januarysnine 's review for:

This Princess Kills Monsters by Ry Herman

3.5

adventurous slow-paced

Plot or Character Driven: Plot

Strong character development: Complicated

Loveable characters: Complicated

Diverse cast of characters: Yes

Flaws of characters a main focus: Complicated

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Loved the premise and the cover, but the story really drags and you can feel the 400+ page count. I found the main character alright, though her ways of resolving any internal issues isn't the most complex and is pretty straightforward, especially when dealing with her stepmother, and I expected a lot more nuance to this book that it turned out to not have. 

In relation to that, I was also pretty sad at the plot twist with the prince's sister, because I felt like there was potential to tell a more in-depth story about how the patriarchy sidelines women in a way that doesn't result in turning one of the love interests into an evil antagonist who must be defeated, and I found most of the female characters actually really annoying and short-sighted except for Melliot's sisters. Sam, on the other hand, was great all throughout.

The casual queer rep was really nice.