Disenchanted

By: Brianna Sugalski

Narrated by: Krys Janae

A Breton princess at the peak of the French Renaissance, Lilac lives prisoner in her parents' castle after a wicked secret is revealed on the eve of her 10th birthday soirée. Years later, her coronation ceremony looms, and between the riotous townsfolk and scheming nobleman bent on snatching the throne, Lilac prepares for the worst...until a mysterious letter arrives from The Witch of Lupine Grotto, detailing a curious offer to cure her darkness forever.

Lilac begrudgingly trades her coronet for a cloak and ventures into the forest Brocéliande in pursuit of the impious enchantress at the edge of town. With only the protection of an inherited dagger - and unsolicited help of the gregarious stranger who inserts himself on her quest - she must traverse Brocèliande and return in time to claim her rightful position as sovereign monarch.

This is the story of a cursed princess, a crestfallen killer, the town that wants them to burn, and the witch that can save them both.

©2020 Machovi Productions Inc. (P)2021 Machovi Productions Inc.

Interesting

An interesting journey to accepting oneself and to strive for greatness.
Lilac has a lesson to learn. Well several if we are honest. She is a bit of a push over even at the end she had to be saved. She showed hints of her backbone only to wait for her hero or fate to save the day.
The storyline was predictable but fun. I figured out who the witch was fairly early and it was rewarding to see I had guessed correctly.
Garin was comic relief and our poor tortured hero. He was interesting and I shipped them as a couple. He made her better and stronger. She gave him hope and a second chance at love.
I am interested in seeing how the story will progress since several things at the end hint at a sequel.

Enchanting

This was the perfect way to reread Brianna's enchanting Disenchanted. Excellent narration of a favourite.

took me out of a slump! great book!

I received this book as a review copy in exchange for an honest review! :)

I've been wanting to read this book for a while now, and I was not disappointed!
I've been in a HUGE reading slump for a while, but this book got me out of it!
The fact that I listened to the audiobook definitely helped too, but the book itself did the trick because it was absolutely amazing!
The world is amazing, I loved the atmosphere, the characters and the story.
The premise was so interesting and gripping, I just had to know what's going to happen and the writing is beautiful!
I'm not a big fan of books about vampires and I didn't know going into this that there would be any involved, but I absolutely adored it!

Whisks you away on an epic adventure!

Disenchanted by Brianna Sugalski was riveting and I enjoyed losing myself in the Brocéliande forest with a witty vampire and a princess who can understand the fae folk. Lilac spends her whole life being feared, and dare I say hated, by the townsfolk and nobles she is meant to rule over which makes her see a truly magnificent gift as a curse. Thus, she travels through the dangerous woods searching for The Witch of Lupine Grotto who can supposedly remove her curse and meets the wildest creatures along the way!!

Brianna Sugalski tells an extremely heart wrenching story set in the French Renaissance where human beings are extremely hateful towards the fae folk and even go so far as to exterminate them under the radar. I spent most of the novel trying to get my emotions in check especially because I struggled with Lilac's character. However, it was extremely rewarding for me as a reader as I attempted to put myself in her shoes.

I've never read about a main character that no matter how hard I tried to like them, I just couldn't. Lilac and I just couldn't connect with each other. This is not to say that I didn't enjoy the book, I LOVED this story, but Lilac got under my skin after every turn of the page.

I mean she understands the fae language and can communicate with shapeshifters in their animal form and creates bonds with them immediately which is why it was hard for me to believe she was so brainwashed to believe that all Fae are inherently evil to not even question that beheading the Wolf shifter who stole food from the palace to feed her babies was wrong. I sort of drew the line. I get she was told stories that the fae folk are evil but that bond she has with them should have made her go all Moana and break out into song that Brocéliande calls to her to protect the fae folk. But then when she bumps into her betrothed even after he tries to rape her, she's still fearful of Garrin regardless of her undeniable attraction to him. I found myself not really able to believe in her up until the very end.

But ultimately Brianna Sugalski portrayed prejudice, ignorance, and racism with extreme care and clarity so that we can recognize it, get angry by it, and hope that Brocéliande (and really our own world) can be better and change for the better.

Krys Janae knocked this performance out of the park!! The sound effects, the accents she puts on, all of it made the story burst to life and it really made the book even more enjoyable to read.

This book gets 4 brilliant sparkly stars from me, dear reader! I cannot wait to read the second book.

If you loved J.R.R. Tolkien's The Lord of the Rings, Kaylynn Flander's Shielded, and Katherine Arden's The Bear in the Nightingale, then Disenchanted is the next love of your life, and I highly suggested grabbing the audiobook to whisk you away to a magical forest where things most definitely go bump in the night.

New version of P&P using issues that face us today

This is an entertaining retell of a classic using problems faced in today’s society. I love that the serious issue of OCD is discussed in this charming book.

Interesting

The story was interesting, but the narrator was great! Easy to follow along with the narrator, Krys Janae. The variety of voices and inflections she used were great!

Unique and fresh with flawless narration

Favourite Quote: The world is full of reasonable monsters and dastardly humans and vica versa...... leave the blood and chaos to me.....

Disenchanted is a fresh and unique fantasy romance positioned in the real life historical context of the French Renaissance. A mysterious wood filled with a plethora of magical creatures termed 'Darklings' keep us on our toes and offers a fresh surprise each new chapter. Magical powers, sardonic humour, sadness, joy, narrow-minded judgments, self-doubt, wickedness, guilt and redemption are all narrated by Krys Janae with outstanding mastery of each character and their moods. The listener is swept up in the moment and into the light and shade of their experiences and adventures, and there is a satisfying number of delicious and unexpected twists and turns in Lilac and Garin's journey. The unresolved political tension between the two societies laid some interesting storyline possibilities to look forward to in subsequent books in the series.

Some small issues: In earlier sections of the book I got lost at times and I would have liked the timeframes more effectively signposted or better still, included in total in a prologue or prequel section rather than interchanging with the present only in the first 1/4. In addition I would have liked Lilac more convincingly presented as a likeable and consistently strong character with steady development in assertiveness and self-determination. There was a little too much 'naive spoilt brat' for my liking. I look forward to seeing her continued development as a queen, lover and woman in the coming sequel. The hints we get of that backbone behind the flaky exterior are exciting.

A Masterpiece

“ What is different is not necessarily dark, and even then, darkness does not equate equate to wickedness. Even then I’d rather be perceived as wicked than weak, any day.”
Brianna Sugalski, Disenchanted Ch 25

All of the stars for Disenchanted! Lets just give Sugalski a whole galaxy as she created a magical world that I find so magical as well as comforting. This book feels like a friend that I can always come back to when I am feeling sad or just in need of a hug! This feeling was only enhanced by the narration of the audiobook performed by Krys Janae. Janae deserves her galaxy as well as she brought Brocéliande to life; it was the perfect way to reread one of my favorite books.

Disenchanted by Brianna Sugalski is an enchanting tale that I fell in love with from the start! The story Sugalski tells us is about a young princess, Lilac Trécesson, who has the ability to speak the language of the Darklings that live in her kingdom; a curse to her parents, a threat to her kingdom, but a saving grace to Darklings who seek equality. Nonetheless with her coronation being less than a week away she is desperate to rid herself of the wickedness that is inside her. When she receives a note from a witch promising to help her she takes her chances with the enchanted forest of Brocéliande all in the hopes that she can become the queen everyone wishes her to be. TW attempted rape.

What I enjoyed the most about Disenchanted were the characters. Lilac our protagonist is a young woman who is brave, smart, compassionate and loves her baked goods. I found myself laughing and crying along with her as she made her way through the forest. Through her journey we see her grow and develop, but she stays true to herself. As she and the reader learn more about the magic that she was kept from she learns what she has to do to take control and own her crown!

“Lilac was princess, not a flower. Just because she donned tiaras and gowns didn’t mean she was delicate, or incapable of slitting a Darklings throat.”
-Chapter 1

And then there’s Garin oh sweet Garin. The swoon worthy vampire who thinks he’s all that, but he’ll soon prove that he is all that with a big heart as well. His wit and chemistry with Lilac; their banter are some of the best scenes.

“ ‘Garin.’ Lilac gasped and spun toward the familiar voice that floated from the trees behind them….Smirking wildly, the vampire emerged from the shadows. ‘But you knew that.’ He winked at her, his mouth stained the color of cherries.”
-Chapter 6

I also want to compliment the world that Sugalski created which she has filled with so many magical creatures. There was a balance between new and familiar creatures; vampires and witches are well known to fantasy, but then there were Will-O-Wisps, korrigans from Breton folklore. All of the creatures made for a fun read as you didn’t know what to expect next.

Finally when it comes to the narration: it was beautiful! There are accents, singing and echo effects that blew my mind as Krys Janae narrated Disenchanted. I got goosebumps when it came to how the Darkling language was brought to life! When I read it I was on edge, when I listened I was in awe! Then as I read on I was transported inside the Fenfoss Tavern listening to a korrigan sing. The further I went on with this audiobook I laughed along as Janae added so much to Lilac, there is so much personality to added through the tone that Janae takes.

So if you like fantasy books about sassy princesses and witty vampires that ring close to the movie Tangled, Ella Enchanted, and The Princess Bride: LISTEN/READ THIS MASTERPIECE.


I received this audiobook as part of my participation in a blog tour with Audiobookworm Promotions. The tour is being sponsored by Brianna Sugalski. The gifting of this audiobook did not affect my opinion of it.

Excellent Story

I was not familiar with this author but I’m so glad I gave this author a try. This book is outstanding! It had everything I want in a book. The world building was good. The characters were well developed and the story moved at a great pace with several twists and turns to keep everyone guessing what will happen next.

Narration was outstanding as well! The story came to life and it was hard to put it down.

Here you will find adventure, mystery, suspense, humor, romance, and lots of magical creatures. It will keep you in the edge of your seat. This is a fairytale meets paranormal romance.

I’m hoping there will be a sequel because there were some details I would like to see ironed out. Truly loved it and can’t wait to read another book by this talented author & narration team.

Awesome

Both the narrator and author did an amazing job. It really captured my attention.
It shows that just because you were born different you can be accepted and not to change because someone else wants it.