The Encanto's Daughter Series: The Encanto’s Daughter #1 Published by Penguin on March 5, 2024
Genres: Young Adult Fiction / Fairy Tales & Folklore / Country & Ethnic, Young Adult Fiction / Fantasy / Contemporary, Young Adult Fiction / Fantasy / Romance
Pages: 320
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Goodreads
A young woman claims the throne of a realm inspired by Filipino mythology in this YA romantic fantasy, the first in an enchanting new duet by #1 New York Times bestselling author Melissa de la Cruz.
MJ Rodriguez has spent her life hiding in the human world, keeping a heavy secret: She’s half-encanto. As the only child of King Vivencio of the Sirena Court, she’s also next in line for the throne. And now, upon her estranged father’s sudden death, MJ must claim her place as rightful heir.
In wondrous Biringan, the road to the throne is paved with thorns. Without a reigning monarch, the realm has spiraled into disarray. MJ has to win over a backstabbing council that objects to a half-human ruler. And when it looks like her father’s passing wasn’t natural but possibly inflicted by a curse, she must hunt down the sorceress behind this merciless magic.
In a bind, MJ forges an unlikely alliance with the striking Sir Lucas of the feared Sigbin Court, and soon, she loses her heart to the mysterious knight. But with peril looming over Biringan, the princess must decide if she can both open herself to love and carry the weight of the crown.
Review:
The Encanto’s Daughter is a Filipino mythological fantasy by Melissa De La Cruz. The author pulls from her roots as she tells us in the author’s note that she has never written a story based on her heritage. Melissa De La Cruz grew up in Manila, where her childhood was filled with superstition, and she was scared of stories of vampires and witches. Though famous for her series about vampires, she never thought readers would enjoy a story filled with monsters from her childhood nightmares. I thoroughly love this kind of story cause though it is a fantasy novel, what it is based around is authentic to those who have it ingrained in their culture, and in some ways, that makes it more real.
In this novel, we also have a murder mystery unfolding, as Mj is pulled from the human world and into an enchanted one where she is destined to be crowned. But she had no idea what magic she could have, why her mother constantly had them running in the human world, or who to trust in this new one. There is a lot to discover in the pages of this story, and it is only book one. The expected publication is March 5, 2024.
