Review: The Masked Princess

I signed up for an ARC of The Masked Princess by Melody Crane without knowing much except that it's a no-spice fantasy book about a princess. It was a little darker than I expected, with a plot revolving around a princess cursed to kill anyone she touches. The charming romance made up for the darker elements with a sweet courtship between childhood friends. The book was a bit longer than I would have preferred, but the writing was solid, with a detailed setting revolving around royal politics and rival kingdoms.

Princess Annalise is a kind soul with deadly powers. Anyone who makes skin-to-skin contact with her will die a gruesome death. She wears gloves at all times and tries to keep her distance from the people around her. To make matters worse, she is forced to cover her face with a mask due to a false claim that she caused a miscarriage by coughing too close to someone. The mask serves as a constant reminder of her curse, making her ashamed to show her face in public. This may have been a subtle social commentary on the regulations from a few years agoc, but there is no solid evidence in the book to confirm that.

The biggest strength of this book is the romance between Annalise and her childhood friend, Soren, who is sent to protect her when she travels to a rival kingdom to form an alliance with the enemy king. From the start, it's clear that King Nelan is a bad person and that Soren is a much better match for her, yet she has no choice but to follow through with the alliance for the sake of her kingdom. She also has strong bonds with her maids, Priscilla from her father's kingdom, and Elsabeth from her mother's kingdom. I appreciate when romance books give heroines strong female friendships in addition to love interests.

Although this book has no spice, the violence gets pretty intense at times due to the nature of Annalise's curse. I skimmed over the few scenes where she had to enact it for self-defense because the details were somewhat gruesome. I liked the strong contrast between her personality and her abilities. Many modern princesses would enjoy having such a curse to use against their enemies, but Annalise is a pacifist. Being forced to wear the mask amplifies her self-esteem issues that she must overcome.

Overall, The Masked Princess by Melody Crane is dark, no-spice romantasy with a sweet love story and a gentle heroine. The book combines political intrigue, social commentary, and fairytale romance strong enough to overcome a fatal curse. I recommend this book to people who prefer stories that have more violence and less spice. It was a bit long for me, but the worldbuilding around the kingdoms was strong and made the setting feel organic.