A princess fleeing an arranged marriage teams up with a snarky commoner to foil a rebel plot in B. R. Myers’ Rogue Princess, a gender-swapped sci-fi YA retelling of Cinderella.Princess Delia knows her duty: She must choose a prince to marry in order to secure an alliance and save her failing planet. Yet she secretly dreams of true love, and feels there must be a better way. Determined to chart … better way. Determined to chart her own course, she steals a spaceship to avoid the marriage, only to discover a handsome stowaway.
All Aidan wanted was to “borrow” a few palace trinkets to help him get off the planet. Okay, so maybe escaping on a royal ship wasn’t the smartest plan, but he never expected to be kidnapped by a runaway princess
Sparks fly as this headstrong princess and clever thief battle wits, but everything changes when they inadvertently uncover a rebel conspiracy that could destroy their planet forever.
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The Rogue Princess was not what I was expecting when I climbed aboard that spaceship with Princess Delia and Aidan and began my own journey of getting to know who Princess Delia and Aidan are.
Princess Delia stole a spaceship trying to escape getting married. There was a number of Princes from other planets vying for Princess Delia’s hand in marriage. Princess Delia was expected to pick a Prince to marry a Prince that could help save her people and planet. But Princess Delia didn’t want to get married especially to someone she didn’t love. She had dreamed all her life of marrying her Princes Charming.
The whole time I was reading Rogue Princess I kept trying to make my own assumptions as to how the story was going to turn out in the end but by my calculations I was way off base. No matter how hard I tried to figure out the end with different scenarios running around in my head I was totally wrong with each and every guess I made. I believe that was one of the biggest twists that I have ever seen before. I never expected a twist like that.
But it was great and it worked so well. I am still dreaming over that twist.
Rogue Princess pulled me into its depths from the very beginning and kept me glued to the pages with all the action and the twists around every corner. I really enjoyed being on this journey with Princess Delia and Aidan as they got to know each other and getting to know them myself. I can’t wait to see what they have in store for us as their journey continues in the next book.
If you like fairy tales, fairy tale retelling, princess, princes or the Cinderella story then you are going to absolutely love Rogue Princess. One click yourself a copy today to begin this wonderful adventure.
This futuristic, sci-fi, reverse Cinderella retelling is pure gold. B.R. Myers weaves a tale with fascinating characters, stunning world building, and a story that tugs at your heart and makes you care. Princess Delia is due to inherit the crown, but first she must a choose a prince to marry. And love plays no part in that decision. She must choose a mate from a neighboring planet with the resources her planet needs in order to survive. It’s purely a business transaction, and one she feels ill-prepared to make. Because although she’s been raised from the moment of birth to assume the throne and lead her people, no one has prepared her to be anyone’s wife. Aidan is a scavenger, taking what he can from the wealthy inhabitants of the palace to buy his way off the planet, a place that doesn’t hold much for a boy with no status. He lives with his stepfather and two stepbrothers who treat him as nothing more than their servant. When Aidan sees his chance to steal a ship and get off the planet for good, his plans are thwarted when the princess uses the same ship to attempt something similar. Sparks fly as these two, with their own secrets securely intact, must rely on one another to uncover a plot to bring down the monarchy.
Plot
The plot centers on discovering who is out to kill the queen and usurp power so they can be stopped, but there are strong subplots that involve the undeniable attraction between Aidan and Delia all while Delia is supposed to be choosing a prince to marry so she can save her planet. Everything is woven expertly together. The secrets both are carrying provide page-turning moments and the right amount of interpersonal conflict while the external conflict drives the main pulse-pounding plot. A clandestine rebellion, pirates, and amazing tech create a world rife with both danger and excitement.
Characters
Myers has created amazing, intense, likable characters. While Delia, as our main character and all of her conflicting goals and emotions, is intense and moody, her younger sister, Shania, steals the show. Shania is bubbly and effervescent, and finds the whole mating game romantic as she attempts to help her sister find the most swoon-worthy husband. Aidan is the yin to Delia’s yang as a jaded commoner with a sharp tongue and wit to offset her doom and gloom.
What I Loved About ROGUE PRINCESS
1. Shania. She’s so sweet, optimistic, and everything Delia needs.
2. Delia. Her sense of honor, despite everything she wants, makes her someone you can’t help rooting for.
3. Tech. Everything from wind-up homing birds to flying gliders makes this a world of both romance and futuristic elegance, with a healthy steampunk vibe.
4. World Building. The author creates vivid scenes, rich with sights, colors, sounds, and smells that bring them to life in even the most stubborn imagination.
5. Retelling with a Twist. I’m always a sucker for a good fairytale retelling, but this futuristic, role-swapping twist made this version a little different for me. The added intrigue meant that I didn’t know exactly what was going to happen, even though Cinderella’s ending is as familiar as almost anything.
Bottom Line
A thrilling, romantic space opera retelling of Cinderella.
5 CRANKY STARS
This is a well written sci-fi story with hints of the old Dune stories. Who doesn’t love the Sand Worms of Dune? Well, here they are on the planet Astor. There are several other similarities to other movies but the way the author has used them works quite well. Here we have a Princess who must marry to save her planet from running out of the fuel known as codlight. No love plays in this marriage, only an arrangement to save the planet. Which of the seven suitors will she choose?
Oh, wait, there is a local boy named Aidan that gets involved in all this suspense. A liar and a thief, he of course falls for Delia and she, deep down, falls for him. Add in some espionage, a revolt in the Dark District and betrayal in the Palace, and you have one heck of a page turner. I couldn’t put it down at times and the end surprised me. I should have caught the clues earlier, but I was so enamored by these characters, I missed them. Great story for every age.