Bargain Ebook: The Amaranth Enchantment by Julie Berry

The Amaranth Enchantment by Julie Berry, which some reviews have compared to Cinderella, is currently $4.88 as a Kindle book. I downloaded it myself, although I haven't read it yet. It's $7.99 in paperback. so that is a goodly savings and a way to read Berry's backlist. She has been on my "be aware" of list which is the same as the TBR (to be read) list, I guess, but with a SurLaLune influence. A good portion of my pleasure reading has nothing to do with SurLaLune. I can't do this every minute of the day. Really. I don't. :) Her latest book, Secondhand Charm, is also on my TBR list.

Here's the book description if you are interested:

When a mysterious piece of jewelry and a strange visitor arrive in the jewelry shop where she works for her evil aunt, Lucinda's course takes a surprising turn. With the help of the Amaranth Witch, a young (and harmless) con-artist, and a prince, Lucinda uncovers secrets about her own royal past. A strong seller in hardcover, this original fairytale marks an exciting debut from a lyrical new voice.

Per usual, the review from Booklist is more descriptive and helps to convey the Cinderellesque qualities:

Intriguing characters, fine plotting, and a richly worked narrative carry the reader into Lucinda’s vaguely medieval world. Orphaned as a small child when her wealthy parents were killed in a carriage accident, Lucinda has grown to the age of 15 as the maidservant in her goldsmith uncle’s home, suffering abuse at the hands of his wife. Life changes quickly for Lucinda after her uncle dies when she attempts to complete an errand to return a strange glowing stone to a woman locally known as the Amaranth Witch. A street thief, the local Prince Charming, a goat with the manners of a loving dog, and an evil chief justice are among the characters who complicate and enrich Lucinda’s life as she discovers her own past and the otherworldliness of Beryl, the amaranth lady. Tamora Pierce fans will particularly appreciate Berry’s smoothly rendered first novel, where magic and historically accurate courtly rites are balanced with Lucinda’s maturing sense of independence, fate, and self.

Berry is compared most often with Jessica Day George, author of Princess of Glass and Princess of the Midnight Ball.