The Princess Blog

I recently received an ARC of The Thirteenth Princess  by Nina Clare , a retelling of "The Twelve Dancing Princesses," one of my favorite fairy tales . Most adaptations of this story present the magical underground world and magnificent nightly balls as a curse  that needs to be broken, a trend that began with Jessica Day George's Princess of the Midnight Ball . Although this is one viable interpretation of the fairy tale, I prefer to think of the enchanting balls as a form of escapism that the princesses use to escape their stressful lives, as in  the Barbie interpretation . This version takes a middle ground. Although there is a curse involved, the princesses are happy for the opportunity to enter the enchanted realm and dance with their beloved princes until they can be together without the confines of a curse. As the title suggests, this book is told from the perspective of the unknown thirteenth princess, who shares the other princesses' experiences in the fairy...

Today is the day that Disney's live-action Snow White  comes out on Disney+, providing an opportunity for the many people who did not see it in theaters to watch it. In honor of this occasion, I have explored many of the previous live-action interpretations of this character that have come before. Although I still have strong feelings about remaking the first feature-length animated movie of all time in a live-action format, I did not think that Disney's newest adaptation was the worst one. Yet, it had so much competition from its predecessors that it did seem a bit unnecessary. Let's explore all the live-action Snow Whites that came before and see where this one falls. Please note that this is purely for fun and not an official ranking by any means. All opinions are my own. Feel free to share yours in the comments, whether you agree or disagree with my list.. 10. Snow White and the Huntsman (2012) I tried to watch this movie again recently because I didn't remember i...

Disney was once famous for producing the most screen-accurate adaptations of well-known fairy tales, but their mission has strayed in recent years . Their current fairy tales are either soulless remakes of their animated classics  or stories that shy so far from the original source material that they can barely be considered adaptations. Nowadays, if you want to see classic stories from the past  brought to life on screen, you must turn to other studios. In a way, this post is the opposite of my "Ten Alternatives to Disney's Live-Action Remakes"  since that was a list of movies that were more creative and original with their ideas, and these are movies that stick as close to the source as possible. If you want to see the stories from your childhood brought to life on screen, this is the post for you. Rodgers and Hammerstein's Cinderella (1957) Disney produced a beautiful remake of Rodgers and Hammerstein's Cinderella  starring Brandy in 1997, but the first produc...

To promote the final book in her Singer Tales series, Deborah Grace White released a free promotion for the third book in the series,  Song of Winds , her adaptation of "East of the Sun and West of the Moon."  Since I have always had issues with this fairy tale, I initially skipped over this book and went straight to Song of Moonrise . However, Song of Winds  is such a sweet love story addressing all my problems with "East of the Sun and West of the Moon" that it quickly joined the ranks of some of my favorite fairy tale adaptations. Like Tara Grayce's Elven Alliance series, Song of Winds tells the story of a couple falling madly in love after their unconventional marriage. Though it follows the basic story beats of "East of the Sun and West of the Moon," it does so in a way that makes the characters appealing and the story compelling. Adrienne is a sweet girl who comes from a troubled family. Her father's gambling addiction placed her entire fa...

It's a well-known fact that most feature films begin their life as books. Even the classic Disney movies that are considered the epitome of children's cinema were mostly adapted from old fairy tales that were published around the late 19th century . However, for the majority of the 20th century, most fairy tale fans were more interested in seeing these stories come to life on the screen than they were in the source material, and who could blame them? Classic Disney movies are visually stunning, beautifully orchestrated, and fleshed out beyond their short-form origins in a way that is less violent and more family-friendly . However, the current decade seems to be a transitional period that takes fairy tale adaptations back to their roots. Countless issues in Hollywood including union strikes and a long-running dearth of creativity  make it more difficult than ever to enjoy modern adaptations of classic media. The past decade has also seen a steep increase in fairy tale authors ...

Of Songs and Seashells  by T.M. Franklin  is another book I saw advertised recently on Facebook that drew me in with the prospect of mermaids  despite having very little mermaid content once I actually read it. It's an adaptation of "The Little Mermaid"  that takes place after the fairy tale when the title character became a daughter of the air. I've always loved this concept because so few people have taken the time to explore exactly what that means. That's why I wrote my own adaptation of "The Little Mermaid"  to explore it. At that time, there weren't any adaptations I was aware of that kept the original ending. This story was very different from the one I wrote and not my cup of tea. If you plan on reading this book, make sure you are familiar with Hans Christian Andersen's "The Little Mermaid."  I know that should be a given, but there are so many people who think that the Disney movie was the original story that it's importa...

The School for Good and Evil  is a middle grade book series released in 2013 with a similar plot to Ever After High  and Descendants  and with all the ambition of Harry Potter . Considering how popular this fairy tale-inspired series seems to be, I'm surprised I never heard of it until a little over a week ago when I learned that Netflix is turning it into a movie . Perhaps one of the reasons it was so overlooked is its super generic title, which sounds like it could be about literally anything. Most fictional stories are about the battle between good and evil. A better title would have been The School for Princesses and Witches , which would have been more eye-catching to lovers of fairy tales. Maybe the vagueness is good, though, since this book contains many horror elements that could scare off young fairy tale aficionados or particularly sensitive older ones like myself. When I began reading The School for Good and Evil , I had many questions that were mostly resolved...

Kingdom of Thorns  by Katherine Macdonald  does not offer anything I haven't already seen in a "Sleeping Beauty" retelling, so I was hesitant to read it at first. In recent years, it has become traditional for the princess to fight against her curse , so that is something I have always come to expect from modern-day retellings. I even read another version where she uses astral projection to communicate while sleeping so she can still consent to the controversial kiss . Yet, this book manages to hit all the right marks in all the right places, combining everything great about fantasy novels and fairy tale adaptations in a way that's both engaging and interesting. Both protagonists are fleshed-out characters with hopes and fears just like any ordinary person. Their love is so strong and pure that it makes you want to read all the way to their "happily ever after" despite knowing that it's coming already. Prince Leo is not a hero. He is not prone to slayi...

I just finished reading an ARC of Cinders of Glass  by Celeste Baxendell , and all I can say is wow! This book drastically exceeded my expectations. Even though it is an adaptation of "Cinderella" and "The Little Match Girl,"  it was not the least bit predictable and kept me on the edge of my seat wondering what would happen after each chapter. It had one of the most relatable shy princess  protagonists I have ever seen in fiction while thoroughly exploring the pros and cons of being selfless or charming without coming off as cynical . This book is the fourth entry in the Bewitching Fairy Tales series and my favorite by far. Despite being nearly three times as long as the books I usually read in this genre, there was not a single sentence that felt extraneous or expository. I savored every page right up to the last one. At first glance, Liora may seem like your typical "Cinderella" character, devoting herself to serving her stepfamily and letting others ...

Mirrors of Ice  was one of the many promotional sales from National Fairy Tell a Fairy Tale Day . I decided to check it out since I had already read the first and third books in this series. Celeste Baxdendell  is not the kind of author you should turn to if you are looking for a quick fairy tale fix. Her Bewitching Fairy Tales series  is long, detailed, and often quite dark. However, if you have some time on your hands and are looking to be fully immersed in a fleshed-out fantasy world packed with references to multiple fairy tales, this is a good series to check out. Mirrors of Ice  is the second entry in this series and works just as well as a standalone book as it does an expansion to the world that was built in the other books. It is a combination of "The Snow Queen" and "Snow White"  and cleverly addresses elements of both fairy tales that I rarely see in other adaptations, which secures its place as my favorite book in the Bewitching Fairy Tales s...

It's no secret that "The Little Mermaid" is my favorite fairy tale. One of my favorite adaptations of it is Princess of Mermaids  by AG Marshall . In  The Prince and the Sea Witch , she brings us an entirely different imagining of the story in a much darker world where mermaids follow the classical siren mythology of luring men to their deaths. This is one of the latest entries in the Villain's Ever After series that I had been looking forward to the most. Considering the length of many of AG Marshall's recent novels , I was pleasantly surprised that this one was quite short, allowing me to read it on my own time without feeling pressured to finish. It doesn't convey the same themes of risks and sacrifice that I love about the original "Little Mermaid" story, but it is a pleasant book in its own right that follows the narrative structure of the other Villain's Ever After books, giving readers a good idea of what to expect. You've heard of ...

The Sorcerer and the Swan Princess  is the third book that I have read in the Villain's Ever After series . I've been skipping around because the series contains too many books to keep up with on a regular basis. This one stood out to me after enjoying several of Lucy Tempest 's recent fairy tale books and because the story of "Swan Lake" has always fascinated me due to its many possible interpretations . While this book follows the same basic structure as the others I've read  in which the prince or princess falls in love with the villain instead of their traditional love interest, it also had a few clever twists that made it stand out. It takes place in the same fairy tale world as Lucy Tempest's other books , so it can be interpreted as the latest installment in the Fairy Tales of Folkshore series just as easily as the Villain's Ever After series. Princess Ava's sister, Lina, has always been jealous of her claim to the throne, but Ava never re...