The Princess Blog

I received  Feathers of Snow  by Alice Ivinya in a book promotion some time ago and recently got around to reading it. After reading her ARC of The Golden Prince  I knew that Alice Ivinya was an expert at fantasy worldbuilding. This book is a retelling of "The Goose Girl"  that puts a unique spin on it by switching the role of the oppressed protagonist from the princess who was forced to work as a goose girl to the lady-in-waiting who was forced to be a princess against her will. Though the princess role swap is an overused trope, it is less common for a girl to be forced into the role of a princess unwillingly. That said, the plot of this book is nearly identical to Camille Peters' Identity  only with less focus on romance, making it less of an emotional journey. Brianna is a lady-in-waiting to the spoiled and selfish Princess Elyanna who loves to manipulate people and get her own way. When a political marriage alliance is proposed for Elyanna to Prince Jian...

When I first received the ARC for The Prince's Captive  by Celeste Baxendell, I thought that it was her entry for the upcoming Once Upon a Prince series . However, I quickly realized that it is the first book from her newest fantasy series, Runes of Pain and Peace. Her gender-bent fairy tale retelling, The Wicked Prince , is yet to come. The Prince's Captive  is quite a bit longer and more intense than a light-hearted fairy tale retelling. It tells an original fantasy story for young adult readers that gives off Romeo and Juliet  vibes in a world with mages who cast spells using runes similar to my own fantasy trilogy . Though it was a riveting book, the circumstances behind the romance were so troubling that it felt like a guilty pleasure. The female lead was a prisoner like Belle from "Beauty and the Beast,"  Yet that story is rather tame compared to the level of torment that Marcella suffers in this book. Marcella's appearance is both a blessing and a curse. Sh...

I realize I'm a bit behind with this review. After sharing my thoughts on the first Princess Switch  movie in 2018, I didn't find it necessary to review every pointless sequel  that came after it. This one qualifies as another Netflix surprise  for me because  The Princess Switch 3  wasn't nearly as terrible as I was expecting it to be, even after watching a hilarious review of it on YouTube . While it is not a classic by any means, it does get some props for originality by diverting from the standard script of two girls who look alike living out a day in each other's lives. The "switch" part doesn't even happen until the third act. Even then, it isn't about these characters getting to know each other better by walking in their shoes since that was already covered in the first film. Instead, it's a weird espionage thriller with a surprisingly heartfelt ending. If you missed the second movie (in which case I don't blame you), there are now thre...

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...

I was recently offered an opportunity to read and review the new book Peas and Princesses  by up-and-coming author Aleese Hughes . Just as it sounds, the book is an original adaptation of the fairy tale "The Princess and the Pea."  However, the cutesy title is somewhat misleading when it comes to the tone of the story. The book's villain is truly terrifying and does some awful things, so I would hesitate to recommend it for younger princess fans. Outside of that, it's a quick and fun read for young adults who enjoy fairy tale adaptations. The protagonist is easy to relate and winds up in a similar situation to the main character in last year's Netflix movie, The Princess Switch . Peas and Princesses  is about a village girl named Milly who is forced to enter a competition to replace the kingdom's princess after she ran away. In that respect, it is reminiscent of Shannon Hale's Princess Academy  but much darker. This book focuses on the common desire...

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 ...

Last November, I posted about all of the festivities that took place for various princess movie anniversaries . Did you know that an overwhelming majority of Disney Princess movies were released in November of their corresponding year? That makes it a huge month for celebrating many of our favorite theatrical releases. Sometimes people ask why that is, and I think it's mainly about accessibility. Disney likes to release their biggest blockbusters right before holiday vacations so that parents and kids will be available to go out and see them, guaranteeing a successful run. You might be wondering why these movies don't open in December so they're closer to the bigger holidays , but most blockbusters stay in theaters for at least two months, which means that opening in November will bring in both the Thanksgiving and Christmas vacation crowds. The Nutcracker and the Four Realms , which came out last week, and even though it was somewhat disappointing, Disney's most antici...