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Princess Ahira
Once upon a time? Please! What a joke.
Princess Ahira is not your average damsel in distress. She hates being a princess and constantly tries to flee from her mother and her lectures. Pleasantly, her life is shattered on the eve of her sixteenth birthday when she is kidnapped by dragons.
Ahira is selected by a powerful dragon named Azmaveth to be his captive princess, and lives with him—cleaning his pigpen den—as they forge a strange sort of friendship. Living with Azmaveth brings more adventures than Ahira ever saw in her family’s castle. Not only do Azmaveth’s inventive spells seem to backfire on himself and those around him, but he lives in a land where fairytales are completely backwards.
There’s Snow White and her seven dwarf uncles who have fallen asleep, Hanzel and Gretal who have locked an old woman out of her cookie cottage, and a miniature unicorn who happens to have some pretty powerful magic.
In this upside down land Ahira also meets Kohath, Azmaveth’s egotistical steward who drags her on countless wild goose chases, and Aaron, a cowardly but intelligent wizard.
Unfortunately, Ahira isn’t visiting the dragons during a peaceful time. The valkyrie, mystical female warriors bent on dominion over magic, are marching against the dragons, and everything—from dragons to gnomes—are rallying together to fight back. What Ahira doesn’t know is that her emotions and romantic life will have a powerful impact on the looming war.
Princess Ahira is not your average damsel in distress. She hates being a princess and constantly tries to flee from her mother and her lectures. Pleasantly, her life is shattered on the eve of her sixteenth birthday when she is kidnapped by dragons.
Ahira is selected by a powerful dragon named Azmaveth to be his captive princess, and lives with him—cleaning his pigpen den—as they forge a strange sort of friendship. Living with Azmaveth brings more adventures than Ahira ever saw in her family’s castle. Not only do Azmaveth’s inventive spells seem to backfire on himself and those around him, but he lives in a land where fairytales are completely backwards.
There’s Snow White and her seven dwarf uncles who have fallen asleep, Hanzel and Gretal who have locked an old woman out of her cookie cottage, and a miniature unicorn who happens to have some pretty powerful magic.
In this upside down land Ahira also meets Kohath, Azmaveth’s egotistical steward who drags her on countless wild goose chases, and Aaron, a cowardly but intelligent wizard.
Unfortunately, Ahira isn’t visiting the dragons during a peaceful time. The valkyrie, mystical female warriors bent on dominion over magic, are marching against the dragons, and everything—from dragons to gnomes—are rallying together to fight back. What Ahira doesn’t know is that her emotions and romantic life will have a powerful impact on the looming war.
ebook
First published December 1, 2012
372 people are currently reading
908 people want to read
About the author
K.M. Shea
120 books4,829 followersMy pen name is K. M. Shea, but my readers—I prefer to call them Champions—call me Kitty.
I love to write funny, clean stories with strong characters. Books like that are among my favorite to read so naturally I love writing stories like that as well. My philosophy is that life is tough, so books should be something that makes you relax and laugh!
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VISIT MY AMAZON AUTHOR PAGE
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VISIT MY WEBSITE
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I love to write funny, clean stories with strong characters. Books like that are among my favorite to read so naturally I love writing stories like that as well. My philosophy is that life is tough, so books should be something that makes you relax and laugh!
VISIT MY FACEBOOK GROUP
https://www.facebook.com/groups/27090...
VISIT MY AMAZON AUTHOR PAGE
https://www.amazon.com/K-M-Shea/e/B00...
VISIT MY WEBSITE
https://kmshea.com/
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 211 reviews
July 8, 2019
Rollicking YA Fun
This thrilling , original and fresh variation on the fairy tales featuring princesses and dragons will keep you glued to the pages. Delightful, witty, and action packed, Princess Ahira and her Dragon never miss a beat. Another amazing novel by one of best authors of this genre.
This thrilling , original and fresh variation on the fairy tales featuring princesses and dragons will keep you glued to the pages. Delightful, witty, and action packed, Princess Ahira and her Dragon never miss a beat. Another amazing novel by one of best authors of this genre.
August 23, 2018
I hate the idea of giving anything by K.M. Shea such a low rating! I adore her as an author. Having just finished all of the fairy tale books out, I jumped back to try reading some of her standalone works. Unfortunately, it was obvious that this was one of her earlier works. I could see in it the embers of the witty, mystery filled, self-aware books that I adore. However, she had not gotten the formula down yet. The twists in the story were telegraphed so much that I spent much of the story frustrated that Ahira hadn't put the pieces together herself. It was a bit of a slog to force myself through this. I was also perturbed by the fact that the main character is kissed twice without her consent and this is not portrayed as a violation of her autonomy and personal space. I have come to expect better from Shea. This should not have been romantic, especially when Ahira is unconscious! Still, I know that this was an early work and that it was a starting point. I count K.M. Shea among my top three favorite authors, but all I can really say about this book is that it was... okay.
September 25, 2015
I love K.M. Shea's books and this one is no exception. A hilarious story about a princess who gets kidnapped and selected to be a live-in princess to the offbeat dragon, Azmaveth. Ahira is not quite a damsel in distress and is perfectly happy to take care of a dragon's cave, that is, until the annoying steward shows up.
This story will keep you laughing, and turning the pages for more. Highly recommended to anyone who likes fairy tales with a twist, and strong female characters.
This story will keep you laughing, and turning the pages for more. Highly recommended to anyone who likes fairy tales with a twist, and strong female characters.
December 23, 2014
WARNING: DO NOT READ IF YOU ARE A HUMAN SPELL-CHECK OR A GRAMMAR NAZI (its' self published and yah... even i noticed some spelling errors.)
That being said, i thoroughly liked this book. It was fun, clean, and more than that, it was interesting. Some will compare it to "Dealing with Dragons" by Patricia C. Wrede, but i respectfully disagree. The only thing these two books have in common is, Princesses, Dragons, annoying Wizards, and a cave. If you can take those few things and say it's a copy, then i'd accuse The Hunger Games of being a copy of Romeo and Juliette. (No seriously, think about it! There's a guy and a girl, society separates their love, lots of fighting, then at the end they attempt a double suicide.)But i digress, this book is great. I really did like the plot, it kept me guessing up to the very end.
That being said, i thoroughly liked this book. It was fun, clean, and more than that, it was interesting. Some will compare it to "Dealing with Dragons" by Patricia C. Wrede, but i respectfully disagree. The only thing these two books have in common is, Princesses, Dragons, annoying Wizards, and a cave. If you can take those few things and say it's a copy, then i'd accuse The Hunger Games of being a copy of Romeo and Juliette. (No seriously, think about it! There's a guy and a girl, society separates their love, lots of fighting, then at the end they attempt a double suicide.)But i digress, this book is great. I really did like the plot, it kept me guessing up to the very end.
February 28, 2023
So, I've challenged myself. I made checklists with books from authors I've fallen in love with recently. The idea is to slowly (no need to hurry) make my way through their entire backlists. One of those authors is K.M. Shea. I fell in love with her timeless fairytales, fell even harder when I encountered her goblins and vampires and unicorns so I felt like diving into another fairytale like story. This book came in last week and today I finally had time to dive in.
It's been a while since I've been laughing out loud so much while reading a book. This story was so incredibly funny! And not even because the characters were trying to be funny. They took themselves quite serious. It's just that the way they dealt with life and each other was funny. Just like a lot of the situations they found themselves in, especially in the beginning of the story, were incredibly funny. Without it becoming cringe, over the top or too much.
I also really loved the politics in this book. The author never explains all the details, she doesn't have to because our heroine isn't very interested in it, but we do see the result: the war at the end threatening to erase the existence of the dragons. There is a lot of build up towards this war. We see the enemy getting closer and closer and getting more and more hits in. We also see the dragons worrying and discussing how to deal with the issue.
It's the romance however eventually changing the course and outcome of the war. The romance is not a burning or very passionate kind of romance. Both these characters are not the kind of characters to love like that. It's more a love that grows slowly. The characters go from strangers to friends and then slowly from friends to something more. It might not be spectacular, but I truly believe it's the kind of love that will last a lifetime, or longer.
I really enjoyed this book and I can't wait to dive into the next Shea novel!
It's been a while since I've been laughing out loud so much while reading a book. This story was so incredibly funny! And not even because the characters were trying to be funny. They took themselves quite serious. It's just that the way they dealt with life and each other was funny. Just like a lot of the situations they found themselves in, especially in the beginning of the story, were incredibly funny. Without it becoming cringe, over the top or too much.
I also really loved the politics in this book. The author never explains all the details, she doesn't have to because our heroine isn't very interested in it, but we do see the result: the war at the end threatening to erase the existence of the dragons. There is a lot of build up towards this war. We see the enemy getting closer and closer and getting more and more hits in. We also see the dragons worrying and discussing how to deal with the issue.
It's the romance however eventually changing the course and outcome of the war. The romance is not a burning or very passionate kind of romance. Both these characters are not the kind of characters to love like that. It's more a love that grows slowly. The characters go from strangers to friends and then slowly from friends to something more. It might not be spectacular, but I truly believe it's the kind of love that will last a lifetime, or longer.
I really enjoyed this book and I can't wait to dive into the next Shea novel!
October 19, 2015
This one worried me a little as it got started. I just finished reading Dealing with Dragons by Patricia Wrede and this book started out so similarly I thought it might be a retelling of that story. I didn't like that story very much but I have so much faith in Shea's writing that I kept reading knowing this would get better and it did!. I loved it, it was so fun to read. She must be an independent author with a friend as an editor, but don't let that put you off reading her books they are fun and awesome and I enjoy everyone:} You can let your 12 year old read these and your 65 year old mother:}
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September 30, 2025While I enjoyed reading this book, it is quite obviously one of K.M. Shea’s earlier works. It lacks the refinement of her later pieces. It read a bit like a compilation of short stories, and the romance aspect was lacking. I also did not enjoy the toxic feminist elements. For most of the story, they were at healthy levels, but towards the end it becomes a bit toxic. However, it should be noted that in the end the character with a toxic view has her views realigned to healthy levels. Overall, I enjoyed this book, but it will not be making my favorites list.
July 2, 2024
Read this book on the train to Luxembourg! Very nostalgic and made many laugh. Good feel good YA/Teen read!!
June 11, 2016
A fun, silly and easy read that I really enjoyed.
Story follows Princess Ahira who is kidnapped by a dragon on her 16th birthday. She and a few other princesses who were also kidnapped are allocated to dragons. Ahira ends up with Azmaveth a fairly young dragon who is very messy, an inventor and generally not sure what to do with his new pet princess.
I loved both Ahira and Azmaveth and the relationship between them. Ahira likes to think of herself as different to normal princesses. She is quite feisty, is generally unimpressed by the various princes who come to rescue her (and all of the other cliches) and is a fit match for her Dragon.
Azmaveth is messy, disorganised, quite sweet and totally clueless when it comes to dealing with his princess. I loved the banter between the two and in particular the parts featuring Azmaveth's book.
Overall a great read
Story follows Princess Ahira who is kidnapped by a dragon on her 16th birthday. She and a few other princesses who were also kidnapped are allocated to dragons. Ahira ends up with Azmaveth a fairly young dragon who is very messy, an inventor and generally not sure what to do with his new pet princess.
I loved both Ahira and Azmaveth and the relationship between them. Ahira likes to think of herself as different to normal princesses. She is quite feisty, is generally unimpressed by the various princes who come to rescue her (and all of the other cliches) and is a fit match for her Dragon.
Azmaveth is messy, disorganised, quite sweet and totally clueless when it comes to dealing with his princess. I loved the banter between the two and in particular the parts featuring Azmaveth's book.
Overall a great read
October 9, 2018
Over the top fun. I couldn't stop laughing at one point. Silly plot line but it works.
April 19, 2019
If I was 12, I'd probably give this book 4 or 5 stars. It's a cute, clean story with interesting characters and situations. As an adult, unaware that this book should be aimed at young adults, I'd give it 2.5 stars. So I compromised with 3. The story is a bit choppy and some things happen very fast. The dialog is juvenile. Annoying for an adult, but seriously, I would have enjoyed it when I was a LOT younger. That said, I like KM Shea as an author and read her books whenever she releases a new one and until now, have never been disappointed. Don't let this book turn you off of her writing if you like fantasy and fairy tale retelling.
May 8, 2023
Edit: I decided to up this to five stars, because I thought about it for a few days after finishing it, considering going back and rereading it, or at least parts of it, and contemplating different aspects that I enjoyed about it. Since it is uncommon for me to think much about a book once I have finished it, unless it makes me mad or I really loved it, I decided it deserved five stars.
***
Such a cute book! I was skeptical at first because it seemed too childish and trite, but that ended up being the charm of the story, and it was straight up fun, inventive, and unique enough to hold my attention and make me laugh.
***
Such a cute book! I was skeptical at first because it seemed too childish and trite, but that ended up being the charm of the story, and it was straight up fun, inventive, and unique enough to hold my attention and make me laugh.
January 18, 2024
I love KM Shea’s writing. In this book, however I thought Princess Ahira was annoying and I never like when the heroine says “no” but the hero still is cocky and peruses. The last chapter felt like a novella tacked on after an epilogue; it just seemed it if place. That said, Shea is a great story teller and I enjoyed reading this book.
October 3, 2018
Men!
It is fun to read about the clueless male species. The way they stumble along trying to impress females can be quite entertaining.
It is fun to read about the clueless male species. The way they stumble along trying to impress females can be quite entertaining.
December 13, 2023
A fun and unique story!
It’s no secret that I love this author, but imagine my surprise when I realized I’d never read this book of hers. This story was such a fun adventure, with a unique storyline and lots of fun cameos by fairytale creatures and well known fairytale characters. I loved Ahira- she is full of spunk and courage and doesn’t let people push her around. The story had many twists and turns and was just so fun to read!
It’s no secret that I love this author, but imagine my surprise when I realized I’d never read this book of hers. This story was such a fun adventure, with a unique storyline and lots of fun cameos by fairytale creatures and well known fairytale characters. I loved Ahira- she is full of spunk and courage and doesn’t let people push her around. The story had many twists and turns and was just so fun to read!
December 20, 2018
I love K.M. Shea’s books. Fun and lighthearted.
February 5, 2024
What a lovely little fairytale ❤️
December 27, 2025
So much nostalgia going back and reading this one. Will it be the best fantasy youve ever read? No, but it’s adorable and has some funny parts along with just being an enjoyable easy read.
August 7, 2017
4.5 Stars
By the end of chapter 3 Shea had me hooked. For those looking for a lighthearted and humorous tale this is sure to delight! Sure there are some predictable parts, a few cheesy ones too, but I loved how it poked fun and threw a few twists in on some traditional fairytale traditions. It truly was a fun read and had me laughing out loud a few times; it definitely had me grinning.
I will note that there are several editing errors. One big one where the wrong name is used, but otherwise minor.
By the end of chapter 3 Shea had me hooked. For those looking for a lighthearted and humorous tale this is sure to delight! Sure there are some predictable parts, a few cheesy ones too, but I loved how it poked fun and threw a few twists in on some traditional fairytale traditions. It truly was a fun read and had me laughing out loud a few times; it definitely had me grinning.
I will note that there are several editing errors. One big one where the wrong name is used, but otherwise minor.
February 13, 2022
I admit, my main motivation for reading this one was to satisfy both the genre and key word challenges for April. However, I was also excited to read it after the description brought back memories of one of my favorite childhood stories, Patricia C. Wrede's Dealing With Dragons. With nontraditional princesses, intelligent dragons, and a few fairytale throwbacks, I eagerly dove in.
Read my full review at The Wolf's Den
Overall, Princess Ahira was a cute story, but I found it sorely lacking. If you enjoy rebel heroines, cutesy fantasy, or are looking for a fluff story for a younger reader, then you might give it a try. No language or sex, and extremely mild violence sits this in the perfect range for middle grade readers. While I had a hard time getting over my own nostalgic expectations, a new reader may find this story much more enjoyable, so if you're at all curious about Princess Ahira, I'd say definitely download the free sample and see for yourself.
Approximate Reading Time: 4 hours
Read my full review at The Wolf's Den
Overall, Princess Ahira was a cute story, but I found it sorely lacking. If you enjoy rebel heroines, cutesy fantasy, or are looking for a fluff story for a younger reader, then you might give it a try. No language or sex, and extremely mild violence sits this in the perfect range for middle grade readers. While I had a hard time getting over my own nostalgic expectations, a new reader may find this story much more enjoyable, so if you're at all curious about Princess Ahira, I'd say definitely download the free sample and see for yourself.
Approximate Reading Time: 4 hours
May 20, 2018
OMG, this was just what the doctor ordered! This book was the first time I was exposed to K.M. Shea's writing. When I first got this book years ago the cover and description were very different. It didn't really look like much going in, but I was in need of a light read after a particularly stressful workday.
I couldn't have chosen better.
While reading this book, I laughed so hard that I cried. Family members actually came upstairs to see if I was all right! Ahira and Azmaveth's banter is ridiculous and fun.
Ahira is totally her own person and never lets the princess stereotype dictate her life. She's determined, hardworking, smart, and has no problem pushing around a dragon twenty times her size. She refuses to just allow some prince to march by and "rescue" her, forcing her to marry him whether she likes it or not. She's waiting for her big brother to come rescue her, but he sure is taking his good old time doing it. I loved the crazy ideas that she always coming up with to get rid of door-to-door sales wizards (Yup, they got pesky salesmen there too!) and princes who can't take a hint!
Click here to read the rest of this review: https://embersreviews.wordpress.com/2...
I couldn't have chosen better.
While reading this book, I laughed so hard that I cried. Family members actually came upstairs to see if I was all right! Ahira and Azmaveth's banter is ridiculous and fun.
Ahira is totally her own person and never lets the princess stereotype dictate her life. She's determined, hardworking, smart, and has no problem pushing around a dragon twenty times her size. She refuses to just allow some prince to march by and "rescue" her, forcing her to marry him whether she likes it or not. She's waiting for her big brother to come rescue her, but he sure is taking his good old time doing it. I loved the crazy ideas that she always coming up with to get rid of door-to-door sales wizards (Yup, they got pesky salesmen there too!) and princes who can't take a hint!
Click here to read the rest of this review: https://embersreviews.wordpress.com/2...
March 18, 2020
3/1/20 -
Such a fun story - cute and fluffy fantasy romance.
3/30/15
4.5 Stars
Super fun and cute, couldn't put it down. Light and a perfect read if you are looking for romance, magic and not anything too brain stressing. :o) Wish there would've been a little bit more romance...and I guessed the "mystery" from the get-go, but still enjoyed it. Liked some of the mentions of other fairy-tale princesses like Cinderella, and Sleeping Beauty. And thought some of the modern day quips in there were funny.
Moral Note: Some mild fantasy violence, romance clean, language clean.
Such a fun story - cute and fluffy fantasy romance.
3/30/15
4.5 Stars
Super fun and cute, couldn't put it down. Light and a perfect read if you are looking for romance, magic and not anything too brain stressing. :o) Wish there would've been a little bit more romance...and I guessed the "mystery" from the get-go, but still enjoyed it. Liked some of the mentions of other fairy-tale princesses like Cinderella, and Sleeping Beauty. And thought some of the modern day quips in there were funny.
Moral Note: Some mild fantasy violence, romance clean, language clean.
October 22, 2024
I have never taken more screenshots to send to people in my life. this book has me laughing so hard I had to stop reading just to drink because chances were I would spit on myself otherwise. And I had to show people the beauty and humor found in these pages. Honestly, I thought the whole thing would be a ridiculous type of humor but it ends up being fairly serious but this is an all-ages type of book so its not like a dark horrible kind of serious. I loved everything about it. Will definitely read again.
September 17, 2017
What a delightful read! I loved the characters and enjoyed the light-hardheartedness of the story. Many laugh-out-loud moments occurred as well as touching scenes between the characters. Overall, an excellent read :)
February 13, 2014
Witty, smart, hilarious....This book literally made me laugh out loud. There are some clever moments are were unexpected and refreshing. This is more of a young adult book, but very enjoyable.
October 7, 2014
IT'S BEEN DONE! But that doesn't mean I didn't like reading a different interpretation. It was funny and interesting with adorable moments.
July 5, 2015
I'd say 4,5 stars. A cute little book, lighthearted and sweet. My only objection were those impossible names that I couldn't really imagine how one should pronounce.
November 23, 2016
I really liked this book. the characters were original and loveable. Especially the dragons. I'll definitely read more of this writer's work.
August 27, 2018
I loved the world that was created but I dislikes both main characters. I think it was always supposed to be a romance but I didn't feel any connection between the leads.
February 23, 2022
This is one of this author's early books. It doesn't have some of her later polish, but it still has all the fun. This book still has a special place in my heart.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 211 reviews