Book Review: Rogue Princess by B.R. Myers
Media Type: ebook (ARC)
Title: Rogue Princess
Author: B.R. Myers
Published by: Swoon Reads
Publication date: January 21st 2020
Pages: 304, ebook
Genres: Retelling, Science Fiction, Young Adult
HBD Rating: 5*
A princess fleeing an arranged marriage teams up with a snarky commoner to foil a rebel plot in B. R. Myers’ Rogue Princess, a gender-swapped sci-fi YA retelling of Cinderella.
Princess Delia knows her duty: She must choose a prince to marry in order to secure an alliance and save her failing planet. Yet she secretly dreams of true love, and feels there must be a better way. Determined to chart her own course, she steals a spaceship to avoid the marriage, only to discover a handsome stowaway.
All Aidan wanted was to “borrow” a few palace trinkets to help him get off the planet. Okay, so maybe escaping on a royal ship wasn’t the smartest plan, but he never expected to be kidnapped by a runaway princess!
Sparks fly as this headstrong princess and clever thief battle wits, but everything changes when they inadvertently uncover a rebel conspiracy that could destroy their planet forever.
Add it: Goodreads / Amazon / Barnes & Noble / iBooks / Kobo / Google Play
Buckle up friends, this story is a wild ride. The twists, turns, and upside-down feeling you get while enjoying a rollercoaster is similar to how I felt after finishing this book. Myers does a superb job with her world building and character development.
Princess Delia is an interesting character, like most royals who are forced into alliance based marriages she is dreading the decision. There is so much at stake for her planet that has run out of energy the marriage feels like the only logical thing to do. Princess Delia’s assessments of the suitors made me laugh more than once. There’s a lot to be said for her sister’s ranking system as well. As a love obsessed younger sibling, Shania provides a lighthearted view of this serious decision for Delia.
Despite being thrown into a spiral of new information about her people and planet, Princess Delia never misses a beat. She is determined to do better while still holding true to the ancestors of her people. Her fierce stubbornness and willingness to make changes for the good of the planet are noteworthy. Despite living a privileged life, Delia wants everyone to find happiness and that starts with her.
Aidan’s story is much darker. As a servant in the palace his only goal is to get off this planet and find a better life. His step family treats him like a servant and Aidan just wants his freedom. So much so that he “borrows” a prince’s dagger and is stealing a ship when the Princess jumps aboard in an attempt to escape the palace life. Together they find their way to an empty field on the outskirts of the city only to be met with pirates. Pirates that were outlawed 10 years ago. Suddenly Princess Delia is very aware that she has no idea what is really going on in her kingdom and she vows to change that.
Despite having lied about who he is, Aidan becomes an asset to Delia. As he is feeding her information they both realize there is a big rebel plan about to unfold. Aidan and Delia navigate secret meetings, late night rendezvous’ and are continually drawn to each other. The sparks begin to fly, you might say.
What happens as the rebel plot unfolds is nothing less than spectacular. You won’t want to put it down for fear of missing a single moment. No spoilers, but trust me when I say you will want to read this book. If you enjoy strong princesses, pirate shenanigans, epic battles, and surprise twists than this story is definitely for you.
B.R. Myers spent most of her teen years behind the covers of Stephen King, Ray Bradbury, and Lois Duncan. When she’s not putting her characters in awkward situations she works as a registered nurse. A member of the Writer’s Federation of Nova Scotia, she lives in Halifax with her husband and their two children.
