A review by thebiasedbibliophile
The Crownless Prince: A Maid Maleen Retelling by Selina R. Gonzalez

4.0

In this gender-swapped Maid Maleen retelling, Prince Marcus is in love with Princess Adriana, but when he refuses to be part of an arranged marriage, his father locks him away in a tower. Marcus fears that Adriana will think he abandoned her and worries that his father will start the war he’s been desperately hoping for. When Marcus finally escapes his tower, the world is not what it once was and, despite being a prince, he is forced into servitude to survive.

I really enjoyed this retelling! I had never heard of Maid Maleen, so I was worried that I wouldn’t be invested in the story, but that was not an issue at all. The pacing of the novel was great, and it picked up even more about halfway through, which was perfect. The romance was cute and just the right amount for me.

One thing I particularly appreciated about the novel was Gonzalez’s decision to swap the genders of the original fairy tale. Honestly, I think I would have been a little disappointed with the stereotypical princess locked away in a tower. So, the fact that the prince was the one who was locked away was wonderful.

I will say that I felt like Marcus had more chemistry with his best friend, Edwin, toward the beginning of the novel. I definitely wouldn’t have been disappointed if the two had developed a romantic relationship. That being said, the pairing of Marcus and Adriana grew on me as the novel progressed, and I ended up loving the meaningful friendship Marcus had with Edwin. I truly can’t complain because we don’t see as many deep connections between friends in novels as I would like. So, in the end, I got the best of both worlds with a cute romance and a close friendship.

Overall, The Crownless Prince was a quick read, perfect for fans of fairy tale retellings! 

I received an ARC of this book, and I'm leaving this review voluntarily.