Dearest by Alethea Kontis

Publisher: HMH Books for Young Readers
Publish Date: February 3, 2015
Series: The Woodcutter Sisters, Book 3
ISBN-13: 978-0544074071
Genre: Fiction – Young Adult, Fantasy

Synopsis: Readers met the Woodcutter sisters (named after the days of the week) in Enchanted and Hero. In this delightful third book, Alethea Kontis weaves together some fine-feathered fairy tales to focus on Friday Woodcutter, the kind and loving seamstress. When Friday stumbles upon seven sleeping brothers in her sister Sunday’s palace, she takes one look at Tristan and knows he’s her future. But the brothers are cursed to be swans by day. Can Friday’s unique magic somehow break the spell?

I enjoy fairy tales, and absolutely love retellings. So you can imagine my excitement when I first discovered Alethea Kontis and her Woodcutter Sisters series. Dearest, as well as the other two books Enchanted and Hero, are mesmerizing. They tell tales of wonder and hope, enticing me as if Kontis is the Pied Piper. I am a fan, and I love the series.

Dearest by Alethea Kontis, is the third book in the series, and follows the tale of Friday Woodcutter. Friday is kind and loving, and is an apprentice with a world-renowned seamstress, thanks to her dear sister Sunday. But a storm caused by Wednesday has ended that apprenticeship, and has altered Friday’s life. She is back in the castle and discovers seven brothers that are cursed to be swans during the day. A spell must be broken, but will Fate allow it? And most importantly, will Friday’s love be able to break the spell?

Friday Woodcutter is an enjoyable heroine. Where Sunday was a dreamer and Wednesday was fierce, Friday was sweet. She is someone to love and adore, because I would think that she would want the same for you. She is kind and loved. And one thing that I felt Kontis wanted to be clear about was that Friday loved and was loved in return. There’s magic in love, a bit natural and a bit from magic itself. Friday was selfless and gained an army of followers to help break the cause.

I love, love, love how Kontis always includes different fairy tales into one story. Kontis has reinvented the Darlings from Peter Pan, The Six Swans by Brother’s Grimm, Swan Lake by Tchaikovsky, and many more. She weaves them together so seamlessly, and I always get enchanted by her stories. Dearest is a continuation of fairy tales reinvented and retold, proving that there is magic in love and loyalty, but also just plainly in love itself. It was nice to see how each fairy tale, that I grew up with, could coexist in one land. It was nice to see the commonalities and similarities.

Dearest was delightful and pure magic.