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A True Princess ReviewGive me more of Diane Zahler's stories, please. She's new to the YA fantasy genre, and A TRUE PRINCESS seems to be only her second book in this. But I enjoyed it, read thru it in one sitting (it helps that it's only 182 pages long). It's a retelling of the classic "The Princess and the Pea," done up sort of like a fractured fairy tale but not so pop culture savvy and hip. The story sustains enough of the classic fantasy elements that it doesn't feel jaggedly modernized or cynical. There is, however, a pamphlet on "How To Tell A True Princess" floating around in these pages. Present as well is that message of girl empowerment. And that, of course, is very okay.
Twelve-year-old Lilia chose to flee rather than be sold to the cruel local miller as his new servant. Lilia, who was found floating in a rough basket down a river when she was two, never got the hang of being a peasant, wasn't adept at chores, anyway. She tends to be flighty and half-asleep all the time and her cooking is seriously atrocious stuff. Running away, Lilia heads north, thinking to trace her steps, look up her family. Big task for a little girl. It helps that her two friends, Karina and Kai, accompany her.
But, in the menacing Bitra Forest, Kai falls in the clutches of the dreadful Elf-King's daughter. To save him, Lilia and Karina must hire on as maid servants at the palace of the kingdom of Dalir and there unearth a hidden enchanted artifact. Never mind that this item, once in the grasp of the Elf-King, constitutes horrible times ahead for everyone.
In this same palace a different search is being conducted, some mysterious test to reveal a true princess, someone who'd be a match for the prince of the realm. Except that so far none had passed the test, which takes place in a locked chamber. A chamber Lilia means to break into. She thinks what she's looking for is somewhere in there.
It's a crowded field already, but move over some, Gail Carson Levine, Tamora Pierce, Margaret Peterson Haddix and all. I got caught up in reading A TRUE PRINCESS. It gives you equal doses of adventure and fantasy, peril and a touch of romance, and just enough tongue-in-cheek whimsy to make the reading come off fresh. Lilia is one of those plucky, selfless heroines you simply root for. She's brave enough that she soon wins over the respect of Dalir's lords and knights. She braces the deceitful Elf-Lord. She wins the day. If you know the story of "The Princess and the Pea," then you're already down with the hook of this story. But the writer weaves in some new twists, expands the plot to include sinister forest elves, a surly nisse (a household guardian spirit), falcons in the nick of time, and the fearsome Lord of the Hunt. No, Lilia doesn't get the handsome prince, but she and the prince weren't like that. It's still a happy ending. It's still a wonderful read for those who eat up YA fantasy material. So now I've got to look up THE THIRTEENTH PRINCESS, which is Diane Zahler's reworking of "The Twelve Dancing Princesses," another classic fairy tale.
A True Princess Overview Twelve-year-old Lilia is not a very good servant. In fact, she's terrible! She daydreams, she breaks dishes, and her cooking is awful. Still, she hardly deserves to be sold off to the mean-spirited miller and his family. Refusing to accept that dreadful fate, she decides to flee. With her best friend, Kai, and his sister, Karina, beside her, Lilia heads north to find the family she's never known. But danger awaits. . . .
As their quest leads the threesome through the mysterious and sinister Bitra Forest, they suddenly realize they are lost in the elves' domain. To Lilia's horror, Kai falls under an enchantment cast by the Elf King's beautiful daughter. The only way for Lilia to break the spell and save Kai is to find a jewel of ancient power that lies somewhere in the North Kingdoms. Yet the jewel will not be easy to find. The castle where it is hidden has been overrun with princess hopefuls trying to pass a magical test that will determine the prince's new bride. Lilia has only a few days to search every inch of the castle and find the jewel-or Kai will be lost to her forever.
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