The Princess Blog

There has been a great deal of anticipation  for the upcoming sequel series to Sofia the First , Royal Magic. After many subtle hints on social media, an official trailer has finally dropped, giving us our first official look at the show. Set to premiere this May, Sofia the First: Royal Magic has an updated aesthetic that more closely matches other shows currently on the Disney Jr. roster. The color scheme has gotten a bit brighter, focusing more on rich jewel tones than the original series' soft pastels, but the character designs are faithful overall. Sofia's appearance has not changed too much despite having graduated Royal Prep , and she now has some new friends from the Charmswell School for Magic. The first thing that stood out to me about this teaser is how respectful it is to fans of the original show, unlike many  modern reboots or remakes  that tend to overlook what made the original so great, often alienating its core audience. The creators of this show clea...

Falling for the Wolf  by Megan Charlie is the next ARC I read from To Win a Dark Heart , which brings together villains from different fairy tales. This book combines "Cinderella" and "Little Red Riding Hood" with slightly more focus on the latter. The story involves a werewolf, but his transformations have little to no effect on the plot. The espionage and criminal activity make the book feel more like an urban fantasy than a fairy tale. Overall, I thought this book was okay in comparison to the other ones I've read so far in this series. Tasia is exiled to a foreign land after revealing a secret to a prince and is forced to deliver goods for her extended family. Her poor sense of direction makes this a difficult task for her to follow without a guide, so she seeks the aid of Mitch, who she later learns is a werewolf. Mitch takes an instant dislike to Tasia's family, who are manipulative and abusive. He continues to aid Tasia until an even more dangerous...

At long last, I've returned to the other half of the books in To Win a Dark Heart . Each book in this series combines two villains from different fairy tales to create a unique story, similar to Displaced Fairytales . My next ARC is Falling for the Dark Mage  by Lucy Winton . This book is the shortest in the series and can be completed within one or two sittings. It combines "The Frog Prince" with "East of the Sun and West of the Moon," with more of a focus on the latter. Set in a fantastical world, the book contains some beautiful descriptions of magic alongside lush settings and worldbuilding. Falling for the Dark Mage  tells the story of Seraphina, the daughter of a powerful sorceress who is trapped on an island full of mages with wicked intent. There, she meets Damario, a sorcerer who cursed a certain prince to become a frog. Seraphina is no stranger to animal transformations , as her mother botched an attempt to turn a prince into a type of enchanted bear...

Tangled Sails  by Annette K. Larsen is the third and final ARC I signed up for in the upcoming Displaced Fairytales series. This book brings together the protagonists from "Rapunzel" and "The Little Mermaid" with a heavier focus on "Rapunzel." It is a heartwarming tale of healing, generosity, and personal growth. As the title implies, the book borrows some elements that are unique to the Disney version of the tale, but the worldbuilding and characters set it apart as an original take. Lyrielle has been locked in a tower ever since her magic powers manifested when she was a child. Her aunt invited the local villagers to stand at the base of the tower any time they needed healing from her long, magical hair. One day, in an attempt to escape her captivity, she fell through a portal into the ocean of another realm, where she was rescued by a prince named Tavric, who was searching for a mermaid who once rescued him from drowning. In order to pull Lyrielle f...

There are many modern feminist adaptations of classic Shakespeare plays . One such movie is Rosaline , a comedic retelling of Romeo and Juliet  from the perspective of Juliet's jilted cousin from 2022. In 2018, Ophelia , a more serious take on Hamlet,  unveiled the perspective of Hamlet's ill-fated lover. Now, the concept of rewriting Shakespeare is taking over the Eastern world with the anime movie, Scarlet . This film is a creative and original feminist take on Hamlet , in which the titular character is gender-bent into a vengeful princess who traipses through the underworld in search of her wicked uncle. After witnessing her father's execution, Princess Scarlet is poisoned before she has the opportunity to enact her revenge. She wakes up in the underworld, where she undergoes a transformation into a warrior princess  and searches tirelessly for the undead spirits of her father and uncle. She encounters Hijiri, a paramedic from the modern world, who helps her see beyond...

Transformed Tail  by Leialoha Humpherys is the second book I read from the Displaced Fairytales multi-author series. This book merges "The Little Mermaid" with "The Frog Prince," and I don't think anyone could ask for a better combination of fairy tales! Both stories are about transformed aquatic royals who need each other's love to maintain their human forms. This story takes the fun even further with its unique Hawaiian setting, positive environmental messaging, and adorable main couple. I'm  generally  biased towards "Little Mermaid" retellings , and this one did not disappoint . Prince Ezra has his reservations about a marriage alliance with Princess Cressida, but he feels obligated to perform his duty as second in line to the throne. He never expected to end up in the body of a frog when he came into contact with her magic ball. And not just any frog! Ezra is transformed into a coqui frog, a tiny invasive species that's being hunte...

It's been seven months since I started studying music theory and learning to play piano . I've learned a lot in that time, even though I still have a long way to go. One of my longer-term goals, aside from my Princess Piano series , is to create an album of original princess songs that cover the topics Disney tends to shy away from in their adaptations. The working title for this album is Locked Tower. I recently recorded my first song, "Silent Siren," inspired by Hans Christian Andersen's "The Little Mermaid."  I went through a few setbacks along the way when trying to determine how to get the best quality sound. After testing out two microphones and recording three different tracks and mixing them together on my computer, I was pretty happy with the result, even though I know it's not perfect. The Little Mermaid is the story that was changed the most drastically by Disney due to its tragic ending and darker themes. I wanted to write a song that p...

Remember when convenience stores had full racks of magazines with the latest news and gossip about every topic imaginable? Those days are behind us now, as digital media has taken over every facet of our lives. A small group of independent creators is out to change that. The MaryLoo  has teamed up with a few other girly media creators to launch a new girly media magazine, So Diva !  The first issue was released yesterday, and it covers everything from movies to books to original comics. This magazine promises to be a one-stop shop for all the current trends in female-targeted media. Right now, the magazine is only available in digital format, but the creators are hard at work producing print copies to distribute to their readers. I enjoyed most of the first issue since it covered many topics I have discussed in my blog, like the Winx Club reboot , Disney remakes , and girly games like Bye Sweet Carole . I also learned about some new things, like doll releases  based...

I'm taking a short break from my many To Win a Dark Heart ARCs to draw attention to another multi-author series of dual retellings releasing around the same time. Like To Win a Dark Heart, the Displaced Fairytales series  combines characters from two different fairy tales to create a new story. The only difference is that this time, the heroes get together instead of the villains. There are eight books in all, and they sound amazing! The first ARC I received from this series is Burning Snow  by Abigail Manning , which combines "The Little Match Girl" with a gender-bent version of "The Snow Queen."  I've devoured every book I've read from Abigail Manning so far , so I couldn't wait to dive into this one. Princess Safara has no idea what she's in for when she enters a marriage alliance with Prince Blamore. One broken mirror later, their kingdoms are cursed with an endless winter and a deadly disease plaguing the land by burning a special type o...