Review: The Sweetest Spell by Suzanne Selfors

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.

Magic and romance entwine in this fantastical world where true love and chocolate conquer all.

I love this book, I absolutely adored it. This was adorable and cute and fun and gripping and I read it so fast I was shocked when I saw that the print version is 416 pages long. I did, however, take a little time to get my head around the premise - this book seemed as though it was a parody at times and the whole turning milk into chocolate could have been good or bad, for me it was good but this book seemed very comedic at times, even though I'm not sure it was intended to be funny. Anglund was clearly a very fairytale take on medieval England.

I really enjoyed the characters in this book, Emmeline is very naive and young, she is a damsel in distress but she knows how to take control when she has to. Owen Oak was a pretty typical fairytale hero, strong and kind. The characters are pretty typical of light fairytale books; the queen was evil and there is a vain young main who doesn't get the girl. There is help around every corner, this is a pretty typical fairytale book and whilst some may not enjoy the lack of depth I think it worked perfectly.

There isn't really much to say for this book aside from that it has a typical fairytale execution and has a comedic premise. The storyline is mild and the happy ending is inevitable, however I loved how light and fun this read was. It really worked for me, even though it didn't completely blow me away!

Overall Rating: B

Book released 21st August 2012 by Bloomsbury Childrens
Book received as an eGalley for review via NetGalley

Other books by this author:
Mad Love