Spelled by Betsy Schow

Publication: 2015

# of Pages: 352

Source: Books-A-Million

Favorite Quotes:

• "After a 100 year nap, I like to think myself as a bit of an expert on dreams. For starters, you never want to die in one. That would be bad luck.--Sleeping Beauty's Dream Dictionary."
• "If it looks too good to be true, it probably is--Gretel from Candy Kills: A True Story."
• "True love can overcome anything. Even fish breath--The Little Mermaid from Pea Soup for the Fairy-Tale Lover's Soul."

Goodreads Summary/Blurb: "Fairy Tale Survival Rule #32. If you find yourself at the mercy of a wicked witch, sing a romantic ballad and wait for your Prince Charming to save the day. Yeah, no thanks. Dorthea is completely princed out. Sure being the crown princess of Emerald has its perks--like Glenda Original ball gowns and Hans Christian Louboutin heels. But a forced marriage to the brooding prince Kato is so not what Dorthea had in mind for her enchanted future. Talk about unhappily ever after. Trying to fix her prince problem by wishing on a (cursed) star royally backfires, leaving the kingdom in chaos and her parents stuck in some place called 'Kansas.'" Now it's up to Dorthea and her pixed off prince to find the mysterious Wizard of Oz and undo the curse..before it releases the wickedest witch of all and spells The End for the world of Story. 

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My Review/Thoughts: 

Dorothy, the Scarecrow, Toto, the Tinman, and the Lion all sound familiar right? What about the Little Mermaid, Alice, and Beauty and the Beast? Imagine all these characters mashed together in one world created by an omnipresent figure known as the "Storymakers." You have just stepped into the pages of Spelled. No longer is this about Dorthy being stuck in Oz after being caught in a magical tornado in Kansas, but a story that focuses on a princess named Dorthea who makes a pretty dangerous wish upon a pretty dangerous star. 

Relatively skeptical about reading another Wizard of Oz re-telling, Betsy Schow proved me incredibly wrong with her ability to take a unique perspective on this classical tale. The reader is given the chance to see various characters from not only the Wizard of Oz, but other fairy tales as well. Even Schow's writing of dialogue is uniquely crafted. Traditional swear words are replaced with worlds like "spell" and "pixed." Instead of saying phrases like "oh my God" the characters say "oh my Grimm," clearly an ode to the infamous Grimm Brothers. Even the chapter headings are uniquely titled taking excerpts from imaginary books like Ruthless Ruling, Neverland Orphanage Handbook, and Definitive Fairy-Tale Survival Guide. 

Schow was completely able to build her characters into strong, able-minded individuals with a slight combination of romance in a very tactful manner. It is difficult to find a balance of adventure, growth, suspense and romance in young adult novels. The characters within the text were also challenged to find truth within themselves and others while attempting to save their respective kingdoms. With that being said, if you are looking for an interesting perspective of not only the Wizard of Oz, but also other fairy tale characters be sure to check out this book. And with a cliff hanger written within those last few pages there is sure to be another book in the making. 

Rating: 4.5/5