Magic in a far off land

Shaelyn Hart


Land of Stories: The Enchantress Returns
By: Chris Colfer


Have you ever wished you could travel to a different or better world? Well the Alex and


Connor, the main characters in The Enchantress Returns could do that. The Land of Stories series by Chris Colfer is a spin-off of the Brothers Grimm original fairy tale stories. In this series, twins named Alex and Connor are able to travel from the real world into the fairy tale world full of stories that the brothers Grimm wrote. this world was called the Land of stories. They have a special family connection to that world, their grandmother is the fairy godmother which makes Alex a princess and Connor a prince. I read the second book in this series, called The Enchantress Returns. This book is about another one of Alex and Connors travels through the different worlds. It includes characters such as Cinderella, sleeping beauty, red riding hood, snow white, sleeping beauty’s evil enchantress, etc. The main characters throughout these books are Jack and the Beanstalk, Goldilocks, red riding hood, mother goose, and the prince/the frog. These characters are the ones who are close to Alex and Connor and help them save the Land of Stories. In this book, The enchantress-who cursed sleeping beauty- has come out of hiding and wants revenge. "'The Enchantress'. Sleeping beauty whispered. 'She's back.'" She kidnaps Alex and Connors mom, drawing them back into the Land of Stories. When they get there they find out that The Enchantress has built a wall of thorns around sleeping beauty’s kingdom and has kidnapped their grandmother as well. The only thing that can stop her is an important wand. Jack and the Beanstalk, Goldilocks, red riding hood, mother goose, prince/the frog, Alex, and Connor set off with their friends to find the pieces of this wand, but there is a catch, the pieces are with the villains of these stories. They have to face the seven most hated people in the land of stories, and the enchantress herself in a final face-off.


I personally like this book because I love fiction, and this is pure fiction. It was a definite
page-turner. (It also helps that the author is a character in one of my favorite TV shows). Growing up I always loved those fairy tales like Cinderella or snow white. This book takes those stories and makes them more mature and modern. These stories, in my opinion, are more interesting because they aren’t your original Disney classics. Another thing I like is how the author takes all of the different fairy tales and overlaps them so that they are connected in some type of way. For example, Jack and the beanstalk and goldilocks fall in love, as well as little red riding hood and the prince/the frog. Also, this book conveys many important messages; “Jealousy is just a reminder of the frustrations you have with yourself.” and “Forgiveness is what we all need to forget the past, even if we...”. These life lessons add another aspect to the books. This book was very fast pace and it helped to have these positive messages.

I recommend this book to people who love fast-paced books, that leave you wanting more. It is definitely directed towards people who like fiction and fairy tales. If you have a big imagination then this book is for you.