I got a free copy of this light novel in exchange for an honest review.
Why did I start reading it? <<<<<< Need I say more? Just look at that cover! Also Dragon. Every story is made better with a dragon.
What is it? The author's take on their own classic fairy tale, Little Princess is the story of Princess Lala Lalia who kingdom has suffered a rebellion at the hands of the evil Lord Designs. She escaped with The Thorn Knight Gideon and the pair eventually find themselves face to face with a fearsome dragon. The dragon, a knight's worst enemy agrees to help Gideon protect his young charge and the two reluctantly work together to keep the princess safe.
What are the characters like? There is literally no one in this book I disliked. Or...I suppose I should say, disliked reading about. The villains obviously did horrible things and I wasn't rooting for them but it was that fairy tale over the top where you don't really hate them you just wonder what bad thing they are going to do next.
Anyone particularly cool? Picking one person is hard because I think what made these characters shine was really their interactions between. In the beginning, interactions between Lady Megan and her father were very interesting and made you wonder what was to come. The small family Gideon, Lala and Spike made together was adorable and I would have loved to spend the entire book with just their happy family adventures. Then the Witch towards the end how she changed and grew. Oh, I love them all!
What's the bad news? Written to be a classic fairy tale I feel like it had a few classic fairy tale issues. It has the odd convenient miracle and the odd bits of unexplained magic that is just there. I was a little disappointed as in the story that followed Lady Megan. She was really cool, I loved the idea behind her character but...can't go into detail without spoiling but I would have taken it in a different direction I guess.
And the good news? It's good! Like really good. Character dialogue and interaction makes the story. Spike and Gideon's butting relationship and their struggle to be dads to this brave little seven-year-old who takes as little shit as her small body can fight off. The spiralling madness of Lord Designs, the beautiful mystery that was Lady Megan. I want a movie of this book and then I want a spin-off series of Spike and Gideon adventures. Preferably animated with the books amazing art style.
Overall the story is well paced, cliche enough to fit into that classic dark fairy tale bracket the author aimed for but brakes a couple of cliches in the right places to make perfect for a modern audience.
Would you recommend? Yes! Love a good adventure then yes. I got a warning of how dark it was when I got it and will pass on that warning. This is a fairy tale along the lines of the brothers grim so expect some gruesome scenes. I didn't find it too bad in the end because of how fantasy and over the top it was but some might be more disturbed by it. If you feel you'll be fine with that then I highly suggest it!
You can get your copy of Little Princess on amazon. There is also a list of other retailers on Cross Infinite's website.
Looking for some more light novel fantasy? I'd suggest "Walking My Second Path in Life". A much lighter fluff fantasy that's just fun to read. Find my review here.