Title: The Escape of Princess Madeline
Author: Kirstin Pulioff
Genre: Fantasy, MG/YA, Romance
Publisher: Malachite Quills Publishing
Publication Date: November 5th, 2012
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Review copy provided by Enchanted Book Promotions in exchange of honest review.
The Kingdom of Soron is known for many things, its rolling landscape, haunting history, fiery sunsets, and its beautiful princess. Princess Madeline woke on her sixteenth birthday to realize that her future had been planned out, a life full of privilege, royalty, and boredom… a life with a husband and knight champion that she did not choose. Using her charm, strength and stubbornness, she defies the King at every turn, determined to keep her freedom on her terms.
Freedom quickly turns to disaster as she finds herself seized by a group of wandering bandits. With the kingdom in turmoil over her capture- her Knight Champion eager to prove himself, a group of dedicated suitors determined to win her hand, and a group of exiled wizards join forces in the hunt to rescue her. Follow Princess Madeline in this adventure to find freedom and love.
The Escape of Princess Madeline is a bit of an odd bird. It’s a short story – barely 68 pages – and it’s hard to classify it in an age group. The vocabulary seems too advanced for middle grade, but the length and the plot itself very much suggest middle grade novel. The romance isn’t explicitly detailed, so that could mean either middle grade or young adult, but it seems to linger in the middle. I enjoyed reading the book, but I wished it was a bit more defined for who this story would be suitable – both MG and YA audiences, or YA only? I would personally settle on upper MG or young YA.
Madeline needs to get married to one of her several suitors, much to her chagrin. She wants nothing more than to decide her own fate, but alas, being a princess she’s forced to obey her father’s rules and choose a future husband. Madeline, being a spoiled brat, decides she rather runs away than marry a husband she hasn’t chosen herself. So off she goes, and trouble is ensured. A handsome young knight, who’s always had a crush on her, needs to come to her rescue or she may find herself in greater peril than she thought possible.
If that sounds very fairytale-ish, it’s because the book itself reads like a fairytale. Set in a magical kingdom with a spunky princess, a handsome knight, a handful of suitors this book reminds me of fairytales such as Snow White and Sleeping Beauty. The romance was sweet, suitable for a younger audience, although maybe not the youngest children of the MG scales. The violence is mild, and mostly told in a fun way – think like the violence in Aladin and other such stories. The knights are all very charming and brave, the princess is of course beautiful, and the King is all about justice and equality.
This book is a nice, quick read and younger children will definitely enjoy it. As usually in these kind of fairytales, there’s no grey line – only right and wrong. At the end, there are some loose threads, which enjoy future books, which I definitely would like to read. Made me nostalgic back to the days when I loved those fairytale books and princesses.
The Escape of Princess Madeline is a great read, fluently written, with a nice set of characters and a plot children will love.
Great post! I liked it so much that I got the book! I was pleased to see that it’s FREE!! I also saw that there is a second one now. Have you read it? Is it any good?
Thanks,
Addie