Author: Falcon Storm
Genre: Middle-grade, Fantasy
Publication: March 19th 2013, Evolved Publishing
Pages: N/A
Source: Thank you to Novel Publicity for hosting this tour and sending me this book to review :)
Rating: 4/5 Cupcakes!
*The spoiler is high-lighted in black, if you want to read it, click with your right mouse button and high-light it*
High up in the tallest tower of the purplest castle in the Kingdom by the Sea, Princess Lavender awaits rescue. Desperate as she may be, only the most dashing, well dressed, properly mannered prince will do. Oh, and he must stand exactly four and three-quarters inches taller than her. A princess has got to have standards, after all. When, finally, one such prince comes to her castle—not to rescue her, but her younger sister—Lavender refuses to be ignored. Instead of waiting for the next suitor to come along, she devises a plan to put herself in danger, thus forcing the upstart prince to forget her sister and rescue her instead. Well accustomed to getting her way, there is only one thing, unfortunately, that this princess can’t control—her luck. When her plans go awry, putting her in very real danger, will she allow the prince to rescue her as he sees fit? Will he even want to try? And will anyone be able to find a way to rescue Lavender from her persnickety ways once and for all? Find out in this comedic tale of princes, dragons, and dreams that just may come true. The Persnickety Princess is a lower grade chapter book intended for kids 6 to 9 years old (although kids of all ages are sure to enjoy it!
Pick up your copy through Amazon, Barnes & Noble, Smashwords or Kobo Books.
When I read the excerpt for The Persnickety Princess and I was invited to partake in the blog tour, I immediately accepted! Not only did it sound like a wonderful, enchanting story, it also sounded as if I would have a lot of laughs along the way. And that is exactly what The Persnickety Princess delivered! A novel filled with enchantment and humour that will have you hungrily wanting more.
Some might find Lavender a bit of an annoyance, she is indeed a persnickety princess, however, I love reading about her! In the beginning she seems like a pompous princess that is shallow and self-centred, however, when you read about her, you can't help but see her unique personality that shines through. You can see the underlying depth beneath her pompousness and shallowness. All she wants is to be rescued, she's been waiting by the tower to be saved and her true prince hasn't come. And when the prince does arrive, he seems perfect at first, he is even the correct height, but then she finds out that he is there to rescue her sister Petunia instead of Lavender herself!
I was so proud of Lavender the end for not being quite so persnickety and learning that it's important to live life. And instead of waiting to be rescued she goes out there and finds her Prince, but not the one she was expecting. She impressed me furthermore when she protected herself from the dragon, she didn't wait to be rescued (for once) but she looked the dragon in the eye and didn't back away.
The plot was so fun! I was constantly looking forward to what crazy ideas Lavender would conduct in order for Prince Hugo to save her! With tying herself to a log (and then actually finding herself in danger), trying to find a bear that would kidnap her (and then almost being knocked over by an avalanche made up of mud and sticks), you will constantly be laughing at her mischievous antics.
Prince Hugo was a character I couldn't quite warm up to, and I was furious at him for not saving Lavender when she was in actual danger and his "squire" had to do it. (I wasn't expecting Dave the squire to actually be a prince! That was a great twist in the tale! Dave was really an awesome dude and I was wishing that Lavender would just keep quiet that Prince Hugo wasn't saving her and thank Dave for saving her life.) But I think him and Petunia will make a good match.
Petunia was a great secondary character, she offered a lot of good advice to Lavender despite being the younger sister and she was fearless and kick-butt. Natalie the "Wicked Witch" that isn't so wicked was also fun to read about, and I look forward to the next instalment in the series where Natalie is the main character.
And Dave, Dave was just simply awesome for putting up with Lavender and her ungratefulness and still rescuing her every time. And we can't forget Upon A. Time, the Bard telling the story, for if he didn't tell the story, we wouldn't have known of the adventures of good ol' Lavender! He had a lot of character, that Bard.
The writing was stunning. It gave the book such a magical, delightful feel to it that will just make you want to lose yourself deeper in the world in which Falcon Storm has created. As soon as you open the Persnickety Princess it will draw you right in into the magical land of witches, dragons, princes and princesses. Even though The Persnickety Princess is a funny, light-hearted read, it still teaches you lessons and that was great! Can't wait to read more from this author!
I give it: 4/5 CUPCAKES!
Quotes
"Sir jingled the cell keys in his fist. His voice took on a most impatient tone. "We found you dressed in the sheriff's clothes, riding on the back of a pig, shouting a limerick we really shouldn't repeat. You expect us to believe that was 'just a misunderstanding?"
"Aye, and a colossal one at that." Upon chuckled, which did him no favours when it came to winning the guards' favour or their understanding." - Location 111
"So go get exhausted! Life is an imperfect adventure, Lav. Go live it instead of trying to make everything perfect. By the time everything is perfect for you, you're going to find you're too old to have fun." - Location 242
"Yes, of course, I'm sorry, so here's where you'll be living as my Wicked Witch. I assume you have your own familiar?"
"Familiar with what?" the witch puzzled aloud.
"No, your familiar. Every Wicked Witch has one. You know like a flying monkey or a talking parrot or something?"
Natalie, now thoroughly befuddled, reached into her bag and pulled out a small orange kitten. "My own...Yes, I brought Mr. Whiskers with me, see?" She held the little feline out toward Lavender. The princess examined the animal like a merchant checking the scales. "Hmm, orange kitten? Doesn't seem to Wicked Witchy. Could you maybe paint him?" - Location 196
About the author: I was born in the frozen wasteland of Alaska with the unfortunate stigma of being both a daydreamer and left-handed. Starting from an early age, I've filled my life with stories of every sort from my father's hunting trips to the Holy Trilogy (read: Star Wars). In the fourth grade, I became more interested in telling stories of my own than listening to those of others. Doctors—being doctors—attempted to medicate them out of me, but the best cure has always been a pen, a notebook, and my crazy, unrestrained imagination. I continue to whittle away at these stories in my endless search for the one that will finally bring me back to reality. All the while, I secretly hope such a story will never come along. I hear "reality" is far too boring.
Connect with Falcon on his website, Facebook, GoodReads, or Twitter.
About the prizes: Who doesn't love prizes? You could win (1) a $25 Amazon gift card, (2) a $50 Amazon gift card, or (3) a Princess Prize Pack, which includes a plush purple dragon, necklace with lavender pendant, The Fairy Godmother's Guide to Being a Princess, tiara and wand party set, and a DVD of The Princess Bride. Here's what you need to do...
- Enter the Rafflecopter contest
- Leave a comment on my blog.