**You can see this full review and more at Book Briefs: http://bookbriefs.net** 

Spelled is one of those books where I fell in love the first time I saw the cover. I have always loved The Wizard of Oz, and I have been loving fairy tale re-tellings, so I knew this would be a match made somewhere over the rainbow for me. And I was so right. Spelled is so much fun that I want to pick it up and read it again right now. Betsy Schow has taken a classic tale that is already so fantastical and turned everything on its' head. Who you know as good might turn bad and vice versa. And Betsy was not satisfied with just the land of Oz, so she took all kinds of fairy tale worlds and created a delightful mashup.

Dot, or Dorothea is a the princess of the Emerald city, and because of a curse-gone-wrong on all the major fairy tale families long long ago, she isn't allowed to leave the castle. Someone in her line of women is rumored to be more powerful than all and will burn the world to the ground. That sounds pretty serious. Dot might have a tendency to come across as a little shallow and a lot spoiled, but given her sheltered life I wasn't too surprised. But I was pleasantly surprised to meet the real Dot along the course of her journey. And the real Dot is a treat. Spunky and brave and very, very kind. I loved her. And I loved Kato and the whole gang.

One of my favorite parts of reading Spelled was waiting to meet new characters and see where they would fit in in this crazy rendition. Nothing was as it seemed and I learned quickly to expect the unexpected. Fans of all ages will thoroughly enjoy Betsy Schow's imaginative re-imagining of Dorothy's adventure. Dot, Kato and a few others set out to right a curse, and the adventure it takes us on had danger, familiar faces, prophecies, and all sorts of fun. I would have liked to have a seen a bit more romance, but what is there is not rushed. No insta love in this tale. I think there will be more on that front in the next book. And I was so, so excited to see that there will be another book. And the action and adventure won't die down in the second book, if the ending of this one was any indication. Spelled is a great read. One that I would recommend to all fans of Fairy Tales, Young Adult, and the Wizard of Oz. I can't wait to see more from Betsy Schow!

 This review was originally posted on Book Briefs