The Princess Will Save You is the latest novel from Sarah Henning, the author that brought you Sea Witch. It's a classic retelling, one that takes the beloved tale of The Princess Bride, and turns it into something new.

Princess Amarande has never been the type of princess to cower behind her guards and hope for the best. She learned to fight, and fight well. Now she's willing to fight for those she loves – and her kingdom. No matter the cost.

“Beware of be dead.
Make the first mark.
A warrior made is a warrior alive.”

The Princess Will Save You is a retelling of The Princess Bride – but with a few twists. I won't say that the entire story is a genderbent version, as that would be far too clear cut. What is found within these pages is fairly more complex than that. Characters and plots are split up and spread around in sometimes unexpected ways, but that makes the telling more thrilling if you ask me.

I'm going to say a couple more things about the retelling nature of this story, before diving into the rest of my review. First, you can clearly tell it for what it is right off the bat. A few chapters in and fans will know right away what they're seeing. Some elements are subtle, while others are outright obvious. If you're not a fan of retellings, odds are pretty good you're not going to enjoy the latter parts all that much.

I do like that Henning worked hard to make much of the story her own. Yes, there were parts that read strongly as The Princess Bride, but there were other parts that reminded me of Sarah Henning's personal writing style (think Sea Witch). It was a solid blend, all things considered.

I honestly loved the whole 'girl power' vibe I got from The Princess Will Save You. Even the title tells the story of a strong and confident princess. It may not be a new concept, but it's still fun and refreshing to see.

Amarande is an interesting character, one who is determined to stand up against the rules of her nation, especially when they are biased and unjust. I enjoyed seeing that part of her story talked about with such candor.

Her journey takes a dramatic turn partway through the story, as the inevitable kidnapping (Stable-boy napping?) occurs. What follows is in stark contrast to the politics of the earlier parts of the story, but not in a bad way. All of these parts merged together to tell different sides of the same story.

On the whole I found The Princess Will Save You to be a quick and fun read. It is everything that it promised to be, and then some. If you're looking for a bit of a comfort read, or something that will make you smile (or feel empowered) this is the book for you. Conversely, if you don't want to see a beloved story retold, then you're going to want to give this one a hard pass. It all depends on how you feel on the matter, really.

When Amarande’s father, King Sendoa, collapses suddenly and dies, the kingdom and Land & Sky is left in turmoil. All of the neighboring rulers come to make a bid for the Princess Amarande’s hand as doing so would unite their country with Ardenia’s legendary army and make them the most powerful ruler in the kingdom. What the competing rulers do not anticipate is that the Princess Amarande possess the spirit of a warrior and will not be a sacrificed for the political gain of Ardenia’s political advisors. When Amarande’s true love Luca, a stable boy at her palace, is kidnapped, Amarande shows just how unconventional she is by setting out to save him on her own. As Amarande faces the world outside Ardenia for the first time, not everything is as she expected. She will have to use all of her warrior skills and political knowledge to try and rescue both Luca and her kingdom before it’s to late.

VERDICT is that this is an extremely satisfying fantasy addition to YA literature. I loved the fast pace and compelling characters. I think this book will be a big hit. I was a little frustrated with the end because about three chapters out I could tell things weren’t going to be wrapped up but being set up for a sequel….but this is a good problem to have as I will be keeping an eye out for book two!

It tries hard, bless its soul, but it's just a bit too... I don't know, it's just trying too hard. That said, I think young people will like it, and I think I've just read a few too many things that rework the narrative in such a straightforward way. Killer cover, though.

I am very torn over this book. This was one of my most anticipated books because it was supposed to be a gender-bent retelling of The Princess Bride. The Princess Bride is one of my all time favorite movies. This book did not give me any Princess Bride vibes until the last quarter of the book and then it smacked me over the head with references repeatedly.

My main quarrel with this book is its marketing though. If I had not been expecting The Princess Bride then I would have enjoyed this story more, which is why I gave it 4 stars. The story is fun and I enjoyed the characters quite a bit (especially Ula). The romance is sweet and was done well.

The first half of the story was slow for me but I read the second half in less than a day. I will absolutely be reading the sequel when it comes out to find out where the story goes.

Thank you TorTeen for an advance copy of the book in exchange for an honest review.

Sarah Henning's upcoming book The Princess Will Save You is a gender-bent retelling of the classic, The Princess Bride. Princess Amarande was raised by her fierce father and King to be a strong independent woman. Upon his mysterious death, she is suddenly thrown in for a loop as she is forced to marry to rule. And to add to the mix, Luca the stable boy, her childhood friend, and true love get kidnapped! And not only that, he was kidnapped by Ama's neighboring kingdom who wants her hand in marriage. With her kingdom in peril, and everyone surrounding her planning her life, she does the thing that makes sense the most, save her true love.

The Princess Will Save You was a great retelling of The Princess Bride, where you see glimpses of Buttercup and Westley but Amarande and Luca are still their own characters. Sarah Henning has successfully introduced an interesting plot with romance, politics, and great action-packed scenes all tied in with her delightful writing style.

Amarande was a very self-aware main character and I appreciated that a lot. I enjoyed that she was a very no craps taken kind of princess, she has good skills, because of her father training her well. But, as soon as she got out of the castle, she was also aware of the extent that she was able to learn and admitted that she isn't really as skilled as she thinks she is. You can tell she exudes authority and can become a great ruler once she takes the throne.

On the other hand, Luca feels a little lacking. There was very little to go off his personality due to the limited exposure he had. I really appreciated when Sarah Henning would include some of his perspectives away from Amarande which gave us an idea that Luca is kind-hearted, he has his own ideals and morals, and I really loved that.

The romance aspect of this book was really sweet and cute. Although, I would have loved to see more of Amarande and Luca prior to all the craziness. Aside from being told that they are in love and that they belong to each other, we don't really get to see much of how much they really do. I mean, of course, a princess leaving her comforts and possibly getting reprimanded is a big cost just to save your stable boy lover, I just wanted to see more of that connection they supposedly had. Hopefully, we see more in the second installment of the book.

The Princess Will Save You is definitely a story worth reading. It takes some aspects of The Princess Bride and weaves them into Sarah Henning's own story which I appreciate a lot. It was a retelling but it was a unique one from most that I have read. The plot twist was also one that was a great surprise that I am all too excited to read about in the second book. Henning has managed to leave me in excitement with this feminist retelling of a lovely classic.

The Princess Will Save You was a wonderful fantasy where the Princess is the hero, which I loved!

I think it had a great romance, and the writing was well done.

It was a little slow at times, but overall very enjoyable!

I first heard about The Princess Will Save You when the first chapter and cover was revealed (and what a cover it is!), since then I’ve been eager to read it in its entirety so I was elated when I was sent an eARC. However, I ultimately ended up being on the fence about it. Because even though I loved more than a few elements of the story, after the first half I kind of slogged through it.

This book. I’ve not read any book recently that has left me in such turmoil the way this has. I’ve been of two hearts about how I feel. The crowning jewel is the characters and their interactions. Amarande is one of the most likeable YA heroines I’ve read in a while. She has got serious backbone, is unapologetically herself and is adamant she’ll never be a damsel in distress.

The weaker parts of the book were its world building and magic system. The world building left much to be desired; I wasn’t left daydreaming about being whisked away and I couldn’t effortlessly envision the Kingdoms. Not only did I feel like the world building wasn’t developed enough, I got the impression it’s as if the reader was meant to already know (or at the very least assume) what the world and magic was like without it being illustrated in the actual book. All in all, the setting and magic wasn’t fully explored enough for me.

This is a decent novel that has set the stage for what I hope will be an enthralling sequel that answers all of the leftover questions and ultimately blows readers away. Here's hoping.

When you start off by comparing a book to something as iconic, beloved, and well known as The Princess Bride... you're starting off in hard mode.

This book wants to catch that magic, and it just doesn't. It's trying just a little to hard, pushing a little too much, and it just lost me. It's sweet, and it's earnest, and I really want to like it. I hope it finds it's reader.

That title is perfection! It alone had me. Luckily the words inside the book were just as powerful and engaging. I love the cover artist. I see her work all over these days and it is beautifully done. I can’t wait to share this one with students and my daughter one day.

I could not put this book down and read it in under a day. I was in a reading slump and this book completely got me out of it. I loved the Princess Bride easter eggs. this book was however completely original even though it was a retelling. The princess has been pretty sheltered but still knows how to kick butt. She is fierce and determined. I also enjoyed that there was no insta-love in this book.

If you are looking for an adventure with a kick butt MC, swoon, and a whole lot of action then this is a must read! Hands down my new favorite read and I am giving it 5 out of 5 stars.

As always, a copy of this book was provided by the author or publisher in exchange for my honest review. This does not effect my opinion in any way.

Boy, you guys are in for a treat. This book was fantastic! And, because the blog tour for The Princess Will Save You has been officially cancelled, my review is going up a smidge earlier than it would have to correlate with my tour stop. Which is bittersweet, for obvious reasons, but also means I can babble on at you all over this gem a few weeks before I would have originally.

We all know how much I love to babble. This is me selfishly looking for a reason to babble and trying to find a bright side to all that is happening in the world.

That being said... holy smokes, I'm in love with this cover and this novel's atmosphere. Once again, I have found myself completely immersed in Sarah Henning's prose and world-building. (I always say I will read more by her. This is a reminder.) But, honestly, I would gladly get lost in Henning's worlds because they are just so easy to slip into and almost always captivate me from the very start.

It is the perfect example of 'familiar but somehow brand new' and audience's will instantly be smitten with this story. The Princess Will Save You is everything you could want out of a young adult fantasy and proves to be compulsively readable; highly addicting.

The first thing you should know about this The Princess Bride retelling is that it's less of a retelling and more of an inspired-by type of situation. The Princess Will Save You is undeniably its own story, but reader's will be quick to see nods to the other. The roles are, essentially, reversed, and it's all so charming and highly paced I found it impossible to put down The Princess Will Save You.

Whether you are looking for something swoon-worthy or action-packed, Sarah Henning's writing is here to embrace you and fulfill your need for escapism. The Princess Will Save You is well worth the read, and will keep readers on the edge of their seats with intrigue.

Fine. Just not super Princess Bridey.
Very straightforward. Lukewarm characterizations. Beautiful cover.
Maybe good for a middle school audience where the plot and tropes are still new.

Thanks to Netgalley and the Publisher for the Advanced Reader Copy.

Disclaimer: I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

I wanted to like this book sooooo bad! I mean, a 'The Princess Bride' retelling? That's what dreams are made of! And, even better, it was a bit of a gender swap. Amazing! But, my excitement only lasted through the first few chapters. Let me tell you why.

The beginning was so good. It's written in 3rd person so we get to hear the thoughts of lots of important characters. It got a little confusing sometimes because it almost felt like we were hearing a few characters' thoughts at one time, but I let that slide. At first.

Princess Amarande and Luca both started out as strong characters. In fact, I was already half in love with Luca after one chapter. His love, dedication, and total faith in Amarande had me swooning. He never doubted her for a second. Amarande won me over a couple of chapters in when she came out, fists swinging, about how she should be treated as a woman and future ruler of the kingdom. It was such a good speech and I was like, "Yes! That is YOUR kingdom. You rule it, girl!"

Then things started going downhill. As I mentioned before, some of the chapters were a little confusing because we would hear the thoughts of multiple characters at once instead of just one. One of the benefits of 3rd person writing is that it's easier to jump between characters, but it was just confusing when the jumping was happening in the middle of the chapter.

The biggest thing for me though was that it was boring. *sigh* I hate calling books that, but it was. There were a few action scenes that I thought would carry me through, but they didn't. There's usually even a bit of humor to break things up, but this was pretty serious the whole time.

And at the end, the characters began feeling a little wishy-washy. Like Luca, all of a sudden, felt weak and bland. And Amarande seemed like she didn't even care about the most important things in her life. Her fire was gone. Maybe this is part of the character set up for the next book? I'm not sure. But whatever the case, it wasn't translated over to me.

Overall, I expected so much more. This book really just fell flat, in my opinion. I'm really so disappointed that I have to give this a bad review, but it's the truth.

A beautiful princess' father dies, and several kings and princes in surrounding kingdoms want to marry her in order to gain power. But this Princess practices with a sword daily and just told the kingdom she isn't going to marry just anyone. Amarande has always been in love with the stable boy that she grew up with, Luca, and this isn't an ordinary love, its True Love. When a trio of pirates kidnaps Luca in order to force Ama to marry a Prince, Luca knows one thing - his Princess will come for him. And when she does, everyone better watch out.

Inspired by The Princess Bride, which is one of my favorite books ever, this is a fun new take in which The Princess is the dashing sword fighter and the stable boy is the damsel in distress. While the Princess is cool, the girl who is basically Inigo is fierce, the male characters, especially the stable boy are kind of bland. I wasn't sure why someone as cool as Ama would be that into Luca.

The world-building and characterization really made this an enjoyable read. The ending was a bit abrupt, even for the first of a series, but i definitely want to read more about these characters.

<i>The Princess Will Save You</i> was such an interesting take on the damsel in distress trope. It was magnificent in many ways (and that ending!!!) because it took the idea of being a Princess and did something more with it. Yes, the Princess wears dresses but she can also fight! I really loved the components of this book and how they all meshed together. I will admit, this was one of my most anticipated reads and I was seriously worried that it wasn’t going to live up to my expectations, but it really was a brilliant book and I very much enjoyed reading it.

I really love Henning’s writing. It helps the book shine and stand out. Her writing is easy to read, and flows beautifully. I get sucked in and it works well. This book is a bit less prose-filled that <i>Sea Witch</i> was, but it also has a completely different tone as well. This book in fact impressed me with all the dialogue. There were some amazing dialogue scenes throughout this book that really popped to me, especially some of the ones that were in the beginning. I think that Henning’s writing really helped with the pacing as well.

One of the few issues I had with this book was the pacing wasn’t for me. The beginning was very engrossing and I was desperate to see what happened next, and yet, we get towards the middle of the book, and I feel like it lost steam. There are points in the book in which the pacing felt a little off overall to me, and while it wasn’t a big thing, I did feel it felt off for me. I was never thrown out of the book by the pacing, but I did have a few moments where I was tempted to skim the book.

The plot was a little more complicated than a damsel in distress story. There are other underlying factors as well. And I think that is where some of the pacing got a little confused. You’ve got several different plot strands all running at the same time, and there was a bit of bouncing back and forth, which I really think was the main issue. They do work together, and I did like seeing how everything was coming together, I just felt better transitions would have helped smooth out some of the problems I had. Anyways, I really enjoyed the plot and I was rooting for Ama the whole time and screaming the other half of the time.

I will admit, I loved Ama as a character. She was a good mix of characteristics that I felt made her feel “real” to me. You also have several sets of adversaries in this book, and you want them all to fail so that Ama can triumph. Or at least, that was the way that I felt when I read the book. I liked that I hated all the “bad” characters because I was practically shouting the whole time in my anger at them. Henning did a good job crafting the bad guys. She made them totally unlikeable. Overall, I didn’t mind the romance in this book, but I do wish it had been a bit more developed!

The world building in this was just enough to give you a taste, but not so overwhelming that you were getting all worldbuilding and nothing else. I felt that it did what it needed to do to push the story forward.

My last thoughts are: I THOUGHT THIS WAS A STANDALONE. But that ending makes me think otherwise, and now I have to wait for another book? I don’t want to!!! Anyways, I really did enjoy this book, and it was cute!

This was a sweet, nice read. But it wasn't as amazing as I was expecting, I'm afraid.

I love the Princess Bride. This was billed as a gender swapped retelling, but it's more loosely adapted. The Buttercup character is a born princess, the Westley is still a stable boy, but he's the one who's kidnapped. But he's also still the one who gets tortured.

It's fun figuring out who everyone was in the actual Princess Bride, but this doesn't have the humour of that one, and I didn't really follow all the politics. Hopefully the second book will clear up some of my questions, because I did enjoy this and I do want to see what happens next. It's just not quite what I was expecting, with the summary we were given.

Read this. It is a good read. Just ignore the summary and go in with an open mind.

While this one wasn't my cup of tea, I can see how others would enjoy it so I will be recommending that it be purchased. The characters were a little plain for me and the story wasn't super unique.

The Princess Will Save You is one of those books that grows on you after reading. Upon reflection I love how Henning manages the original story, while bringing a new light and expanded world to the story we love. At the same time, Henning brings such joy to The Princess Will Save You. Amarande's fierce spirit and passionate heart, her bravery to call out the sexism and patriarchy in the world. The ways her concerns are dismissed not just because she's a teen, but also a girl. In a world and system where men protect the status quo and where they protect the rules that protect them.

The Princess Will Save You has a fabulous world of laws and back stabbings, provisions and clauses with not a shred of truth in sight. It's a story that may begin like a familiar echo and takes off in a dazzling explosion of color and depth. I finished this book in one day because I couldn't stop reading! There were so many of my notes that began with, "OMG" because Henning weaves a fabulously twisty plot.

A fun and engaging gender-swapped adventure story. I loved that Amarande got to be so many things - beautiful, smart, strong, determined - and that Luca liked everything about her and didn't try to take over or change her in any way. He's just respectful and and so certain of her and they make a really great team on a quest. As a huge fan of The Princess Bride, I also loved all the nods to the movie! I recommended this one to my teen book group at our recent virtual meeting and have already ordered it for my library's collection.