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A review by mcfoster
The Secret Princess by Melanie Cellier
5.0
Melanie Cellier delivers again with another fairytale retelling set in the Four Kingdoms (and their neighbouring nations). This time, we follow Giselle as she has her identity stolen by her maid Sierra and is forced to become a goose girl.
All the elements of the original Grimm tale are there - the talking horse, the handkerchief with the spots of blood, the goose boy's hat and the iron stove. However, as always with Ms Cellier, there is a lot more, including a plot against the throne and a budding romance.
It's fun seeing Giselle explore what it means to be a princess even when you're viewed as a goose girl and you have none of the rights and privileges, and to get a look at life below stairs in Arcadia - something that we haven't seen much of since [b:The Princess Companion: A Retelling of The Princess and the Pea|36562225|The Princess Companion A Retelling of The Princess and the Pea (The Four Kingdoms, #1)|Melanie Cellier|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1510202918l/36562225._SY75_.jpg|48567822].
The plot flirts with the dreaded love triangle but it wasn't annoying enough for me to take a star off. Knowing who's related to who and how in royalty is also tricky if you haven't read the other books (or if your memory of them is hazy) but it's not essential to enjoy the book.
All the elements of the original Grimm tale are there - the talking horse, the handkerchief with the spots of blood, the goose boy's hat and the iron stove. However, as always with Ms Cellier, there is a lot more, including a plot against the throne and a budding romance.
It's fun seeing Giselle explore what it means to be a princess even when you're viewed as a goose girl and you have none of the rights and privileges, and to get a look at life below stairs in Arcadia - something that we haven't seen much of since [b:The Princess Companion: A Retelling of The Princess and the Pea|36562225|The Princess Companion A Retelling of The Princess and the Pea (The Four Kingdoms, #1)|Melanie Cellier|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1510202918l/36562225._SY75_.jpg|48567822].
The plot flirts with the dreaded love triangle but it wasn't annoying enough for me to take a star off. Knowing who's related to who and how in royalty is also tricky if you haven't read the other books (or if your memory of them is hazy) but it's not essential to enjoy the book.