[TZO]⋙ Download Free Enchanted Inc Katie Chandler Book 1 Shanna Swendson 9780345481252 Books

Enchanted Inc Katie Chandler Book 1 Shanna Swendson 9780345481252 Books

Download As PDF : Enchanted Inc Katie Chandler Book 1 Shanna Swendson 9780345481252 Books

Enchanted Inc Katie Chandler Book 1 Shanna Swendson 9780345481252 Books

So much missed potential here. I like the premise, but the execution was bland and plodding.

The main characters were underdeveloped and plenty of secondary characters were given too much time on the page and then abandoned entirely.

There were too many name brand current pop-cultural references, dooming the story to a limited shelf-life.

And I must admit that I am wholeheartedly sick of first person narratives. I didn’t want to be in Katie’s head, because there just wasn’t a whole lot going on in there.

**SPOILERS BELOW**

Katie's roommates were present from start to finish, but were as indistinguishable from one another on the last page as on the first.

Owen blushes a lot. Full stop.

Rod has bad hygiene. Full stop.

Mimi, the bad boss was horrible well into the fifth chapter, then poof! Gone. Kim, who seemed poised as Katie’s rival at MSI, (and whom I fully expected to end up in league with the bad guy) was nowhere to be seen after losing a coveted promotion to Katie. The bad guy himself turned out to be as intimidating as a summer cold.

There was a lot more tell than show here as well, with certain situations/motivations repeated unnecessarily. At one point, I actually said out loud, "I know! You told me that three pages ago!"

There is much talk about the brewing situation being so bad that, after hundreds of years, Merlin is awakened to help deal with it.

The situation is bad, BAD. Ya hear me, BAAAAD. And yet, we think we can sort it with a sternly worded letter. Wait, what?

Then later, we're told these wizard-gone-rogue situations actually crop up about once every generation or so.

There are never any moments of real anxiety, or concern. Situations and characters are presented as potential problems, then are easily resolved and forgotten. The climax was anti-climactic. Heavens forfend the reader be allowed to have an emotion while reading.

As for the supposed romance subplot, snore. I'm all for the subtlety of a slow boil, but in this case we never get past tepid. We're told that Katie "doesn't need a man", yet a lot of words are devoted to getting her one. Moreover, she's got a thing for Owen, but spends all her time being almost willfully stupid about whether or not he's interested. What a pity she never thought to, you know, be a grown-up and ASK HIM.

The author even does an annoying wink-wink-nudge-nudge at the reader about how, at a certain point in a book, the hero was supposed to confess his true feelings.

In the end, it's as if she's just decided to settle for Ethan because he, "wasn't bad at all."

I wanted to like this book, but ultimately, nothing really happened and I didn’t really care. Honestly, it all felt like just so much back story to a different, one hopes more interesting story.


Tags : Enchanted, Inc. (Katie Chandler, Book 1) [Shanna Swendson] on Amazon.com. *FREE* shipping on qualifying offers. DON’T MESS WITH HEXES Katie Chandler had always heard that New York is a weird and wonderful place,Shanna Swendson,Enchanted, Inc. (Katie Chandler, Book 1),Ballantine Books,0345481259,FIC016000,Chandler, Katie (Fictitious character),Chandler, Katie (Fictitious character);Fiction.,Humorous fiction,New York (N.Y.),New York (N.Y.);Fiction.,Women - Employment,Young women,Young women;Fiction.,Employment,FICTION Humorous General,FICTION Magical Realism,FICTION Women,Fiction,Fiction-Humorous,GENERAL,General Adult,Humorous - General,Modern & contemporary fiction (post c 1945),POPULAR AMERICAN FICTION,United States,Women,Young Adult Fiction,paranormal;magic;chick lit;spells;mystery;fairy tales;Katie Chandler;Enchanted Inc;contemporary;contemporary fantasy;fantasy;humor;merlin;new york;new york city;paranormal romance;romance;supernatural;urban fantasy;witches;wizards;women;relationship books;friendship;drama;contemporary fiction;women's fiction;contemporary women's fiction;romance novels;contemporary romance;womens fiction;saga;love story;relationship;contemporary women;dating and relationships;modern;romantic;genre fiction;family,paranormal; magic; chick lit; spells; mystery; fairy tales; Katie Chandler; Enchanted Inc; contemporary; contemporary fantasy; fantasy; humor; merlin; new york; new york city; paranormal romance; romance; supernatural; urban fantasy; witches; wizards; women; relationship books; friendship; drama; contemporary fiction; women's fiction; contemporary women's fiction; romance novels; contemporary romance; womens fiction; saga; love story; relationship; contemporary women; dating and relationships; modern; romantic; genre fiction; family,Women,Popular American Fiction,Fiction,Modern & contemporary fiction (post c 1945)

Enchanted Inc Katie Chandler Book 1 Shanna Swendson 9780345481252 Books Reviews

Reader thoughts
I was skeptical, but I loved it! It reminded me of Witches Incorporated, but most of that's probably because the names are similar.

This kindle book has been on my wish list since back when it was $10. I didn't want to spend that much. Last Monday, Goodreads alerted me that the book was on sale. Did I still want to read it? Yes!

This book has a few flavors I don't steer towards. There's the chick-lit side. Katie and her roommates go on dates and go shopping for clothes and things together. She has a big crush on the guy she works with and a smaller one on the guy she's dating.

There's the new adult side. Katie is trying to please her bosses and survive on her own without having to limp home and work on the farm. She wants to make it in the big world (NYC) with a salary that lets her go out for coffee now and then. It's like coming-of-age, only ten years later. Katie is 26.

This is closely tied to the business side. Katie has a few terrible bosses and coworkers (sounds like middle school, except 15 years later) and a few nice ones. She helps her company out of several crises and struggles to put her limited experience to work. She helps with marketing, verifying, a little R&D, consulting, and with customer relations. She walks the balance between doing her job well but not acting like a snob or goody-two-shoes. She even finds a lawyer to straighten out some legal trouble regarding intellectual property.

There's the magic side. Katie can see through illusions, and spells don't work on her. She works with Merlin, fairies, sprites, elves, and a guy who turns green when he's angry. One of the security officers is a gargoyle. There are frogs who turn into men. There's a flying carpet.

There were several laugh-out-loud lines, and one was something like, "That's as useful as a screendoor on a submarine."

This book was lighthearted and fun. I really connected to Katie. She doesn't understand some popular things like George Cooney, designer handbags, or other women's obsession with shoes. She is self-conscious about her accent. Even without seeing through illusions, she knows how to give a reality check and down-to-earth ideas.

The one thing I didn't like was the brief nudity (one of the frogs-turned-men).

One thing I rolled my eyes at was how often Katie's new coworkers complimented her. Yes, some people might be nice, but they were constantly telling her how amazing she was for even the smallest things, even after she complained about a couple of her coworkers.

I wish Katie did more in the end. I wanted her to jump in front of a death spell and save everyone's life when it fizzled against her body, bad guy thwarted. Alas, that didn't happen. Maybe next book.

Writer thoughts
With people complimenting Katie left and right, how did Swendson keep her from turning into a "special little snowflake" (aka, Mary Sue)?

1st, Katie's lack of confidence. This alone wouldn't fix all of it, but because she really didn't understand the magical community yet, she always felt in over her head.

2nd, the unrequited love interest helped. Men didn't fawn over Katie (except under spells), and that makes her seem more normal.

3rd, Katie had such a hard time explaining her job. She tries to be vague with "I'm a secretary," but she gets so lost with how to really talk to other people about herself.

4th, Katie's "powers" were limited to observation. She could see through illusions, but she couldn't cast anything.

(The second book turned toward too much romance. Don't bother.)
So much missed potential here. I like the premise, but the execution was bland and plodding.

The main characters were underdeveloped and plenty of secondary characters were given too much time on the page and then abandoned entirely.

There were too many name brand current pop-cultural references, dooming the story to a limited shelf-life.

And I must admit that I am wholeheartedly sick of first person narratives. I didn’t want to be in Katie’s head, because there just wasn’t a whole lot going on in there.

**SPOILERS BELOW**

Katie's roommates were present from start to finish, but were as indistinguishable from one another on the last page as on the first.

Owen blushes a lot. Full stop.

Rod has bad hygiene. Full stop.

Mimi, the bad boss was horrible well into the fifth chapter, then poof! Gone. Kim, who seemed poised as Katie’s rival at MSI, (and whom I fully expected to end up in league with the bad guy) was nowhere to be seen after losing a coveted promotion to Katie. The bad guy himself turned out to be as intimidating as a summer cold.

There was a lot more tell than show here as well, with certain situations/motivations repeated unnecessarily. At one point, I actually said out loud, "I know! You told me that three pages ago!"

There is much talk about the brewing situation being so bad that, after hundreds of years, Merlin is awakened to help deal with it.

The situation is bad, BAD. Ya hear me, BAAAAD. And yet, we think we can sort it with a sternly worded letter. Wait, what?

Then later, we're told these wizard-gone-rogue situations actually crop up about once every generation or so.

There are never any moments of real anxiety, or concern. Situations and characters are presented as potential problems, then are easily resolved and forgotten. The climax was anti-climactic. Heavens forfend the reader be allowed to have an emotion while reading.

As for the supposed romance subplot, snore. I'm all for the subtlety of a slow boil, but in this case we never get past tepid. We're told that Katie "doesn't need a man", yet a lot of words are devoted to getting her one. Moreover, she's got a thing for Owen, but spends all her time being almost willfully stupid about whether or not he's interested. What a pity she never thought to, you know, be a grown-up and ASK HIM.

The author even does an annoying wink-wink-nudge-nudge at the reader about how, at a certain point in a book, the hero was supposed to confess his true feelings.

In the end, it's as if she's just decided to settle for Ethan because he, "wasn't bad at all."

I wanted to like this book, but ultimately, nothing really happened and I didn’t really care. Honestly, it all felt like just so much back story to a different, one hopes more interesting story.