| $@%&! level: None “Bedroom” level: Low Violence level: Low Back Cover: “Princess Wisdom, known as Dizzy, longs for a life of excitement beyond the staid old kingdom of Montagne. Tips, a soldier, longs to keep his true identity a secret. Fortitude, an orphaned maid, longs only for Tips. These three souls might possibly attain their dreams while preserving their empire from ruin—if only they can bear one another's company long enough to devise a plan.” |
Here we have a sequel to Princess Ben, which was sort of more-or-less a retelling of Sleeping Beauty. This is also a sort of more-or-less situation. The glass coffin is certainly a reference to Snow White, but the central story is much more Puss in Boots. Sort of. Actually, one of the things I like about it is that it takes into account the tendency that people have to embroider on stories—even true stories—and end up with a whole new thing. According to Wisdom's Kiss, the story of Puss in Boots is actually a muddle of two stories that happened at the same time and involved some of the same people, and so got mixed up in the telling and ended up entirely different. It's a convenient way to explain why the retelling isn't exactly a retelling, but it's also something I totally believe could happen. (You know, if fantasyland actually existed.)
If you want a lot of action and adventure, this probably isn't the book for you, because there isn't much until the swordfight at the end. If, on the other hand, you like books about strong and capable female characters, this is a pretty good way to go. The women are the driving force of the story, and they manage it without making the men any less capable (with the exception of the antagonist, who believes that men should take charge—and very firmly instructs her husband and sons in the matter, believing that they could never succeed without her guidance). In fact, one of the things that I really enjoy is that not all of the happily ever afters involve a marriage. It's not that I don't support marriage. It's just that it's nice to see someone point out that getting married isn't the sole purpose of existence and the only thing that can make a person happy, which is the message I get from most fairytales.