| $@%&! level: Low “Bedroom” level: Low Violence level: Medium Back Cover: “Benevolence is not your typical princess. With her parents lost to assassins, Princess Ben ends up under the thumb of the conniving Queen Sophia. Starved and miserable, locked in the castle's highest tower, Ben stumbles upon a mysterious enchanted room. So begins her secret education in the magical arts; mastering an obstinate flying broomstick, furtively emptying the castle pantries, setting her hair on fire...But Ben's private adventures are soon overwhelmed by a mortal threat to her kingdom. Can Ben save the country and herself from foul tyranny?” |
I admit, some of the character development seems rather extreme. Ben's deep change makes plenty of sense, and it's pretty cool that I agree with her wholeheartedly throughout, even though she pretty much does a 180 in some of her opinions. That's talent. It's the Queen's change that I question, because she starts out being truly abusive but ends up as the kindly mentor. Possibly she just didn't know how to deal with a grieving teenager, as well as her own grief and the threat of war. That's enough to stress anyone past the point of complete rationality. Still, it does seem like a pretty extreme turnaround that doesn't really have much impetus behind it, unlike Ben's.
But I'll forgive the story that one slight fault for one important reason—it made me laugh out loud and at length. It was the bit with the mud that really got me, in case you're wondering. Utter brilliance.