The Princess Blog

At this point, I've read over half the books from the All That Glitters  multi-author series of fairy tale retellings. The newest release in this series is Feathered Thief  by JM Stengl , a retelling of an obscure Brothers Grimm fairy tale called "The Golden Bird."  It is an interesting and creative take on the story and incorporates a romance spanning many years. My biggest struggle with this book is that one of the characters has their memories altered, which is a trope that I've struggled with in other books I've read  in the past. The beginning and ending of the book are straightforward and romantic, but the middle portion can get murky at times. Regardless, it's a magical tale that is filled with enchanting and whimsical imagery. How can you not fall in love with this gorgeous artwork by Jenelle Hovde ? Prince Kazik has known since childhood that he wants to be with Princess Helena. It's too bad he doesn't know how to express that desire without t...

The Beauty and the Griffin  by JM Stengl  is the thrilling conclusion to the Faraway Castle series  that I started reading  during the first year of my blog . It's been a long wait for this sixth installment, but it was worth it. The ARC I received serves as a cathartic conclusion to the stories of all these royal modern-day teenagers who stayed at the enchanted Faraway Castle resort as an escape from day-to-day life. This book is a retelling of "Beauty and the Beast"  that adapts the fairy tale uniquely, incorporating elements that are rarely used in other adaptations including the beast's nightly proposals and the beauty's dreams of him as a prince. It is firmly ingrained in the setting of Faraway Castle and contains all of the magical properties of this world that have been set up in the other books. I would not recommend starting the series with this one, but it is well worth diving into these six novels and two novellas from the beginning with Ellie and the...

It's been a while since the last Faraway Castle book , so I was pleased to jump back into JM Stengl's creative world  of modern-day teens living in a realm of magic and fairy tales. Like the other books in this series , The Mirror and the Curse  is loosely inspired by a well-known fairy tale, which in this case is "Snow White."  The book actually reminded me more of Sofia the First than any fairy tale due to its focal point on a flying horse competition. Like Lucy Tempest's recent "Snow White" retelling , The Mirror and the Curse  does not contain seven dwarfs and instead features cameos of characters from the previous books in the series along with a new love interest who is part dwarf. It doesn't quite hit the same level of imaginative fantasy as The Rose and the Briar , but it is still a pleasant read. The Mirror and the Curse  is the story of Princess Eddi, who was a "best friend" character in previous Faraway Castle books. In this sto...

Thanks to J.M. Stengl 's Advance Readers list, I had the privilege of being one of the first to read the latest addition to her  Faraway Castle series, The Lady and the Wish . I believe this book will be available to the public next week, so my review will be just a bit early for those of you who are interested in reading it right away. Unlike the other three books in the series, which were based on popular fairy tales that have had many adaptations created, The Lady and the Wish  is inspired by the obscure Grimm fairy tale "King Thrushbeard," which I had never seen adapted in book or media format before this point. I was familiar with the fairy tale prior to reading this book, but it had never been one of my favorites, which might be why I didn't enjoy The Lady and the Wish  quite as much as the other Faraway Castle books . Regardless, it was still a very creative and original take on the story while still remaining faithful to its theme of a prideful woman's ...

After falling madly in love with J. M. Stengl's Faraway Castle series , I signed up for her Advance Reader List and had the pleasure of previewing her upcoming novel, The Rose and the Briar . This "Sleeping Beauty" adaptation is the third book from Faraway Castle with a few subtle nods to Ellie and the Prince , the first book in the series. It tells the story of Rosa, a young lady with the ability to control plants who is burdened with the task of caring for Zafira, a sleeping princess with dangerous latent powers. Zafira reminded me of the title character from the 2016 horror movie The Curse of Sleeping Beauty , which also featured a powerful Sleeping Beauty character that turned out to be best left asleep! However, this book had a much better protagonist and a far more interesting story. Rosa's unique abilities were a pleasure to explore. They were reminiscent of Poison Ivy from Batman. The love story in the book was also clever and sweet. There are two version...

I was so thrilled when the sequel to The Little Siren  came out that I could not wait to read it. So far, I have thoroughly enjoyed  the Faraway Castle series by J.M. Stengl . The Siren and the Scholar  takes place six years after the events of The Little Siren . It is inspired by "The Little Mermaid," and it's my favorite adaptation  of the classic Hans Christian Andersen tale that I've read so far . The book catches up with Kamoana and Tor, the titular siren and scholar that were introduced in The Little Siren . Just like the mermaid from the fairy tale, Kamoana becomes human to find Tor again. However, instead of giving up her voice, she gives up her memories of him, so she must find him without even know who she's looking for. His memories of her are wiped as well, causing a lot of frustration on his behalf as an intellectual. I loved the romance and emotion that went into this story. Kamoana and Tor had forgotten their time together but felt empty as a...

The authors I started following from the Entwined Tales Launch Party  led me to the discovery of a brand new fairy tale book series, Faraway Castle by J. M. Stengl . As it turns out, her writing style is a perfect match for me. Her books are fast-paced and take place in a magical yet modern setting with a light-hearted tone and lovable characters. The series kicks off with two introductory novellas that can each be completed in about an hour. Cinder Ellie  sets up Ellie's backstory for the first novel, Ellie and the Prince , and The Little Siren , which is available for free upon signing up for the author's mailing list , introduces a romance between a mermaid and a human that will take place in the second official novel in the series, The Siren and the Scholar . There is so much to love about this series that I'm not even sure where to begin. Ellie and the Prince , the first official novel in the Faraway Castle series, tells the story of Ellie Calmer, who was select...