A Stunning Book Set in a Fantastical World Inspired by Filipino Mythology
A stunning beginning to "The Encanto's Daughter" duology that features a fantastical world inspired by Filipino mythology.
I absolutely adore "The Encanto's Daughter." In many ways, it reminds me of "The Scarlet Alchemist" by Kylie Lee Baker, which is one of my favorite books. The story follows MJ Rodriguez who has lived the first seventeen years of her life as a "normal" girl despite the fact that she is half-encanto. Her father, King Vivencio of Biringan, had her hidden away as a young girl to protect her from the dangers present to a half-human princess in a magical world. But when he dies under mysterious circumstances, it is up to MJ to take the throne. Upon her arrival she begins to uncover strange events leading up to her father's death. It is up to MJ and her two best friends to find out what is going on before it is too late to save the kingdom.
De la Cruz really enraptured me with this one from the very first page. I was interested to learn about the mythical creatures and the magic system featured in her world. I love the parallel fairy realms that exist in tandem. It was fun to see MJ come into her role as princess due to the fact that she is often treated like an outsider. It made it easy to follow because we are learning things as MJ learns things, which also makes her more relatable as a protagonist.
I ate up the romance in this one. From the first moment I encountered Lucas, I loved his character. Yes, he does have to deal with the jerk, Amador, but it's not his fault that they are both part of the Sigbin Court. The initial events that sparked their romance was so comical, yet super hot, and I wouldn't have had it any other way. I could see some people thinking that their relationship came on rather quickly, but I dig it.
The intrigue and mystery in this one is spot on. The tense court affairs and political turmoil mixed in with secret assassins and creeping deadlines makes "The Encanto's Daughter" a perfectly suspenseful read. I couldn't turn the pages fast enough; I always wanted to know what happened next! The mystery elements were successfully resolved and I found the ending satisfying.
Speaking of the ending, it has me shaking! I honestly felt that this was coming after Amador's cryptic message, but it has me so frustrated and distraught! This ending was such a good cliffhanger and now I'm dying to read the next one (which is rough, because this book doesn't even come out for months!). I love when an author can mess with your heartstrings like this, but still.
Overall, I found "The Encanto's Daughter" to be a wonderful book that pulled me right out of my reading slump. I love the world, the characters, the complex politics, the magic system. . . everything! This was my first book by de la Cruz, but I will most definitely be checking out more of her stuff as a wait for the sequel for this one. I'd totally recommend this one to those who love high fantasy with a heavy romance subplot. I'd double recommend this one if you are in love with Asian fantasy like me!
I absolutely adore "The Encanto's Daughter." In many ways, it reminds me of "The Scarlet Alchemist" by Kylie Lee Baker, which is one of my favorite books. The story follows MJ Rodriguez who has lived the first seventeen years of her life as a "normal" girl despite the fact that she is half-encanto. Her father, King Vivencio of Biringan, had her hidden away as a young girl to protect her from the dangers present to a half-human princess in a magical world. But when he dies under mysterious circumstances, it is up to MJ to take the throne. Upon her arrival she begins to uncover strange events leading up to her father's death. It is up to MJ and her two best friends to find out what is going on before it is too late to save the kingdom.
De la Cruz really enraptured me with this one from the very first page. I was interested to learn about the mythical creatures and the magic system featured in her world. I love the parallel fairy realms that exist in tandem. It was fun to see MJ come into her role as princess due to the fact that she is often treated like an outsider. It made it easy to follow because we are learning things as MJ learns things, which also makes her more relatable as a protagonist.
I ate up the romance in this one. From the first moment I encountered Lucas, I loved his character. Yes, he does have to deal with the jerk, Amador, but it's not his fault that they are both part of the Sigbin Court. The initial events that sparked their romance was so comical, yet super hot, and I wouldn't have had it any other way. I could see some people thinking that their relationship came on rather quickly, but I dig it.
The intrigue and mystery in this one is spot on. The tense court affairs and political turmoil mixed in with secret assassins and creeping deadlines makes "The Encanto's Daughter" a perfectly suspenseful read. I couldn't turn the pages fast enough; I always wanted to know what happened next! The mystery elements were successfully resolved and I found the ending satisfying.
Speaking of the ending, it has me shaking! I honestly felt that this was coming after Amador's cryptic message, but it has me so frustrated and distraught! This ending was such a good cliffhanger and now I'm dying to read the next one (which is rough, because this book doesn't even come out for months!). I love when an author can mess with your heartstrings like this, but still.
Overall, I found "The Encanto's Daughter" to be a wonderful book that pulled me right out of my reading slump. I love the world, the characters, the complex politics, the magic system. . . everything! This was my first book by de la Cruz, but I will most definitely be checking out more of her stuff as a wait for the sequel for this one. I'd totally recommend this one to those who love high fantasy with a heavy romance subplot. I'd double recommend this one if you are in love with Asian fantasy like me!