A review by thebiasedbibliophile
The Unlucky Prince: A Frog Prince Retelling by Deborah Grace White

adventurous funny hopeful inspiring lighthearted mysterious fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

The Unlucky Prince by Deborah Grace White is a retelling of The Frog Prince, and it is possibly one of my favorite retellings of all time! Ari is a Prince of Mistra visiting his sister, who married the King of Entolia. He plans on going on great adventures after his visit, but his plans are foiled when he falls for one of the Entolian Princesses, Violet. After spending six years of his life as a swan, Ari is happy to be human again, but that happiness is short-lived when he is turned into a frog.

I absolutely adored this book! First off, the romance between Ari and Violet was cute. I loved that he sees her as her own person despite the fact that she is one of twelve princesses in her kingdom. The way he picks up on her emotions was endearing and added a lot of depth to their relationship.

Additionally, the family dynamics of both Ari and Violet were excellent. I really appreciated the fact that family is important to both characters, something that is often lost in romances. To be completely honest, I suspected the twist on the curse, but I wasn’t sure if the author would go through with it. I really love that she did. It made the book *frog’s kiss*! :)

Furthermore, this book promised political intrigue, and boy did it deliver! There were some shady things going on, which kept the plot moving at a brisk pace and added a nice layer of complexity to the story. I really appreciated the way Violet’s proposed engagement to Yannick created even more tension in the book. The motivations and character goals were exceptionally clear and well-thought-out. 

Finally…let’s talk about the miscommunication trope, quite possibly my least favorite trope of all time. I am utterly impressed with White’s skill and creativity in the depiction of this trope. Truthfully, I thought this was a trope that I could not enjoy in any circumstances, and this book proved me wrong. Too often, the miscommunication trope relies on characters withholding information that would ultimately unravel the plot if it were shared. That is not what White did with this story, and I was elated by that! The miscommunication in the story was actually miscommunication instead of characters simply not sharing information. I really admired the way communications were misinterpreted and the comedy of the dragons miscommunicating. This was by far, the best portrayal of this trope I’ve ever read, and I will definitely be reading more by this author in the future! 

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