The Sweetest Spell (review)

Teenaged Emmeline doesn't initially know that she has inherited the ability to churn cow's milk into chocolate; it's a skill that supposedly only belongs to royals, not Emmeline's poor country clan. When her father is taken away with the other men of the Flatlands by the king's soldiers, Emmeline is taken in by a family of dairy farmers in the more prosperous Wanderlands, and that's where she discovers her delicious gift (and falls for the family's son, Owen). With everyone after Emmeline for her unique skill, she eventually ends up in the royal palace, where she learns that monarchs have based their rule upon a pack of lies. She finds an ally in the prince, and together they work to expose (and change) the royal family's mishandling of funds and of history, while Owen (who returns Emmeline's feelings) seeks to find and free Emmeline's father from the mines to which he and the other men have been sent. Narrated in by Emmeline and Owen in turn, this original tale is as delicious as a bar of creamy milk chocolate. While the faux-medieval-England setting and magical trappings will draw in the folks who love historical fiction and folkloric fantasy, the story also has some contemporary sensibility (the prince turns out to be gay) that will appeal to teens who like their fiction more modern. The twists and turns of the quick-paced plot and the dynamic cast will keep readers involved right to the end of this appetizing adventure.