Stolen Enchantress: Beauty and the Beast meets The Pied Piper

Forbidden Forest

By: Amber Argyle

Narrated by: Lynn Bradford

A beast. An enchantress. An unbreakable curse....

Deep within the sentient woods, Larkin uncovers a secret that puts her in dreadful danger. Worse, now that the beast has had his taste, he’ll never stop hunting her. But the forest has woken something inside Larkin; something that gives her the power to fight back.

Magic.

Using forbidden magic will get Larkin hanged. Not using it will leave her at the mercy of the beast's enchantment. But there’s a third option; one that scares her more than anything.

She could fall in love with the beast.

Fans of A Curse so Dark and Lonely and A Court of Thorns and Roses will be spellbound by the fairytale re-telling of Beauty and the Beast and The Pied Piper in Stolen Enchantress. Buy now to find out why listeners around the world are getting lost in the Forbidden Forest!

“Moody, whimsical, and enchanting.” (Emily R. King, author of The Hundredth Queen Series)

Other Titles by Amber Argyle:

Forbidden Forest Series:

1. Lady of Shadows
2. Stolen Enchantress
3. Piper Prince
4. Wraith King
5. Curse Queen

Fairy Queens Saga:

1. Of Ice and Snow
2. Winter Queen
3. Of Fire and Ash
4. Summer Queen
5. Of Sand and Storm
6. Daughter of Winter
7. Winter’s Heir

Witch Song Series:

1. Witch Song
2. Witch Born
3. Witch Rising
4. Witch Fall

©2018 Amber Argyle (P)2020 Amber Argyle Smith

The entire plot

This was a fast paced story with lots of action and excitement. It literary barely has any down time with a beautiful love story giving it heart.

Fantastic New Direction on Classic Fantasy Tales!

The Review

A powerful, enchanting combination of engaging and entertaining writing with clear, concise, and magical narration, the audiobook of Stolen Enchantress is a welcome delight. The reader is instantly transported into a world that feels part Brothers Grimm, part Mortal Instruments with a mature and dark Disney spin.

Larkin is a strong and memorable protagonist, who showcases her courage and heart from the book's early pages as she ventures into the dark forest in search of her sister. A multi-layered world and danger present itself as not only are fans treated to the amazing twist on the Pied Piper story that places him in the role of the Beast but the twists and turns the story take to create a complex and memorable mythos that fans of the series like A Court of Thorns and Roses will find themselves falling deeper and deeper into. While there are some serious topics utilized in the story (abuse being one of them), the author does a good job of layering these topics naturally into the more fantastical aspects of this world.

The Verdict

A must-read and must-listen audiobook, author Amber Argyle’s “Stolen Enchantress” is a memorable and fun YA Fantasy read. With a great balance of emotional storytelling, engaging mythology building, and amazing character relationships both good and bad, fans will not be able to stop listening to this amazing tale. Be sure to grab your copy of this audiobook today!

Unique Fairytale Retelling Smash-up Series Start

**4.5 Stars**
Larkin was supposed to be watching her little sister when she realizes that her sister wandered into the Forbidden Forest, the place nobody ever returns from. Understanding that she will not get help from the superstitious town, she plunges into the forest to try and find her sister, irrevocably changing her life in ways nobody could have predicted.

We start the book with Larkin secretly in love with her friend Bane, who seems like an ok guy (I guessed a secret about him from the start but overall he was not a bad guy per se) but once we meet Denan, the guy who basically kidnapped her, I was in love. No, Larkin was not a victim of Stockholm syndrome, she wanted nothing to do with Denan and still loved her friend (much to my chagrin, I seriously wanted to shake this girl at some points- her bad choices moved the book from 5 stars to 4.5 since I was so mad at her). But I still loved Denan. He gave Larkin a choice and options, respected her views and wants regardless of them being conflicting with his own and was overall a really decent person. Keep in mind that this is not a romance story (there is a teeny tiny smidge but not a ton), but I adored watching the two of them develop a relationship through many adversities.

I purchased this forever ago as an ebook when it first came out (I mean seriously, Beauty and the Beast meets The Pied Piper? Yes please!) because I was super excited to read it but never got a chance. When I saw it was an audio, I jumped at the chance to listen to the story. The narrator was perfect at bringing Larkin to life, giving her personality and spunk and having a clear precise diction, as well as doing a great job creating distinct voices for the other characters. I would love for the rest of the series to be on audio and be narrated by this same voice. Keep in mind I listened at 1.75x speed which was just about perfect.

I really enjoyed this read and can't wait to continue the series. While this did not end on a cliffhanger, I have so many questions and concerns about what will happen and the overall fate of Larkin and Denan. I highly recommend this for anyone who loves fairytales and retellings full of action, magic and surprises.

cant wait for audible to do the other books

idk about beauty and the beast but this is def an amazing retelling of the pied piper. cant day there weren't moments i was frustrated as hell at Larkin but this stort was truly beautiful

Loved the story, naration could have been better

I really loved the story! The story starts off fast and keeps that pace, felt like some things could have been more detailed - like relationships between main characters and the support characters, but overall I realize that would be a loooong book. The only issue I had with narration, which was good, was that all her male characters sounded alike, and all her female characters sounded alike. Really wish there was more diversity, but the other parts (when there is no character talking) were very good! Also, felt that the names (at least when listening to the book) were a bit similar or difficult. Did not love the name Larkin, but that is just me ahah. Seems like a male name. Overall, loved the book! :D

magical retelling

Larkin was foraging near the woods when her little sister disappears. Desperate to find her, Larkin goes into the Forbidden Forest knowing there is a chance she won't make it back out. Every year girls go missing. Either they are called into the forest or they are given up as an offering. Either way, they are never heard from again. There are beasts in the forest and its filled with magic, a stirring that drives men mad. Larkin found her sister and escaped the forest but now she has to pay the Piper. 

I really did enjoy the Pied Piper retelling part. There were several key groups of characters. Pipers- boys from Alamant that train to be able to walk through the forest. The pipers have magic that they use through the melody in their instrument. The boys have to work around a curse to gain and give information.

There were several key groups of characters. The Village of Hamel is very superstitious. They know there are beasts in the forest and have made a pack with the Druids to stay as safe as possible.
Bane is a Lord's son from Hamel that is trying to be a good leader. He knows he will one day run the town and takes this responsibility seriously. When Larkin, a childhood friend, is in need of help to escape the curse of the forest he tries to come to her rescue several times.

The narrator Lynn Bradford sang along with a whimsical character and gave so much expressive commentary to the cast of characters. I love listening to audiobooks, especially while I'm busy doing something else. I started this book on the way to Ohio so I had a 9 hour uninterrupted drive time to just absorb the story. There wasn't any additional sounds or music to the audiobook, just narration. Even so Lynn did a great job adding magic to the story.

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

Lynn Bradford is Pitch Perfect - Literally!

This book is a fascinating story and a very compelling mashup of Beauty and the Beast and The Pied Piper tales. The story is brooding and majestic, all at once. This is my first exposure to author Amber Argyle, and I'm incredibly impressed with her writing. Definitely recommend this book. The star of this audiobook has to be Lynn Bradford's performance. Every choice she made in her narration was brilliant and only added to the story. This is a very long book, but dedicated listeners will find themselves rewarded with a delicious cherry on the top of an exceptional story. Towards the end, there is a hauntingly beautiful tune sung by the narrator. WOW! Ms. Bradford can SING! Do yourselves a favor, and don't miss it!

Creative, Mysterious, unexpected twists

I loved the world and the tale she spun. She's definitely an adept romance writer, able to make one's heart pound without going all the way through a bedroom scene if you know what I mean. (much appreciated) I only give 4 stars instead of 5 because I didn't love the main character. Her personality grated on my nerves.
A great read, definitely worth it.

A fabulous spin on known folk/fairy tales!

Great read, and spun in such a different way... very entertaining!
A richly described world similar to Feyre's in the beginning of ACOTAR.
A heroine with misplaced loyalty, a stubborn streak a mile wide, & dormant magic not seen in centuries. An incident with her baby sister & her subsequent "escape" from the Forbidden Forest puts into motion a series of events that changes her forever... and sets her up to meet the beast of the forest.
A young man destined to be her soul mate... but first be her kidnapper by drawing her by playing his pipes...it did go with the Pied Piper scenerio. He lets her go of her own volition, then saves, and lets her go, multiple times to go home. He doesn't force her to do anything, just wants her to live in his homeland with him. I've watched way too many crime shows for my imagination to not go... um, hold up! But in the end, the story captivated me enough to roll with it... I'm here for the story!
So, a curse, magical creatures, monsters, & pipers... then blend in an unconditional love that makes your heart ache a little. What comes of all this? Thrown into a large literary stock pot & blended up, I discovered a simmering start that turns into a nice rolling boil of action, and ends with enough wrapped up that you don't sling your reading device across the room into a wall! It did leave me wanting more, but there ARE more books & I found this a great start to the series!
After reading this the first time, I joined Argyle's mailing list, and was fortunate enough to recieve an audiobook copy from the author through there for my honest review, which did not influence my opinion... I already enjoyed the book immensely!

Audiobook style: I felt like Lynn Bradford did a good job with emotion, voice changes, and accents.