I think, one of those fun books for any age! It is geared towards middle grade age, but I had no problem getting interested and staying such throughout the whole story. Actually I found a couple of the references, in particular the thoughtful pokes at standardized testing and whatnot, to be rather sophisticated. 

   I enjoyed the non stop action, and really liked watching the characters develop from beginning to end. I really dug the whole Imagine Nation (extra points for the awesome word play).

It was such a unique place that I really look forward to seeing more of!  The School of Thought sounded like a pretty rad place to be, with all the growing superhero/supervillains attending. I mean who wouldn't want to go to superhero school, really?! 

    Jack was an easy character to like and root for. He was kind, brave, and just trying to figure things out and do the right thing. I have to say I was honestly surprised with the twist at the end and I really enjoyed that! It was an interesting way to go with the story and it really guaranteed that I'll be continuing on with this series. I believe fans of Percy Jackson or Harry Potter type books will enjoy this story as well. 

   This novella was short and sweet. I mostly liked the characters, and it seemed like a pretty accurate depiction of life around the 1940's. If anything this book probably held women in a higher rearguard than was actually the case. There didn't seem to be much adversary for a free thinking, independent type of woman, so that was particularly nice to see. 

    This was about a woman whose husband had died young, and her trying to pick up the pieces and maybe even build herself a new life with someone special. I liked Delilah. I enjoyed her quirks, and her desire to be independent and provide for herself. Especially in an era where many women's biggest aspirations were to marry well and produce offspring. Not that she didn't want those things out of life, she did, but she also worked hard, and took care of herself. 

   I think the lesson learned by the end was my favorite part of the story, but I wouldn't want to ruin it for those of you that haven't read this yet. I was not a fan of the way overdone references to everything being God's plan or his will, but that's just my personal opinion. Some people might really enjoy that aspect, I unfortunately tired of it after so many references. To each his own though

   This was my first SAA book, but it definitely won't be my last! Lost Lake is a hard book to categorize, it's like realistic fiction with a dash of whimsy and magic. That in itself sold me on it. I loved the feel that this book had, like maybe anything was possible. The setting had this same feel, it was enchanting, this hideaway resort for misfits. I only wish there was a real Lost lake, I'd make a reservation in a heartbeat!!

   There was quite a ragtag group of individuals in this story. 3 generations of people just trying to figure things out and be happy. I loved this! I liked being able to see the different ways, from young to old, and in between, that people looked at live, love and happiness. It was also nice to see the grownups remember how magical the world was through a child's eyes, and recapture a glimmer of that for themselves. 

   My only real complaint was that I wish the ending would have been a little more filled out. It was kind of ambiguous. It did make sense with the story that the author gave you enough to feel hopeful, but you needed to imagine for yourself what would come of all these loveable characters. I guess I just enjoyed them all so much, and enjoyed their journey, I would have really liked seeing them get the things they wanted in the end. I wanted to see them in their happily ever afters. All in all though, this was a delightful book and I really look forward to reading more by this author soon!

    Could there be a more fitting title? I think not. I was completely enchanted with this story. It was this deep, thought provoking story that was told in such a vividly imaginative and unique way. I don't know if this same story could have been told in a more traditional way and accomplished the same results.

   I loved the things this story made me think about! Even more so if you go in knowing that while this may be fiction, this author has an intimate knowledge on the material here from work that she had done previously. After reading this I think it's safe to say, I have a few misconceived notions in regard to the workings of a prison and the inhabitants in general. This was hard subject material to begin with, and even more difficult to make the reader stop and think about, and even sympathize with the unsavory characters in it.

   I liked the connection that ALL these characters, the "bad", the "good" had with each other, and I LOVED the way that they were all broken down to more than the labels of such. They were all in this enchanted place together, and there were reasons for that. There were things that tied all of these people together. Take away the labels, bad, good, mother, father, son, whatever....and what you're left with is just a person. A human being, it's one thing everyone has in common. Sometimes we forget that even the people who commit horrible crimes have a story to tell. This book tells this in the best way too, without excusing the awful actions, and just telling their stories. It's oddly simple, and subtle, and beautifully done.

    I could go on and on about this, but I refuse to ruin it for any future readers! I highly recommend this book!  I hate to be overly vague here, but I think that this whole book was an experience and if I were to break it down and try and explain it, I just wouldn't be doing this story the justice that it deserves. So I guess I'll just say that I loved this! Honestly the only thing that made me give The Enchanted 4.5 rather than 5 stars was that it was a bit of a slow build. There was time taken in getting to the real "meat" of the story. BUT I can absolutely say that the pay out was worth the wait, well worth it.