The Princess Blog

To Betray a King  by Annette K. Larsen  is one of the books I hadn't read yet from 2024's Shattered Tales series . Having recently completed Tangled Sails , her contribution to Displaced Fairytales , I was eager to read more from her. This book is such a loose retelling of "The Frog Prince"  that you'd have to be very familiar with the original fairy tale to catch all the references. The story contains no magic and revolves around a tactical espionage plot to prevent a series of murders by a dastardly villain. It fits well with the themes of The Shattered Tales and transforms "The Frog Prince," which is traditionally a light and rather silly story, into a suspenseful thriller. Princess Faelyn's life turns upside-down when her family escapes her tyrannical fiancé, only to be terrorized further by her wicked cousin, who rules a neighboring kingdom. King Jeshua blackmails Fae to disguise herself as a peasant "Fraug" and poison a man she's ...

To Rival a Reflection  by Selina De Luca was one of this month's gifts from the fabulous Fairy Tale Advent Calendar . It is the fourth book I've read from the Shattered Tales series that reimagines the story of "Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs."  Opinions may vary on this one. I am not generally fond of fractured fairy tales , but some people love them. I prefer books that are closer to the original stories . Still, this book was a beautifully written new and creative take on "Snow White" with some elements of "The Snow Queen" thrown in for good measure. At the end of the day, it just didn't have the same magic and impact that the original fairy tale did for me. This version of Snow White is obsessed with her reflection and takes on many of the traits of the wicked stepmother from the original story. Armed with a magic mirror and an enchantress's prophecy that she would one day become queen as long as she remains the fairest one of all,...

Three is the magic number for this review. To Shatter a Slipper  by Abigail Manning  is the third book I've read from the Shattered Tales series  and the third "Cinderella" retelling  I  read from this author . Despite retelling the same fairy tale  so many times, she still manages to find a new twist that makes the book feel fresh and original. This book has a similar plot to Disney's Cinderella III: A Twist in Time  in which the infamous glass slipper fits another girl who must work together with Ella to reclaim her happy ending. It fits the theme of the Shattered Tales series because the "Cinderella" story is literally shattered when the glass slipper doesn't fit Ella, and it's an unexpected perspective swap that acknowledges and celebrates Cinderella's kind and gentle nature . Kirsi has no interest in marrying a prince. She's more concerned with the restrictions her father placed on her relationship with Caden, a servant at the palace. Ju...

My final read of MerMay  and first book of #fairytalesummer  is To Break a Silence  by Lydia Mae , a retelling of "The Little Mermaid"  from the  Shattered Tales series . I was a little skeptical about reading another book from a series whose premise revolves around trying to "fix" fairy tales that I never thought were broken in the first place. However, this book turned out to be a worthwhile read. It's a more literal interpretation of the story than  My Fair Mermaid , which I also enjoyed. The main thing it changes is that it provides a new option that doesn't require the mermaid protagonist to either marry the prince she rescued or sacrifice herself. The idea of an alternate romantic interest has been done before in books like  The Jinni Key  and  Song of the Sea , but it's a little different each time, allowing each endearing love story to unfold in unexpected ways. Stella is a siren who is not supposed to be seen by humans. Dillon i...

To Defy a Dream  by Mary Mecham  is a retelling of "Sleeping Beauty"  from The Shattered Tales , a multi-author series bent on deconstructing popular fairy tales and rewriting them with a twist that shatters their most defining elements. As a huge fairy tale fan, I wasn't too interested in a premise that it rips apart the foundations of what makes fairy tales so beloved. I think deconstructions work better for outdated romcom tropes such as Rachel Bloom's brilliantly executed in Crazy Ex-Girlfriend  than they do with timeless fairy tale classics. Still, I enjoyed this author's deconstructed "Cinderella" retelling , and since  To Defy a Dream  was part of a big fairy tale promotion for Valentine's Day , I thought I might as well give it a chance. Overall, To Defy a Dream  has very little to do with "Sleeping Beauty" despite being a retelling. There is a sleeping curse and a magic spindle, but the princess was not cursed to die or sleep at he...