While this book does not fit into our demographic I love it personally and look forward to the next in the series!

Rise of the Vicious Princess is a fantastic ya fantasy that sucked me in from its first pages. A story with dynamic characters and setting, as well as a ton of political intrigue and unexpected revelations, the story follows Princess Charis Willowthorn, a formidable young woman and heir to the throne. Conditioned from a young age to rule, Charis’s mother is unrelenting in her demands and expectations of Charis, and Charis proves she is up for the challenge. Though only seventeen, she is a strong leader, and she faces many difficult challenges. I love her take-charge personality, her diplomacy, and her intelligence.
The writing was great, as expected. C. J. has such a skill for sucking me into a book and keeping me there. She's truly a master storyteller, and I just want to stay in her magical worlds forever.

I was finally able to finish this audiobook, Rise of the Vicious Princess by C.J Redwine. The first book of their duology, I found the story was interesting but I think it drags on for a bit too long.. There were plenty of twists and turns and the writing did keep me engaged most of the time. I think it the author could have made it a little shorter. I give it a solid three stars for storytelling.




Thanks to NetGalley for this advance listening copy.

This audiobook is a DNF for me. I couldn't even get through the first chapter. Mind you, most Fantasy novels are a hit or moss for me, but add that this is a voicegalley (which I can't stand to begin with) and even the actual published audiobook doesn't keep my interest, I just couldn't push through this one.

This one was ok. I mean I did have a bit of a har time getting into it at first but it was entertaining enough for me to keep reading it but it isn't something I would read again.

It's no doubt that CJ Redwine is an amazing author! I've enjoyed books from her in the past and this one is shaping up to be a very interesting series!

I was curious how the "vicious" aspect of this princess would play itself out and was pleasantly surprised that she is both vicious and yet relatable as well. I tend to dislike characters who are unreasonably mean - especially as a main character.

I *really* liked the hero in this story as well (whom I had a feeling about and was proved RIGHT in the end...but I won't say because *spoilers*). To me he really was the perfect cinnamon-roll character and I just loved him to pieces!

As for the plot, it was interesting with a lot of twists and turns that lead you to wonder what is going to happen next! I don't really love cliffhangers, and I wouldn't say this one is super terrible, but there is one...so watch out!

I think fans of younger YA would like this and enjoy the character development.


My rating: 3.8*

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Thanks to NetGalley for this advance listening copy. All opinions are my own.

Being a princess is not easy. Being a Princess, whose mother is considered one of the most vicious queens, makes it even more difficult especially when what you want most in life is to find a love that loves you for who you are as whole and not for your crown. When the kingdom is sent into chaos after a failed attempt to take both the queens and Princess Charis lives. Charis is faced with trying to find out who in the kingdom really supports her and who is out to gain power for themselves and their families. Trust is not something that Charis can give freely. It is even harder to give when it seems that every way she turns she is faced with plots against her life, people who only want to gain more power, and worst of all having someone close to her feeding information to their enemy. This is a daring tale of a girl who is trying to figure out how to navigate the world while wanting to follow their heart but knowing that being vicious and showing no weakness might be the only real way to save her kingdom and her people.

This book overall kind of drags. I felt it was easy to slip in and out of the story. I did find myself going back to remind myself of what was happening. I do expect a much different Charis in the next book, and I do hope there is a next book. I will be talking up this book with patrons for their summer reading.

Thank you to HarperCollins Children’s books and Netgalley for allowing me to read this title.

I really enjoyed the political intrigue, the bodyguard trope, and I think this book will be good for middle grade readers.

The plot has potential. After 20% into the book, I was unable to get into the story. So, I plan to purchase this book when it hits shelves on June 14 and try it again. I feel I may enjoy this more if I am able to read it and fully immerse myself in this world.

Thank you to Harper Audio and Netgalley for the voicegalley for review.

Rise of the Vicious Princess by CJ Redwine

This book has plenty of twists and turns. It has a young strong female queen/mc (Charis) that I love. Many people in her kingdom see her as a ruthless leader, but in reality she is just a young lady trying to do the best that she can with the hand that she is dealt by unfair circumstances. She has some very interesting love interests that keep her on her toes. And I really like the relationships she has with both of her parents, even though they are not technically together. There is a lot going on in this novel, so you have to pay close attention to keep up.

This was a good fantasy, but it was a slow burn. It got stuck halfway through and nothing much happened…but the beginning and ENDING were awesome. Excited for the rest of the series! I loved the love story, but was well aware that it was too easy. The Queen should have been further developed, but I loved her father. Good story overall!

Rise of the Vicious Princess struck an enjoyable balance between political maneuverings, family drama, and romance that kept the pace moving quickly and kept me engaged all the way through. I constantly found my mind wandering back to the Kingdom of Calera even when I was supposed to be focused in the real world. Charis Willowthorn was a main character whose struggles with balancing her own heart and grief, and her kingdom's needs and expectations for a ruler made her easy to root for. Redwine does an excellent job of transitioning between the various of versions of Charis, whether its a Captain on the seas, Charis in her private chambers with her bodyguard, or her Highness in a strategy meeting to defend Calera from its long time enemy Montevallo.

One thing I loved about Rise of the Vicious Princess was that it is surprisingly political. Not in the sense that it resonated with a particular political ideology in American society, but in the sense that Charis is actually running a kingdom. I anticipated a lot more romance and far fewer meetings and conversations about preserving borders, maintaining relationships, negotiating trade deals, and mollifying the nobles surrounding the crown while maintaining agency. I love that this is a Young Adult Fantasy book that actually addresses all of these facets of running a country and would definitely consider introducing it into a classroom to help students think about the many components of what creates a functional government.

I enjoyed the imagery of the dresses and hairstyles, and the emphasis that was placed on Charis's public presentation. Part of the draw of royalty is the aesthetic to be sure, but Redwine did a good job of demonstrating the importance of presenting the image of oneself that you need to project into a space. While some of Charis's outfits were incredibly fantastical it was fun to imagine her dressing for a ball with the same mentality of someone preparing for battle. I did find it a bit unrealistic that her new bodyguard assisted in her preparation for so many events, but I suppose that's what happens when you fall in love with the person you're sworn to protect.


Usually, after reading so much for so long, I find that books rarely truly surprise me, but this book completely threw me for a loop at the end. I was completely unprepared for the plot twist at the end of the novel and am now desperately waiting for the sequel in this duology to be released so that I can get some answers!

Rise of the Vicious Princess is quite the adventure! Great character development and world building has placed this book high up on my recommend to others list. Princess Charis is a strong female main character with just enough flaws to be human. Enough political intrigue to keep you guessing on who the actual villain would be. I anxiously await for the conclusion.

It has a very strong beginning, and it was amazing. I was drawn to the story right away, and trying to make connections regarding this new world. Although as the story advanced, it became a little dull and unappealing. Until the very end, which to my opinion, was unexpected but really dramatic, which are characteristics that don’t appeal to me.
The characters where great, but I didn’t make any sort of connection to them; therefore I could not relate to what or why they were acting how they did. Asides this, they weren’t unlikable either.
The world was a little bit confusing at first, and the introduction of new species was a bit abrupt, but I think it added to the tension.
This book is great for fans of The Selection, and Graceling.

Do I think this was a great book? No. Do I think my middle school and young high school female readers will enjoy it? Yes. Although it’s probably a tad too long to hold the attention for many of them.
Our protagonist is a strong young woman: physically and mentally. She is smart, trained in combat, and can make in-the-moment decisions .
There is just enough rated G romance that it will appease the romantics and not “gross out” my less mature students.
The intrigue, although pretty predictable and unoriginal, is still enough that most of my fairly innocent and naive kids will enjoy it and be swept along. As a more sophisticated reader, the gaps in plot were annoying but forgivable. I can imagine that the big (you knew it was coming!) twist at the end will lead to lots of discussions among the readers - is the love real? Should she trust him? Will they stay together?
I can definitely see this becoming a popular choice for my girls, especially, and I would certainly invest in the series as it’s released.
That said, there’s a LOT of death to people close to the MC and it’s a little upsetting. The final battle scenes are not terribly graphic in description, but incredibly sad. I would definitely put a trigger-warning in the book if I had it on my classroom shelf.

This book about a princess coming into power after her mother is attacked had me pretty excited. However, it ended up being far too political for me. I found myself terribly bored with this book. I think it's well-written, but this book is definitely not for me.

Truly loved every detail of this book. A fantasy world that did not take ages to build or struggle to remember--even with various kingdoms to recall.
Was a bit hesitant when I read it was about just another girl preparing to be queen, but Charis is no simple girl. She was truly prepped by her mother (the current queen) growing up to be a warrior ruler. The one who is prepared to do anything she must for her people no matter what she must sacrifice herself.
As Charis is thrown into more mature situations, the character reactions and development were easy to comprehend and empathize with.
I have already pre-ordered my physical copy and cannot wait for more!

I LOVED this story! A smart, strong, independent minded heroine and just enough romance to make it interesting. Highly recommend and cannot wait for book two!

The cover of Rise of the Vicious Princess drew me in and the story did not disappoint. The plot is full of action and is a different type of "princess" story. Backstabbing and scheming are central themes in this political fantasy.
A note: While I love the cover, after reading what the pages hold, it doesn't fit the story and this might lead to me forgetting what the story is actually about while browsing the library making book recommendations to my students.

I didn't find myself getting into the story. Would be good for middle grades, although it's labeled as YA.

Raised to be cunning and ruthless by her mother, Princess Charis struggles to maintain a cold-hearted persona in public while reflecting her father's gentle nature in private. But when she sacrifices her heart's desires to bring peace to her war-torn country, Charis must decide how vicious she is willing to become. The title might feel a bit misleading for the first half of the book; however, readers are witnessing the "rise" of Charis as vicious rather than seeing her as such from the start. Events throughout the story chip away at the soft places of her heart until they become sharpened daggers that will harm herself if she does not embrace the cold, calculating nature her mother instilled in her