The Sweetest Spell

Starred review from July 9, 2012
Selfors (Mad Love) offers a delightful spin on classic fairy tales in a story that’s part “The Ugly Duckling,” part “Rumpelstiltskin.” Emmeline Thistle was born a dirt-scratcher’s daughter in the village of Root. Because of her curled foot, she was left to die as a baby. However, Emmeline survived, protected by the local cows, and she gained a strong connection to the animals as a result. After Emmeline’s father is rounded up to fight in a war, she almost drowns in a flood and is saved yet again by the cows, as well as a dairyman’s son, Owen Oak. With Owen, Emmeline discovers she can churn cream into chocolate, a delicacy long gone from the kingdom of Anglund. This magical ability makes Emmeline highly sought after, but she has plans of her own. Selfors’s story line initially comes across as chaotic, but the pacing is strong, and the elements of her tale fall into place in a logical and entirely satisfying manner. An exhilarating, romantic, and frequently funny story of self-discovery. Ages 12–up. Agent: Michael Bourret, Dystel & Goderich Literary Management.

June 15, 2012
This sweet fairy tale takes readers to an imagined kingdom where there is no justice--and no chocolate, either. Emmeline was born the lowest of the low in a semimedieval land. She's a "dirt-scratcher" with a clubfoot, making her an outcast among outcasts. The dirt-scratchers grow the food for the kingdom, yet they themselves mostly starve, never allowed to leave the flatlands. But when a flood wipes them out, Emmeline drifts downriver to a middle-class area, where Owen Oak rescues her. Treated well there despite the prejudice, she learns that she and she alone has a magical ability to make delicious, rare, ultra-expensive chocolate. Once the secret gets out, danger strikes. Kidnapped, Emmeline tries to escape, while Owen tries to find her. When the dissolute, all-powerful king and queen gain control over her, Emmeline finds herself in even more serious trouble. As often occurs in traditional fairy tales, things get rough. People die; words are spoken with hatred; people are turned into slaves and required to fight to the death. The narrative moves along quickly, easily holding readers' interest, and if the resolution relies on some deus ex machina elements, it also contains a clever twist. The story's emphasis on freedom, or the lack thereof, and themes supporting equality stand out. With its attractive characters, especially dual narrators Emmeline and Owen, this novel has a power to charm. Sweet indeed. (Fantasy. 12-16)

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September 1, 2012

Gr 7 Up-A fun and frothy romantic fantasy. Almost abandoned at birth because of a twisted foot, Emmeline has always been an outcast among her people, the Kell. When the king enslaves the men and her village is destroyed in a flood, Emmeline is taken in by Owen Oak and his family. She discovers that she can churn butter into chocolate-a food that's been lost for years in the land of Anglund. Romance blossoms, but the two are separated when the girl is kidnapped for her magical abilities. Short chapters that alternate between Emmeline's and Owen's narrations keep the story moving at a fast clip. Selfors's elegant prose is well suited for depicting both the sweetness of chocolate and of first love. However, there's plenty here for nonromance fans: fights, near misses with death, and even political intrigue when Emmeline ends up at the court of the king and queen of Anglund. The multiple versions of how chocolate disappeared, each representing a different political spin, add nuance to the narrative. Both characters are strong, and Emmeline's transformation from drab pariah to beautiful, powerful young woman will provide vicarious thrills for readers. A scene where she declines a marriage proposal from the handsome but arrogant Griffin Boar, who scorned her back in their village, is a particularly satisfying moment. While Emmeline's predicament wraps up a little too quickly and conveniently, her reunion with Owen is fully gratifying.-Mahnaz Dar, School Library Journal

Copyright 2012 School Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

September 15, 2012
Grades 8-11 Born to a poor Flatlands dirt-scratcher and possessing a misshapen foot, Emmeline Thistle has always been shunned by local villagers, although she finds comfort and connection with the area cows. When her widowed father is recruited by the king's military, she is left alone. Then her village is swept away in a flood, causing her to nearly drown, until Owen Oak, a well-to-do dairyman's son, comes to the rescue. While recuperating in upscale Wanderlands, Emmeline discovers her unique magical ability to churn cream into chocolatea delicacy of legend throughout Anglund. Soon othersfrom a seedy peddler to a king and queenseek to exploit her gift, and Emmeline must run. Meanwhile, Owen is determined to find her, and their experiences, both individually and together, change lives in diverse and unexpectedly rewarding ways. Emmeline and Owen are sympathetically and complexly drawn, and their densely detailed, alternating stories incorporate suspenseful, edgy, and lively and sweet moments. Despite some predictable story elements, Selfors (Mad Love, 2011) spins an immersing blend of fantasy and fairy tale likely to draw and engage genre fans.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2012, American Library Association.)