Enchanted, Inc.

Enchanted, Inc. (Enchanted, Inc. #1)
By  Shanna Swendson

ISBN: 9780345481252
308 Pages
Available in Paperback, Audiobook, and on Kindle

Synopsis:

Katie Chandler had always heard that New York is a weird and wonderful place, but this small-town Texas gal had no idea how weird until she moved there. Everywhere she goes, she sees something worth gawking at and Katie is afraid she’s a little too normal to make a splash in the big city. Working for an ogre of a boss doesn’t help.

Then, seemingly out of the blue, Katie gets a job offer from Magic, Spells, and Illusions, Inc., a company that tricks of the trade to the magic community. For MSI, Katie’s ordinariness is an asset. Lacking any bit of magic, she can easily spot a fake spell, catch hidden clauses in competitor’s contracts, and detect magically disguised intruders. Suddenly, average Katie is very special indeed.

She quickly learns that office politics are even more complicated when your new boss is a real ogre, and you have a crush on the sexy, shy, ultra powerful head of the R&D department, who is so busy fighting an evil competitor threatening to sell black magic on the street that he seems barely to notice Katie. Now it’s up to Katie to pull off the impossible: save the world and–hopefully–live happily ever after.

My Thoughts:

In this first volume of the Enchanted, Inc. series, we are introduced to a fictionalized version of New York where humans live alongside various magical creatures, completely oblivious to their existence.  That is, unless the human in question happens to be the rare wizard, or even more rare magical immune -  which allows them to see past the spells that the magical folk use to hide themselves on a daily basis. The lead character of the series, Katie, happens to be one of these immunes and this book chronicles her abrupt introduction into the magical world and all the wonders and dangers that it has to offer.

Books pertaining to magic are a dime a dozen, but the concept of magical immunes feels fresh and new, which gives this book the impact it needs to stand out. Another thing that makes the books appealing is that the world itself is relatable. Instead of inventing a whole new magical world as the book's setting, Enchanted, Inc. is centered in life around New York City as a New Yorker would know it, and it uses plenty of real world magical history constructs - such as Merlin - and fairy tale references that fans of magical lore are already familiar with. 

The characters are likable (except those who are meant not to be) and the central characters are well developed, with just the right amount of back story to make them interesting but not give everything away up front. This allows the reader to get invested in said characters and to want to continue and follow their journeys. The background characters are a little more one note, but they ARE background characters. I will say though, it's a wonder the pages of the book haven't turned red from the amount of times that the lead male, Owen, is described as blushing...

The plot is likewise intriguing and keeps you glued to the page. It is also quite humorous, with plenty of jokes, relatable cultural references, and comedic situations. It is easy to empathize with the story. In the real world, most adults have experienced at least one nightmare work scenario and could only dream that they were able to magic away the problem. I know that I have.

I will say that Enchanted, Inc. is definitely a product of it's time. There are comments and labels that are not as acceptable today to the more woke crowd - such as a touch of misogyny, shaming, and the use of a word that is now seen as a slur against the Romani tribe. None of anything contained within the pages is too extreme and we have learned since to do better, and that is what matters most.

Before starting this series, I honestly wasn't super familiar with books classified as "chick-lit". I am definitely more of a historical fiction and high fantasy type of girl. But I found Enchanted, Inc. to be quite enjoyable and intend to finish the series.

Parent's Guide:

This book is very easy to read and the story is fun. BUT - it does mention sex a couple of times - the first one being barely 3 pages in. So if that is a concern it should be noted. But otherwise, this book is definitely teen friendly in complexity and entertainment value.

The Oz Counter:

ZERO! And I have to say that I was shocked. I mean, I know not every book will have something, but for a modern book about magic, I fully expected at least one reference. 

(The Oz Counter is explained in the "Anatomy of a PBG Review" link at the top of the page.)