A Wiked Good Princess

               

I have finished Catherine Gilbert Murdock’s book Princess Ben. In the book, Benevolence is a Princess and has just become the heir to the throne when her parents and her uncle, the king, are killed. She is taken under the wing of the cruel and merciless Queen Sophia. As Ben deals with the pressures of princess training and Sophia’s harshness, ben also finds a secret passageway that leads to a chamber with magic book. And so starts her magical education that will save her life, and the lives of those she loves, someday.

                Ben has run away to Drachensbett when her double is found unconscious. Scared and alone, she crash lands in the mountains and is captured by the captain of the army of Drachensbett. Captain is not a kind man so to speak, but is respectful to those he likes, which Ben learns much later. Ben is mistaken to be a boy and taken as a servant, and she’s also nicknamed piglet. She learns to be humble and keep her mouth shut whilst being amongst all these men.

                This keep up until there is an unexpected visitor to the camps. As it turns out, the prince Florian is best friends with the captain. And when Captain gets very ill, Ben uses the healing methods her mother taught her to heal him. While doing so, she gets to learn the prince in a whole new light. She sees a side to him, a kind and loving side that she wasn’t able to see before because of the lack of a connection.  But will this be enough to change her mind when she presented with the next challenge?

   And the next challenge is . . . marriage. Drachensbett has decided to take Ben’s empire by diplomacy instead of violence. The only thing is, prince Florian doesn’t want to marry Ben anymore, he is repulsed by her. And when the queen decides to alter the request of King Renaldo to secede the kingdom, Ben learns that an attack is coming. Ben decides to get involved with the diplomatic affairs, and even helps Queen Sophia to organize a battle. But does Ben have what it takes to secure the win?

                The book is good. There isn’t a lot I can say. It is definatly not your average fairy tale, but one with a headstrong heroine and an arrogant Prince. Ben solves her own problems and learns magic on her own. She saves the lives of herself, the prince and both of their kingdoms. It has a fairy tale ending, as all books like this must. I thought the book was a refreshing change from modern happy endings, and just a real girl in a bad situation taking advantage of what she has.

RED’S ALL STAR REVIEW: 3 ¼ out of 5, but it could easily be more or less depending on what you’re into.

MASS APPEAL: Chicks into fairy tales will dig this book. But it’s a good book all around.

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