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OVERVIEW: Charmed is the exciting sequel to the wildly popular Flunked -- second in the brand new Fairy Tale Reform School series where the teachers are (former) villains. "Charming fairy-tale fun." -Sarah Mlynowski, author of the New York Times bestselling Whatever After series.

It takes a (mostly) reformed thief to catch a spy. Which is why Gilly Cobbler, Enchantasia’s most notorious pickpocket, volunteers to stay locked up at Fairy Tale Reform School…indefinitely. Gilly and her friends may have defeated the Evil Queen and become reluctant heroes, but the battle for Enchantasia has just begun.

Alva, aka The Wicked One who cursed Sleeping Beauty, has declared war on the Princesses, and she wants the students of Fairy Tale Reform School to join her. As her criminal classmates give in to temptation, Gilly goes undercover as a Royal Lady in Waiting (don’t laugh) to unmask a spy…before the mole can hand Alva the keys to the kingdom.

Her parents think Gilly the Hero is completely reformed, but sometimes you have to get your hands dirty. Sometimes it’s good to be bad…

FORMAT: Charmed is the second book in the middle school/children's series, Fairy Tale Reform School. It is a fairy tale retelling of sorts. It doesn't retell the stories, but it has the same characters and themes, but with a unique twist.

While Charmed does a good job of catching people up on what happened in Flunked (the first book), it is best to read them in order.  

Charmed stands at 288 pages and was published March 2016 by Sourcebooks Jabberwocky.

ANALYSIS: Flunked, the first book of the Fairy Tale Reform School series, was a fast, fun children's novel. It followed the life of a young thief (Gilly Cobbler) who was caught and sent away to Fairy Tale Reform School. Fairy Tale Reform School is designed to help fairy tale character right their wrongs and learn how to become productive members of their respective fairy tales. After all, not everyone can be the hero, villain, or princess; some people do have to be the baker, cobbler, or famer.

Now, Charmed is the second book of the series and picks up shortly where Flunked left off. Alva (our big bad for the series and is a version of the evil fairy queen from Sleeping Beauty) has been locked up. Meanwhile Gilly Cobbler, who was once an overlooked young thief who is trying to reform herself, is now considered a hero for what she did in Flunked, but all is not well.

It appears as if Alva may have a mole inside Fairy Tale Reform and it is now up to Gilly and her friends to find them, but that may prove difficult. Gilly and her friends will be put to the test they face new situations and outside influences that will push their friendship and loyalty, as well as potentially jeopardize their quest to bring peace to the land.

Essentially, Charmed is a fun, not overly complex children's novel that is perfect for anyone looking for a quick, occasionally funny novel. The characters are surprisingly detailed for such a short novel and while the story does follow the whole twist on fairy tale characters, it does have a slightly unique touch to it that makes it its own story.

While I found Charmed enjoyable, I have to admit I didn't like it as much as Flunked.  Gilly, our main character, was loveable and a delight to follow in Flunked, but that changed in Charmed. Gilly was horrible in this novel. She was egotistical, self-centered, and extremely mean to her friends. The worst part of it all was she didn't see herself acting that way and couldn't understand why her friends were so upset.

Overall, Charmed was fun and fast paced. I loved the way the world is shaping up and the friendships that are forming between the characters. The adventures they have are fun to follow, while not being overly complex. It is a great book for the age it is intended for, but adults looking for something fun to read or those who enjoy a quick fairy tale retelling will enjoy it too.