The Princess Blog

Well, folks, this is it. Labyrinth of Lies and Sacrifice  by C.F.E. Black is the final book in the Sacrificed Hearts series about maidens' hearts being sacrificed to monsters. What sets this book apart from the other five is that the monster here is not a creature of legend but a mythical place of madness and nightmares controlled by mind magic. The book reads as a cross between Labyrinth  and Alice in Wonderland  with a supplemental love story built in. Due to the nature of the labyrinth, which is powered by mental and emotional trauma, this book is one of the darker ones in the series. It serves as a strong conclusion that allows readers to explore alternate possibilities of what it means to be sacrificed aside from being thrown into a pit with a monster. Vera hoped to live a quiet life away from the magic that corrupted her bloodline, especially if she had inherited her grandmother's mind magic, which was gravely feared throughout the kingdom. Hoping she would harnes...

Assassin of Fire and Sacrifice  by Mary Mecham  is the second to last book in the Sacrificed Hearts series, which I have been binging for the past two weeks . This book is a little different from the others. It is the only one in which the main character voluntarily sacrifices her heart by responding to a marriage request from her worst enemy with the intent to kill him and liberate the people she was brought up with. As a result, the romance in this book is fraught with anger and mistrust, making it less of a "cozy" love story than the others. The "monster" in this book is the legendary phoenix, but he spends most of his time as a man, and a rather meek one at that. Though such a hard-hitting premise appealed less to my personal taste than some of the others in this series, I had very few qualms with the writing itself, which was full of twists and drama. Azora is an orphaned soldier with an immunity to fire due to her ancestry. Similar to Avatar: The Last Airb...

Of all the Sacrificed Hearts books I've reviewed so far, Island of Secrets and Sacrifice by Deborah Grace White was the one I was looking forward to reading the most. She is the author of my favorite mermaid series, The Vazula Chronicles , and this book had a similar premise only without the mermaids. It takes place in the same world as the Singer Tales , one of my favorite fairy tale anthologies, and has a relatable protagonist and charming love story with undertones of "Beauty and the Beast." Suffice to say, this book had a lot of thought put into its setting, plot, and characters, and it shines through its strong worldbuilding, relatable themes, and compelling yet easy to follow narrative. Ember is a stubborn redhead who was raised in a dystopian society cut off from the rest of the world. She has a strong desire to be free from the confines of her island and learn the secrets of the outside world as well as the truth behind the maidens who are sacrificed from her...

I am more than halfway through the Sacrificed Hearts multi-author series of books about maidens falling in love after being sacrificed to "monsters." The third book in the series is Mask of Deception and Sacrifice by Callie Thomas . This book is a perfect blend between The Phantom of the Opera and Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde . It follows the premise of the series more closely than Pearls of Salt and Sacrifice but not quite as literally as Mountain of Dragons and Sacrifice . The story boasts a compelling romance full of drama and passion between two characters who were forced to hide their faces from the world. Its gorgeous artwork is a tribute to the drama and mystery within. This is the darkest story from this series so far, but the author provides a considerate trigger warning at the beginning of the book to prepare readers for the more disturbing parts of it. Fiona is a lost princess from a kingdom that was conquered by prejudice against those with the ability to use illu...

Pearls of Salt and Sacrifice  by Everly Haywood  is the second book from the Sacrificed Hearts series, which contains six books by different authors about maidens falling in love after being sacrificed to monsters. This book follows a different formula from  others I've read so far  in that the monster sacrifice happens very late in the book and is not the same character as the love interest featured on the beautiful cover art. In fact, this book has three love interests, which is even more than a typical love triangle and makes it unnecessarily convoluted. I had a hard time keeping track of all the characters because the princess was introduced to so many suitors in such a short period. This book also contains a healthy helping of pirate lore, which has never been my cup of tea, as well as krakens , elves , and siren songs all packed into a fairly short novel. Reva is a fiercely independent princess of a struggling kingdom. She is left with no choice but to make a ...

As a member of the street team for the Sacrificed Hearts series , I have been eager to read these books about unexpected romance from many of my favorite authors. The series plays on the trope of sacrificial maidens  who learn that their "captors" are not what they appear to be and grow to love them. In other words, they can be interpreted as loose retellings of "Beauty and the Beast,"  one of the most beloved love stories. The first book in the series, Mountain of Dragons and Sacrifice  by Tara Grayce , is a quintessential starting point for this series. I recently reviewed Netflix's Damsel , which had a similar premise but was marred by modern agendas and stereotypes of what it means to be a princess today . In many ways, this story is the opposite of Damsel , taking a damsel who believes her life will be threatened by a fearsome dragon before learning she doesn't need physical strength to defeat it and that what is inside her heart is already enough. I wa...