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A review by thebiasedbibliophile
The Shoeless Prince: A Puss in Boots Retelling by Jacque Stevens
5.0
I was not sure how I would feel about a puss in boots retelling, but wow! I was so impressed with this book! When Archie’s dad, the miller, passes away and leaves him a magical cat, he doesn’t quite know how to feel. He is determined to make a life for himself, and enlists Leo the cat’s help.
Okay, so you all know that I love a little feminism in the books I read, so when I read the part where Archie thinks of the princess as “a pretty piece of poetry or an oil canvas mounted on the wall…” I was a bit put off. HOWEVER, Jacque Stevens is an absolute genius and used this objectification to develop Archie’s character. At the beginning of the story, Archie definitely views Ainsley as more of an object than a person, more so because her station is so far removed from his reality than out of malice. But, as the story progresses and the two become closer, he sees that he was wrong for thinking of her in that way. He understands that thinking of her as “the princess” is no less harmful than people thinking of him as “the miller’s son.” I was blown away by this character arc!
Furthermore, Archie just made this story shine (although I loved Leo and the others as well)! His honesty is heartwarming and it was endearing to watch him gradually open up to Ainsley. I appreciated the juxtaposition of his objectification of her with his perception of her objectifying him. We not only get to see him slowly change his views of Ainsley as a person but also realize that she was not objectifying him so much as giving him space to be himself.
Additionally, Archie’s motivation is so strong throughout the entirety of the story. He desperately wants someone to see him for who he really is. As a reader, my heart broke for him whenever he couldn’t be his authentic self. Related to that, I appreciated that he had something to work toward in the story. Since his father left him with nothing, he had to find a way to make a life for himself. He is kind of thrown into becoming a huntsman, and even though he is not really doing the work at first, he is determined to make something of himself. He strives for honesty, both in his words and actions, which made his character so wholesome.
Finally, Stevens also flipped the script on us readers with Archie’s agency. It is mentioned multiple times throughout the novel that Archie does not have a lot of agency; he is thrown into many circumstances throughout the novel, and other characters often get the last word on what he can or can’t do. While a lack of character agency is typically not compelling for readers, Stevens did a phenomenal job of making the lack of agency part of the story. It wasn’t an accidental misstep, it was intentional, and that made a world of difference. Likewise, Archie’s character was developed more every time he showed a little autonomy, so even small actions felt immense.
As a whole, my review doesn’t even begin to scratch the surface of how wonderful The Shoeless Prince was. Archie and Leo were like Linguine and Remy, and they stole my heart from the very beginning. There were so many more things to love about this story, so go buy yourself a copy when it’s released on Friday!
I received an ARC of this book, and I'm leaving this review voluntarily.
Okay, so you all know that I love a little feminism in the books I read, so when I read the part where Archie thinks of the princess as “a pretty piece of poetry or an oil canvas mounted on the wall…” I was a bit put off. HOWEVER, Jacque Stevens is an absolute genius and used this objectification to develop Archie’s character. At the beginning of the story, Archie definitely views Ainsley as more of an object than a person, more so because her station is so far removed from his reality than out of malice. But, as the story progresses and the two become closer, he sees that he was wrong for thinking of her in that way. He understands that thinking of her as “the princess” is no less harmful than people thinking of him as “the miller’s son.” I was blown away by this character arc!
Furthermore, Archie just made this story shine (although I loved Leo and the others as well)! His honesty is heartwarming and it was endearing to watch him gradually open up to Ainsley. I appreciated the juxtaposition of his objectification of her with his perception of her objectifying him. We not only get to see him slowly change his views of Ainsley as a person but also realize that she was not objectifying him so much as giving him space to be himself.
Additionally, Archie’s motivation is so strong throughout the entirety of the story. He desperately wants someone to see him for who he really is. As a reader, my heart broke for him whenever he couldn’t be his authentic self. Related to that, I appreciated that he had something to work toward in the story. Since his father left him with nothing, he had to find a way to make a life for himself. He is kind of thrown into becoming a huntsman, and even though he is not really doing the work at first, he is determined to make something of himself. He strives for honesty, both in his words and actions, which made his character so wholesome.
Finally, Stevens also flipped the script on us readers with Archie’s agency. It is mentioned multiple times throughout the novel that Archie does not have a lot of agency; he is thrown into many circumstances throughout the novel, and other characters often get the last word on what he can or can’t do. While a lack of character agency is typically not compelling for readers, Stevens did a phenomenal job of making the lack of agency part of the story. It wasn’t an accidental misstep, it was intentional, and that made a world of difference. Likewise, Archie’s character was developed more every time he showed a little autonomy, so even small actions felt immense.
As a whole, my review doesn’t even begin to scratch the surface of how wonderful The Shoeless Prince was. Archie and Leo were like Linguine and Remy, and they stole my heart from the very beginning. There were so many more things to love about this story, so go buy yourself a copy when it’s released on Friday!
I received an ARC of this book, and I'm leaving this review voluntarily.