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A review by queer_bookwyrm
The Princess Will Save You by Sarah Henning
adventurous
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.0
4 ⭐ CW: violence, torture, death, death of a parent
The Princess Will Save You by Sarah Henning is book one in The Kingdoms of Sand and Sky duology. This was a great Princess Bride retelling! It's more subversive and feminist than The Princess Bride, and significantly different, but the echoes are certainly there. Beware, this is a kissing book.
We follow Amarande, the princess of Ardenia and daughter to the Warrior King, and stand-in for Buttercup. Ama loves to fight and is in love with her stableboy Luca. When her father dies suddenly, Ardenia is without a king, and being a woman by Ardenia's laws is unable to rule without first marrying. On the same night as the funeral Luca is kidnapped by pirates, and Ama goes after him.
Our three pirates, Dunixu, Urtzi, and Ula are our stand-ins for Vizzini, Fezzik, and Inigo, respectively. I loved Ula, she was such a badass with a soft heart. You could definitely see the parallels with the original characters. Prince Renard of Pyrenee is our stand-in for Humperdinck, and is just as insufferable and power hungry, while his brother Taillefer is as sociopathic as Count Rugen. Ama is constantly fighting for her rights and her love throughout the story. There are many prominent women, but the laws do not reflect equality. We get some decent world-building and political intrigue that takes us a little deeper than the Princess Bride storyline.
Sadly there are no ROUS', but there is a tiny mention of "fire swamp" and "mostly dead." Instead of "As you wish" being the thing said by the stable boy, Luca says "Always, Princess" instead. Like The Princess Bride, the story is ultimately about the power of love to overcome status, hardship, and distance. The twist at the end was wild! I did not see that coming at all. Major cliffhanger really makes me want to get the second book immediately! If you like The Princess Bride, but wish Buttercup wasn't so useless, pick this up.
The Princess Will Save You by Sarah Henning is book one in The Kingdoms of Sand and Sky duology. This was a great Princess Bride retelling! It's more subversive and feminist than The Princess Bride, and significantly different, but the echoes are certainly there. Beware, this is a kissing book.
We follow Amarande, the princess of Ardenia and daughter to the Warrior King, and stand-in for Buttercup. Ama loves to fight and is in love with her stableboy Luca. When her father dies suddenly, Ardenia is without a king, and being a woman by Ardenia's laws is unable to rule without first marrying. On the same night as the funeral Luca is kidnapped by pirates, and Ama goes after him.
Our three pirates, Dunixu, Urtzi, and Ula are our stand-ins for Vizzini, Fezzik, and Inigo, respectively. I loved Ula, she was such a badass with a soft heart. You could definitely see the parallels with the original characters. Prince Renard of Pyrenee is our stand-in for Humperdinck, and is just as insufferable and power hungry, while his brother Taillefer is as sociopathic as Count Rugen. Ama is constantly fighting for her rights and her love throughout the story. There are many prominent women, but the laws do not reflect equality. We get some decent world-building and political intrigue that takes us a little deeper than the Princess Bride storyline.
Sadly there are no ROUS', but there is a tiny mention of "fire swamp" and "mostly dead." Instead of "As you wish" being the thing said by the stable boy, Luca says "Always, Princess" instead. Like The Princess Bride, the story is ultimately about the power of love to overcome status, hardship, and distance. The twist at the end was wild! I did not see that coming at all. Major cliffhanger really makes me want to get the second book immediately! If you like The Princess Bride, but wish Buttercup wasn't so useless, pick this up.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Torture
Moderate: Death, Violence, and Death of parent