Title & Author: Disenchanted by Kara Pleasants
First lines of first chapter: Hertfordshire was not known for its magic. At least, not the kind of magic that was considered modern, effective, or quality.
My thoughts: There have been numerous retellings of Pride and Prejudice, some better than others. In this one, Mr. Darcy is a talented wizard; Elizabeth, who is thought to have no magic, can secretly break enchantments; and there is a dangerous Necromancer Thief roaming the countryside stealing other people's magic. All the other characters from Austen's novel are also there. I laughed when Caroline Bingley's enchanted tea accidentally ended up cursing Jane. I also liked how in this one, Mr. Bennet is more astute and present and plays a larger role, having once been a talented wizard himself. And there's a very fun twist at the end with Mrs. Bennet that totally made me smile.
There were a few things that didn't work as well. I felt the whole Wickham storyline was completely unnecessary to Pleasants' plot. And I'm already very familiar with all of Austen's famous lines; I really don't need to have them repeated yet again here. In fact, I wish Pleasant had worried more about developing her own version of these well-known characters, and telling her own story, rather than trying so hard to adhere to Austen's original plot. Because I liked all the magic, and the idea of a secret Wizarding court with fun code names for each member, and how Darcy's magic needed Elizabeth's in order to catch the Necromancer. I wanted more of that!
So while I loved the idea of this one, it ended up being just a 3-star read for me. Not awful, but not wonderful either. Though parts of it are very fun. And I'm not sorry I read it.
Happy Reading!
