The Princess Test (The Princess Tales)

Title: The Princess Test

Series: The Princess Tales (Book #2)

Year: 1999

Author: Gail Carson Levine

Summary: King Humphrey has decided it's time for his son, Prince Nicholas, to marry. But he must make sure the bride is a real princess. So he devises a series of princess tests, designed to weed out the phonies and the fakes. Meanwhile, Nicholas has fallen in love with Lorelei, a mere blacksmith's daughter. She's no princess, but he wants to marry her all the same--but how will she ever pass the terrible tests?

Review: This review was originally written for publication on Fairy Tale Central. Click here to read the full review.

How can a tiny, little pea determine whether a girl is a true princess? Can one really tell when that little pea is buried beneath twenty mattresses? A true fairytale master, Gail Carson Levine has the answers.

Lorelei is a sweet girl -- but extremely prone to bad luck. As a baby, she cried over anything that wasn't perfect, and by the time she could talk to explain herself, she was always getting sick and hurt. Once her mother dies, her father determines never to remarry -- but he knows he needs help in looking after Lorelei, since she really can't do anything besides hang laundry and embroider. So, he hires a hard-working woman named Trudy to do the job.

Nicholas isn't a perfect prince, but he keenly feels his parents' expectations of perfection. Particularly in his choice of bride. At their insistence, he must marry not only a princess, but a true princess, one who can pass any test given to her. Nicholas has just fallen in love with the village blacksmith's daughter, a pretty lass named Lorelei who embroiders beautifully, and wants nothing to do with his parents' princess tests. But what can he do? He's a prince, after all, and has to follow the rules.

This is a super sweet retelling of The Princess and the Pea. I remember reading it forever ago when I was young; it was hilarious then, and still is hilarious now. Levine has a witty, funny style when it comes to her Princess Tales, so you're never left being bored when you're reading. The snark and innocence is just beautiful. They're probably my favorite part of these books. I promise you: you will laugh out loud at least once -- but probably much more often than that.

Advisory: Overall, this is one squeaky clean book. We've got a little bit of romance, as per any lovely little fairytale, but I'm completely comfortable in repeating that this is a retelling for any age.

The one thing that bothered me (not that this is a huge content concern) was the fact that Nicholas and Lorelei lie about her being a princess. I mean, I understand in the moment why they lied -- to get his parents to allow her to take the princess tests -- but the lie is never corrected, nor do they ever receive any type of backlash from it. And because they lied [spoiler], they live happily ever after. *shakes head* Sorry, that just rubs me the wrong way.

Again, click here to read the full review on Fairy Tale Central. And be sure to check out the other fun Princess and the Pea posts this month!

Rating: 5 out of 5 stars