Title: The
Princess Sisters
Series: The
Princess Sisters, #1
Author: Stacy
Lynn Carroll
Publisher: Pink
Frog Press
Publication Date: July
15, 2013
Genre: Young
Adult
Reviewed by: Angie
Edwards
My rating: 3/5
SUMMARY
The only thing she stands to lose are her shoes.
Cinderella is an ordinary teenage girl, with an extraordinary name. But because of that name, she and her cousins, Belle, Aurora, Ariel, and Snow White suffer years of torment from their peers. Then as the girls enter high school and the enticing world of dating, a life-altering decision must be made. Is it finally time to stop fighting, and surrender to the fairy tale clichés that have been holding them back? By embracing their names, the girls discover an inner-strength they never knew existed. And by putting everything they have on the line, maybe, just maybe they will discover there really is such a thing as ‘happily ever after’.
Cinderella is an ordinary teenage girl, with an extraordinary name. But because of that name, she and her cousins, Belle, Aurora, Ariel, and Snow White suffer years of torment from their peers. Then as the girls enter high school and the enticing world of dating, a life-altering decision must be made. Is it finally time to stop fighting, and surrender to the fairy tale clichés that have been holding them back? By embracing their names, the girls discover an inner-strength they never knew existed. And by putting everything they have on the line, maybe, just maybe they will discover there really is such a thing as ‘happily ever after’.
REVIEW
I’ll be frank: the first half of this book
grated on my nerves. Begrudgingly I’ll also admit that
by the second half the characters sort of grew on me and I had to admit to
myself that there were several aspects of this story I enjoyed. Not many, but
there were some.
The biggest hurdle for me was to get used to
the tone of the narrative. I think the author meant for it to read like a fairy
tale, but she didn’t quite pull it off and instead it ended up sounding rather amateurish. Once I got past this snag, though, I was already past the
50% mark on my kindle, and the characters were gradually growing on me. Of the
few things I enjoyed about this modern fairy tale, the close relationship
between the five girls is what drew me into the story. I thought it ridiculous
that four sisters would all decide to name their daughters after Disney
characters, and that all five these girls would be in the same age group and
live in four houses next to each other in the same street; not to mention all
four mothers being single and changing their last names back to their maiden
name, Princess. But I tried to read it in the spirit in which it was meant to
be read, which helped make it easier for me to actually see it through and
finish it. Fairy tales aren’t meant to be realistic or believable, right?
Anyway, what appealed to me most was how each
of these characters had a fear that matched a particular detail of each of
their fairy tale namesakes. For instance, Ariel is afraid of water, and Belle
is dyslexic, even though she loves to read. I don’t know what Dave’s part was
supposed to be in this story (and his last name just happens to
be...ahem...Prince) other than deceiving the girls and helping them to conquer
their fears. But whatever it was, I loved seeing how these five girls took
charge dealing with their fears and hopefully no longer be ridiculed at school.
Overall, I found The Princess Sisters to be a typical candy fluff light read. I
think readers between the ages of nine and twelve will find this a delightful read. I appreciated
the idea behind this story and also that it sends a positive
message to young girls. What I didn’t enjoy is that most of the narrative
details events that don’t really move the plot along such as movie nights and sleepovers, shopping sprees, their antics at the mall, what dresses they’re
wearing, what shoes they’re wearing, what they’re having for breakfast, lunch,
dinner, what each of them and their mother ordered to eat at the restaurant,
etc. I enjoy my candy floss reads with all the bells and whistles, but there were times I couldn’t help rolling my eyes at the
incredible cheesiness of some of the events in this book.
Not a bad story, but I’ll only recommend it to
readers who still have imaginary tea parties with their Barbie dolls.
PURCHASE LINKS
ABOUT the AUTHOR
Stacy Lynn Carroll
has always loved telling stories. She started out at Utah State University
where she pursued a degree in English, learned how to western swing, and
watched as many of her fellow students became ‘True Aggies’. She then finished
her BA at the University of Utah where she got an emphasis in creative writing.
After college she worked as an administrative assistant, where she continued to
write stories for the amusement of her co-workers. When her first daughter was
born, and with the encouragement of a fortune cookie, she quit her job and
became a full-time mommy and writer. She and her husband have three children,
two Corgis, and a fish named Don.
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