Summary: Orphaned at age five, Lucinda, now fifteen, stands with courage against the man who took everything from her, aided by a thief, a clever goat, and a mysterious woman called the Witch of Amaranth, while the prince she knew as a child prepares to marry, unaware that he, too, is in danger.
Bloomsbury
Eva Perry Mock-Newbery Club 
Fantastic!! This author has written a book with a classic fairy tale feel, added in all sorts of twists and turns and even through in some sci-fi. The characters were very good adn the plot was fun. A big plus.
This book is the best book I have read this year and a clear frontrunner for my Mock Newbery vote thus far. Although we should not compare this years books to previous years this book, in my opinion, is comparable to the best books of the fantasy/science fiction genre written in the past two decades. One of the reasons that I enjoyed this book was that it combined fantasy elements (evil stepmother, dashing prince, middle ages town…) with what I found to be a sci-fi plot (different dimensions, other intelligent life…) this created what I found to be a very original and exiting plot with various subplots that serve to develop all of the characters.
I liked this book. It had nice writing and interesting twists. The characters, or most of them anyway, were engaging and well developed. I especially enjoyed Beryl, Dog, and Peter.
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But, I don’t really think it was original. It ended the way all fairy tales do, and had the same basic ideas as a usual one. There were bits and pieces that made it stand out, but I personally don’t believe they were enough.
I really liked this book. It’s adventurous and is fantasy themed, which is always cool with me. The Amaranth Enchantment is suspenseful and actionpacked, with a satisfying ending and believable characters. READ IT!
It’s almost as good as the Percy Jackson series!
I think this is a great book but not exactly Newbery worthy. It had much drama, some humor, and a touch of romance, like most fairy tales. It is worth reading, though.
I absolutly love it! It gives a classic fairy tale an amazing twist-around. I love Dog the Goat!
This may not have been the best book I’ve read in the Mock Newbery Club this year, but I still really liked it. It could definitely be Newbery quality. I especially liked how it was basically a classic fairy tale set in the middle ages, but the author added various twists and turns to make it completely unique. The sci-fi element helped the book be more original, and overall really fun to read.
I thought this book was good, but not a Newbery winner. It had drama, suspension, and just a bit of romance. I loved the bond between the characters! Especially Beryl and Lucinda! I thought the author was really creative by naming a goat, Dog!
this is my favorite book so far. it was funny, mysterious, and it kept you reading until the end.
This book was enjoyable and unique not quite Newbery in my opinion. Still a good book though.
This book is very well-written, especially since it’s the author’s first novel. It has more thrill and creativity than your average fairy tale, and I really enjoyed it.
I really enjoyed this book, but it’s not anywhere close to being one of my favorites. I understood what the character was thinking, and the plot was very original. However, I did not find either significantly better then many other books that were hastily discarded. The writing style was not distinctive, and I don’t expect to remember the story for years to come.
An angaging plot with good characters and character development.
This book has a very unique plot. The characters were very well developed. I haven’t seen a style of writing like this in a while.
Good style, very nice surprise ending. Not very good villains.
This book is not your typical fairy tale. It is a sort of parody and is very funny while staying distinguished.
The characters were believable and original.
This book was not very original at the beginning with the abused girl living poorly and evil stepmom. But during the middle the plot really sharpened up and moved quickly into a more original book that really caught my attention.
This book was written as the classic fairy tale, but with the description of Newbery worth. It gives reasons for the stuff they don’t have in a regular story tale, for example the reason of the evil aunt’s anger.
I did ENJOY this book very much. The beginning as others noted was not very original, but the characters later on have much more depth than the usual fairy tale, and I loved the sort of sci-fi twist at the end. If someone was asking for a good re-written fairy tale, this would be on my list!
HOWEVER, since Newberry is more suppost do be given to books with exceptional writing over plot, this has been edged out of my list. While the plot was above average, the writing was a little flat at times, and not much better than other books I read this year and immediately left off my list.
So for Newberry– Definitely No
For an enjoyable read– YES! YES!
Fantasy, historical setting, damsel in distress (sort of), a prince, and a lovable goat named Dog. What more could one want in a book?
It’s not completely cliche, though, because the damsel happens to be extremely strong. She doesn’t depend on the prince, and can take care of herself to quite an extent.
Apart from the fairy-tale like romantic component, there’s also the magical. Which is quite unique, and separate from the kind of magic depicted in other stories.
All in all, a joyous read.