Rating: ★★★★
Audience: YA Fantasy
Length: 352 pages
Author: Linsey Miller
Publisher: Disney Press
Release Date: October 4th, 2022
Image & Other Reviews on: Goodreads

BOOK SUMMARY:

For fans of Twisted Tales and Villains is a brand new YA series that retells the classic Disney stories you thought you knew from the Disney Princes’ perspectives.

Before Prince Eric’s mother, the Queen of Vellona, went missing two years ago, she reminded him about the details of the deadly curse that has plagued his entire life. The curse? If he were to kiss someone other than his true love, he would die. With a neighboring kingdom looking for any excuse to invade their shores, and rumors of ghost pirates lurking the seas, Eric is desperate for any information that may help him break his enchantment and bring stability to Vellona. The answers he has been searching for come to him in the form of a letter left from his mother that reveals Eric must find his true love, the one with a voice pure of heart,or kill the sea witch responsible for cursing him in the first place.

Now Eric is on a quest to find the Isle of Serein, the witch’s legendary home. But after he is rescued by a mysterious young woman with a mesmerizing singing voice, Eric’s heart becomes torn. Does he enter a battle he is almost certain he cannot win or chase a love that might not even exist? And when a shipwrecked young woman with flaming red hair and a smile that could calm the seven seas enters his life, Eric may discover that true love isn’t something that can be decided by magic.

THIS WAS FUN.

I feel like I don’t have a lot to say for this review, but I still enjoyed it enough to give it four stars?? Words are hard.

Eric’s voice was probably the best part of this. I loved the way Miller chose to portray him and it did feel like his movie self come to bookish life. That endearing and charming guy who’s trying to do best by his kingdom but also easily falls in love with a woman from the sea. It works!

I liked the addition of the curse. I think it did add enough backstory to further the book and give a few more scenes than were seen in the book. This book does a good job of covering what happens in the movie and combining it with Eric’s past.

Definitely want to read more of these books from different Prince’s perspectives. It’s fun and reminiscent of childhood and an easy listen.

Overall audience notes:

• YA Fantasy
• Language: very little
• Romance: kisses
• Violence: medium
• Trigger/Content Warnings: physical and magical altercations, near death experiences

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