UnEnchanted

This is one of the first indie fantasy books I ever read and I was curious to see if it still held up. It absolutely does.

Mina is a descendant of the Grimm Brothers and has inherited their curse. She must complete all of the stories in order to break the curse. There are several complications, however. One, the previous attempts to break the curse have been made by adults and they have all failed. Two, Mina just wants to be a normal teenager, especially now that her long-time crush is finally paying attention to her. And three, she she has no idea who she can trust and what she will get when she asks for help.

The setup was fantastic. The characters were great. There was the right amount of teen drama interspersed with plenty of fantasy. show more And I love how the fairy tales were dragged into and reinterpreted as part of the modern world. Very clever. Very cool. The characters did seem a little young, but I think that was because a lot of YA fantasy makes characters seem too old rather than being an actual fault of this book. I was entertained and kept finding excuses to keep reading, which is definitely the mark of a good book. I also read one of her newer books several months ago, so this was a fun look at the evolution of a writer. Chanda's ability has obviously improved since this book, but her gift to spin an enchanting tale was there from the start. It's a great book and I recommend it to, well, everyone. show less

I was reading this book everywhere I went; on the train, in the car, in the parking lot while groceries spoiled in the trunk. I could not put it down.

This was a fun take on the idea of fractured fairy-tales. The heroine Mina (Wilhelmina) discovers she is related to the Grimm family and must live through every fairytale in order to break the curse placed upon her family. Chanda Hahn weaves a believable tale of magic and young love, allowing Mina to deal with not only the angst of growing up, but the adult responsibilities she must take on to protect her family.

Bravo. I cannot wait to read the second book.

A charming lighthearted fractured fairytale.

Mina Grime is cursed with bad luck. Whatever can go wrong, will. And when it does, her mother, Sara, will inevitably pack up her and her younger brother, Charlie and move. It's almost like they're running from something but Mina has never been able to solve the puzzle. Until the day she saves Brody Carmichael's life, becomes popular, starts a relationship with him, refuses to go pack and demands some answers from her mother. And then life just gets grimm.

Perfect for younger teens, this fractured fairytale is a clean funny read with a likable and relatable main character. Mina feels all the anxieties of growing up and of not fitting in and struggles to overcome her fears and anxieties to show more believe in herself. I really enjoyed this. Mina was great and Nan (the best friend) was hilarious. Jared was cool even if he was a bit standoffish to begin with. Having read this previously, I knew where the relationship with Brody was going and I felt even worse for knowing it was all part of the Story. But honestly, I never really liked Brody anyway.

The plot was fast paced and entertaining and contained lots of fairytale elements that I adored. Particularly this

Mina sat in silence as she thought through her options. “Why is it called a Grimoire, anyway? I thought that was something evil, or a book of spells or something.” “No, honey, it’s just a record of the tales your family members have lived through. Over time, it has gained powers of its own. If your ancestor’s name was Smith, it would have been called the Smithoire.

Hahn, Chanda. UnEnchanted (An Unfortunate Fairy Tale Book 1) (p. 78). Chanda Hahn. Kindle Edition. Plus I was amused that the first tale is Hansel and Gretel and that the old witch is in fact a cougar.

“Hansel and Gretel.”
“But wait, how?” Mina thought back through the day. “The bakery was the gingerbread house?” Jared snorted. “Obviously.”
“But there wasn’t an old witch. No one was imprisoned.”
“There wasn’t? Are you positive? Think again—no one was held captive?” Jared’s mouth turned up in challenge, and he actually looked at Mina in surprise.
“Well, no, we were all free to walk around. The boys did seem to act strange when the tour guide was talking, but…” Mina’s eyes lit up with elation. “Wait, that’s it. The tour guide didn’t capture anyone, but she did captivate the boys’ attention, and then seemed to settle for Brody in the end. He was the only one she really cared about. But she wasn’t a horrible old woman, and she didn’t try to put him in an oven. She wasn’t going to eat any of the students like in the story, right?”
“Not exactly. There is a word for her kind in your world, I believe?”
“I don’t understand.” She turned and picked up a large rock and held it in her hands. “An older woman who preys on the attention of younger men. Who uses them, eats them up, and spits them out. Sound familiar?”
“A cougar?” Mina asked in disbelief. Jared snorted again.
“A man-eater.” “Oh!” Mina replied, still dumbfounded.

Hahn, Chanda. UnEnchanted (An Unfortunate Fairy Tale Book 1) (pp. 165-166). Chanda Hahn. Kindle Edition. It was a unique take.

Overall a strong start to a fractured fairytale series. I can't wait to see what Mina comes up against next. 4 stars. show less

Talk about unfortunate, I feel really bad for the path Mina's life as to take. Her ancestors the Grimm Brothers were cursed about two-hundred years ago and wasn't able to break it, so now their future kin as the bad luck to carry on their mission of breaking the fairy tale curse. Mina's mother for years tried to prevent her from triggering the curse but Mina inadvertently triggered it on a class trip when she saved her crush Brody Carmichael's life. When Mina finds out about the curse she steps up to the plate, she accepts her fate with confidence and determinedness.This curse has made Mina it's bitch, she never knows what's real or just a part of the story she's currently in. Her life is either a fairy tale or some kind of huge farce. show more Every now and then she feels the urge to just run and I guess she can't be faulted for having those feelings with death staring her in the face on a daily basis.

One of the concepts I like about this story is the Fey/Fae lore. I've read a few books about Fae that uses a similar concept about these tricky creatures, the idea that they look deceptively beautiful and mesmerizing, can't lie, but can manipulate the truth, this depiction of the fae really makes them a more intriguing supernatural being. It adds an element of mystery to this story and makes me wonder if Mina can trust anyone from the fae world that claims to want to help her. For now I will say yes (about a specific someone), but only time will tell.

The entire concept of the story is very intriguing and with the way it ended I wouldn't be surprised if Mina either gives up and die or ends up and a complete mess. If she has to constantly go through this kind of emotional rollercoaster I don't know what it will do to her. It was such a evil thing for her to experience but also a really smart idea for a story. Very Very interesting retelling of Fairy Tales. show less

Don't get noticed. Don't be special.

Mina Grimes grew up believing she should never stand out in the crowd. Instead, she made sure she was as unremarkable as possible. It helps when you are the unluckiest girl in the world. Whether it was ripping her backpack, or being constantly late for school, Mina is always running into bad luck. Until the day she saves Brody from a fatal accident. Suddenly, Mina is in the spotlight for the first time. And she knows what this means. Her mother will pack up the family and move on to the next city. She's done it before and she will do it again. But Mina is done moving.

Taking a stand, Mina demands they stay. It's then her mother breaks down and tells her the reason behind their constant moves. Mina is show more in danger. She is the next family member to be caught by the Grimm curse. A curse that has plagued their family for generations and cause the death of Mina's father. If Mina is caught by the curse, she must survive every single Grimm fairytale that comes her way. Determined to beat the curse and prevent it from passing onto her younger brother, Mina accepts her fate and begins to face off against the fairy tales.

One of the minor mysteries in this novel involved Mina's younger brother. It was mentioned many times that he never spoke, yet the reason why was never revealed. It was frustrating to have the author make a big deal out of his unwillingness to talk, and never provide a resolution to it. In this way, it felt more like filler, or a convenient way out of creating dialogue for a character.

Mina's mother was also surprisingly immature. Her dialogue was childish and hurtful, with no regard to how it would affect her daughter. She never seemed to know the appropriate time to explain anything. Instead, she tried to cover up and avoid whatever she could, which only put Mina in danger. Having lost her husband, I can understand wanting to protect her daughter, but as a mother she was horrible.

Parts of this story moved forward too quickly as if the author didn't know how to write certain scenes and jumped ahead. Mina somehow figured out information on a character, without any prior knowledge of the legends surrounding them, or even really interacting with them. I could understand if she had studied the fairy tales, but this story is specifically about her lack of knowledge and how she struggles with each one. Development of the character and Mina's relationship with them was required in order for her to draw conclusions about them.

Mina was also too much of a damsel in distress. It was a promising start when she put on a brave front to save her brother from the fairy tales. But then she always ended up crying for help, because she never thought before doing anything. Half the situations she ended up in, could have been prevented if she was even the slightest bit cautious. Ok, she has bad luck, but apparently, she lacks any common sense too.

While I enjoyed the originality of the story, there were grammatical areas and plot development that needed help. There was so little interaction between Mina and the other characters. You rarely see her with her family, unless there is a crisis or some part of the curse that needed explaining. With all the build up on Mina getting teased and bullied in school, it's barely seen after chapter one. Even if a student is seen as the school hero, it doesn't completely change how everyone acts towards them.

Not a series I will be continuing. show less

It becomes so easy to envision our lives as a fairy tale as we peruse classic stories from childhood, yet what if life really was a fairy tale? And what if these fairy tales did not always have a happy ending? For Mina Grime, that is exactly what her life is like when she discovers her last name is not really Grime, but Grimm and she is descended from the same Grimm's of fairy tale legend. And what if the reality of death is not a natural thing, but rather a curse that has been placed on the family name? Shortly before Mina's sixteenth birthday, she discovers that the seemingly quiet life she led has been a lie carefully implemented by her mother to protect her from the fate of the Grimm curse. The curse began with the Grimm brothers show more and the fae, who decided that they must successfully live through and defeat over 200 fairy tales before the door between the fae world and Earth would close forever. No one has ever succeeded. Now the hope rests with Mina. She must succeed or die knowing the curse may very well pass to her younger brother.

Overall, I thought the plot of the book was intriguing and kept the story moving at a rapid pace. However, the characters were a little underdeveloped and the typical semi-love triangle bored me somewhat, leaving me not particularly caring who ended up with Mina. That being said, I am eager to see where Mina's story goes and have already picked up books two and three.

Genre: Fantasy
Positives: Quick moving and unique plot that kept the pages turning!
Negatives: Underdeveloped characters and a few grammatical errors
Rating: 4 out of 5 stars show less

Honestly, when I started reading this I really thought I wasn't going to like it. It started very slow and very generic for me but I was pleasantly surprised as I got further along. I found that I read through it faster than I thought I was. I figured I was about half way through and then boom.. finished! And I had a WTF moment. I want more!
I like that it made me think, it kept me guessing. When I thought it was going to go one way, it flipped and made me re-think my theory. All in all, it was pretty good. I'd like to continue Mina's story.