I loved the talking gender-obsessed lion, the sassy magic mirror, the sense of humor, and the nods to other fairy tales. Plus it was nice to see an adaptation of a lesser known fairy tale that hasn’t yet been Disney-fied. However, the pacing was inconsistent, making this a slow read for me. After about the 25% mark, much of the story meandered without advancing the plot much. Things picked up around the 75% mark when the identity of the villain was finally revealed. And I was immediately team badass antagonist.

Other than the lion and mirror, Melilot’s sisters and the king’s sister were the highlight for me and I wish they were featured more in the story. I also found Melilot’s stepmother intriguing. Melilot herself was okay, but she didn’t really have as distinctive a voice as I prefer from protagonists. And I felt like neither the king nor the twelve huntsmen had discernible personalities (the latter had different special skills from each other, but that was about it), so I wish those characters could have been fleshed out a little more. I also didn’t feel attached enough to the characters involved to truly be invested in the romantic subplot (more of an “eh, good for them” than feeling desperate for them to get together).

I’d recommend this to fans of The Enchanted Forest Chronicles and The Tough Guide to Fantasyland who don’t mind a slower book.

I received an advanced copy from the publisher and am voluntarily leaving this review.

This Princess Kills Monsters

I think this may very well become one of my favorite books I have read this year. Mixing and mashing up fairy tales? A protagonist whose loud mouth has gotten her into more trouble than she cares to admit? Overbearing family, a not so evil stepmother? I’m sold, immediately sold.

Princess Melilot feels rather…useless. The middle child of her family with no magic other than growing out her hair, she’s unaccomplished. Not a brave warrior like her older sister. Animals don’t love her like her baby sister. And yet her stepmother continues to send her out on ridiculous quests, completing even more ridiculous tasks. The last thing she expects upon returning from her latest quest is a summons from the queen. She’s been selected to marry the king of Tailliz, a neighboring kingdom with a monster problem.

Melilot discovers she may have bitten off more than she can chew when she’s rescued by six identical huntsmen, who all have strange powers. Even stranger is that there are six more of them in the palace. As she gets closer to her new companions, pretending to be a handmaid, she’s suspected of being a wicked sorceress, but the true evil power is lurking in their midst.

This Princess Kills Monsters is mostly based on the Grimm tale The Twelve Huntsmen, but it has sprinkling of other tales throughout! My favorite detail is how Melilot is this universe’s version of Rapunzel, but she saves herself. Equal parts ridiculous and enchanting, I adored this read so much!

Thank you to Dial Press and Netgalley for the e-arc in exchange for an honest review! This Princess Kills Monsters releases Jun 17, so make sure to preorder it wherever books are sold near you!

Review will be up on socials soon :))

THIS PRINCESS KILLS MONSTERS by Ry Herman

This book is a queer satirical retelling of the Grimm's Brothers' fairy tale, The Twelve Huntsmen. Princess Melilot has been ordered by her mother to marry a king that she's never met. While on her way to her husband-to-be, she runs into twelve eerily similar-looking masked huntsmen who rescue her from a spider-wolf attack. Melilot must contend with multiple attacks on her life and her growing attraction to one of the huntsmen, all while unraveling the mysteries of this new kingdom.

This was an enchantingly fun read! It made me laugh out loud, had lots of action and magic, and just didn't take itself very seriously. It also incorporated things from various other fairy tales besides The Twelve Huntsmen which was fun.

I honestly just really enjoyed reading this book. The bi + trans rep and queer joy was wonderful to read. The characters, the world and the writing all completely won me over. Melilot especially was a strong and witty FMC, and a joy to follow throughout the story.

I highly recommend this one to anybody looking for a lighthearted and cozy fantasy read! This Princess Kills Monsters comes out on June 16. It's the perfect Pride Month read so make sure to pick up a copy! 🙌🏾

A big thank you to Random House and Netgalley for the eARC.

The prologue of this book started off as a classic fairytale, and then hooked you and threw you right into the body of the book.

Melilot is a princess, a step-daughter with mommy issues, and a sorceress coming into her own. She is sent off to marry a prince, but problems abound, including strange monsters in the woods, 12 identical huntsmen who may or may not be women, an evil sorceress, and a talking lion.

This book references allll the fairytales while telling its own, and each little Easter egg is a joy to discover. You basically open up a box which explodes in confetti and little surprises and balloons and all the party supplies in a splash of color and wonder. If you like that idea, this book is for you. If you're looking for a more sedate party, then maybe this book isn't your vibe, because sedate - this book is not.

There's good pacing, good grammar, no spice but sweet romance. Some of the fight scenes got a bit long and skippable, and there is an HEA.

I am giving it 3 stars because although it is an engaging romp and a great story, it felt a little like I couldn't get off the teacups ride at Disney. But if you like the teacups ride, you'll probably love this book.

I received an ARC through NetGalley. My opinions are my own.

Thank you to NetGalley and Random House Publishing Group for a complimentary early release copy of This Princess Kills by Ry Herman.

This Princess Kills Monsters took me a while to read, I thought about dnfing it a few times but I pushed through because there were some stuff that did hold my interest and I wanted to see where things would go. The start of the story is rather slow but I did like seeing Melilot’s magical step sisters, I enjoyed the relationship between the sisters, the magical elements, and the whole stepmother thing. The dynamics with Melilot’s family is interesting to read about and I like the direction that the story went in with those. Some of my favorite parts of the story had be the flashback/story book told chapters, while they were long I found them to be enjoyable though it was a little annoying to have present day characters interrupt whoever was telling the story at the time.

The story didn’t really pick up for me until about the fifty percent mark of the book. I have mixed feelings about Melilot’s character as I felt her among others held so much potential but they just felt a bit flat. For a good percentage of the book it feels like Melilot isn’t really doing much of anything but existing during scenes. Even when things pick up a bit more action wise I still felt disappointed by how things had played out with her. The love interest for Merlilot was a good one, I liked the love interest and thought that the two of them had great potential but I wouldn’t say that we got much of a romance between them. It’s made pretty obvious early on who Melilot was going to end up with, while I’m happy with who I’m disappointed that we didn’t get more between them. This story does have a twist that I didn’t catch onto and I liked that twist as well, the twist is what really kept my attention for this story.

I feel like the big reason that this story didn’t partially work for me is because it’s satire, I was aware of this going into This Princess Kills Monsters but I don’t partially think this type of writing works for me. The story tries to be funny & amusing, and it is sometimes but some scenes, plot details, and dialogue lose some of the mood because of it. The main plot line of this story is about the huntsmen’s and what’s going on with them. The cover for This Princess Kills Monsters is so pretty! The artist did an awesome job! Overall rating a 2.5.

I have to say that I wasn't sure what to expect from this book, and I was beyond pleasantly surprised. It was funny, the characters were lovable immediately, the plot was interesting, and the references to old fairytales were well-placed and well done. I can't say enough about how much I enjoyed this reading experience.

Other important things to note were that the female main character was strong but real and not always right or innocent in everything, the relationships were complicated, the queer representation was portrayed in a way that hit that delicate balance between being real and true without making the entire story revolve around it in a tokenizing way.

If you love complicated family (found and otherwise), heartwarming romance, hilarious misadventures, fairytales, and books that move at a good pace and don't make queer identities tragic or reduce them to plot devices, there will be several things to be found in this story for you.

I really loved this one. I spent a lot of time in this one, soaking it in and getting excited every time I read a chapter.

March and April were tough months for me and this book was the bright light I needed to get through them. Not the normal type of review that I do, but nevertheless, I feel like the story invokes this sense of whimsy, delight, bed-time storytelling, and humor.

Escapism with a cast of interesting and compelling characters. I loved our main heroine who sucks at being a sorceress and has a semi-evil stepmother. I mean, what kind of stepmom sends you to another kingdom to marry a random stranger?

Evil.

And the monsters. A spider wolf. I have a new fear unlocked. We have queer romance, characters telling their backstories as if they were fables, and sometimes accidental drownings.

I need more in this world and more from this author. It was fantastic. I will be pressing it wherever I can!

I devoured this book in one sitting, and it finally smashed through my reading slump! I loved the way Herman combined humor and heart in this gorgeous fairy tale retelling. I wish one or two things were fleshed out just a bit more (Melilot’s journey with her magic and her stepmother) but I adored the romance and the eccentric ensemble cast. I also loved the book’s sense of humor- I found myself giggling clicking through pages. I am very excited to dig through Herman’s backlog! Thank you for the arc!

This was such a fun fun book. It gave me similar vibes to Assistant to the Villain with the witty commentary. I really loved every aspect of the story, and the unique twist on a fairytale! Full review will be posted close to release date.

Oh this was SO fun! Parts of this has me cracking up so much. I can totally understand why a lot of people wouldn't like this but it worked so well for me. I loved the retelling aspect because it put such a new twist on The Twelve Huntsmen. Honestly I cannot wait to see what Ry Herman comes out with next especially if it's a fantasy or retelling.

e-ARC: 4⭐️ this book was delightfully fun, humorous, witty, magical, heartwarming, suspenseful, romantic….so many wonderful adjectives. At first I wasn’t sure how I felt about the humor/writing style but it definitely grew on me as I continued reading. The way this book incorporated so many different fairy tale stories was incredibly interesting and fun; I never knew if a fairy tale reference was going to be what you might anticipate, or if the author was going to subvert a piece of the stories we all know into something new and hilariously unexpected.

I loved the characters, the exploration of gender roles/stereotypes, the queer representation….all of it. Also— the cover? Gorgeous.

Thanks to Net Galley and Random House for the e-ARC in return for an honest review.

This was fun. This story is for you if you want the nostalgic energy of a fairy tale with modern twists. You'll see tropes you love but in a fresh and witty context. There's plenty of adventure, too, so the plotting was well done for my taste. There's quite the cast of characters in this story which keeps you on your toes as well.. They were cute and full of life. I thought the romance was sweet and goofy, which is just what I needed during my current reading experience. I'm interested in more stories from this author. My only complaint was the writing at times was a bit overly simplistic, but if you're in a cozy book mood that can be nice too.

A really smart fairytale retelling with modern sensibilities and a well fleshed out large cast of characters. Ry Herman took a little known fairytale and chose to focus on the smallest character, while filling in its fairytale plot-holes, to make a lush, charming, and bright story. The title feels almost gimicky, but the book is better than the title promises, and worth reading for fairytale lovers.

I laughed so much while reading this book. Such a fun and adventurous story of a retelling of a Grimm Fairy Tale story.

Melilot is such a typical middle child personality that it just adds to the humor when she's annoyed by her sisters, mother, and the situation she's in. The growth that Melilot goes through in recognizing how she's mythologized her parents and how her stepmother just wanted to love and care for her was great to read. It's always interesting how growing up we have this idea that our parents are these great beings and as adults we recognize they were just human. With Melilot, they died before she could see them as an adult, so going through this journey of a fake marriage and some death threats has her reevaluate the relationships around her. Even with her sisters, she believes they are all competing against her, when all they want is to help her and want her to be happy.

The relationship between Sam and Melilot was adorable and gave me all the feels. I love how Sam reveals he and Jacqueline (Jack) are identical twins, revealing that he's a trans man. Plus, the sibling relationship between Sam and Jack is so adorable with how much they support each other. The ending with Sam supporting Melilot by going with her to confront her mother but staying outside the room while they talk. Supportive but letting her have her own autonomy and face the situations by herself. Just so, so perfect!

The plot and world-building was so well done, imaginative and immersive. This kingdom that's conservative in how it handles gender issues due to this talking lion and not looking into the context of some issues. All of the gender issues and conservative attitudes gives the villain's motivations some validity. Of course, "cool motive, still murder" but it is understandable why they act the way they do, and thankfully, with Jack and Gervase on the throne it seems like they'll move things forward.

An absolute wild ride with hilarity, romance, and adventure!

I was sure this was right up my alley, it sounded amazing and the cover art is stunning but I just couldnt get into it. I loved the story at the beginning and the first 10%-ish but then I started losing interest. I don't think this is bad but not for me.

Thanks to NetGalley and Dial Press for the advanced copy in exchange for my honest review.

A queer retelling of fairytale stories? Yes please! I don't remember the last time I laughed so much while reading. I can't wait to have this on my shelf and I feel so lucky to be able to read this early!

Thank you Netgalley, Random House Publishing, and Ry Herman for the eARC of "This Princess Kills Monsters" in exchange for and honest review.

I requested this book, because the cover is pretty and a LGBT fairytale retelling always draws me in. I will be honest, the writing in the beginning was very hard to get into because I was confused by the writing itself. The writing throughout is very casual and reminds me of a teenager telling a story from their perspective. Exaggerating and leaving out details. It personally wasn't my favorite, but I do think there are readers that will enjoy this writing.

This book is set in a fairytale world where the main character experiences multiple fairytales that she believes is wrongly written down in books. Clem's accent was unbearable to read, but may come off more tolerable in an audiobook. The siblings were very interesting and I did laugh at some of the sassy remarks. The love interest storyline was cute and did closely resemble "instant-love" but in a very true loves kiss way. All of the heroes being female really did push the girl power narrative. The ending does wrap up with all characters understanding each other better.

Omg I loved this book!!! I freaking love fairytales and I love fantasy. I feel like this book was written for me. The humor and the Queer story is immaculate as well. What a great read!!

Well known and obscure Brothers Grimm tales weaved together to present a whimsical and satirical retelling of The Twelve Huntsmen in This Princess Kills Monsters. I went into this novel with zero expectations as I have never read anything by Ry Herman nor am I very familiar with the tale of The Twelve Huntsmen, and I was happily surprised by how much I enjoyed it. The humor is witty and absurd with twisting aspects of beloved fairy tales on their head to add a semblance of an inside joke with the reader.

I thought the novel was overall well executed in terms of pace and world-building, aside from a couple instances where there were awkward time jumps and changes in setting. The main character, Melilot, was wholly fleshed out and her development throughout the story felt well thought out. I loved the smidgeons of romance sprinkled in between all the monster fighting; definitely a strong sub-plot.

This was such a fun read, especially for someone who is a fan of fairy tale retellings. Thank you to NetGalley and Random House for this ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Literally so obsessed with this book, we are in a medieval romance era this year I am here for it. honestly, it’s a feminist take on bits and pieces of the different stories by the Grims Brothers. The romance was endless and the banter was EXCELLENT. A MUST READ. 💕🥰