Reviews

The Two Princesses of Bamarre by Gail Carson Levine

abbysimon's review

4.0

I read this book in elementary school and it’s just as good now as it was then

reading_sweet_romance's review

5.0

An enchanting tale of a girl who faces her fears to save those she loves.

caitlaird's review

adventurous emotional hopeful inspiring reflective sad tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? No

3.25

I read this and loved it as a child, I did not remember much but wanted to reread. 
I enjoyed the romance, I thought it was very sweet. The world building was great, I think this story would have benefited from another 200 pages or so, because it was a little rushed and fantasy needs time to cook if it’s going to be easy to follow. Sometimes I got a bit confused about the lore (if you like classic fantasy I’m sure you’re fine but I’m rather unfamiliar with the ideas of seven league boots and things like that, only having heard or them, never reading them actually in use), and for a kids book it should perhaps be easier to make sense of but I got there in the end. Maybe that says more about me, but hey I can handle that. 

I do think every single character could have used a lot more development, and Addie could be rather frustrating sometimes. I understand a reluctant hero but it was almost hard to root for her because it felt like she really just didn’t want to do anything, and just wanted to cry the whole time. She does eventually learn to be tougher but it almost doesn’t feel earned, like what did she do other than live through tough experiences, she didn’t really do much to help herself out of these tough situations in my opinion. Just like complained in her head. 
I found the climax to be a bit hard to follow and rather rushed, and throughout the story everything was working against her and she made very silly mistakes that kept making her journey harder, and it almost felt like it was unrealistic (and believe me I get it, it’s fantasy so it’s going to be unrealistic but bear with me). Everything just kept going wrong. 
And as a reader when you have to read… three days passed… two days passed that can be a bit painful. I’d rather you just cut the deadline. 

sallyavena's review

4.0

A fun story about two sisters who are opposites with an interesting twist to happily ever after at the end.

typewriterjess's review

2.0

I absolutely adored this book until the last chapter. I really wasn't expecting the ending, and it really ruined the book for me. I was somewhere around twelve when I read this (and therefore I identified with certain characters) and so when the ending hit, it left me with a resounding OUCH of pain.This would've been an outrageously fantastic book if it had ended differently. It had beautiful writing and characters though, and an otherwise awesome plot.

princessklee's review

adventurous inspiring lighthearted medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? No

4.75

penosa16's review against another edition

adventurous emotional inspiring reflective fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Plot
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? No
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

2.25

 This book just wasn't for me, which is sad because I have read two other books from this author and loved them. This time I didn't connect with any of the characters, and their struggles felt too cartoony. The plot felt disjointed, the romance was undeveloped, and that ending was... so rushed. What I usually like from these books is the worldbuilding and the unique ideas this author has to make fairytales work. This one, however, gave me nothing, it was too generic.

Some things I did like: the potential. The author definitely had a vision of how the characters were going to develop, their ending, and what they needed to grow, but it wasn't well executed. I like some moments between the sisters. And I liked the writing! That's it.

I would recommend it to anyone who likes epic poems but made for children, or who wants a quick-filler book to read in maybe one or two days. 

kfolezzz's review

adventurous reflective fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? No
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.0

i found this at my parents’ house and remembered loving it as a kid. the inscription is from when i was 10 years old. 

it holds up for a kids book as being fine — not great but not the worst! kind of weird to end with a

child marriage tho

roseandswan's review

5.0

This book has always been a comfort and a treasure to me. I read it countless times as a child and now revisited it at age 31 in its audiobook format, which was wonderful. I listened to it one day while I had a migraine and it was so comforting. You can't go wrong with a story about someone being driven by love to find their courage.

thrakaboom's review against another edition

adventurous emotional medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0