Our old friend Janette Rallison has returned for some standard YA comfort reading. Not much more is needed to introduce My Fair Godmother, a companion novel to My Unfair Godmother.
Savannah Delano cannot wait to take her boyfriend Hunter to the prom…until he dumps her for her older sister Jane. Despondent and desperate, Savannah finds out she has a fairy godmother named Chrysanthemum “Chrissy” Everstar. Alas, Chrissy is probably the world’s worst fairy godmother, and she causes all of Savannah’s wishes to go awry. One of her wishes even sends her classmate Tristan Hawkins to the Middle Ages! Savannah must work to undo Chrissy’s magic, but it’s going to make for a “Grimm” time…
I don’t know how many times I’ve read this book, but it definitely changes with every read. I used to like this one a little better than My Unfair Godmother, perhaps because I read it first. But a few flaws are a little more noticeable this time around.
While Savannah and Tristan are cute characters, their romance comes a little out of left field. They don’t have many conversations together and they spend a lot of time apart, with Savannah getting herself into magical hijinks and Tristan trying to find ways to reverse Chrissy’s magic. A lot of Savannah’s interest in Tristan comes from his looks, which, I guess works okay if you’re a self-centered teenager, but her interest needs a little more substance than that.
The twists and turns Savannah takes with magic get a little crazy, what with her encounters with truth potions, love potions, enchantment switches, and more. It gets a little confusing at times, but it does make you feel worse for Savannah, since she just cannot seem to win with magic.
Just like in the companion book, Chrissy is just as annoying and incapable at being a fairy godmother. And again, it does wonders in getting you on Savannah’s side. True, Savannah has a lot to learn, but goodness, Chrissy needs her magic to bounce back at her for a change.
I do enjoy Tristan a little more as a hero. He loves stories and is a track athlete who adapts well to his circumstances. I do wish he and Savannah had more substantial scenes together so I could learn more about him.
As a comfort book, this one is definitely not bad. It’s got a few hiccups in there, but I would probably recommend My Unfair Godmother above this one because the stakes seem a little higher and our main leads have a touch more chemistry. It’s probably my least favorite Janette Rallison book, but it’s still worth a read for a fast, fluffy fantasy read.
The Library Key 