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The Forgotten Book by Mechthild Glaser Review

Hello Everyone :)

I hope you're all doing well, and thank you for joining me for another book review here on The Preppy Book Princess.

I've noticed that I really enjoy reading books that were originally published in German, and have been translated into English. Heidi's one of my favorite classics, Kerstin Gier's Ruby Red trilogy is one of my favorite trilogies, and I've recently discovered (and fallen in love) with Mechthild Glaser's books as well.

I adored The Book Jumper when I read it a few weeks ago, and I felt the same after finishing The Forgotten Book.

The Forgotten Book by Mechthild Glaser:



Source: Library

Publisher: Feiwel and Friends

Publication Date: February 13th, 2017

Genre: Young Adult/Fantasy


Synopsis:

A Jane Austen-inspired YA tale about a sixteen-year-old girl who finds a magical book—and discovers that anything she writes inside it comes true.

Emma is used to things going her way. Her father is headmaster of her prestigious boarding school, her friends take her advice as gospel, and she's convinced that a relationship with her long-time crush is on the horizon. 

As it turns out, Emma hasn't seen anything yet. When she finds an old book in an abandoned library, things really start going Emma's way: anything she writes in the book comes true. 

But the power of the book is not without consequences, and Emma soon realizes that she isn't the only one who knows about it. Someone is determined to take it from her—and they'll stop at nothing to succeed.

A new boy in school—the arrogant, aloof, and irritatingly handsome Darcy de Winter—becomes Emma's unlikely ally as secrets are revealed and danger creeps ever closer.


(synopsis from goodreads)


My Review:

If you had the power to make something come true by simply writing it down in a book, would you use the power for good, or would you be lured by darker fantasies? Emma Magdalena Morgenroth is at first intrigued when she discovers an old chronicle in an infrequent used library at her boarding school, Stolzenburg. She enjoys reading about the school's rich history, and hearing experiences first hand from previous students like herself. When she discovers that everything written in the book starts to come true, she can't believe her luck, and soon she's lured by the book's possibilities, and finds herself drawn into a world she never could have expected.

With great power comes great responsibility, and Emma is ill prepared for the door she's opened by putting the chronicle back into use. Stolzenburg may be an amazing, magical place, but it's also shrouded in a dark history that includes the disappearance of previous students, and the existence of a magical being that all seems to be connected to the chronicle that seems to have taken on a mind of its own. 

The Forgotten Book is a beautifully written fantasy tale that combines a retelling of Pride and Prejudice (one of my favorite classics ever), with a fantastical world surrounding a literary treasure, an idyllic setting of a gothic style boarding school, and a lyrical writing style that's both poetic and perfectly descriptive. I really ended up enjoying this one, and loved it even more than I did her first English translated novel, The Book Jumper. Everything comes together to make this a story that's both enchanting and captivating, and a whimsical treat from start to finish.

However, there were a couple of plot points that prevented this from being a five star read for me. First off, I really did enjoy that this is a Pride and Prejudice retelling, and the interactions between Emma and Darcy were hilarious, and often even swoon worthy. That being said, the age difference is a tad off putting, and I can't not mention the fact that she's sixteen and he's twenty, and this just didn't sit right with me.

As well, I really loved this story overall, but I wish the ending hadn't been so rushed. The pacing of the last few chapters felt extremely compacted, and so much happens in the last couple of chapters that I felt it could have been spread out a tad better.

However, all in all, I really did enjoy this one, and I gave it a rating of four out of five stars.  

I would definitely recommend it, especially if you're a Pride and Prejudice fan, or a fan of young adult fantasy novels.


Thanks so much for reading guys! Have a great rest of your day :)


This is not a sponsored post. All thoughts and opinions are my own. The photo does not belong to me, and all rights to the respective owners. 

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