Enchanted is the first book in a trilogy. A definite page turner. I was engrossed on page 1, with a great plot and characters. Mara learns she is a chosen one enchanter, she winds up running away with Theo her protector. They are on the run because people want her dead. Everything in her life changes quickly as she is learning of her powers. What an ending, I can't wait for the next books. I voluntarily read and reviewed an Advanced Reader Copy of this book from Netgalley.

As a great fan of anything magic-related in books, I had been immediately interested in the novel's entire concept. Ancient Wiccan powers, a great war, a whole, new magical world. I was even drawn in a little guiltily for the great trope of the protector and his charge, because who doesn't love that die-hard (literally) faithfulness? Unfortunately, the world building fell too flat for me, but then again I might have to give the world building another chance because there is only so much to be done while stuck inside an institute for an entire novel, but I would have loved to see more of the magic. Magic, and the struggle. Everything ran a little too smoothly (except the last page, which I enjoyed immensely, but I won't talk about because of the spoiler alert). Mara's status as one of the Chosen Ones seemed to make her too perfect, catching onto magic and other things far too quickly. The pacing of the story is what could have really turned everything around for me, instead of rushing to Love and Skill Level 5000. I also think that slowing down the narrative would have allowed all of the characters to have time to flesh out a little more, but I do maintain my love for Adelaide. Granted, if you're in the mood for a slow-burn that is quickly rewarding and a hint of magic to add to the drama, this would definitely make for a good read.

The day of Mara's high school graduation she begins to see strange things including a handsome young man who disapears before her eyes. She quickly is torn from her normal life and goes on the run to protect herself from a society of people trying to destroy her. She meets Theodore who is tasked with protecting her and informs her that she is a enchanter (or witch). They flee to a safe house where she is taught about her magical history and how to use her powers. This was an interesting fast paced read. I enjoyed the book, I think because this book is setting up for the series I didn't connect to the story as much as I would have liked. It leaves off in a way that makes me really excited to see where the other books will go.

Mara Pryce never imagined that her life was anything but normal and then a strange gray-eyed young man appears at her graduation. When he vanishes without a trace, she’s convinced he’s a pigment of her imagination. Then he appears again and shatters her whole world.When I started reading I couldn't put it down I read the book is one day.Micalea is magnifysent writer.I cannot wait to read more of her books.Keep up the great work.

Things had been feeling off for Mara for a while, her dreams and unease as she approached graduation keep her looking over her shoulder constantly, but she never could have prepared for the night that changed everything. She finds herself on the run with a handsome guy named Theodore, filled with questions and fear as she leaves everything she's known behind her. Her old life is gone, in its place is a locked-down safe house, an over-protective jerk for a protector, and a sea of lessons to learn about the magic she never knew she possessed.

"Something big was happening. Something I believed none of us were prepared for."

Mara is a likable and naive teenager, her previous life cushioned by good friends, an amazing father, and a fairly normal high school experience. She's the perfect YA cliche, a sweet girl who happens to be an Enchanter and one of the Chosen Ones meant to save all those who are good and against The Iniquitous. I'd tell you more, but that's about all the book gives you to work with. Theodore is your good guy in a bad boy's body. He's handsome, he's brooding, he's a massive jerk, and he's all about protecting Mara from...well...everything. He takes his job as a Protector a little too seriously for me. They, of course, find one another so attractive. Then there's Theo's little sister Adelaide, Mara's new bestie and Winston, resident cute guy with an English accent. Queue the drama. On top of all this, there's a war building up outside the protective doors and it all leads back to Mara.

"I still felt like plain old Mara. Not an enchanter. and certanily not chosen."

I wanted to love Enchant. Everything about this book, prior to reading it, called out to me. The gorgeous cover, the intriguing blurb, and of course, the promise of witches, romance, and drama. I love YA Fantasy novels, I rarely read any Adult Fantasy so I really expected this to be right up my alley. Micalea Smeltzer came with fairly high recommendations from my friends and I figured, what better book to start with than Enchant? Unfortunately, it just really missed the mark for me. I felt like I was reading a young adult book written by an actual young adult, not a book written for YA by a well-known, several times published author. Each scene reads like it happens in seconds, 4 months gone in a blink of an eye, and the break between paragraphs seems to be done by a dull chopping knife.

"Was it possible that my touch affected him the way his did me?"

It's hard to follow the events happening in the safe house and even harder to follow along with the character's relationships. At one point Theo knocks Winston for reading Pride and Prejudice, but a few pages later admits he loves to read everything. What? So you're pulling ole Kindergarden card, where we're mean to impress the people we like? The dialogue felt forced, the chemistry was lacking, and the premise of the story was flat. I wanted emotions, I wanted background, and I wanted to really see the magic and the romances completely play out. The usually well-received cliche of youthful witches fighting the draw of romance, while also fighting for their lives, is not done well in Enchant and it will fall behind other well-known novels with similar storylines.

"You are my greatest fight and my longest battle.

I'm giving Enchant an extra star, rounding my review out to 3 Stars, because I kept reading and it does have an incredibly intriguing plot. Plus, there are some really fantastic lines in this book, lines that show how well Micalea Smeltzer can write. I'd love to see this book get re-released with a more fleshed out story, maybe someday. I think more truly young adult aged readers will appreciate Enchant, but I suggest waiting for book two to release before jumping into Enchant right away.

This book was a really enjoyable read! It is one of those books that you can sit back and enjoy rather than having to think about thought provoking topics or solve some kind of mystery.

This story is not anything that hasn't been done before and I may just like it because I took a break from this type of story for that very reason. It is the typical teenager who doesn't know that they are different and is saved by an attractive warrior who teaches, protects, and falls in love with said special teenager who has an important destiny to save everyone. I added some things to that description but you get the point.


I appreciated the fact that the author didn't have the main character automatically accept what she is or what Theo was telling her. It always annoys me when characters just believe anything and everything that people tell them. It makes them seem gullible and the story is automatically not as realistic to me as it could have been. I would have liked to have had more world building considering this is the first book in a series. I loved the parts of the world that the author did explain. I hope that she goes into more detail about what Mara is and what kinds of powers she has. I'm also curious about what else Theo can do as a protector that wasn't shown in this book.


I don't feel like the side characters added anything to the story so they might as well have not been there. The author may share more background on these characters in the next installment but for now I'm not thrilled with them. I did like Theo and Mara. I think that Theo was my favorite character because he was relatable and reminded me of some of my other favorite characters in other books. He was snarky, didn't play well with others, and was loyal to a fault. I enjoyed the chemistry that the author was able to establish between Theo and Mara. It was believable and they seemed to be a good match for each other.

i feel like enchant had a lot of potential, but it didn't go through. reading the synopsis, i expected more adventure and twisted plots but to me, it was quite bland. there were a lot of clichés which i felt added to the already typical plotline.

however, i did love the personalities of many characters. the imagery of many scenes was very well written and the world-building was quite good.

overall, enchant was an ok book but i wish there was more to the plot. if you don't like clichés, i would not recommend this book for you but if clichés are your thing, i think you would enjoy it.

Noteworthy experiences while reading this book: This cover is what got me to read this one and I was so disappointed that it didn't work out.

Check out author's other books or related books? At this time I am not sure.

Recommend this book? Not really

Notes and Opinions: This one for me was just a little too close to another young adult book called City of Bones. Maybe you have heard of it. Now a lot was different but a lot wasn't. That saying for one thing "All the stories are true" ya we already know that as well as one part that took place in a garden. With a few others tossed in there this one came off to me as something trying to be something its not. I did like some of the characters but the above, as well as the story here, just didn't kick me off in the right frame of mind. I really wish that the author could go back and take out those parts and do something fresh that we haven't seen before. Too many stories try to do the same old same old and it really kills the wonderful vibe that they had.

Go Into This One Knowing: Too much from other titles.

Wow! Usually I don’t give 5 stars (especially not more than once a month) but this book absolutely had me hooked. From page 1, I was in love. This just goes to show you – you never know what to expect when you open a new book.

Mara is a small town girl, raised by a single parent, and plagued by nightmares. Her mother died early in her life, so she’s pretty much just relied on herself and her father to get along. On the day of her graduation, some seemingly innocent decisions end up sending her into a fugitive scenario. She’s on the run from the magical baddies, but it could be worse. At least she’s matched up with her hottie protector who vacillates between super annoying and super flirtatious (or are they the same thing?).

Theodore (said hottie) is a guy who is sworn to protect Mara, the chosen, with his dying breath. Things get infinitely more complicated when it appears that everyone might be out to get them and they are trying really hard not to act on the forbidden feelings they have for one another. While trying to navigate the high school-like environment, there are dangers and drama hidden around every corner.

This book was jam packed with world building that had me absolutely absorbed. There’s magic, love triangles, BFFs, dances, and such a wonderful wealth of characters. Starting with Dani, Mara’s small town friend, and moving all the way to Winston, a fellow chosen, there are just so many side stories I want to know more about. While this book didn’t exactly end on the worst cliffhanger ever, I am still dying to know what happens next. Where will the next book pick up? Who will we meet then? Will old characters resurface? So many questions! I’m in love with this book (and hopefully a long and wonderful series) and cannot wait to continue reading.

As this is the first book by Micalea Smeltzer that I've read I was really blown away. Immediately I looked up other books by her and purchased a few. Enchant was nothing like I expected in the best way possible. First of all I was drawn by the gorgeous cover, anyone that says covers don't sell books are lying. The synopsis is pretty vague but I'm happy for that as it didn't give anything huge away. The characters were all really interesting, the magic and safe house in the book gave it that whimsical, fantasy feel without being over the top.

Theo was your typical bad boy/alpha male protector. He was hot headed, and brooding but not at all annoying like many of the other men written like him. I loved his soft squishy side. Mara was a pretty well written heroine. Personally I think in the beginning she accepted the changes and danger around her a little too quickly but I enjoyed watching her grow and change. I'm not going to spoil it for anyone but I'm really looking forward to reading the next book because OMG that ending!

I really enjoyed this book. It's set at a good pace and easy to follow along. Although in a few places it did seem a little messy.

There were a few unexpected things that happened and i really did not see the ending coming. It finished with a good cliff hanger to want to know whart happens next for them all.

I really liked the dinamics between Mara and Theo. I loved the not spoken dialog between them and found many funny moments. It was good that it wasn't insta love for her. It kept things interesting. But my favorite character was actually Theo's sister Adelaide. She was full of spunk. I am glad she managed to escape too.

Will be looking forward to reading the next chapeter to this story.

This book was alright. The storyline was okay. Unfortunately I just couldn't get invested in the characters. And the dialogue sometimes felt off to me.

This was a really lighthearted, fun read. The characters were great (especially Mara- liked her a lot) and the romance, though a bit troublesome with all the excuses as to why they couldn't be together, was still swoony and you can see the love they have for each other. The magic/world wasn't too complicated, but the conflict didn't really feel like a huge problem since the book doesn't really focus on that as much as it does the romance. Overall, I enjoyed the short read. 3 out of 5 stars

loved the book overall. It was simple cheesy paranormal romance book and I can't wait for the next one to come out.

At first I was underwhelmed with the plot, as it seemed like a typical magical girl meets magical boy, world is threatened scenario. I think the charm of the narrative, the push/pull relationship of the main leads, and the darkness of the world helped win me over. I liked that the protagonist Mara seemed brighter than some of her peers, but still within the realm of a normal young adult. She genuinely cares for the friends and father that she must leave behind, and tries to get in touch with her non-magical friend even after being swept up into a magical plot. Theo's sister also won me over with her frank discussions of sexuality, and her own needs that she defends to her protective brother. There is a brief love triangle, but fortunately, it doesn't last long or end in melodrama.
The school scenes could use some more detail, as a class's length seems to last 3 sentences, and maybe 5 minutes. We enter the classroom, say 3 sentences and then move to the next one. Also how is a witch kicked out of class because her protector disrupts it? Shouldn't he just wait outside? Is her education and ability to go to class determined by one outburst?
This book ends on a cliffhanger that sets up the plot of the next book nicely. I will definitely continue the series, but hope for more detail in the world building, and a continued sense of her mourning the ordinary humans she left behind in the next one.

Simply enchanting. For all you magical being lovers this is a book for you. It truly is a magical book. Micalea Smeltzer blew me away with this one. I'm a big fan of the world of magic and Enchant is now on the top of my list of favorite witchcraft books. Mara seemed to just blossom once she met Theo. Oh Theo the protector to Mara can be my protector anytime. I love the chemistry between the Mara and Theo. The whole forbidden adds to the appeal too. This one has a bit of a cliffy and I really really can't wait for the next book. Falling in love with the world of magic with this read. I want/need to know what happens next. So yes I'll be waiting to hit the one click as soon as I see the next one available. Micalea Smeltzer just wow.

One part Cassandra Clare, one part J.K. Rowling. Three stars, but you know you want to read it anyway. It has the perfect brooding, yet totally steaming up the place, leading man. A capable female protagonist who might not have it all figured out, but she is dedicated to learning more. And these two collide in a show of sparks that cause little fires to pop up all over the setting of a gigantic, mysterious safe house that's just like the Institute in the Mortal Instruments series, but only if you bring in Hogwarts catering service and a totally stocked closet. It's good. You'll want more.

Digital ARC was provided by netgally for a review of the book. I found this book to be no different than the rest of the paranormal books. Girl meets dark different boy. Boy turns out to be paranormal creature than girl loves him anyway. I would not spend the money on this for my library as it is no different than any of the many already written.

This was a cheesy mix of Harry Potter and Hex Hall. But it was a good cheesy. Mostly because the relationships developed a little too quickly and unrealistically.
Overall, it was a quick and easy read. I really enjoyed this one!