This is a cute romp of a book. The writing style is simple, sometimes a little awkward, and there are multiple typos. The plot is also utterly predictable from beginning to end, with some Disney B&B nods that border on straight-up-copy, and the characters are pretty-much the cookie-cutter expectations of a fantasy heroine princess pushing against the gender expectations of her super conservative family, and the uber-warrior hero who must learn humility. The book also totes itself as “Adult”, but the book is so closely parallel of so many identical YA retellings of B&B that when the “adult” moments appear (attempted rape, attempted murder, explicit sex, explicit murder, etc), it feels forced and jarringly out of place. And yet, despite ALL of this, I really did enjoy this book. It was cute and fun and a lovely distraction and escape from all the terrible news going on in the world. And three cheers always for authors who find ways to integrate shifter stories into classical fairy stories, with the tropes and expectations blending in delightful ways for a complete and exciting tale.
It’s also available for free through Amazon’s Kindle Unlimited.
AJ Tipton 