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A review by egbella
The Princess Test: A Princess and the Pea Retelling by Valia Lind
lighthearted
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? N/A
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.75
This is the first Princess and the Pea retelling that I've read, and it's a short and sweet one!
It's marketed as a standalone novella, but I was pretty confused by some of the worldbuilding and historical references in the story. I'm sure they're explained in the rest of the series, but without having read any of them yet, I wasn't sure which names/places/etc. were important for this story, and which were references to past ones. It didn't keep me from enjoying the book, but something to note.
With that, I couldn't get a good sense of the worldbuilding, and what time period this fantasy is supposed to take place. It seemed to be a medieval kind of fantasy, except that the protagonist spoke in very modern ways, and words like "thrillers", "buddy reads", "murder mysteries", etc. were used frequently, which felt very present-day to me. In general the writing could be a little more polished.
That said, the characters were very fun, and despite how quickly the romance moved (being a novella), the relationship was cute. The prince is my favorite character by far, and I'd love to read more about him. Honestly, I'd love to have read a much longer, in-depth version of this story. It has a lot of potential and fun twists! The side characters were interesting too, and had their own lives, which I enjoyed. The protagonist was pretty naïve (I was mentally shouting at her to just realize he was the prince already, haha) but her bubbly, bookworm personality was cute.
Overall, not my all-time favorite fairy tale retelling, but it was a solid story with fun characters, unique world-building, sweet romance, and a couple of neat plot twists! I'd love to see more of it!
CW: frequent kisses, attraction and mentions of how handsome the protagonist finds her love interest, hands on waist, her love interest comes into the room and speaks/flirts with her while she's in bed, references to the forest as if its a deity/living being, mentions of curses/spells.
I'd recommend it to: Readers who enjoy short, sweet, and unique fairy tale retellings with romance, dancing, books, and royalty.
It's marketed as a standalone novella, but I was pretty confused by some of the worldbuilding and historical references in the story. I'm sure they're explained in the rest of the series, but without having read any of them yet, I wasn't sure which names/places/etc. were important for this story, and which were references to past ones. It didn't keep me from enjoying the book, but something to note.
With that, I couldn't get a good sense of the worldbuilding, and what time period this fantasy is supposed to take place. It seemed to be a medieval kind of fantasy, except that the protagonist spoke in very modern ways, and words like "thrillers", "buddy reads", "murder mysteries", etc. were used frequently, which felt very present-day to me. In general the writing could be a little more polished.
That said, the characters were very fun, and despite how quickly the romance moved (being a novella), the relationship was cute. The prince is my favorite character by far, and I'd love to read more about him. Honestly, I'd love to have read a much longer, in-depth version of this story. It has a lot of potential and fun twists! The side characters were interesting too, and had their own lives, which I enjoyed. The protagonist was pretty naïve (I was mentally shouting at her to just realize he was the prince already, haha) but her bubbly, bookworm personality was cute.
Overall, not my all-time favorite fairy tale retelling, but it was a solid story with fun characters, unique world-building, sweet romance, and a couple of neat plot twists! I'd love to see more of it!
CW: frequent kisses, attraction and mentions of how handsome the protagonist finds her love interest, hands on waist, her love interest comes into the room and speaks/flirts with her while she's in bed, references to the forest as if its a deity/living being, mentions of curses/spells.
I'd recommend it to: Readers who enjoy short, sweet, and unique fairy tale retellings with romance, dancing, books, and royalty.
Content Warnings
Minor: Sexual content