The Princess Spy (Fairy Tale Romance Series)

Margaretha isn't especially impressed by her latest suitor, but when Colin, an injured Englishman, tells her a story of treachery and murder, she is drawn into a complicated and dangerous mission to save her family and her home, with Colin's help. (Though reviews are inherently subjective, I prefer to provide some organization to my opinions through the use of a personal rubric. The following notes may contain spoilers.) Plot and Setting: 4 -- Plot has many unique elements, no major holes, and a sense of focus. Unlike the other books in the series, the connection to a fairytale in this one is pretty minimal. Though to be fair, the frog prince story doesn't have a whole lot of substance-- it's basically a 'don't judge on appearances' moral, not a lot of plot to pay homage to. But while this doesn't feel like a fairytale retelling, it is a quality Medieval adventure, and very enjoyable. Setting is clear and believable. Timeline is somewhat unclear. We start in April, and the epilogue is 2 months after the last chapter, but it's hard to tell how much time is passing in between, since I didn't tally the days as they passed. A month for reference with the epilogue would've been nice, at the least. Characters: 5 -- Relatable, realistic, interesting, dynamic characters. Colin and Margaretha are great. I love how their perceptions of each other and themselves change for the better as the story progresses. Loved how Colin actually enjoys her talkativeness, which others have consistently pointed out as a flaw. Even minor characters have depth, as do the relationships between characters. Toby was a nice addition, and I enjoyed the glimpses of Valten and Gisela's relationship. Good family dynamics overall, and even the slightly-unpleasant Anne has some complexities. Mechanics and Writing: 4.5 -- A handful of typos, punctuation issues, or word errors, but nothing that seriously hinders understanding. A few odd phrases, and a few strange typos where a space is inserted in the middle of a word (cuff s, off end (for offend, twice), huff ed) and one where 2 words are crammed together (gemencrusted). Intelligent use of POV (Colin and Margaretha). Skillful writing that adds to the story. Interesting and clever how this book happens at the same time as The Golden Braid and covers some of the same events, but from a completely different angle. They are 2 independent stories, but they compliment each other if you read them both. Redeeming Value: 5 -- Well-developed, central, uplifting themes. Colin surrenders his desire for revenge to God, and seeks justice instead. Margaretha learns to trust God even in frightening circumstances, and to act on faith. She also learns that not everyone views her the same way, and she can be loved for who she is, even for what she views as her faults. They both learn that appearances can be deceptive. Sex, alcohol, violence, etc, are not glorified at all, though there's plenty of fighting, escaping, injuries, death, and evil men. A strong moral compass throughout, with our heroes choosing to stay physically and mentally pure, and avoiding fatally wounding their attackers when possible. Personal Enjoyment: 4.5 -- I loved it. Highly enjoyable and very entertaining, with perhaps an issue or two that tempered my pleasure. One I'll definitely read again.

Four stars on here, given the ranking system. Three stars on Goodreads. I have enjoyed all of Melanie Dickerson's books. Fairy-tale re-tellings are a favorite of mine. This one, I had muddled feelings about, and I will explain. The Negative (We'll get this out of the way.): - The heroine ignores the fact a foreign man has been beaten and left for dead in her father's jurisdiction, even after he pleads with her to ask her father to help him. She thinks he is addled by his injuries, which were obviously maliciously inflicted, and she doesn't get legal help for him. This affected my sympathy for her. - Also, there was a lot of telling vs. showing. "She felt. She heard. She saw." So much I was surprised to see it from this author. Therefore I wasn't as "into" the story in a lot of parts as I wanted to be. - The kisses came across less emotional and more technical than I had hoped, given the build-up. - I would have liked to see more setting detail. The characters spent more time in introspection than observing details in their surroundings. This one is just a personal preference of mine. The senses are used sparingly and most often used is the sense of touch. Though this may be in line with the characters' personalities. - The villain's motive seemed foggy. At times it looked like he was just evil because the story needed a villain. I never understood why he was so hateful without provocation. The Positive (YAY!!!) - I loved visiting Hagenheim and these characters from the very first book on. Especially the few moments with Valten and his wife. - Colin is an admirable, passionate, wounded, lovable hero, and, looking past the first item in the list below, Margaretha is a believable heroine. Her personality rings very "true to life." Reminds me much of a friend of mine. - The romance between these characters was sweet and natural. Colin is so protective and careful with her. Her shyness with him is cute and awkward and everything it's supposed to be. He shows initiative and chivalry in the relationship--something all but lost in our modern times. - I was especially impressed with how the author handled the German/English translation situations. Also, learning bits of the language was fun. - Bits of this story, besides alluding to the Frog Prince, put me in mind of The Princess Bride, and the scripture passage of Christ's nativity. - The author did a great job keeping peril in the back of the reader's mind. There is nothing like worrying for my favorite characters' lives and physical well-being to keep me turning the page! In summation: This is a good read, which I enjoyed. This one just didn't strike the chord some of the others did, which got them on my "read again" shelf. I'm looking forward to many more stories from this author. I hear she has plots in mind for "The Little Mermaid" and "Rapunzel!" Can't wait to see what she'll bring us with those. ***If you have never read this author, don't let this review discourage you. Try starting with "The Merchant's Daughter," or "The Captive Maiden."

Girls with bravery and courage

I loved this book! It's got a exciting story and good romance.

I loved this new book, but I found it not quite as intense and intriguing as the other books by Melanie Dickerson. I loved the other books because I could clearly see the similarities to the fairy tale is was replicating, but this one was a bit of a stretch. It was a good book and I enjoyed it....definitely worth buying and reading, but I enjoyed the others more.

Very good easy read

First, let's just bask in the glory of that striking cover. That dress is gorgeous -- can't you just feel the silky softness of the fabric? What a wonderful advertisement for the lushest of stories inside. Dickerson has woven her magic into another splendid fairy tale retelling. This time she adds her own unique twist to The Frog Prince. There are some very clever nods to the original tale along with truly dastardly villains and hopeless treachery and a heroine who needs rescuing...or wait, is that the hero who needs rescuing? Love how Margaretha can hold her own in the midst of diabolical plots. This princess certainly isn't faint of heart! A brilliant fairy tale rendering with lots of action and romance.