Review of “The Princess Fugitive” by Melanie Cellier

Review of “The Princess Fugitive: A Reimagining of Little Red Riding Hood” by Melanie Cellier

Having really enjoyed the first book, I was looking forward to reading this book. It is supposed to be a reimagining of “Little Red Riding Hood”, but really has nothing to do with the classic fairy tale. There are some homages to it, like the red cloak, and the wolf, but that’s about it.

Going into it, I assumed this book would be a new world and story, but it focuses on the villain that was in the last book, Princess Ava. I like the idea of continuing to build on the world that was established in the first book. While I hated Princess Ava in the first book, I grew to like her by the end of this book. We learn about her past, and that she is more emotionally complex than we thought.

The book opens with the assassination of Ava’s father, the King. As well as an attempted assassination of Ava. It’s later revealed that her brother was behind it, to ascend the throne early.

The first third of this book has Ava on the run, hiding from her brother’s forces. She is stripped of her princess identity, and she learns what it’s like to live as a simple traveling merchant. It humbles her and she befriends two young women. Her guard and companion is Hans, a young, handsome man that is extremely loyal to her. Throughout the book, Hans and Ava build their relationship and reveal their love for each other. It’s surprisingly a decent love story plot, even if it is a bit cliché.

While I really enjoyed the beginning and ending of this book, I thought the middle slowed down pace a bit, and I lost interest. I do love the new friends that she makes, Evelyn, who is a merchant guard, and Sarah who is her cousin. They have a great dynamic that feels like they are family, and Sarah provides the heart and levity of the book.

Halfway through the book Ava meets the High King, who is king of the fairies, and he tells her that she can redeem herself and take back her kingdom from her brother. Throughout the story, Ava learns to open up her emotions, and gains compassion and sympathy for the commoners.

The last part of the book brings in a few characters from the first book. We catch up with Alyssa and Prince Max which I really enjoyed. Then Mathilde and her husband Aldric join Ava’s team. Mathilde was a great, fun character from the first book, so I loved seeing her return here and help Ava.

The climax of the book involves Ava competing against her brother for the crown. She eventually is able to outsmart him and wins the competition with the help of her friend. Ava learns the value of love and emotions and having friends. She embraces her feelings for Hans and it turns out to be a decent romance story.

Even though I hated Ava from the first book, they do a great job giving her a character arc that explores her emotional journey. I love bringing in characters from the first book, as well as developing the new characters, Hans, Sarah and Evelyn. It does a great job expanding the world that was established in the first book. I’m not sure what Little Red Riding Hood has to do with it, but I still enjoyed this story.

 

My new book now on Amazon https://www.amazon.com/Chimera-Prophecies.../dp/B0C4QX4RZW/

"The Chimera Prophecies" consists of eight short science fiction/dark fantasy short stories. Themes of how reality and identity shape our journey and humanity.