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3.99 AVERAGE
3.99 AVERAGE
adventurous
funny
hopeful
lighthearted
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
Playful, adventurous, heart warming, a bit predictable, but delightful nonetheless. So much fun to read.
I really liked that Lis was a true warrior, and her friendship with Vorah. The two of them were fabulous and totally made this story worth reading. The romance was kind of unnecessary, imo. I didn't really feel like Lis was truly in love at the end. The friendship between Vorah and Lis, and how kickass they were, made the story.
4 out of 5
4 out of 5
The Princess and the Pea (Timeless Fairy Tales #0.5) by K.M. Shea –Lis and Vorah are heroes/knights errant/mercs proving a point that ladies can kick butt too! When they get hired to guard a pea from a notorious theif, they have their world upended when they meet him face to face! Sweetest retelling of the princess and the pea ever! Happy Reading
It's not a secret, I'd read a menu if it was written by K.M. Shea. I was so excited to read more content from her Timeless Fairy Tales universe I could hardly contain myself when I heard she'd be releasing this novella. Once again, every tale Shea touches turns to gold and I fell in love with her characters within their first pages. So excited to see what else this universe will contain!
First [b:A True Princess|8444951|A True Princess|Diane Zahler|https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1349046957s/8444951.jpg|13308833] and now this...do you know what it means?! Time to read all the Princess and the Pea retellings!
Just kidding, I refuse to re-read [b:Violet Eyes: A Retelling of The Princess and the Pea|6609571|Violet Eyes A Retelling of The Princess and the Pea|Debbie Viguié|https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1375868979s/6609571.jpg|6803537] and [b:Stain|34842208|Stain|A.G. Howard|https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1518038216s/34842208.jpg|56074713] still costs too much to justify buying. But I am really glad I found this one. Especially compared to more popular stories like Cinderella or Beauty and the Beast, there are hardly any Princess and the Pea retellings and I'm always delighted to find another version of my favorite fairy tale!
This version comes across as a weird combination of super clever and incredibly corny. It starts off with two warrior/mercenaries women kicking bad guy butt. (YEAH!) But despite very detailed action, it all felt...silly. I blame the eye-jabbing. All I could think of was:
We learn these two basically are legends in the mercenary world. (YEAH!) But one of the girls demonstrates a very annoying habit of referring to the other as "Master." Like, that is her entire personality: the annoying side kick who thinks it is hilarious to refer to her friend as "Master." Despite the heroine repeatedly claiming the other girl means it as a joke...we never get any evidence of this? I suppose in their behavior they act like partners, but in their conversation it screams "Hero and Annoying Sidekick."
But anyway, strong female friendships = good, so let's move on.
The story does a clever job introducing magic, warriors, bandits, and all sorts of exciting world building. (YEAH!) And then it goes and sticks our characters in this happy little country without conflict where the peasants go around singing every day.
I wish I were joking.
You ever see the cartoon movie Princess and the Pea by the people who made The Swan Princess?
For the record, I love the movie and I am not saying it is a bad comparison. But the peasants in that movie sing and villain is like "yeah...we need to crush this ridiculous happiness" and that is kind of how I felt.
We then meet the Royal family and the story kicks off with a really clever concept for the pea and a story line full of potential danger and intrigue! Except that it is literally the most predictable plot to ever plot. And not because this is a retelling of a familiar fairy tale. I mean the story itself barely bothers to hide what's going on. I predicted literally everything within the first two chapters. Granted, this is a very short novella and not intended to provide any great suspense. I just...was kind of surprised by how predictable it was considering how clever it started off?
Finally, though, the romance...
Eek.
I guess it wasn't insta-love?
But literally the characters themselves describe the love interest this way: "He's about as emotional as a potato; but he'll have to produce an heir somehow.
And honestly, I cannot think of a better description. The love interest is a potato. I'm all for serious young men with a heart of gold. But at some point, the guy needs to show some personality. Literally, any personality, I beg you!
So obviously I wasn't a huge fan. His weird parents I would classify as part of the "clever" part of the plot. But their on-the-nose "what it means to be a princess!" certainly shoved it back into corny.
Finally, the conclusion apparently connects to other stories. That is all well and good and maybe I will even read them. But mostly the Epilogue made me go:
So....3 stars for the story rounded up to 4 because I found the Princess and the Pea retelling particularly clever
Just kidding, I refuse to re-read [b:Violet Eyes: A Retelling of The Princess and the Pea|6609571|Violet Eyes A Retelling of The Princess and the Pea|Debbie Viguié|https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1375868979s/6609571.jpg|6803537] and [b:Stain|34842208|Stain|A.G. Howard|https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1518038216s/34842208.jpg|56074713] still costs too much to justify buying. But I am really glad I found this one. Especially compared to more popular stories like Cinderella or Beauty and the Beast, there are hardly any Princess and the Pea retellings and I'm always delighted to find another version of my favorite fairy tale!
This version comes across as a weird combination of super clever and incredibly corny. It starts off with two warrior/mercenaries women kicking bad guy butt. (YEAH!) But despite very detailed action, it all felt...silly. I blame the eye-jabbing. All I could think of was:
We learn these two basically are legends in the mercenary world. (YEAH!) But one of the girls demonstrates a very annoying habit of referring to the other as "Master." Like, that is her entire personality: the annoying side kick who thinks it is hilarious to refer to her friend as "Master." Despite the heroine repeatedly claiming the other girl means it as a joke...we never get any evidence of this? I suppose in their behavior they act like partners, but in their conversation it screams "Hero and Annoying Sidekick."
But anyway, strong female friendships = good, so let's move on.
The story does a clever job introducing magic, warriors, bandits, and all sorts of exciting world building. (YEAH!) And then it goes and sticks our characters in this happy little country without conflict where the peasants go around singing every day.
I wish I were joking.
You ever see the cartoon movie Princess and the Pea by the people who made The Swan Princess?
For the record, I love the movie and I am not saying it is a bad comparison. But the peasants in that movie sing and villain is like "yeah...we need to crush this ridiculous happiness" and that is kind of how I felt.
We then meet the Royal family and the story kicks off with a really clever concept for the pea and a story line full of potential danger and intrigue! Except that it is literally the most predictable plot to ever plot. And not because this is a retelling of a familiar fairy tale. I mean the story itself barely bothers to hide what's going on. I predicted literally everything within the first two chapters. Granted, this is a very short novella and not intended to provide any great suspense. I just...was kind of surprised by how predictable it was considering how clever it started off?
Finally, though, the romance...
Eek.
I guess it wasn't insta-love?
But literally the characters themselves describe the love interest this way: "He's about as emotional as a potato; but he'll have to produce an heir somehow.
And honestly, I cannot think of a better description. The love interest is a potato. I'm all for serious young men with a heart of gold. But at some point, the guy needs to show some personality. Literally, any personality, I beg you!
So obviously I wasn't a huge fan. His weird parents I would classify as part of the "clever" part of the plot. But their on-the-nose "what it means to be a princess!" certainly shoved it back into corny.
Finally, the conclusion apparently connects to other stories. That is all well and good and maybe I will even read them. But mostly the Epilogue made me go:
So....3 stars for the story rounded up to 4 because I found the Princess and the Pea retelling particularly clever
A great retelling! Great battles scenes, cute romance and a twist on the classic fairytale. Well done!