Wednesday, November 30, 2011

I Read This: The Princess Curse


Twelve princesses suffer from a puzzling (if silly) curse, and anyone who ends it will win a reward. Reveka, a sharp-witted and irreverent apprentice herbalist, wants that reward. But her investigations lead to deeper mysteries and a daunting choice—will she break the curse at the peril of her own soul? 


(Just say it - that cover is amazing!)

The book itself? Yes. It is quite good. Since this story fits the genre of novels I'm currently writing, I decided to pick up this fine debut from author Merrie Haskell to see what all the commotion was about.

And was my curiosity ever satisfied!

What's cool about it? The humor, Reveka is a model heroine, and the story is a unique take on The Twelve Dancing Princesses and Beauty and the Beast. So, yeah. I recommend this novel for anyone in the mood for a fairytale retelling and a young protagonist that rocks.

Click here for a shameless promotion.

I'm David, and Romanian creatures are creepy!

27 comments:

  1. Ooo, I do LOVE that cover! I've seen this on a few other blogs...might have to give it a shot :)

    ReplyDelete
  2. Oh man. What an excellent cover. It urges me to pick the book up and head to checkout. I gotta have it. *waving*

    Btw, you should develop your ideas into picture books. I'd love to read them. :-)

    ReplyDelete
  3. The cover is beautiful. Is it middle-grade or YA?

    ReplyDelete
  4. Brinda - Technically it's MG, but it reads more like YA. So, adult MG, if that makes sense?

    Robyn - Thanks! I'll look into that. :)

    ReplyDelete
  5. This sounds like a fun read. I'm all about putting a twist on fairy tales. Thanks for the referral!

    ReplyDelete
  6. That sounds like a great book! And I totally LOVE the cover :)

    ReplyDelete
  7. Herbalists make natural heroes.

    (Okay, sorry. I couldn't help being a little punny. Ouch. I mean funny)

    ReplyDelete
  8. As a romanian creature, I take offense.
    I will still be reading your blog, though, as I can't help myself.

    P.S. Your top secret ARC still links to The Princess Curse.

    ReplyDelete
  9. Shelly - Whoops! Thanks for that heads up. And I meant creepy in a good way, so you know. :)

    Jay - Contrary to popular belief, I like puns. And that was a good one!

    ReplyDelete
  10. It looks like an awesome book. Thanks for sharing!

    ReplyDelete
  11. The Twelve Dancing Princesses is one of my favorite fairy tales! Entwined, by Heather Dixon is another excellent retelling of this story, with a more YA feel.

    ReplyDelete
  12. This sounds great David! I've had it on my TBR list since you mentioned it before. I think I am definitely in the mood for something like that.!

    ReplyDelete
  13. I was thinking of Entwined when I saw this too. Looks good!!

    ReplyDelete
  14. This book sounds really good! I love the cover, and even before you mentioned it, I was wondering if it somehow had something to do with The Twelve Dancing Princesses (one of my absolute favourite fairy tales ever). I will be adding this to my TBR list now.
    P.S. Welcome to my blog, BTW =)

    ReplyDelete
  15. Ohhhhh... verrrry cool ;) I put props in for the cover too :D

    I'm a fellow Utahan myself--yup. Utah writers rock. Hands down. Glad to be connected!

    ReplyDelete
  16. I've seen this book around--I want to read it!

    ReplyDelete
  17. I'm excited to read this too. Merrie lives close to me so I'm planning to interview her for my blog.

    ReplyDelete
  18. That is such a beautiful cover! I love the synopsis. A healer as a hero is a great choice in my mind.

    ReplyDelete
  19. I'd read it in a heartbeat. (*looks intently at book budget*)

    ReplyDelete
  20. Hey thanks! What a great review— concise and intriguing. I always love hearing about a good book!

    ReplyDelete
  21. I love the cover! Absolutely gorgeous. I'll have to check this out :).

    ReplyDelete
  22. Oh, and talking about re-tellings of The Twelve Dancing Princesses, I love Jessica Day George's PRINCESS OF THE MIDNIGHT BALL! She also wrote PRINCESS OF GLASS about another one of the twelve sisters and a third book in the series will be coming out. I've met Jessica several times and she's just as awesome of a person as she is a writer!

    ReplyDelete
  23. I hadn't heard of this, and it looks really good (the story and the cover), so I'll be sticking it on my TBR list.

    ReplyDelete