July 2, 2012

Fairytale Come True • The Wishing Spell

The Wishing Spell book cover
The Wishing Spell by Chris Colfer
Series: The Land of Stories #1
Publisher: Little, Brown and Company
Publication Date: July 17, 2012
Source: BEA 2012 || ARC
[I received this book from the publisher. This in no way affects the contents of my review.]

The Land of Stories tells the tale of twins Alex and Conner. Through the mysterious powers of a cherished book of stories, they leave their world behind and find themselves in a foreign land full of wonder and magic where they come face-to-face with the fairy tale characters they grew up reading about. But after a series of encounters with witches, wolves, goblins, and trolls alike, getting back home is going to be harder than they thought.


I grew up reading fairytales, the kind where there's a beautiful princess, a handsome rescuer and a happily-ever-after all the time. When I got a little older, I actually did a lot of research on fairytales and read the "real" ones - the ones with gruesome endings, the ones meant to teach readers important lessons. So you can imagine how delighted I was to hear about a book that incorporated fairytales in it - I just had to snag a copy of it at BEA!

Plus, it doesn't hurt that the author of this book is Chris Colfer, better known as Kurt Hummel on Glee. I've been a longtime fan of the show (though even I will admit it gets a little strange sometimes), and Chris does a superb job as Kurt. Personally, I find myself completely in awe of his talent - he acts, sings, dances, wrote a screenplay and now he's writing books. It's just amazing.

Anyway, I'll go back to my review.

THE WISHING SPELL starts out a bit slow for me, as the first few chapters were set up so that we would get to know Alex and Connor and their situation a little better. Though I do have my own opinion about it, objectively, I think it's a good way to set up the book for younger readers. It does pick up though, especially when they fall into the Land of Stories!

After they enter the book, the story gets much more fun to read. The incorporation of fairytales is well-done, both amusing and intelligent. CHRIS COLFER certainly knows how to weave a story within a story within a story, and I admire the use of that ability in this book. 

Many popular fairytales and their characters are called upon to play a role in this tale. It's such a treat to see these beloved and familiar characters (such as Cinderella or Little Red Riding Hood) being placed in an entirely different story, with personalities that are unexpected but also really cool and believable.

All in all, as a fan of fairytales, I think CHRIS COLFER has certainly woven quite the tale in THE WISHING SPELL. Filled with adventure and following a similar fairytale format, this book is actually one of my favorite reads from this year. By the time the book ended, I was satisfied... but also ready for the next one!

Book Quotes  (All are taken from the ARC.)

"It's proof that if someone wants something enough, and they're willing to work for it, they can achieve great things."

"Every driven person comes from a mountain of pain they wish to keep hidden."

"Courage is the one thing that no one can ever take away from you."

12 Comments:

  1. I absolutely love fairytales so this book sounds perfect! This sounds like such a charming book & I'm so glad it incorporates fairytales so well. A story within a story WITHIN a story? Awesome! I can't wait to read this one. :)

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  2. I pre-ordered this book at my bookstore for the signing. Eight more days until I can go pick it up! I'm so excited for this release!!


    -- Marie @ http://marielovesbooks.blogspot.com

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  3. I'm glad that you liked this one, Alexa! I was lucky enough to get a copy at BEA as well and I'm looking forward to it. I'm a little nervous, to be honest, because I always worry about multi-hyphenates writing books. But this one sounds so clever and fun, and I ADORE fairy tales, so YAY! Excited to read it!

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  4. Jenna Christy MatalamJuly 4, 2012 at 1:44 AM

    Now i'm excited to read the book! I plan to read it next! :) nice review btw, :)
    -jenna
    Coffee,books and me

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  5. Ashley @ Ashley Loves BooksJuly 5, 2012 at 9:54 PM

    I'm so excited for this book! I grabbed a copy at ALA, and my mother promptly plucked it out of my bag - before we even got home! So she's got it now and keeps telling me it's great and funny. I'm glad to have a bit of a "warning" about the beginning and set up, and look forward to how he weaves in all the beloved fairy tales. Great review!


    (Also, I'll totally admit my bias already - Kurt Hummel is my favourite character in Glee and I am blown away by all the talent Chris Colfer possesses.)

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  6. It's definitely a charming book! I grew up reading fairytales, and this book incorporates them really well. It started slow for me, but I really ended up liking it!

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  7. I've been meaning to watch Once Upon a Time... but I haven't gotten around to it. Eep! I MUST do that!

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  8. Ooh, happy reading! I'm getting a finished copy for myself soon, as I just read the ARC. I'm pretty excited about it!

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  9. It's really cute! And I think what he did with the traditional fairytales was pretty clever :)

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  10. It's a bit slow for me, though not a lot of people have had that problem. And it's so awesome that your mom's already reading it! I hope you enjoy it when you get to read it.


    And I'm biased as well. Kurt's one of my top characters. And Chris Colfer is just AWESOME.

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  11. Ooooooh, I was so excited to see that you read this ! I haven't seen many book bloggers write a review for it and I was really wanting to. I personally absolutely loved it, and it was actually the book that finally made me decide to start a book blog- I just HAD to share my thoughts on it once I finished it. (: Great review!

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