The Land of Stories Book 2: The Enchantress Returns by Chris Colfer

Reviewed by Grace

An enchantress is in front of you. She points her finger at your chest, and you launch thousands of feet into the air. That’s when the world goes black. 

In Chris Colfer’s book The Land of Stories: The Enchantress Returns, Alex and Conner are faced with a bigger challenge than before. They are two middle school kids, who happen to live in a family where storytelling is one of the most important things in their household. They recently discovered that their grandmother's storybook is actually the portal to another dimension, the fairy tale world. In the second book, The Enchantress Returns, they are faced with a greater challenge than ever. Ezmia, the former Enchantress who cursed Sleeping Beauty to die when she pricked her finger on a spinning wheel, is back. She is causing havoc around the entire world, and is destroying it into pieces. All seems lost, but one day, when Conner’s searching the Red Riding Hood Castle library, he finds a book of enchantments. The Wand of Wonderment greets his eye. The wand is made by collecting the most prized possession of the most hated people in the fairy tale world. However, Ezmia is one of them. Will the group of Red Riding Hood, Jack, Goldilocks, Froggie, Conner, and Alex be able to gather the wand before it’s too late, or will they die trying?

One of the reasons that this book is so special is that it is really unpredictable. For example, I would have never guessed that Ezmia’s most prized possession is what it is. The book left me in a trail of mystery and dust every time I finished reading a chapter. I just kept on wanting to read more and more!

Another reason that this book grabs you is that the characters all have their own charm that makes them unique. For example, Red’s sassy attitude will not compare to anyone else's, as well as Conner’s lame jokes, Jack’s determination to be with the one he loves, and Froggy’s shy, yet brave personality that has helped them dig out of many holes. 

I would suggest this book to anyone who loves adventure, mystery, and fantasy, and I would rank this book a 10/10. It is one of the best books that I have read and will grab you in right away. However, I would suggest reading the first book in the series, The Wishing Spell, first. There are six books in total, all part of the series, The Land of Stories. There are also two extra bonus books, Queen Red Riding Hood’s Guide to Royalty, and Mother Goose Diaries. Chris Colfer even wrote a whole Treasury of Classic Fairy Tales that would be helpful if you are not yet familiar with them. Wait, what are you still doing on this boring review? Why not go to your local library or bookstore to check it out yourself?

Little Brown, 517 pages