The Princess Blog

I have thoroughly enjoyed every book I've read so far by Abigail Manning , so I figured it would be worthwhile to check out her Once Upon a Rhyme series , which takes popular nursery rhymes and weaves them into fairy tales. The first book, The Itsy Bitsy Liar , is inspired by "The Itsy Bitsy Spider," but it contains no spiders. Instead, it is an exciting princess story that combines elements of "Cinderella,"   The Princess and the Pauper , and "The Brave Little Tailor."  It exceeded all my expectations and provides a powerful commentary on honesty  with an adorable fairy tale romance. Lacey Arachne leads a rough life. Her father was imprisoned for a crime he didn't commit. To prevent her from talking, the jealous daughter of the real criminal used magic to curse Lacey so she could only speak in lies. This made it nearly impossible for Lacey to find work. Every polite or humble thing she said would come off as rude and dissenting. Therefore, it was...

I discovered  Rescuing the Prince  by Meghann McVey  from a Facebook promotion. It looked like a cute story that appealed to my interests, so I decided to check it out. It is the first book from the Leah Heroman series, which appears to be a series of clean romance novels with strong isekai and Disney inspiration. This book started out a little hokey and felt like an off-brand version of the Kingdom Keepers , but it got better as it went along. By the time I finished, I enjoyed it more than I expected to and even found myself curious about what happens next in the series. Although not based on a fairy tale, the story has strong Barbie as the Princess and the Pauper  vibes, along with a magic school, a love triangle, and a relatable heroine from the real world who loves princesses. It's a great escapist fantasy for princess fans of all ages. Leah Heroman is a princess performer at Disneyland  Portalis Park (which definitely would have been sued by Disney if it ...

As  Disney Princess - The Concert continues its national tour, there are smaller venues making their own special magic across the nation. I was pleased to learn via Facebook  that my new castle  is located within driving distance of one such venue.  Cedar Park High School  is performing a show called  Princess Tea  this weekend, which they have apparently been doing for the past fifteen years . What a magical tradition! The show features high school choir students performing as various princesses, princes, and sidekicks from animated movies that are not entirely limited to Disney. This year's cast included Cinderella, Ariel, Belle, Megara, Rapunzel, Anna, Elsa, Anastasia, and Fiona on the girls' side and Prince Charming, Jaq, Gus, Flounder, Prince Adam (the unofficial fan name for the transformed version of the Beast), Flynn Rider, Dimitri, Donkey, and Olaf for the boys. Considering that this was a local show, I was extremely impressed with the p...

Last week, I reviewed an unnecessary sequel , so it only feels appropriate to follow up with another sequel I read that is so necessary that the original book feels empty without it. The Opal Crown  by Jenny Lundquist  fills in all of the gaps that were left behind by the Princess and the Pauper -inspired book,  The Princess in the Opal Mask . I enjoyed The Princess in the Opal Mask , but was left with many questions after completing the final chapter. It leaves both girls in a delicate situation that is likely to fall apart at any moment. The Opal Crown  conveys prcisely how that situation falls apart and how the girls must work together to save themselves, their kingdom, and choose how they will spend the rest of their lives. It is a fast-paced suspenseful adventure story that is superior to the original book in every way. This review will contain spoilers for The Princess in the Opal Mask , so be sure to read that first if it is a concern. The Princess in the...

I received  The Princess in the Opal Mask  as a gift along with The Princess Curse . Of the two books, this one was far superior. It is yet another retelling of The Princess and the Pauper , which seems to be a popular trope these days, especially among movies. It works surprisingly well in book format, as it allows readers to switch between the perspectives of both main characters. We all know the story of two girls who discover they look alike and decide to switch lives for a few days. However, this was a refreshing break from the standard "princess meets someone who looks just like her and decides she wants a vacation" format. This book goes deeper than that by exploring themes like identity, family, and self-fulfillment. After a few slow opening chapters, it picks up with an exciting investigation that tests both girls to their limits. Princess Wilha has been forced to cover her face with a bejeweled mask for as long as she can remember, never knowing why. The glittering...

Princess Barbie is back with a modern new makeover. Barbie Princess Adventure  premiered on Netflix today, and it made me miss the old Barbie more than ever. This musical princess adventure played like an extended episode of the Barbie Dreamhouse Adventures  series rather than a remake of the fantastic Barbie as the Princess and the Pauper  movie from 2004. If anything, it was an animated version of Netflix's The Princess Switch  from 2018 with songs inspired by Disney's 2006 High School Musical . It was more modern than Barbie's 2012 princess doppleganger remake, The Princess and the Popstar , speaking to a new generation of girls who grew up surrounded by technology and social media . I understand that I am far from the target age group for this movie, but I feel like movies set in modern times will inevitably feel dated over time, whereas those set in an era long past like The Princess and the Pauper  come off as classic and timeless. Barbie Princess Advent...

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...

Today, Netflix dropped The Princess Switch , a low-budget modern-day knockoff of Barbie as the Princess and the Pauper . Was it just as cheesy and predictable as it looked in the trailer ? Well, yes. Does that make it completely unwatchable? Surprisingly, no. It's normal to see a lot of fluffy feel-good family movies out around the holidays, so setting the film during Christmastime and releasing it right at the start of the holiday season  may have been just the right touch to prevent it from being a huge disaster . Since we've already seen movies about twins or lookalikes switching places so many times, it's the perfect flick to play if you're busy cleaning or doing your nails or reading articles online and want to have something on in the background.. Trust me, you won't miss anything if you need to run to the microwave and grab your popcorn. No need to pause it. Thanks to the magic of green screen technology, Vaness Hudgens plays both Stacy De Novo, a baker ...

Did you know that Barbie has starred in almost 40 movies? Yesterday, I talked a little about  remakes . Barbie has told so many different stories in so many different personas that some of them overlap. Instead of retelling the same stories, though, the writers have tried be as original as possible each time, even with up to three movies coming out every year since 2001. These movies are made up of all the things girls love--princesses, mermaids, fairies, magic, horses, etc. Barbie has portrayed the role of a princess over a dozen times! She plays a very active part in each story, so even if the CGI isn't perfect, parents can rest assured that it's a great influence on their young girls. I've mentioned a couple of Barbie's movies in my  "Swan Lake"  and  "Rapunzel"  posts. It really is impressive how much original princess content  Rainmaker Studio  has come out with over the past decade and a half. Of the 37 current Barbie movies, Barbie ha...