Lilia must save her best friend, Kai, from a terrible enchantment caused by their perilous encounter with the Elf King and his beautiful daughter. The only way for Lilia to break the spell is to find a mysterious jewel of ancient power hidden somewhere in the North Kingdoms. But the jewel will not be easy to find. The castle where it lies is caught up in a different kind of a search—the search for a true princess!
The excerpt on the back cover, plus the cover art of A True Princess. All credit goes to the author, Diane Zahler.
Intrigued? Read on:
Thought you knew the story of the Princess and the Pea? Think again.
This charming tale of a girl searching for her past combines the sweet beauty of fairy-tales with elements of mythology, all in a modern-day middle grade novel. It expands upon the original tale, turning it into something far deeper and more meaningful.
Suddenly the story becomes a small part of another story entirely. One of a girl retracing her past in an attempt to unravel her history and find her family. It’s almost like the Princess and the Pea is some exaggerated legend of A True Princess, grown through the years and yet shrunk and changed, as many stories are in the retelling.
What I love:
The setting is very strong. Right away, this medieval peasant life unfolds, and magic quickly makes itself present as a normal part of the world.
Speaking of magic, I love how Diane Zahler has taken pieces of Scandinavian mythology—nisses, the Elf King, Odin, etc.—and woven it with a German story. It makes you wonder what else we might have seen if, say, the book had been longer or part of a series. Though I can’t complain, because the ending was a satisfying conclusion to this cute story.
I love novels with that fairy-tale feel to them. A True Princess has the perfect balance of the classic fairy-tale feel and the pace of a novel from today’s era. It expands the world of the Princess and the Peace and gives it a few twists that make Diane Zahler’s story something truly original.
What I don’t love:
I know that cliches are sometimes necessary. But this book includes some of the most common ones–the typical wicked stepmother and long-lost royalty. Someday, I’d like to see a good, kind, loving stepmother.
A True Princess is told in first person point of view. Faced with a choice between first and third person, I myself would choose third. In the fantasy genre, most stories are in third. This is just a stylistic choice and has no effect on the story’s worth. However, some people decide whether or not to read a book based on whether it’s first or third person.
Content warnings:
Minor romance and kissing, minor violence.
The main character watches one girl fall in love, while she herself slowly realizes that she loves someone too. There is one kiss near the end of the novel.
The only violence is when a group of brigands appears. They corner the main character of A True Princess and her two friends. One of her friends uses a sword to slash the lead brigand’s arm.
Ratings:
Appropriate content: 4.5/5
Story construction: 4/5
Writing skill: 3.8/5
Ethics: 3.5/5
Conclusion:
In a sweet tale of Norse and German mythology, a defiant girl and her two friends venture out to unravel her past. It’s a quaint tale perfect for readers between the ages of 8-12 who love stories of courage, elves, and princesses. I would readily recommend A True Princess by Diane Zahler and give it 3.8 out of 5 cherries.
Psst! Do you love fairy-tale re-tellings? Try Ella Enchanted by Gail Carson Levine. Or, if you’re older, another German fairy-tale re-telling is The Goose Girl by Shannon Hale.
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