Review: The Escape of Princess Madeline

Hello, lovelies! I have another Fae Books review for you! I recently reviewed The Escape of Princess Madeline, by Kirstin Pulioff. Check it out here and at Fae Books Blog. Enjoy!!

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 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, determined to keep her freedom. Freedom quickly turns to disaster as she finds herself seized by a group of wandering bandits. With the kingdom in turmoil; her Knight Champion, a group of suitors, and the exiled wizards join forces to rescue her. Follow Princess Madeline in this adventure full of twists and turns as she finds freedom and love.

At first glance, The Escape of Princess Madeline did not sound like a story I would typically pick up to read. But I’m glad I did. 

The story opens with the birth of a princess and the death of a queen. The reader is made to feel the king’s grief and anguish at the loss of his wife, and it sets the scene for the king’s behavior throughout the rest of the story. The author does a great job of opening the story and grabbing the reader early on.

The story then moves ahead to what would be present-day, and Princess Madeline is to attend her ball to choose a suitor among the princes of the country. The only problem is, she isn’t ready to settle. The author brings you inside the mind of the terrified and immature princess as she finagles a way out from under her father’s thumb and out on her own. But freedom comes with a hefty price-one that she wasn’t even aware of-and she questions her need for freedom.

Luckily, her Knight Champion has already been selected and is on the hunt to find and return the princess to safety. But devastating news rips through the kingdom, and it’s up to her Knight Champion to save her. But Princess Madeline’s future may not end up the way she had hoped.

Honestly, this author did a phenomenal job. There were only a couple of suggestions I would make, and they are based on my personal taste and very minor things. One is that the time and place is not really set, though it is implied. I would have liked to see the time period and location be set toward the beginning, but again, that’s just my preference, and in no way do I feel it hindered the story. The forest scene was a bit harder to follow, since the voice of the story floats between Madeline and her Knight Champion. Again, I ultimately don’t feel it did any damage or took away from the story, it was just a little hiccup.

The book seemed to be written to appeal to a slightly younger crowd in the Young Adult genre, but has enough elements that I think many age groups could easily enjoy this story. It’s a quick read, fast paced, and a page turner. It was fun to see the transformation from child to woman in Princess Madeline, and while I don’t want to give away any secrets on the ending, I was pleased with how it left the opening for a second book, turning this into a series. Many kudos to the author for a wonderful read. I gotta give it 5 stars. Well done, Kirstin!

Reviewed by Ashley T of Fae Books (www.faebooks.co.uk)