Beware the Jabberwock . . . The jaws that bite, the claws that catch! Kitchen maid Kainda is the daughter of a disgraced monster hunter. She longs to learn more about strange beasts and use the hunting skills her father taught her, but kitchen maids don’t get to have adventures—especially not a girl everyone thinks is crazy.That is until devil-may-care Prince Ander enlists her help in defeating a … Prince Ander enlists her help in defeating a monster troubling a nearby kingdom. With her misfit knight best friend by her side, Kainda thinks it’s the perfect arrangement. She gets adventure and financial freedom, while Prince Ander gets to marry the princess of Fernshire.
Until the beast proves more troublesome than anyone imagined, and secrets from her father’s past raise the question: What is more dangerous—myth or reality?
A standalone read perfect for fans of sweet romance, suspense, and fairy tales!
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Filled with rich characters, an intriguing plot, mysterious royalty, mystical creatures, and nail-biting action, this is a story that will captivate you from the first chapter.
The story is told from two female perspectives – Kainda’s and Princess Opal’s. I liked seeing what was happening from dual perspectives. It added to the character development and suspense and also progressed the plot. Additionally, by switching perspectives, you can see the similarities between the two young women.
Though Kainda and Opal are very different, they are both trapped in their own way. Opal is confined by the social expectations of nobility, and Kainda is constrained by the rumors of her father. They both long to be free and to follow their dreams but are held back. Kainda and Opal are from different kingdoms and different classes, yet they share the same fighting spirit and desire to be in charge of their own futures. I like how these strong and brave young women grow and change throughout the story.
I also liked the two love stories. There is nothing more sweet and refreshing than a new and budding romance. When that love is frowned upon by the societal norms, it makes the story even more interesting. I found myself rooting for these young couples and hoping that they would each have their happy ending.
Messages of female empowerment and equality permeate the story. I love that both of the major male characters in the novel are staunch supporters of gender equality. They treat their respective love interests as equals and often defer to the females for assistance or support.
Another aspect of the book that I really liked is that it is appropriate for all ages. I can easily see a middle school-aged reader enjoying this book as much as a young adult or adult. The writing is descriptive and engaging, the characters are likable and interesting, and the themes are universal and poignant.
I can’t say enough about The Jabberwocky Princess. This is a wonderfully written story with great imagery and depth. Stylistically, it flows beautifully with smooth transitions and skillful utilization of imagery and foreshadowing. It is definitely my favorite read of 2020, and I look forward to reading more by this talented author!
I loved this book and this series and I would suggest you pick up Desperate Forest along with this book to really get to know this area for these stories take place in neighboring kingdoms!
Cece is a wonderfully talented writer who will captivate you with stories that will keep you turning the pages to see what happens next! There are heroes and villains as well as betrayals and old fashioned romance which never goes out of style!
These stories are ones which speak to the heart of wanting ones desires fulfilled in ways they may not have anticipated at the onset. They are well written and ones you want to read! I felt I was there myself experiencing these adventures as I was reading them!
I wholeheartedly recommend this book and this series as books you will say to yourself that you really did enjoy and that it was time well spent!
I am looking forward to the next book in this series and I really believe you will too!
The Jabberwocky Princess is a fun fairy tale read that I enjoyed even more than its predecessor, Desperate Forest, so if you liked that one, you should enjoy this one as well. Like Desperate Forest, it’s a fantasy romance, although this book has two female protags, so it has double the romance as well.
Kainda keeps body and soul together as a maid in the castle, but what she really wants to do is follow her father’s path and become a hunter. He disappeared many years ago hunting monsters, and harmful rumors circulate about how he went mad doing it. When Kainda sneaks into a knight’s meeting held by Prince Ander and demonstrates her knowledge of the hunt, she finds herself included in the quest to track down and kill a monster in a neighboring realm.
The princess of that realm, Opal, has problems of her own. Her father has promised her hand to anyone who can rid the kingdom of the beast terrorizing the citizens. And that has yielded about what you’d expect–a bunch of power-hungry opportunists who she can’t even stand to touch, let alone marry.
But if Kainda and Opal don’t find help and figure out how to defeat the monster, they’re going to have much bigger problems than a lack of adventure or joy in their lives. In face, they won’t even have to worry about what their lives will be at all…
Kainda is a maid and the daughter of a monster hunter whose legend is far from reputable, in fact it is an embarrassment. Kainda though wants to be a knight, she wants to believe that her father is not the joke everyone believes he is. Kainda also wants to be one of the people joining Prince Ander in hunting down the beast who is killing the towns people.
Prince Ander is surprised to find a woman trying to join the hunt, but some of her ideas have peaked his interest. Ander allows Kainda to join the hunt but Kainda’s journey is not well received by all. Throw in a Princess whose father wants to marry her off and the growing feelings between Ander and Kainda, your in for a delightful treat . Will they find what they are looking for while hunting the beast?
This was so much fun and unexpected. I loved Kainda’s spirit, she is a wonderful heroine who surprised me at every turn. Prince Ander was a breath of fresh air and I really enjoyed his interactions with Kainda throughout the book. Unique story that was a pleasure to read.
A very loose retelling involving an “Alice” and Jabberwock. I truly enjoyed this unique tale. Told from 2 different view points we follow the story of a kingdom being attacked by a monster. A princess who wants to live her own life, and a girl who wants to walk in her father’s monster hunting footsteps. The plot was paced just right. The heroes and villains were well imagined.
And while the scene may not take place in the Disney version of wonderland this tale was full of hidden gems pointing to the original tale. The last lines of this story are some of my favorite last remarks, as well. I look forward to the next installment in the series.
4.5 stars – A fun fantasy tale for teens with adventure, action, and light romance – actually TWO romances! And dragons. Who doesn’t like a good dragon slaying? Beyond that, there’s a bit of mystery as Princess Opal, Prince Ander, Kainda, and Larkin work to discover what or who is behind the monstrous attacks on Fernshire.
The pacing is good throughout as both the romance and mystery unfold through the eyes of the two heroines – Opal and Kainda. Both are spunky and sassy in a way that modernizes the tale for contemporary readers. No helpless damsels here.
The Jabberwocky Princess stands alone, but there is cameo by characters from the first book in the series, Desperate Forest. A fun, clean series for medieval-style fantasy fans. And the covers are just gorgeous!
Delightful Quest Story
This is the first book I have read by this author. I enjoy fantasy, but it doesn’t always make it into my reading rotation. I am glad that I chose this book. I’ll admit that I was first drawn to it just by the title. The poem Jabberwocky is one that my older sister always liked to dramatically read.
Our heroine starts as just a kitchen maid, but she has a deep backstory where she helped her monster hunter father as she was growing up. So when the neighboring realm is threatened, her skills come in handy, even if some men around her don’t believe a woman should have anything to do with work of this sort. So the characters set off to slay the beast and win the hand of the princess of that land for the prince of this one, who is leading the expedition. If you’re thinking that this sounds like any other quest story, you couldn’t be more wrong. There definitely were some surprising twists and turns, and the characters were really nuanced and fascinating to watch as they dealt with the book’s events. Each main or key secondary character was distinct with particular character quirks that made them come alive, and each had their own goals, motivations, and desires. The plot and the characters were just so well done so that it was a book I did not want to put down.
I received a free copy of this book, but that did not affect my review.
Book review of The Jabberwocky Princess (The Forest Tales, #2) by Cece Louise
“Beware the Jabberwock . . . The jaws that bite, the claws that catch!”
(Minor spoilers below! No major plot points ot anything)
When I received this from the author as an Advanced Reader Copy, I had no idea it was a 2nd in a series, I might not have accepted as I felt lost quite a bit.
That said, the story felt rushed in some parts, maybe because it was a 2nd book and the expectation for plot setting would be minimized but it felt like the entire plot for this book was crammed into the first Chapter. That can make a book tough to get into to be sure!
I persevered and continued to read and truly enjoyed Kainda because she was smart, likable but also just fierce enough to hunt monsters and for a reader to get behind & root for. I also found that even without all the background I missed by not reading Book 1 this story and it was so nicely written with an interesting plot. I loved the narrative style. I found this to be an overall enjoyable and interesting YA read.
I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.
The Jabberwocky Princess by Cece Louise, is an excellent historical young adult romance novel by this fantastic author. She did a great job of bringing the Jabberwock to life.
Can Kainda restore her father’s good name in the monster-hunting world?
Kainda
Kainda is our first point-of-view in this story and the one that is perfect for this book. We follow her from being a kitchen maid to going on this quest that is the same one that her father left on but never returned. Now she is on two missions not only to help Prince Ander with stopping the monster and bring goodwill to her father’s name in the monster-hunting world.
I love this character because she is different than what we usually would see as a girl of fifteen getting a job at the palace to help her family. She is genuinely into hunting monsters and figuring out what each one is along with how to kill it if that is what needs to happen.
Princess Opal
Princess Opal is anything but the standard spoiled princess. She wants to have more of a say in her life than being a pawn in her father’s game. Opal finds it refreshing to be with Kainda and with a knight that is Kainda’s friend. She, of course, doesn’t want to leave her kingdom to join a prince in his faraway country.
She is another character that I love, and I find it remarkable to get her point-of-view as well. There isn’t much that I don’t like about her.
The Bad Guys
Once again, Cece Louise drives another plot twist into it that I didn’t except but also kind of maybe saw it coming even though I didn’t want it to be true. I can’t explain as it is a significant point, but wow. The Jabberwock is, of course, a bad guy since the monster is the whole reason with why this story exists. Ms. Louise describes the Jabberwock with such great finesse that it comes to life in my mind. The monster does have a few surprises that you can read the book to find out yourself.
5 Stars
The Jabberwocky Princess by Cece Louise, is a remarkable story that had me captivated throughout. Ms. Louise’s use of the poem that Louis Carroll wrote about the Jabberwock was ingenious. I loved how she brought the monster to life and everything that happened in this tale. Ms. Louise is an author that I am going to be following as I enjoy reading her books.
If you like fantasy books, this is a good one. I highly recommend it.
I voluntarily reviewed an Advance Reader Copy from the Wunderkind PR author. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review.
Thank you for dropping by! I hope you enjoyed this review of The Jabberwocky Princess by Cece Louise.
Until the next time,
Karen the Baroness
If you would like to see other reviews like this one, check out BaronessBookTrove.com.
Best book I’ve read so far this year! Beautifully written and perfectly layered, this unique novel will touch your emotions while captivating you. I love the way the story grabbed me from page one, pulling me right into a fun, spirited scene with lively personalities and tantalizing plot elements. This is only the second book in the series (and each can be enjoyed as a standalone), and already Cece Louise has mastered the finer points of writing. Everything flows so naturally.
The Jabberwocky Princess is refreshingly creative and boldly witty, featuring lovable yet flawed characters, exciting adventure, and magnificent plot twists. Best of all, the romance truly shines, endearing without being cheesy, sparking with conflict without feeling contrived.
For readers looking for a clean romance brimming with adventure, set in a wonderful days-of-old fairy-tale setting, The Jabberwocky Princess delivers the best of the genre. It left me with a happy, dreamy feeling and a satisfied sigh. I’m eagerly awaiting the next book in the series!
Overall I liked this story, but there were a few things that bothered me:
teeny tiny potential *spoilerish* critical comments…
1.) Opal was a cookie-cutter spoiled and entitled princess with the typical secret desire to play with the kingdom’s children and comfort the old people, making her seem both unrealistic and shallow at the same time. Also, why did a certain someone never mention that he loves sketching too when she told him her hobbies?
2.) She hated everyone for not seeing her as a real person yet avoided the one man who did because he could see the real her (this is me rolling my eyes @@)
3.) The jabberwocky’s origins seemed entirely and disappointingly lacking in imagination. This is coming from an athiest.
4.) Since when is a scary nightmare ironic?
5.) What kind of whacko father teaches his daughter to hunt wolves before elk????? Even if this is supposed to mean moose, since this probably takes place in Europe where moose are often referred to as elk, and even if moose are much more aggressive than elk, they are still far more docile than wolves.
6.) Prince Ander said he was waiting for the princess he would be a fool not to marry and then in the very next breath states that “Opal is the best option, I guess.”.
The list could go on and on, but nitpicks aside, this was an entertaining story with some interesting characters and a few very unexpected plot-twists. I also liked how the poem was quoted throughout the book and that we got to follow more than a few characters so closely. Probably my favorite thing about the story was that Kainda was clever, capable, self-aware, and kind. The discussion about the pause to the happily ever after instead of an ending was really wonderful too.
I received a free copy of The Jabberwocky Princess, but that did not affect my review.
The Jabberwocky Princess was a fantastic second book in Cece Louise’s Forest Tales saga. Kainda, daughter of a famed (now deceased) monster hunter, seeks to follow in her father’s footsteps, hunting and slaying monsters. Sadly, she is a kitchen maid, since monster hunting is for the knights. But through a series of fortunate events, she finds herself going along with the knights to find a monster that is destroying the nearby kingdom of Fernshire, the famed Jabberwock.
Princess Opal, on the other hand, has been raised with privilege, and as a result, lacks both friendship and any say in her own life. Her father names her as the prize for whoever slays the monster and saves the kingdom, but can she be more than that? Prince Ander comes with his knights and Kainda to save the day and win the fair lady, but can he take the situation seriously and slay the beast? There are so many great characters in this story! Even the villains are wonderful and complicated and difficult to identify.
Cece created a wonderful new fairy tale that incorporated much of the wonder of Lewis Carroll’s tale with something entirely her own. I cannot wait to read her next stories and only wish she could write them faster.
I received a free ARC from the author and have reviewed it willingly.
I received this novel as an ARC from Ms. Louise. Thank you! All thoughts and opinions are my own.
This novel was a very enjoyable read that I could not put down! A kitchen maid proving she can do the job of man even though many things are stacked against her. A princess deciding she wants to be more than just a pawn. Kainda was once the daughter of a famous monster hunter who mysteriously disappeared after attempting to slay an unknown monster, leaving her to deal with the repercussions, but Kainda knows she will one day discover the truth and take on her father’s legacy. When the beast returns, she and Larkin join Prince Ander’s quest to kill the beast and have Princess Opal’s hand in marriage. Kainda must use the knowledge she learned from her father and the messages he left her to discover what the mysterious creature is. What she discovers is more terrifying than expected. Join Kainda and the others on an adventure to discover the truth of the beast, the reasons behind the attack, and what they plan to do to save the kingdom.