The Sweetest Spell Review

416 pages

Emmeline Thistle, a dirt-scratcher's daughter, has escaped death twice-first, on the night she was born, and second, on the day her entire village was swept away by flood. Left with nothing and no one, Emmeline discovers her rare and mysterious ability-she can churn milk into chocolate, a delicacy more precious than gold. Suddenly, the most unwanted girl in Anglund finds herself desired by all. But Emmeline only wants one-Owen Oak, a dairyman's son, whose slow smiles and lingering glances once tempted her to believe she might someday be loved for herself. But others will stop at nothing to use her gift for their own gains-no matter what the cost to Emmeline.

Review:
This book is a beautiful fairytale retelling and I absolutely loved it! The characters are extremely likable and easy to connect with. This story switches between Emmeline and Owen's point of view which was interesting because the views really seemed to be from two completely different people due to the author's style of writing. I know that when dealing with two different views it should be this way but I had to point it out because it was done extremely well here. Emmeline isn't a very strong character at first because she is the least popular girl in her village, but she really develops as the book goes on. I loved that Emmeline wants to help people, even if they wronged her. At times it annoyed me that she seemed a bit too gullible but I didn't judge her too harshly because of the way she grew up. At first Owen didn't seem like he would be a great character because he only had girls and fighting on his mind, but he also grew and surprised me. There is a lot of adventure in this book especially after Emmeline discovers her ability and all makes for an exciting read. Going from the least wanted girl to the most wanted can't help but make you cheer for Emmeline and avidly watch to see what she'll do next. There are a lot of twists that change your views in this novel and I thoroughly enjoyed the way they were brought out. I definitely recommend this novel if you love fairytale retellings that are packed with adventure and romance.