The Princess Blog

Disclaimer:  The content of this book was approved by a sensitivity reader from the mutism community. My review is based on an ARC I received from the author, and all opinions are my own. Beacon  by Camille Peters  is the second "Little Mermaid" adaptation I've read this summer that doesn't actually contain any actual mermaids. The other was  The Silent Songbird  by Melanie Dickerson . Between the two, I must admit that I prefer the latter.  Beacon  struggles with many of the same shortcomings as other books from Camille Peters' series  such as slow pacing and an overall lack of conflict. It's a pleasant enough love story that gets bogged down by concepts that are difficult to swallow involving the main character. Like the previous book in this series, Forgotten , the magical elements of the setting are underdeveloped, which causes issues with the believability. Though  Beacon  is listed as inspired by "The Little Mermaid," the story se...

I admit I wasn't too excited at first when I learned that Camille Peters ' new book, Forgotten  would be based on one of my least favorite fairy tales "East of the Sun and West of the Moon."  However, I was pleasantly surprised to find that it bears little resemblance to this story is actually a stealth retelling of "Romeo and Juliet."  It is a heartfelt tale of forbidden love and all the trials and tribulations that come with it. This book evokes some heavy emotions that I really appreciate during a time when most stories have become more about politics than feelings. I found myself drawn to the characters and their surprisingly steamy romance. This is the first Camille Peters book set in this world that I feel stands on its own as an original classic. Princess Taryn has a secret. Though she is loyal to her crown, she is also in love with the enemy prince, Xander, and will not let logic or reason stop her from sneaking away to be with him even if it kills ...

It's oddly fitting that my last post before moving from my cramped tower into a spacious castle is about an adaptation of  "Rapunzel."   Turret  is the latest book in Camille Peters' Kingdom Chronicles , a series that has improved exponentially  since its humble beginnings . Like the other books in this series, Turret  places the love story first and foremost with everything else as a subplot or setting. Fortunately, the setting is interesting enough to carry it along whenever the romance needs a breather. The princess in this version of "Rapunzel" does not possess the iconic magical hair that most adaptations do ( except the Barbie movie ), but there is still plenty of magic to behold within the walls of the tower. Turret  is technically a retelling of "Rapunzel," but I think it is actually a better version of "Beauty and the Beast"  than Enchantment , the other "Beauty and the Beast" adaptation from this series. Like Enchantme...

The Beast and the Enchantress  by Camille Peters  is the first book in a new collaborative series of fairy tale retellings called A Villain's Ever After . Each week for the next three months, a new villain-inspired book will be released by a new author, many of whose fairy tale books I have reviewed in the past. The series follows the latest trend in which villains are treated like princesses or heroes  who made mistakes or were misunderstood. This trend first gained popularity ten years ago with Gregory Maguire's Wicked  in 2011 and its corresponding musical and has grown exponentially in  recent pop culture and animation . Though I may not have time to read every book in the Villain's Ever After series, I was fortunate to receive an ARC of The Beast and the Enchantress , which just came out this weekend. This is the second adaptation of "Beauty and the Beast"  I have read by Camille Peters. The story is quite different from Enchantment , so it didn't...

Though I wasn't sure what to expect from Camille Peters'  new fairy tale book after reading the last one , I am pleased to say that Awaken  is now my favorite book in The Kingdom Chronicles along with  Identity . It may be no coincidence that these two books are connected by a recurring character, Archer, who was the brother of the protagonist in Identity  and the love interest of the protagonist in Awaken . This is a creative retelling of "Sleeping Beauty"  that focuses on a specific aspect of the 1959 Disney adaptation  rather than anything from the original fairy tale. It never ceases to amaze me how many creative ways  authors have found  to retell this story in a way that allows the sleeping princess to be more active  while remaining true to the heart of the original. The heroine from  Awaken  suffers from a bad case of amnesia. She refers to herself as Primrose even though she knows it isn't her real name. When she first enco...

Voyage  is the latest book in The Kingdom Chronicles by Camille Peters . It is a retelling of the lesser-known fairy tale, "King Thrushbeard,"  about a conceited princess who thinks she is too good for any of her suitors. Though that concept makes it difficult for the story a likable protagonist, Seren's dignity was compensated with an unfortunate upbringing. It takes place on a ship while Seren is sailing to her new kingdom for her upcoming wedding to a stranger. I can see that Camille Peter did a lot of research for this story. There are many descriptions for different parts of a large ship and how they operate, which made the world feel organic. Even though she took some liberties with the fairy tale, it was a unique and pleasant adaptation that made for a refreshing take on an old story. Like all the books from this series, the main focus was on the romance between Seren and Ronan. It got a bit repetitive at times, but the story really picked up near the end. Similar ...

Yesterday, Camille Peters released her latest book in the Kingdom Chronicles, and I was fortunate enough to receive an ARC. Enchantment  is a loose adaptation of "Beauty and the Beast"  about a merchant's daughter who finds herself trapped in a castle by an enchanted garden. It takes place in the same world as the  other Kingdom Chronicles books , which I've had some mixed feelings about. My favorite by far is Identity , which was the first in the series to introduce a formidable villain. Enchantment  has some conflict and adversaries, but none of it comes into play until the last few chapters. The majority of the book is a traditional love story, which works fine if you are looking for a peaceful read. However, if you are seeking action and adventure, it might be better to skip ahead to the end. Enchantment  begins in the middle of Maren's story, when she finds herself bound to the grounds of a castle after plucking a rose from its enchanted garden. She expla...

Last week, I read Spelled  and brought up some issues with the main character's personality as well as the lack of a direct antagonist. Now that I have completed Identity , the next book in The Kingdom Chronicles , I am pleased to say that my enjoyment Camille Peters ' writing has greatly improved. The book has a fantastic protagonist who is easy to relate to and a deliciously wicked princess who does everything in her power to get between prevent the main character's happiness. The book is inspired by the fairy tale "The Goose Girl,"  in which a wicked handmaiden steals the identity of the princess she serves, but it more closely resembles the novella A Goose Girl by KM Shea , in which a selfish princess forces her handmaiden to take her place against her will. The story of a princess switching places with an underprivileged lookalike is fairly common in movies such as The Princess and the Pauper  or The Princess Switch . It is a story that I never grow tired o...

It's been over a year since I reviewed Pathways , the first book in Camille Peters' Kingdom Chronicles series . Though it wasn't my favorite, I decided to check out the next two books from a box set she released recently with the first three in the series. Spelled  tells the story of Rosie, the best friend of the protagonist in Pathways . I remember I found her mildly irritating for trying to force Eleanor to fall in love after she told Rosie repeatedly that she wasn't interested in a relationship. Unfortunately, reading a book from Rosie's perspective makes her flaws even more irritating than in Eleanor's book. She comes off as so much of a dreamer that it reaches the point of borderline psychosis. The romantic moments were charming, but it often felt like I was watching an episode of Crazy-Ex Girlfriend without the redemption arc where the main character seeks psychological help for her obsession. Rosie is a romantic dreamer who is somewhat full of ...

Pathways  by Camille Peters is a new series of fairy tale adaptations that is currently on sale for $0.99. I couldn't argue with that price, so I decided to check it out. The book is loosely based on "Rumpelstiltskin" and "The Princess and the Pea."  It's different from the other fairy tale novels I've been reviewing in this blog because it lacks the suspense and adventure that they had and focuses entirely on romance. In fact, the story has no villain at all and very little conflict, making it a slow read. It seems like something that would be right my alley with my love of princesses and romance, but none of the characters were particularly appealing, especially the love interest. By the end of the book, I had absolutely no desire to see Eileen get together with Aiden. Like many princess stories, the main character in Pathways starts out as a peasant girl. Eileen is a skilled artist, a lot like Elaine from Goldheart , another "Rumpelstilt...