True Princess

About the Book:

Title: True Princess
Series: The Cursed Kingdom Chronicles #1
Author: Kayla Eshbaugh
Release Date: February 7th 2023
Genre: Fairytale Retelling

Welcome to the ancient land of Terra, where curses run rampant throughout all the kingdoms and where the royalty desperately attempt to break their curses and claim their own happily ever afters.

Princess Elisianna wasn’t gifted at birth. No, she was cursed. While her body may be weak and easy to bruise, what she did have was a strong intelligent mind. But a strong mind isn’t easily seen, especially with a nickname like “Fragile Princess.” Elise isn’t sure she’ll ever break her curse, for who could see past her weak frail body to who she truly is? Her curse, after all, can only be broken if someone falls in love with her strength and who would find her strong?

Prince Liam desperately needs to find the truest princess in the lands or else his entire kingdom will be cast into darkness and be lost forever. When the king and queen call for a tournament amongst the neighboring kingdoms to find a true princess for their son, Prince Liam is doubtful he will find a true princess to love. When he happens upon a bruised girl sleeping on the sofa in the castle and accuses her of trespassing, he doesn’t realize she is one of the princesses there for the tourney. Her sharp tongue puts him in his place and while a bit stinging, he is drawn to her words and can not get them out of his head.

True princess is the first book in The Cursed Kingdom Chronicles, a series of clean stand-alone but connected, fairytale retellings. If you enjoy clean romance, adventure, and witty banter, The Cursed Kingdom Chronicles is for you!

About the Book:

The first of a fairytale-inspired series starts with an innovative take on The Princess and the Pea. True Princess was such an interesting and absorbing book! I love fairytale inspired stories, so I am always excited to see the spin different authors put on the story. 

Princess Elisianna was cursed with a weak and fragile body. However, her mind is strong and intelligent, though hidden behind the view others have of the “Fragile Princess”. Elise feels stuck, for who could break her curse by falling in love with her strength when looking at her fragility? Prince Liam needs a true princess to protect his kingdom from being cast into darkness. His parents call a tournament to find one, but he is doubtful of finding a true princess to love. Upon finding a bruised girl sleeping on the sofa in his castle, he accuses her of trespassing, not realizing she is one of the princesses who has come for the tourney. While her sharp tongue stings as she puts him in his place, Liam is drawn to her words and can’t get them out of his head. 

I loved Elise! She wasn’t self-pitying in her curse, but she sought to do what she could even with her fragility. She did not let her pain make her hard, even though she still was hoping for new experiences. It was so sweet to watch her build friendships with the other princesses and to meet all the characters through her eyes. I am so excited to see all of their stories!

Liam was also a sweetheart! I really appreciated his dedication to his kingdom and responsibilities. He was struggling as he has finally found someone he really connects with and likes in the midst of his responsibilities to the tourney. 

The world of the Cursed Kingdoms was really interesting too! I am excited to unfold the stories about the Ancients and the curses that the royalty have. Overall, I really enjoyed this book. It was interesting, romantic, and a fun take on the story. I would definitely recommend it to those who enjoy clean romance with fairytale and adventure elements! This is a clean romance, but probably best for teen readers and up. 

I voluntarily reviewed a complimentary copy of this book which I received from the author. All views expressed are only my honest opinion, I was not required to write a positive review.