This was a fun middle grade/young adult fantasy novel filled with Filipino culture and myths and language! I love that so much as I don't think I've read any Filipino fantasies and the world needs more of them.

The story follows a half human half encanto (engkanto) who finds herself the princess of another realm and set to be crowned queen. But now she has to go to school and solve the mystery of her fathers death.

The beginning moves so fast I still don't know what happened but you're thrust into the world like Alice in wonderland/ACOTAR

I was excited to read The Encanto's Daughter, especially since I work in a school now with many students who are Filipino, and I respect there would be interest in this, especially with the mythology and the promise of a magical world. However, while the cultural elements and the world-building were pretty good, the book felt a bit too juvenile at times. The protagonist, MJ, seemed inconsistently characterized, and she goes between childish naivety and intense, mature. This made it hard to fully get into the story since I felt the adults really didn't have her best interests at heart.

Despite this, the book does a good job introducing readers to Filipino mythology. It's a good pick for younger YA readers or those new to fantasy who might appreciate a gentler introduction to complex themes.

Thank you to the publisher and Netgalley for the arc.

de la Cruz’s latest novel is a fantasy based on Filipino folklore. It follows half-encanto (fae) MJ who is forced by her human mom to live on the run in the human world until her father’s untimely death brings her back to the encanto realm so that she can take over as queen. Even though the reader is basically thrust into this world, de la Cruz does a great job of explaining this folklore. I also appreciated the inclusion of superstitions and even found some parallels with the ones that I was raised with.
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MJ has to quickly acclimate to this new world, and between learning the history and etiquette, trying to figure out if she actually has magic, and getting involved in social drama, she also learns that it’s possible that a curse killed her father. Now, obviously, curses are a really abstract concept, but there were some well-placed breadcrumbs that made it feel thriller-esque. This is also amplified by the alliances that MJ makes with some of the other young adults she meets. I particularly liked the tentative alliance that she makes with a boy she should hate, Lucas, which blossoms into a tentative romance.
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This book is the opener of a duology, and honestly had a spectacular build-up to a second book with shocking revelations that have yet to be explained, and a twist ending.
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As per my usual, I went into this knowing NOTHING about the story. I knew that I am a Melissa De La Cruz fan and that under my pea brain that this “must have something to do with the Disney movie.” It does not. 🤣 So if you saw the word Encanto and assumed the same thing, I’m sorry but you’re wrong, like me. In Filipino, the word encanto is a blanket term that’s used for enchanted human-like beings (thank you, Google!).

For MJ, the MC of The Encanto’s Daughter, she’s half human from her mother and half encanto of the Sirena Court from her father. She also just so happens to be the next in line for the throne of Biringan which was recently vacated by the death of her estranged father… the king. Seeing as how she and her mother have basically been on the run her entire life, she never got to know him or his kingdom, but the fact that his death seems to be less natural or more murder, she wants to find out what happened.

Of course we get the mean girl elitists who hate her because she’s half-human, which the author seems to use to throw you off the real scent of killer. But it wouldn’t be a story without hate just because she’s not like other girls.

I did really enjoy the hunky Sir Lucas. Nothing says fantasy world like a literal knight in shining armor!!!!

I’m really interested to see where the story goes, because the main focus of the first book was on the mystery of her father’s murder. Now that it’s been solved, how can we really have another book? We did get a twist at the ending that I kind of felt like was coming, but I need to know what more is going to be thrown at her.

Many thanks to Netgalley for this book. I received this book in exchange for my honest review. My thoughts are entirely my own.

MJ is the daughter of an Encanto who also happens to be king. MJ is escorted back to her father’s kingdom after he is murdered by poison so that she can assume the throne and stop the magic of the realm from going haywire. MJ’s coronation is in one month and goes to school where she can learn the history and royal duties of her kingdom. MJ also has to figure out her power which turns out to involve alchemy. I found this book so easy to read and get through. I have read quite a few of Melissa De La Cruz’s books before and enjoyed them. I cannot wait to read the second book

The Encanto’s Daughter is an enjoyable YA fantasy with a fascinating premise, but it doesn’t fully deliver on its potential. The integration of Filipino mythology is a definite highlight, making the world feel unique and fresh. The politics, court intrigue, and magical elements are intriguing, but they only scratch the surface rather than diving deep into the lore.

The plot itself is fast-paced, though it jumps between genres—part mystery, part romance, part coming-of-age—without fully committing to any. MJ is a decent protagonist, but her character development feels rushed, and the romance with Lucas lacks the depth needed to make it truly compelling. Some of the twists are predictable, and the pacing feels uneven, especially in the second half.

Overall, this is a solid, entertaining read, particularly for younger YA readers or those new to the fantasy genre. While it didn’t fully captivate me, I appreciated the cultural influences and would be curious to see how the sequel develops the story further.

This book was frustrating because it doesn’t seem to know what it is; it starts with a thriller vibe then gives us a school tale briefly before pivoting to a murder mystery. There’s also a romance happening; it’s not convincing though. Normally I love de la Cruz’s work but I didn’t enjoy this, except for this bit near the end where I laughed out loud at how absurd events became.

Thank you so much to the author, publisher, and NetGalley for my copy of this book; all opinions are my own!

I really enjoyed this one! I wasn’t sure what to expect going in because tbh I almost never read synopses anymore once a book has made it onto my tbr, but I was pleasantly surprised and had so much fun with this one! I loved hearing that the story was based on the author’s Filipino heritage, and appreciated that it was so seamlessly woven in everywhere throughout the book.

I loved the investigative storyline of trying to solve the murders, the magical school for the heirs of the realms, and just generally how magic works in this world.

I can’t wait to see more of it and how the *situation* plays out in the next book!

It pains me to say that this book was not for me. As a lover of fantasy based on Asian mythology, I was so excited to find this Filipino story. But the writing just wasn’t up to par. It was choppy and sophomoric, and the FMC was so irritating, I wanted the insurgents to win. I will pass on the rest of the series. Thank you to the publisher for the advanced copy.

As someone who does not have an extensive background in fantasy / romantasy, this book grabbed my attention from the start.

The character development was shining throughout this story. MJ started out scared and confused, but I’m glad to see where she ended up. She was very strong by the end and I’m glad that the author wrote it that way!

I found the tension and angsty moments to be very well written and I’m excited to see where the next book in the duology begins after the epilogue.

While this book was a bit on the younger side, I am glad it exists! I don’t think I have ever read a Filipino inspired fantasy story and really glad I did! The way the mythology and magic is weaved in is really well done! This book brought some new life to the age old idea of Fae courts. I really enjoyed reading about the Filipino side of things and was eager to learn more. The world building was one of the best parts of The Encanto’s Daughter.

For MJ, I thought she acted younger than her 17 years and made a lot of dumb decisions that grated on my nerves. It was nice to see her growth throughout the book from that point to see her come into herself as a ruler. The plot of the book was easy to follow but still engaging. The mystery of MJ’s father’s death was very compelling and I spent all that time along with MJ trying to figure it out. Overall, this is a fun and fast paced read with a great balance between magic, character development, and the plot. The romance was nice, and I always enjoy a good enemies to lovers.

The main reason for the rating is I do think this book fits in more with middle grade or a lower YA audience. MJ’s age suggests upper YA but plot lines suggest otherwise. I think a younger me would have enjoyed this more. 3.75 stars from me!

I love Melissa De La Cruz’s books, but the first half of this book is her finding out that her father/ruler does and that now she has to take over while holding the fact that she does not have her power yet. She’s then made to go to a magical school to learn, and everyone they bullies her, decide they all had to work hard while the position of Encanto was handed to her. I really wanted to like the story more

***Thank you to NetGalley and to the publisher for providing me with a digital copy of this book to review.***

I really enjoyed the Filipino mythology that was the foundation of this book, especially since the author made it both central to the plot and easy to understand as part of the worldbuilding. The main character MJ was pretty relatable, though it was frustrating that she repeatedly mentions how her coronation is ___ days away and ''I still haven't found my magic," but spends no time trying to fix that.

But overall, it was a fun story with enough twists and surprises to keep me reading to the end. The ending did feel a bit rushed, and some things happened quite conveniently so it didn't quite feel earned.

I'll probably pick up the next in the series if I come across it, but I won't go out of my way to make sure I buy it when it's published.

This was such a fun one and a good start to this series. I'm excited to jump into book 2!

MJ has grown up hidden away in the human world only to be thrown into the Encanto world when her father dies and she is required to claim the throne as the Queen of her people. She is half encanto, and she has a lot to learn about this world that she did not grow up in.

There is a bit of a mysterious element to this book and a very sweet blooming romance.

In this book there is --
-young adult fantasy w/ Filipino mythology (easy world building to understand!)
-politics
-murder mystery
-sweet young romance
-mythological creatures

I'm looking forward to reading book 2! Book one ends on a little cliff hanger so I'm anxious to see what happens next!

Not what I was hoping it would be. This felt more like a typical fare kind of fantasy in the lines of Holly Black or Sarah J Maas, than a Filipino mythology inspired fantasy. It'll definitely still have an audience in the YA section, it's just not me.

This book was so much fun! I loved the magic system and how the author pulled from her heritage as inspiration for this novel. The characters were great and so much fun. I did wish the big fight at the end was bigger and just more. It fell short for me and that's what is keeping this from being a full 5 stars for me. I enjoyed every other second of this book and I loved it!

This is an interesting story imbued with Filipino mythology. When the King of the fairyland dies, his daughter MJ is whisked back to the lands to prepare to ascend the throne and take her rightful place as the new leader. All the while, she questions her father's death and tries to figure out what truly happened. Filled with court intrigue and politics, it's an entertaining read that ends in a cliffhanger.

I hadn't read fantasy in a while, so it was nice to get back to it. This book was engaging with great characters.

The Encanto's Daughter by Melissa de la Cruz is a fantasy book for young adults. If the number of books this author has written and published is any indication of her popularity, this age group must love her books. This is the first one I have read.

I found the characterization to be very good with a few inconsistencies. The main character, MJ, is half human half encanto. After being raised by a human mother in the human world, and spending most of her life on the run and in hiding, she is summoned to the palace because her father the King has been murdered and she is to be queen. She is quite childish and doesn't easily take the advice she is given, preferring to think she knows best in a place she is not familiar with. Her childishness is a bit irritating at times.

Besides the characterization flaws, the plot is well done with some twists and turns that are quite intriguing. The descriptive details are also a nice addition. Overall, I think this is a three star book.

"The Encanto's Daughter" promises a captivating journey through a realm steeped in Filipino mythology, where a young woman must navigate treacherous politics and dark magic to claim her rightful place as queen. Melissa de la Cruz's masterful storytelling weaves together elements of romance, fantasy, and adventure, creating a rich tapestry of intrigue and suspense.

This book is more than just a fantasy novel, it's a celebration of Filipino culture and mythology, offering readers a fresh and captivating perspective on the genre. With its compelling characters, lush world-building, and heart-pounding suspense, this enchanting tale is sure to leave readers eagerly awaiting the next installment.