An outcast.A prince.And a deadly rebellion…After a lifetime of rejection, seamstress Evie can’t trust Frederic, the crown prince of Lanover-not his words of friendship or the way the warmth in his eyes seems to ask for even more. But when they end up on a tour of his kingdom-one filled with increasing danger-Evie’s mistrust might doom them all. In this spin on the classic fairy tale, an ugly … classic fairy tale, an ugly duckling must discover her true worth in order to save her kingdom and maybe even find true love.
If you enjoy clean romance, adventure and intrigue, then try the books in The Four Kingdoms series now! Each of these young adult fairy tale retellings can be read as a standalone story. However, for greatest enjoyment, they should be read in order.
The Four Kingdoms reading order:
- The Princess Companion: A Retelling of The Princess and the Pea (Book One)
- The Princess Fugitive: A Reimagining of Little Red Riding Hood (Book Two)
- Happily Every Afters: A Reimagining of Snow White and Rose Red (Novella)
- The Princess Pact: A Twist on Rumpelstiltskin (Book Three)
- A Midwinter’s Wedding: A Retelling of The Frog Prince (Novella)
- The Princess Game: A Reimagining of Sleeping Beauty (Book Four)
- The Princess Search: A Retelling of The Ugly Duckling (Book Five)
more
It is made abundantly clear in this tale that it is possible to be competent and connected and still lack self-esteem. The author has made Evie embarrassingly humble, having lived through the kind of rejections that have broken others. Evie on the other hand grows strong and overcomes. It is rather dismaying yet amazing to journey with Evie into her past and from there into her future. The author really shows us the importance of knowing our roots – we really can’t build our futures without that foundation, can we? As always, I love what the author has done with her retelling of a classic fairy tale, creating a new classic from the old. This is worth adding to my collection of retellings.
Good, clean story!
The Princess Search by Melanie Cellier
Evie had been an orphan as long as she could remember and she had moved around from place to place, each time hoping for a home. Each place she lived, she faced rejection and was forced to move on. I was drawn into her insecurity and could understand her lack of trust. It was also impressive how she learned from her mistakes and came to the point where she decided to trust regardless of the rejection she was certain she would face.
Princess Celine was just too cute. Her determination to play matchmaker for her two brothers who were on the Royal Tour with her was charming. She was impish and adorable and often was trying to mother the princes who were significantly older than she was.
There was plenty of action to keep the story moving. The stirrings of rebellion continued to flame into trouble and followed them on the Tour. In one city, they literally stirred into flames. I loved the way that Evie’s experiences from her childhood allowed her to give much-needed insight.
My favorite part of the story was probably when they were in the desert and Prince Cassian was so awestruck by Tillie that he couldn’t speak around her at all. Their interactions and the way that Celine interfered were so funny, sweet and romantic all tied up into one!
I loved the way that the author used the Tour as a way to allow Evie to revisit her past and be able to view it through mature eyes and perspective. It was clever how they journeyed in the reverse order of where she had lived. Slowly, as she learned to trust Prince Frederic and Princess Celine, she unfurled the tapestry of her life to them, letting them see the things she had always attempted to keep hidden. In the process she was able to grow, to heal and to mature into the lovely woman of value that she always had been.
This review was originally posted on AmongTheReads.net.
Get a preview of The Princess Search at amongTheReads.net
Like Melanie’s other books in this series (this is currently the last book in the series, I recommend reading them in order) this book is creative, sweet, easy for me to read (I think it’s a youth/YA audience), but completely and utterly enjoyable.
Let me put it this way, I try to get books cheap (hello Book Bub!) but I buy Melanie’s books as soon as they come out.