Princess Bride is such a classic in my eyes; due to that, I was both excited and nervous to read this novel. With great relief, it was different enough to keep me surprised with enough similarities for me to appreciate the comparison. Princess Amarande and Luca the stable boy have grown up together and their relationship has blossomed into something more. When the king dies, Amarande is forced into a marriage by blackmailing her for the return of her stable boy, but rather than give in she goes on her own journey to rescue her love and rule as she sees fit. This sets her on a quest through perilous lands and dangerous situations.

I zoomed through this novel and eagerly followed Amarande through the plot and conflicts she encountered. Through all the tribulations and terrors she never gave up finding Luca, and he never gave up believing that his princess would come to his rescue, much to the disbelief of his captors. The author did well with the gender swap of roles from the original tale, and gave a strong, female character who was relied on to be the "knight in shining armor." The plot held a lot of depth with lots of secondary characters and their backstories that created tangents into other elements of the tale. One of which I was expecting, another that brought a huge twist for me at the end and had me going through what I read and feeling glad some of my questions/suspicions were answered. I really liked all the characters who were developed and brought interesting elements to the story and gave depth with characters who had their own lives and pasts that came into play.

I was really happy to find the novel leads to a sequel (hopefully coming out soon:) as I definitely want more. A lot happened and a sequel will help give me some closure and answer some unknowns that left me wondering.

Thank you to MacMillian-Tor/Forge and NetGalley for providing me a copy in return for an honest review.

"Love doesn’t know anything about class, nor should it be bound by it."

This... did not go anywhere I expected. I don't know what to tell you but dammit I need book two. Now.

The Princess Will Save You brought forth an original, unexpected tale. I was wholly invested in the story from start to finish. This was filled with action and excitement and more action and more excitement. I was so caught up in what was happening, I finished this in one sitting. Sara Henning wrote so beautifully. The plot was nothing short of addictive and exciting. The mystery and political maneuvers and intrigue and the twists and the not knowing who to trust- everything made this unputdownable. I honestly don't have anything but high praise for this wonderfully addictive book.

Amarande has got to be the fiercest, boldest, most unexpected heroine ever. I love her. Luca is just the sweetest, honestly. Ula and Osana I hope are more involved in book two. They're really kind of awesome. I don't know what the heck is happening with the Warlord, Koldo, Ines or even Taillefer (I really don't like him though so I couldn't care less if he just keels over and dies). There are SO MANY UNANSWERED QUESTIONS. And that ending. THAT ENDING. What in the eff.

I am so ready to sell my soul for book two.

I received an e-arc via Netgalley to read and review.

It’s been several years since I’ve watched The Princess Bride, and though I’ve never read the novel, the movie left an impression on me. Sadly, I can’t say the same for this retelling from the perspective of the female love interest. Though an absolutely brilliant idea on author Susan Henning’s part, I found the execution to be sorely lacking. There was simply not enough background information, character development, or world building for my liking. However, I think die hard fans of The Princess Bride and readers new to fantasy will enjoy reading The Princess Will Save You.

“It was an open secret within the castle that Princess Amarande of Ardenia spent far too much of her time here, and with this boy, Luca. It hadn’t been anything to worry about until recently.”

I know they say not to judge a book by its cover, but in this case, I really feel I should have judged the book by its title: The Princess Will Save You. The title is not subtle and perfectly encapsulates the entire novel in its simplicity. There are countless trite phrases such as, “In a single breath, everything had changed” that is then used to cringingly segue into a man falling over dead from an actual cough. How punny.

Not too surprisingly, Princess Amarande, our heroine,does in fact spend the entire novel trying to save the stableboy, Luca, she has grown to love. Sadly, Luca does not seem to have any qualities other than loving the Princess, being kind, attractive, and well, a good stableboy with what one can assume is a knack for horses--maybe? Though the author gives him a catchphrase to match “Farm Boy” from The Princess Bride it lacks the charm of the original, as the speaker of “always”--not “as you wish”--has little to no personality or existence outside of the titular princess.

The relationship of Princess Amarande and her stableboy is equally as lacking. There is no build up of their friendship, cultivated since they were children. No scraped knees, comfort, dealing with pesky differences of birth from other bratty, noble children--nothing.  All there is, is a a bit of prose before the novel even starts to sum up the entire main relationship of the novel: 

“They met as most friends do. Right place, right age, right interests in common. Picking up sticks in the dirt, calling them swords. Bumps and bruises and shared smiles. And then when it came time to separate, suddenly it felt impossible. The newness dissolved the shared hours into the seed of something more. Something shaped in a way that forever stretched where the newness ended. Something that, later, felt very much like love.”

This is all the hints we get to Princess Amarande and Luca’s past or current feelings, as the events of the novel are thrust to the forefront and certain characters are soon in need of rescuing by their Princesses. I was dismayed that all it took was receiving a ransom note referring to the kidnapped Luca as Amarande’s “love” for her to realize she actually harbored romantic feelings for her childhood friend. And it wasn’t much of a revelation at all, more like a “it’s raining today and I will need an umbrella” acceptance. I don’t think I could have been any less invested in this relationship if the author had literally tried. Plus, call me crazy, but Luca’s blind devotion and loyalty to Amarande seemed a little insane.

Luca had 100% faith that Amarande would risk starting a war by running away from her kingdom, currently without a ruler (she has to be married in order to take the throne) and ripe for the plucking. He doesn't think about how she had countless suitors from countries seeking her hand and alliance and how such a union could save the world from the devastating results of war. He doesn't think about any of the repercussions and neither does his princess, except in passing. What great qualities in a future ruler of a country! I was also pretty horrified that Luca [spoiler] only halfheartedly tries to escape once, ends up treating the wounds of his captors, and seeing them as all-in-all good people despite them kidnapping him and using him as blackmail and wanting to sell him to unnamed figure with questionable motive! Seems smart. [/spoiler] The author really takes her gender stereotyped swap seriously, for Luca is definitely the classic pure-hearted and weak maiden in need of rescue in this tale.

“My princess won’t bow to your demands. But what she will do is come for me, which means she’s coming for you, whether I’m alive or not” 

For me, the best part of The Princess Will Save You was by far Princess Amarande. She was headstrong, intelligent, and determined. Though, for someone who is supposedly so good in battle, and a highly trained warrior-king’s daughter, she certainly needs to be saved a lot, even by those with no combat training--despite her very dreadful and constantly repeated iterations of her father’s words to live by every chance she gets, And when she needs rescuing, it's typically from the consequences of her own impulsive actions. Luckily for both her and for Luca, most of the villains in the novel aren’t so villainous after all and are happy to help the pair out. Those that are the true villains, however, have absolutely zero redeeming qualities. There is no middle ground with anything in The Princess Will Save You--you’re either good or bad, in love or not in love. Bo-ring.

You may think me too harsh of a judge for a book clearly intended for younger audiences, but as a person who grew up reading Tamora Pierce and Robin McKinley (sidenote: both absolutely phenomenal authors that I reread even as an adult, with the latter writing amazing fairy tale retellings), I think the author definitely could have added more complexities to her novel. This is especially true when one's story is trying to live up to something as beloved as The Princess Bride--a story which offers a memorable and heartfelt romance, humor, action, and drama. Sadly, this retelling offered none of those things in my opinion. I don’t recall a single time laughing aloud when reading The Princess Will Save You and found nothing swoon worthy about the romance of two people who clearly weren’t on equal footing in any way.

 If only The Princess Will Save You had taken more time building up its characters and its world, so I felt more invested in Princess Amarande risking her entire throne and its kingdom to rescue her stableboy. Also it is not enough to just be told that she rushes off to save him “because she loves him”--readers have to be shown this love and sadly, that is not something at which the novel succeeds. In fact, the novel could just as easily be titled “The Princess Will Save You Just Because She Feels Like It For Some Reason” or "The Princess Will Save You Because That's What She's Supposed to Do" and either would be just as fitting as the actual title--that’s how little development there is. Likewise, the threat of countries going to war with Amarande’s kingdom doesn’t feel quite so pressing when we know very little about Amarande’s kingdom, the other countries, what a war between any of these countries would mean for its constituents, etc. 

Despite all of this, I was pleasantly surprised by what the author managed to come up with for the ending. Though I saw one of the developments coming from a mile away [spoiler] of course Luca was a long, lost heir to a different throne, how else would he marry Amarande?[/spoiler], I did not see the other coming [spoiler] that of Amarande having a half-brother who is fit to take her place on the throne[/spoiler]. I hope the sequel will test Amarande’s battle merits and wits more and Luca’s capability at anything other than being in love with his Princess. In all honesty, I would read this sequel just to fulfill some mild curiosity at what happens, but would not spend any money on future installments in order to do so, because I know the Amarande and Luca will, without a doubt end up living happily ever after they deal with a few minor bumps in the road.

If you like guaranteed happy endings and extremely straightforward stories, or heck, even just want to gobble up anything related to The Princess Bride, The Princess Will Save You is perfect for you. Just don’t expect The Princess Will Save You to be on the same level as The Princess Bride--at all. Sadly, I think the bar was simply set too high for this book. But it could still be just right for middle grade readers just getting interested in fantasy or romance. However, if you like a lot more substance to your novels, like character development and growth, world-building, this is not the book for you.

Wow wow wow I love this book. Wowww.

(Am I listening to The Princess Bride soundtrack as I write this?? Yes, yes I am.)

First and foremost, this is an amazing Princess Bride retelling. As a Princess Bride addict myself, I lovedddd the references, the jokes, the cameos, the parallels. Of course, there is the gender-swapped aspect between the Westley and Buttercup of this book, which is super cool by the way, but there is also an Inigo Montoya figure in the threesome squad of kidnappers, and a “smart” leader they actually hate haha. No “inconceivable” reference, I do have to say, but I’ll let it slide ;) Basically, the retelling pieces of The Princess Will Save Youare absolutely spot-on; I don’t want to give anymore away so you can spot them for yourself!

I can’t really talk about it being a Princess Bride retelling without talking about the beautiful Westley and Buttercup, or in this case, our Luca and Amarande. Their romance is just as sweet and pure as in the movie, *sighs* true love. Sarah Henning did amazing at capturing the essence of The Princess Bride in this retelling, I’m telling you.

“Always, Princess.”

So basically, I knew I was going to love this from the get-go. I mean, it’s a Princess Bride retelling, so that in itself is freaking glorious. But something I didn’t quite expect is how good of a fantasy it is. The world is developed well, the characters are amazing, everything is spot-on, even if you know nothing about The Princess Bride.* And honestly, knowing the plot of The Princess Bride had no effect on how completely and utterly unpredictable this one was for me, it’s that good!! I adore the characters (our new Buttercup kicks some serious butt!!), and because the fantasy element is so fleshed out, I am confident the second one will be absolutely killer!! I am BEYOND excited to see where the story goes!!

If I have to critique anything at all, I do have to say in the last third of the book, there’s a scene that’s very similar to the movie. The fact that it was so similar changes the tone of the book a little and causes it to lose a bit of its originality, because the rest of it is actually quite different. That bothered me because I really appreciated the different direction Henning had taken the original story while still capturing the essence of the movie. I have the same critique with this book’s Prince Humperdinck figure - the antagonist - because he had the potential to be a really complex character but changed in the middle of the book to a very typical, douchey Humperdinck figure, which I thought was weird?? I wish Henning had chosen one or the other (new layered antagonist or evil Humperdinck) and stuck to it. With that being said, those two things were annoying but didn’t affect my rating (obviously) soooo fellow readers it’s all good 😂 the book’s still amazing so whatever!

I know this review is a little all over the place, but in some ways I wasn’t sure what to say about this book because I loved it so dang much! I can’t believe a Princess Bride retelling never occurred to me - it was a retelling I didn’t know I needed! I am beyond happy with how this book turned out; Henning exceeded my expectations and absolutely killed this retelling! I highly recommend it, whether you’re a Princess Bride addict (comme moi) or a high fantasy reader, or both!!

Thank you, Tor Teen, for providing me an arc of The Princess Will Save You in exchange for an honest review; all opinions are my own :))



* That doesn’t mean you shouldn’t watch the movie beforehand! I totally recommend it, it makes the book even more great!! However, I guesssss you can read this book without seeing The Princess Bride (though I’m making a very very sad face right now at the thought…). Actually, just watch the movie!! I’m waving my sword at youuuuu!!! Do it!! You won’t regret it! There’s also a Princess Bride book the movie was based on, but I wouldn’t want to overwhelm you ;)



If you enjoyed this review, you can follow me here on Goodreads and on my Twitter/Bookstagram @ashton_reads! Love you!

3.5/5 stars!

I was so excited about this book. Did it meet my expectations? No.

I have always loved THE PRINCESS BRIDE since I was a little kid, so when I heard about this book, I was SO excited! Now, I didn't hate this book... I just didn't love it. I really liked the world that the author created, and some of the characters were amazing. I think my biggest issue with this book was that I never connected with Amarande as a main character. I liked the idea of her character, but I never connected with her. I also did not like the ending—specifically, the epilogue. I thought that the entire epilogue was way too long and did a huge info dump that was not needed. I was hoping for a great cliff-hanger ending, and because the author included a huge info dump explaining the entire history behind the epilogue (If you read the book, you'll know what I'm talking about. Sorry, I’m trying to keep this as spoiler free as possible.) it made the huge reveal boring and uninteresting. I also just didn't like the reveal at all, I felt like it came out of nowhere and was unnecessary.

Another issue I had with this book was the romance. It felt very surface(y) and unbelievable. I think it was because we didn't get much time with Luca and Amarande before Luca is captured and she has to save him. Because of that, I felt like I was told that they loved each other, and not shown that they had a connection and loved one another. This also made the instant of Amarande realizing she loved Luca way less impactful and important. I honestly felt like the entire romance was not believable until the end of the book, and by then I was just going with it.

I also had an issue with how Amarande's character just left her kingdom with no leader? She is trying to fight for her kingdom and is so passionate about being its leader at the beginning of the book, but then she just leaves the kingdom vulnerable to go find Luca. This just really annoyed me and felt unbelievable.

For me, the only redeemable thing about this book was Luca's character. I really loved his character and found myself connecting with him. I also loved the gender swap aspect of the story and found it really cool. I also loved almost all of the side characters in this book. I think what will make me read the next book is the reveal about Luca's character. I did find it a bit obvious, but I do really want to see where the author takes this story.

Thanks for reading!
Caden

DNF @ 30% because apparently instead of being INSPIRED BY The Princess Bride this is instead LOOSELY INSPIRED and comes across as claiming to be whole milk but is, in fact, 2% milk which tastes really nothing like whole milk at all.

I'll try to pick this up again when I can get my hands on a physical copy, but consider me highly disappointed, staring sorrowfully at the wreckage of my ruined expectations.

DNF @ 30%

I am not vested enough in these characters. They are flat and lacking. I was expecting a Princess Bride vibe from this book, but there is so little humour. Not at all what I expected.

Thank you thank you thank you Tor Teen for sending me a copy of this!!!

The Princess Will Save You was a wonderfully done retelling of the Princess Bride. It had all the elements of good storytelling for me: wonderful writing, ship-worthy romance, political intrigue, and action.

Lets just jump right in. Spoilers ahead.

So this book took me completely by surprise. If you see reviews of the books I’ve been reading, you know that I just haven’t cared about any of them really, which sucks because they all deserved better (I will be rereading them later). But anyways the point is that I was cavernously deep in a slump. Like, I didn’t even want to read. I was forcing myself through books that all felt entirely mediocre until I finally decided to quit and immerse myself heavily in animal crossing for like 2 weeks. Nothing was grabbing me or helping me out of this slump.

But this one did.

I’m not sure what it was, but The Princess DID save me. Amarande was a wonderful heroine who honestly made me swoon. We stan a queen who doesn’t take any crap from anyone and she did NOT. Not ever. She never faltered. It was her way or the highway. I loved it. How many protagonists actually speak their mind every. single. time. Without holding back? Not many. She was an insta-love for me and honestly Luca just step aside, I’LL marry her. She’s got me wrapped around her royal fingers.

Now moving onto the romance, I enjoyed Luca and Ama. They had a precious bond that was rooted from childhood and had grown throughout the years. I will say my one issue was that I wanted it to feel more ALIVE. Their bond wasn’t as impactful as I wanted it to be, but I still felt it, especially later.

Now Luca as a character felt a little bit underdone in the beginning. He barley spoke and I wasn’t able to gage his personality like I wanted to. Not like my wife Ama. But I will say as the story grew, so did he, and in the end I definitely came to care about his journey.

SPOILERS FOR REAL NOW.


Him being the son of Oxtana...or however you spell it...whoa. Didn’t expect it. Wasn’t ready. Also was ready. I’m intrigued with how Sarah will weave the second book now that we know he is the ruler of Torrence, and how that will affect Luca as a character.

Back to my love, Ama. Her killing Renald like the boss she is made me almost clap. One thing I love about her is her ability to talk big and back it up with actions. Sarah actually gives her an opportunity to show how talented and ruthless she really could be if pushed to be so. God I just SWOON.


Anyways my fingers hurt so I’ll end the review here, the princess Will Save You is 100% worth the read.

Amarande is not a traditional princess. Raised by a warrior King to be strong and independent, she faces a difficult decision when her father dies and she is forced to marry before she can ascend the throne.

The cast of characters is brilliant, especially Ama who is fierce and driven. The pirates are fantastic fun, whilst the the villains have enough depth to be believable.

I wasn't blown away by the romance - for a lot of the book, I thought Luca was quite a boring character. He grew on me towards the end, but was still probably the only let down in the book.

This book is an action packed adventure with real heart, and I adored it!

I received a copy from the publisher in exchange for an honest review.

This review has been posted to Goodreads and will be submitted to Amazon after release.

Holy wow. What a great book! The fantasy setting, a princess who takes no prisoners, and a love story that is defended. This was such a great read! I was pretty much invested from the first chapter. I loved how Amarande would act and speak. It was easy to root for her and want her to get her love back. It was also so refreshing to be able to hear from so many different perspectives. It made the entire story feel like it had so many different levels and schemes. I will say, that the only thing I struggled with was the epilogue. I'm sure (now that I know there will be a sequel) that it will all be resolved, but it was kind of a killer with all of the female empowerment the book showcases. That was the best part though!!! A princess who is so empowered and believed in feminism without ever mentioning the word in the book. So well done and I know I have a lot of students who would enjoy it. The Princess Bride feeling was so strong and so well done.

The Princess Will Save You
coddled and not as good in a fight as she was hyped up to be
Starts referring to Luca as her love
Irrelevant names dropped periodically

The Princess Will Save You is a gender-bending retelling of The Princess Bride. Our heroine Amarande is the daughter of the Warrior King who has the strongest army in all the Skye & Sand (?) and has been trained her whole life to be a deadly warrior. After the death of her father though, she is informed she cannot be Queen unless she marries? It was so weird that her father left this archaic law in place but believed women had the right to fight and not conform to societal rules.

Amarande was so freaking fierce, never afraid to speak her mind or standup for herself or her kingdom. She never faltered in putting her kingdom first and considering what would be best for her people. I do have to say she was overhyped in her skills as a warrior though, but that wasn’t necessarily a bad thing. Her father had her trained and while skilled with a weapon she really was coddled in her training which we see in her journey to save Luca. I’m un-ideal conditions she realizes just how much her training was lacking and falters at the idea of actually killing someone. I saw the journey as humbling her rather than disappointing me that she wasn’t this magnificent warrior we were first sold on. When push comes to shove she does pull the trigger though.

The romance was a bit lacking. Luca is captured right at the beginning of the story though so we don’t get to spend much time with them together. We are instead told how Ama and Luca have been childhood friends that shifted into more and that everyone knew but them that they were in love with each other. I would have like to have gotten that feel for myself since it felt very insta-love even though it was a friends to love situation. When they are reunited though we get to see that affection in action though and by the end of the book it was believable.

Luca himself deserved better though. He came across as this sweet little cinnamon roll with no real personality beyond being incredibly kind and handsome. I wanted to see what Amarande did and understand why everyone that came across him liked him. He just felt like this weak love interest, a plaything of Ama’s which wasn’t fair to him at all. As the story grew so did his personality but it still wasn’t much. I’m hoping he gets more page time in the next book to help fill him out more as a character but think that definitely should have been handled in the first book.

The pacing of the book felt a little off. The beginning and end were the best parts of this book. Action-packed and engaging, really making you think and figure out just what the heck was going on that Ama didn’t know about. The middle seemed to drag on as endlessly as the desert Ama and Luca were trekking through. This is a decent sized book and I think the middle could have been utilized better. Ama does face challenges that change her during this time, but it was only her parts I looked forward to.

The ending blew the rest of this book out of the water and is definitely the reason why I’ll be picking up book two. Twists and turns, some that I was expecting and one that just completely shocked me. I know there are many more to come too just based off of the questions Ama herself brought up and the breadcrumbs scattered throughout the story.

Listen, I heard that it was inspired by the Princess Bride and genderbent and came RUNNING. This was such a fun reimaginging and I’m still shook because I really didn’t realize this was a duology and I literally screamed “WHAT!” at 3 AM after finishing the book because I didn’t realize it was the end.

I loved how fierce and passionate Amarande is. She’s constantly underestimated and she’s constantly proving everyone wrong and I LOVE THAT FOR HER. I especially loved her relationship with Luca and the lengths to which she went to save him and how HE KNEW THAT SHE WOULD COME FOR HIM! *sobs*

I especially loved the side characters and how funny they were. it was very reminiscent of the story it was inspired by but it never felt like a copy/paste situation. It was unique and fun in its own way. I definitely enjoyed the adventure, especially with the royalty and political marriage subplot. As I’m writing the review, I notice more and more the inspirations from the original story which is definitely really cool! I love retellings and this one is no different. It takes the story and makes it its own. The parallels were really interesting and literally I’m JUST now realizing them!

I haven’t read something quite like this in a while so it was definitely refreshing and I’m definitely looking forward to the sequel! I was definitely thrown off the trail with every little twist and turn this story took and the ending was a BEAUTIFUL SURPRISE. Every time I tried to think about what might happen I was thrown off and it was AMAZING.

You should check out this book if you like fun reimaginings, fierce princesses that can sword fight in gowns, fighting for your right to marry anyone (and not just royalty) AND rule the country, twists and turns, having to deal with slightly incompetent leaders, and lots of wit and charm!

Love a strong, savvy woman character! This is a fun Princess-to-the-Rescue fantasy - love story! A little sappy at times. There was a little bit of world building set during a time when horses and ships were the main modes of transportation. I would have enjoyed a bit more exploration into setting, the realities of the time. Very enjoyable read.

Digital copy provided by NetGalley. Thank you!

This book wasn't for me personally. I really wanted to like this and was looking forward to reading it but unfortunately, it was disappointing in the end. The Princess Will Save You takes on the story of a damsel in distress but flips it where the princess must go after her kidnapped stableboy that she is in love with. In the end, this book is a retelling of The Princess Bride. Now The Princess Bride is my favorite movie of all time so this should have been a bonus for me but the comparisons and similarities to The Princess Bride ended up hurting this book for me more than helping. All it did was remind me of the better version of this story that I would prefer to be enjoying over this book. Normally I like retellings but this just didn't work for me. There is retelling and then there is just duplicating what already exists. If you know The Princess Bride, the scene in the pit of despair was almost exactly the same as from the movie and I'm not sure why but it really bothered me. I wish the author would have done more with the story rather than making so much of this book an exact copy of The Princess Bride. I think some people will still enjoy this but it just wasn't for me.

This book improved greatly in the second half, when the connections to the Princess Bride became more clear and more intresting. Luca was the weakest part of me - he had no real flaws or personality beyond being gorgeous and kind. The love story didn't convince me, but Amarande's rage and determination did. I went into this expecting a traditional love story and got that, mostly, but Amarande's love for her country and her father came through more strongly than her romantic love for Luca.

Amarande is a good main character, with believable strengths (literal strength, fighting skill, determination, loyalty) and also weaknesses (she's still young and a little naïve, good at practice fighting but struggles to land a killing blow in a real situation).

The pirates, Osana, and Koldo were also interesting characters and the court intrigue/politicking was balanced with scenes of action.

(I hope the final published version will include a map of the Sand and Sky - I was provided an eArc by the publisher and had a difficult time keeping the geography clear in my head as the characters traveled.)

Thank you so much to Macmillan-Tor/Forge for access to this NetGalley digital ARC.

Do you love "The Princess Bride"? Do you enjoy gender-bend takes on your favorite stories? Then you need this fantastic book in your collection! Henning masterfully crafts a fantastic land full of politcal intrigue between kingdoms and peppers it with elements inspired by "The Princess Bride". Some details are so minute, only the most avid of fans will notice them (It's my all-time favorite movie and one of my favorite books, so I had a lot of fun trying to pick out every single reference!)

Amarande is a bold princess, daughter of a warrior king. She spends her days training alongside her beloved stableboy Luca and learning to be the next ruler of the great kingdom of Ardenia. However, Amarande's world begins to fall apart at the seams when her father, the king, dies mysteriously. Soon neighboring kingdoms begin vying for the princess's hand in marriage and her own council is trying to sell her off to the highest bidder. When Luca, her true love, is taken captive by a band of three pirates, it's up to Amarande to save him, stop her own blackmail-driven wedding, and protect her kingdom from a massive war. This story is packed to the brim with action, adventure and romance!

Character backstories and secrets crop up along the way, and will leave readers with a driving need for the next installment in the series!

This book was a wild ride! I absolutely adored the idea of a gender bent/ feminist retelling of The Princess Bride and this book delivered.

Things I liked:
- The Princess Will Save You was a faithful retelling of The Princess Bride. It had the perfect blend of events inspired by the movie and its own plot points.
- I loved all the characters! Luca was such a sweet love interest and Amarande is such a strong but also flawed character. Their love was so sweet and I loved how they always made sure the other was consenting to their affections. Luca’s a cinnamon roll, which is one of my favorite male character types. The two of them had me swooning the whole book!
- I also adored the side characters! Ula and the other “kidnappers” were so much fun and their playful arguing had me laughing! Their character arcs were super fun, and I was rooting for them the entire book.
- I also loved the cliffhanger ending! That reveal in the epilogue was super unexpected, and now I need book 2!!

Things I didn’t like:
- I wish we saw more of Amarande and Luca falling in love in the beginning. Their feelings for one another felt forced in the beginning because when the book starts, they are already in love. I wish there had been scenes where we saw them care more for each other, and have them falling more in love, but by the halfway point I did believe in their devotion to one another. Maybe having flashbacks to back when they were children would have been nice

Overall, I loved this book and will be not so patiently waiting for the sequel! If you loved the Princess Bride, you won’t want to miss The Princess Will Save You!

Review will be posted on my blog on June 12th for the blog tour hosted by The FFBC

After Princess Amarande’s father dies - or possibly murdered - she has two options: Marry one of the leaders of a neighboring kingdom or lose her crown. In an attempt to force her decision, the stable boy and love of her life, Luca, is kidnapped. But Amarande is no weak princess, and in this story, she just might be able to save everyone.

I have to confess, I had no idea this story was inspired by The Princess Bride when I requested it. And while I enjoyed the connection, I’m sort of glad I didn’t enter with that expectation; The Princess Bride without humor leaves a bit to be desired, but The Princess Will Save You as it’s own story is something mighty to behold. Amarande is kick-ass, Luca is swoon-worthy, and the assorted cast of characters (from our pirates to the royal family) fulfill their roles perfectly.

The only sticking point for me was probably the Epilogue. While I get that we want to leave things on a cliffhanger, I think the revelation of Luca’s potential ancestry was quite enough; adding another surprise noble to the storyline seems a bit like overkill to me, but I suppose we’ll just have to see how things turn out with the rest of the series.

All told, this was an excellent, feminist take on the classic “defenseless princess” trope. I’ll be recommending it to all my fantasy-loving teens.

"The princess will save you. Yes, yes, that's right. That's how all the storybooks go."

Even though the princess pretty much never saves the prince, this Princess Bride retelling is all about it. After being pressured by her council to marry in order to retain the throne, Princess Amarande's stable-boy love is kidnapped to force her hand into marriage with one of the surrounding kingdoms. Of course, this book provides us with a strong female lead who takes no shit, so she rides off after him. This unfolds into a complex story of true love, sacrifice, political ambition, and plot twists so intense readers will need a few minutes to recover as Amarande comes to blows with the obstacles surrounding her in order to save her stable-boy and her kingdom.

Going into this book, I knew it was a retelling of The Princess Bride but it wasn't until I reached the end that I pulled myself away from the story and noticed the similarities between the two. I really appreciate how this wasn't a cut-and-dry retelling that made everything super obvious to the reader. Instead, Henning snuck in elements and characters that were brilliantly placed upon my eventual recognition. The creative license Henning took with the story is superb; she crafts an entirely new world upon which to tell The Princess Bride story that is vibrant and exciting. I especially love how Amarande is the heroine of the story and is almost the complete opposite of Buttercup while still holding the story true to it's inspiration. I did think the romance between Luca and Amarande started out a little slow, but it definitely picked up pace the further we went in the story as the barriers built up by the two of them for the castle's benefit were torn down in the face of danger.

Regardless of how you feel about a Princess Bride retelling, this story has something for us all, and I recommend this book for readers who are ready for a little spice in their lives anywhere from the age of middle school and on!

This book started off with a hope and a promise of an enjoyable book. The characters and the plot had potential, but there was just time that it really lacked a sense of reality. I’m fine with all sorts of fantasy and worlds and such, but this seemed to stretch everything just a little too much. I love fierce strong characters, but something that seems to lack is that there can only be one fierce character and it’s either female or male. Why can’t a strong female character want a strong male character? I get weary of the strong female leads with a crying, emotional male friend or love interest. We should be teaching girls, that we can do anything, be fierce, strong, but also it’s ok to have the soft side, emotions are ok too. The balance of the story was off, and it took so long to get through periods of time and then it seemed to really jump in terms of days and weeks and all. It was ok, just not a favorite and some issues that tend to be a young adult theme of weak characters and world building. Beautiful cover art tho.