I was pretty excited when I saw this on my reading list for my English 1B class, because I totally judge books by their cover and a giant dragon on the cover led me to believe that it was going to a total kick ass story. But sadly, it wasn't as great as I expected. Sex was a big part of this novel, and normally I'd be okay with it but it was a bit much for me especially since most of it was amongst family members. I wanted to read more action, and when there was it was good, but then it was immediately by sex. It was definitely not what I expected out of a "required reading" book, but it wasn't completely dreadful, and there were some really good parts of the book but all the sex sort of took away from that in my opinion, so I'd give it a star. I don’t even know how to write a review for this book. I had a serious love/hate relationship with this book. I loved the main character, Alysha or better known as Allie to her friends and family. At least for me at this point, she was very relatable. Underemployed/unemployed, my age, snarky and a family love for baking. Similarly, all of the characters were awesome and I would want these to be my friends and the members of my family. On the flip side, there was little to no world building. When I read fantasy, one of the key expectations I have is world building. In some ways, urban fantasy might have it a little easier being established in the real world for at least some major part of the story, but explanations are still required. How do the fantasy elements blend (or not) with the urban elements? How does the author create the magic system and/or creatures of each world and the laws that govern them (or not)? I spent most of the book trying to figure out what drives the magic of the Gales and what rules governed the use of the magic. The whole thing with the incest and the boys just baffled me and frustrated me when I did try to understand it. There was so much about this book I wanted to like, but at the same time, I was so darn frustrated.
What do You think about The Enchantment Emporium (2009)?
Enjoyed it very much. These are characters different than most I've met before.
—Tom
Excellent, unusual, poetic fantasy, a wild ride of a book
—Erickalonzo
