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Charming
9 to 5 with fairy tale princesses in a delightful comic fantasy revenge/heist!
Brave, Resourceful, Deceitful, Double-Crossing... Charming.
Prince Jean-Marc Charming Arundel, known to friends and enemies alike as "Prince Charming," is handsome, well-mannered, brave, a peerless swordsman, a cunning tactician – and a liar, a con man and a fraud. For years he has been travelling from one kingdom to the next, rescuing endangered princesses and maidens, securing their troths and his place in their fathers' palaces, then looting their treasuries and having it away before dawn.
Until a chance meeting of three of his victims – raven-haired Marie Blanche de Neige, the sorceress Doctor Emilia Rapunzel and the long-slumbering Bella Lucia dei’ Sogni – suggests a course of revenge...
Brave, Resourceful, Deceitful, Double-Crossing... Charming.
Prince Jean-Marc Charming Arundel, known to friends and enemies alike as "Prince Charming," is handsome, well-mannered, brave, a peerless swordsman, a cunning tactician – and a liar, a con man and a fraud. For years he has been travelling from one kingdom to the next, rescuing endangered princesses and maidens, securing their troths and his place in their fathers' palaces, then looting their treasuries and having it away before dawn.
Until a chance meeting of three of his victims – raven-haired Marie Blanche de Neige, the sorceress Doctor Emilia Rapunzel and the long-slumbering Bella Lucia dei’ Sogni – suggests a course of revenge...
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First published July 18, 2023
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 270 reviews
May 7, 2023
A fast paced and thoroughly enchanting fantasy that reads like a wonderfully chaotic mashup of Shrek, The Princess Bride and John Tucker Must Die and I enjoyed every second of it!
Told through multiple perspectives,it follows three jilted and very furious women: Princess Marie Blanche de Neige (Snow White), Bella Lucia dei’ Sogni (Sleeping Beauty) and Doctor of the arcane arts, Emilia Rapunzel who, upon sharing their relationship woes, realise they’ve all been scammed by the same “Prince Charming”.
Deciding that his actions cannot go unpunished, the trio devise a plan to bring him to justice once and for all.
With a cast of feisty female characters, scheming fae and even a DRAGON —not to mention a plot that promises a satisfying dose of revenge from some of my favourite fairytale characters, I pretty much jumped at the chance to read an early proof copy. And let me tell you — it DID NOT disappoint!
The lighthearted tone and whimsical fairytale elements really reminded me of the early 00s show The 10th Kingdom, which I was completely obsessed with as a kid (does anyone else remember this?) and loved how well Linwood’s witty, almost satirical writing style paired perfectly with such an eccentric (and delightfully charming) premise.
I really liked the princesses, particularly Doctor Rapunzel, whose sharp wit and formidable determination made for a quite an interesting array of schemes—on the path to capturing the charismatic con-man.
We also get to see Prince Charming from the perspective of his grouchy servant, Roland who I found surprisingly entertaining and really enjoyed the twists that are revealed at the end.
Overall a really enjoyable and adventurous read that fairytale lovers will most certainly enjoy! I just wish the pacing was a little quicker to start.
A huge thank you to Casey Ann & Solaris Books for the Proof
Told through multiple perspectives,it follows three jilted and very furious women: Princess Marie Blanche de Neige (Snow White), Bella Lucia dei’ Sogni (Sleeping Beauty) and Doctor of the arcane arts, Emilia Rapunzel who, upon sharing their relationship woes, realise they’ve all been scammed by the same “Prince Charming”.
Deciding that his actions cannot go unpunished, the trio devise a plan to bring him to justice once and for all.
With a cast of feisty female characters, scheming fae and even a DRAGON —not to mention a plot that promises a satisfying dose of revenge from some of my favourite fairytale characters, I pretty much jumped at the chance to read an early proof copy. And let me tell you — it DID NOT disappoint!
The lighthearted tone and whimsical fairytale elements really reminded me of the early 00s show The 10th Kingdom, which I was completely obsessed with as a kid (does anyone else remember this?) and loved how well Linwood’s witty, almost satirical writing style paired perfectly with such an eccentric (and delightfully charming) premise.
I really liked the princesses, particularly Doctor Rapunzel, whose sharp wit and formidable determination made for a quite an interesting array of schemes—on the path to capturing the charismatic con-man.
We also get to see Prince Charming from the perspective of his grouchy servant, Roland who I found surprisingly entertaining and really enjoyed the twists that are revealed at the end.
Overall a really enjoyable and adventurous read that fairytale lovers will most certainly enjoy! I just wish the pacing was a little quicker to start.
A huge thank you to Casey Ann & Solaris Books for the Proof
May 5, 2023
This was so much fun especially if you like fairytales and heists!
February 25, 2025
They really hit the nail on the head when saying this is a mix between Shrek and John Tucker must die, because OMG it totally is! First up is Bell A.k.a. sleeping beauty after prince charming defeat’s a family of ogres, he kisses her and releases her from her 100 year stasis. The family and town rejoice and get ready for a wedding the next day but when they wake up Prince Charming and his man servant Roland are gone along with most of the families wealth. When we next see prince charming he is helping Marie France (i’m going to be honest and say I don’t know which princess this is I think from the one where she kisses the toad but I am not certain.) she is a dutiful stepdaughter to her beloved stepmother and her father is equally enamored but the stepmother is evil and after prince charming helps get rid of the stepmother he promises to marry Marie France only to once again leap with his manservant and most of their wealth. Next up is Dr. Rapunzel, she was trapped in a tower by an evil woman who adopted her from an orphanage but thanks to prince charming and a little magic that she learned from the evil stepmother helped free the trapped girl. Once again after helping her he was promised half her wealth but yet again when she woke the next day most of it was gone along with the prince. They will eventually all meet and learned they were wrong by the same guy as well as many other women across the land but these 3 want to find him one wants vengeance, one wants justice and the other still believes in true love but who will be right and why does he only help damsels in distress? This is a great reimagined fairytale or rather a fairytale remix because they have characters from many stories. I found charming by Jade Lynnwood to be one of the better fairytale reimagining I have read it is not only humorous but smartly done and well put together a well executed plot a great narrative and an all-around five star read! If you love the The fairytale redos with characters you will recognize in those you’ll be happy to see again then you should definitely get this book. I want to thank NetGalley and rebellion books please forgive any mistakes as I am blind and dictate my review.
November 1, 2023
I picked this up knowing nothing more about it other than it being described to me as Shrek meets The Princess Bride meets John Tucker Must Die and honestly, I have never been sold so quickly because how could I live knowing there's a book combining three of my all time favourite movies out there and not read it? That is to say, I had no idea what to expect from this and I was pleasantly surprised by how much I enjoyed it.
The Shrek element was thriving, with the fairy tale mashup elements being snarky, angry and without a hint of Disney sparkle. The John Tucker Must Die comparison was on point and there were definitely hints of The Princess Bride in there too. So all in all, I was (for possibly the first time?) not remotely let down by the advertising of a book with false comparisons to my favourite movies. So love that for me.
This was a fun, fast paced, romp of a fantasy that does exactly what it says on the tin. With early 2000's (think Ella Enchanted) movie vibes and a touch of satire, I had heaps of fun with this book and would happily read more from within this world.
The Shrek element was thriving, with the fairy tale mashup elements being snarky, angry and without a hint of Disney sparkle. The John Tucker Must Die comparison was on point and there were definitely hints of The Princess Bride in there too. So all in all, I was (for possibly the first time?) not remotely let down by the advertising of a book with false comparisons to my favourite movies. So love that for me.
This was a fun, fast paced, romp of a fantasy that does exactly what it says on the tin. With early 2000's (think Ella Enchanted) movie vibes and a touch of satire, I had heaps of fun with this book and would happily read more from within this world.
April 7, 2023
Charming by name, charming by nature.
This book really gave you exactly what it said on the tin and it was such a fun read. Honestly the premise and the story was fantastic, Charming as the villain and a bunch of Disney princesses teaming up to take him down… sign me up!
I loved reading the backstories of each of the women who had been scammed, they linked in with the original stories but with fun twists.
Where this book fell slightly short for me was the links, there were such good plot ideas but everything felt a bit rushed - we would jump from moment to moment without many linking points which really impacted the flow of the book for me. I would loved to have had a bit more interaction between the main characters as there wasn’t really much time to built their relationships.
Overall a really solid book and one I would recommend if you’re looking for something lighthearted and fun.
This book really gave you exactly what it said on the tin and it was such a fun read. Honestly the premise and the story was fantastic, Charming as the villain and a bunch of Disney princesses teaming up to take him down… sign me up!
I loved reading the backstories of each of the women who had been scammed, they linked in with the original stories but with fun twists.
Where this book fell slightly short for me was the links, there were such good plot ideas but everything felt a bit rushed - we would jump from moment to moment without many linking points which really impacted the flow of the book for me. I would loved to have had a bit more interaction between the main characters as there wasn’t really much time to built their relationships.
Overall a really solid book and one I would recommend if you’re looking for something lighthearted and fun.
February 23, 2023
Let's get this clear right upfront: I don't give five stars lightly. And I certainly don't lightly compare authors to Terry Pratchett. But here we are: I've done the first, and I'm about to do the second.
Right from the moment he was described as "pre-crouched," Roland, Prince Charming's manservant, reminded me of a Terry Pratchett character, and his dialog reinforced that; he has much the same speech pattern as Gaspode the Wonder Dog, with more than a touch of Nobby Nobbs. On top of that, the depth of description, the clearly motivated (and determined, and ethical, except those that aren't ethical) characters, the more-than-competent prose, and of course the touches of humour all reminded me of the master. Admittedly, it's Pratchett that's faded a bit in the sun, less hilarious, less absurd, less intense all around, but that helps to establish it as not just a homage or pastiche but its own thing, even if displaying a clear influence.
So what is that thing? I've shelved it as "heist," but that's not entirely accurate; while Prince Charming is an itinerant swindler and thief, he doesn't so much perform heists as inveigle his way into a kingdom or occasionally grand duchy, often solving its pressing problem (with a genuine solution, to give him credit); get engaged to the princess or other noble daughter; express an interest in the security around the vault, which his prospective father-in-law is happy to discuss with him; and then disappear on the morning of the wedding with as much of the treasury as his beast of burden, the Mostly Donkey, can carry. Three of his victims - to give the names of their inspirations rather than the versions they bear in this book, Sleeping Beauty, Snow White and Rapunzel - happen to meet at a wedding, compare stories, and plan, not a heist, but a sting.
Bella (Sleeping Beauty), given supernatural grace by the Good Folk at her birth, is an expert swordfighter. Marie Blanche (Snow White)'s character incorporates the Huntsman who spared her in the traditional story; she can also not only speak the language of birds, but has power, or at least influence, over all woodland creatures. Not just squirrels, either, but bears and wolves and wild boars and even dragons. Rapunzel, having got out from under the thumb of her sinister mentor, has become a Doctor of the Arcane Arts in her own right. They make a formidable team.
Not only that, but they grow and change, coming to personal realizations in the course of their sting on Charming. It's this, along with the general quality of the writing, that elevates the book to the five-star level for me. The characters have depth and heft and dimension, and when you start with well-known fairy-tale characters (or even when you don't) that's far from automatic; it takes skill, a lot of it.
This is good. Very good. It's a strong recommendation from me.
I received a pre-publication copy via Netgalley, and would note that the editing, even in a version five months from publication, is excellent (not always, or even usually, the case with Netgalley ARCs).
Right from the moment he was described as "pre-crouched," Roland, Prince Charming's manservant, reminded me of a Terry Pratchett character, and his dialog reinforced that; he has much the same speech pattern as Gaspode the Wonder Dog, with more than a touch of Nobby Nobbs. On top of that, the depth of description, the clearly motivated (and determined, and ethical, except those that aren't ethical) characters, the more-than-competent prose, and of course the touches of humour all reminded me of the master. Admittedly, it's Pratchett that's faded a bit in the sun, less hilarious, less absurd, less intense all around, but that helps to establish it as not just a homage or pastiche but its own thing, even if displaying a clear influence.
So what is that thing? I've shelved it as "heist," but that's not entirely accurate; while Prince Charming is an itinerant swindler and thief, he doesn't so much perform heists as inveigle his way into a kingdom or occasionally grand duchy, often solving its pressing problem (with a genuine solution, to give him credit); get engaged to the princess or other noble daughter; express an interest in the security around the vault, which his prospective father-in-law is happy to discuss with him; and then disappear on the morning of the wedding with as much of the treasury as his beast of burden, the Mostly Donkey, can carry. Three of his victims - to give the names of their inspirations rather than the versions they bear in this book, Sleeping Beauty, Snow White and Rapunzel - happen to meet at a wedding, compare stories, and plan, not a heist, but a sting.
Bella (Sleeping Beauty), given supernatural grace by the Good Folk at her birth, is an expert swordfighter. Marie Blanche (Snow White)'s character incorporates the Huntsman who spared her in the traditional story; she can also not only speak the language of birds, but has power, or at least influence, over all woodland creatures. Not just squirrels, either, but bears and wolves and wild boars and even dragons. Rapunzel, having got out from under the thumb of her sinister mentor, has become a Doctor of the Arcane Arts in her own right. They make a formidable team.
Not only that, but they grow and change, coming to personal realizations in the course of their sting on Charming. It's this, along with the general quality of the writing, that elevates the book to the five-star level for me. The characters have depth and heft and dimension, and when you start with well-known fairy-tale characters (or even when you don't) that's far from automatic; it takes skill, a lot of it.
This is good. Very good. It's a strong recommendation from me.
I received a pre-publication copy via Netgalley, and would note that the editing, even in a version five months from publication, is excellent (not always, or even usually, the case with Netgalley ARCs).
February 7, 2023
I want to start this off by saying thank you to NetGalley for giving me an ARC of this book in return for an honest review
as soon as I read the description I KNEW I needed to read this book, as a woman full of rage I hate the traditional fairytales when the damsel in distress gets rescued by the prince, so this being flipped around? I loved.
we follow “Prince Charming” who is a conman, using his charm to work his way into princesses hearts so he can rob them blind. I really liked the way this character was written because even though he possessed all of the likeable characteristics: funny, charming, strong, handsome- the way he was written turned that into a detestable thing rather than an adoration. the cleverness of the character made you see through the facade and root for him getting caught.
I loved the princesses too, I like how they were based off the ones we all know but given more depth than the traditional stories. we had a sorceress who came from a poor upbringing into an even worse one, being controlled and locked away into a tower only to fight her way out to life a life of seclusion and magic. another who experienced the loss of a parent, causing the other to retreat and leaving them to take on the burdens of a kingdom far too long and finally, we had the classic princess who had been filled with so much love and luck that even after she was betrayed, she still believed the prince had a reason and could be saved. all of them had a personality that was distinguishable and I LOVE the idea of a group of different women coming together to fight and protect one another.
criticisms:
1) I felt as though at times the characters were a little flat. the author clearly spent a lot of time on the world building and story itself which were amazing but it led to the characters and their interactions feeling a little dull. I wanted to understand why these women fell in love with the prince and how hurtful the deception was, but by the time the characters had met and had a chapter of interaction, the betrayal had happened and the next one started. there wasn’t enough detail or time spent between the characters to truly understand their motivations / emotions. this took off a star and a half for me because if you’re going to have a book that relies so heavily upon multiple characters and then becoming a team to seek revenge I need to understand said characters, their dynamics and the urge for this revenge.
despite that being said, this was definitely a good read with a fun twist on the classic fairytale books you’re used to reading. I definitely think it has potential and that many people out there will enjoy this
as soon as I read the description I KNEW I needed to read this book, as a woman full of rage I hate the traditional fairytales when the damsel in distress gets rescued by the prince, so this being flipped around? I loved.
we follow “Prince Charming” who is a conman, using his charm to work his way into princesses hearts so he can rob them blind. I really liked the way this character was written because even though he possessed all of the likeable characteristics: funny, charming, strong, handsome- the way he was written turned that into a detestable thing rather than an adoration. the cleverness of the character made you see through the facade and root for him getting caught.
I loved the princesses too, I like how they were based off the ones we all know but given more depth than the traditional stories. we had a sorceress who came from a poor upbringing into an even worse one, being controlled and locked away into a tower only to fight her way out to life a life of seclusion and magic. another who experienced the loss of a parent, causing the other to retreat and leaving them to take on the burdens of a kingdom far too long and finally, we had the classic princess who had been filled with so much love and luck that even after she was betrayed, she still believed the prince had a reason and could be saved. all of them had a personality that was distinguishable and I LOVE the idea of a group of different women coming together to fight and protect one another.
criticisms:
1) I felt as though at times the characters were a little flat. the author clearly spent a lot of time on the world building and story itself which were amazing but it led to the characters and their interactions feeling a little dull. I wanted to understand why these women fell in love with the prince and how hurtful the deception was, but by the time the characters had met and had a chapter of interaction, the betrayal had happened and the next one started. there wasn’t enough detail or time spent between the characters to truly understand their motivations / emotions. this took off a star and a half for me because if you’re going to have a book that relies so heavily upon multiple characters and then becoming a team to seek revenge I need to understand said characters, their dynamics and the urge for this revenge.
despite that being said, this was definitely a good read with a fun twist on the classic fairytale books you’re used to reading. I definitely think it has potential and that many people out there will enjoy this
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
June 21, 2023
Thank you to Rebellion and Netgalley for the review copy in exchange for an honest review. This does not change my opinion in anyway
When I saw the synopsis of Charming, I thought that was a really interesting way to retell a story. Unfortunately that is about as far as this story came for me. Interesting.
Our three main characters meet at a wedding to discover that a certain prince charming has stole from all of them. And not just them, but many more princesses, leaving behind a trail of broken hearts and betrayed betrust. They decide to get revenge.
This book is written in a sort of omniscient point of view which allowed the author to take us along from above. Which can work great for certain types of stories. However not when it comes down to a story that is about emotion. Which this story is. These three women (and many more) were hurt by this man and you need their emotions to fill this story up. I think the author wanted to write this along the lines of the older fairytales but didn't succeed.
Which meant a lot of this story fell flat. But most of all the characters. They had interesting stories, I thought that Snow White especially had a really interesting retold story. But there wasn't actually a lot done with that in the present. She mostly came off as a grump and no brains which is not at all what her retold story told her about us. Belle was either still infatuated with Charming and when that spell was broken was just angry. There was no personality there. Rapunzel was just the one with all the solutions and plans while in her retelling story she clearly had a great story and personality.
Adding onto that I felt that the story took a long time building everything up. Which can be great. But the ending was very quick and didn't feel like a real resolution. Charming still got away to do whatever he wanted. He could just continue with other schemes. There was no redemption. Not that this is nessecarily needed but there was also no real reflection on his part or any of the women after catching him.
The author spend a lot of time building up this world but when it came to the charactes in present time or the execution of the plot, it all fell flat.
When I saw the synopsis of Charming, I thought that was a really interesting way to retell a story. Unfortunately that is about as far as this story came for me. Interesting.
Our three main characters meet at a wedding to discover that a certain prince charming has stole from all of them. And not just them, but many more princesses, leaving behind a trail of broken hearts and betrayed betrust. They decide to get revenge.
This book is written in a sort of omniscient point of view which allowed the author to take us along from above. Which can work great for certain types of stories. However not when it comes down to a story that is about emotion. Which this story is. These three women (and many more) were hurt by this man and you need their emotions to fill this story up. I think the author wanted to write this along the lines of the older fairytales but didn't succeed.
Which meant a lot of this story fell flat. But most of all the characters. They had interesting stories, I thought that Snow White especially had a really interesting retold story. But there wasn't actually a lot done with that in the present. She mostly came off as a grump and no brains which is not at all what her retold story told her about us. Belle was either still infatuated with Charming and when that spell was broken was just angry. There was no personality there. Rapunzel was just the one with all the solutions and plans while in her retelling story she clearly had a great story and personality.
Adding onto that I felt that the story took a long time building everything up. Which can be great. But the ending was very quick and didn't feel like a real resolution. Charming still got away to do whatever he wanted. He could just continue with other schemes. There was no redemption. Not that this is nessecarily needed but there was also no real reflection on his part or any of the women after catching him.
The author spend a lot of time building up this world but when it came to the charactes in present time or the execution of the plot, it all fell flat.
July 20, 2023
Disappointing. I feel like this premise could make a great film, but the execution here just wasn’t it. It sort of feels like the author got so caught up in their own premise that they forgot they needed to actually write the rest of the story!
The best descriptor I can come up with for this book is flat, and the biggest problem was that there was absolutely no character development. I get that they’re all meant to be fairytale archetypes, but they should still be able to be three-dimensional people at the same time.
The third person omniscient writing style also made the problem worse. Again, it was trying to mimic the patterns of old folk tales, but it just ended up completely emotionless, and made me feel very removed from the characters and their feelings.
Plus, based on the synopsis, I was expecting this to be a story of female friendship, when in actual fact the three heroines spent the whole book sniping at each other for the same things over and over, which got repetitive and frustrating very fast.
The plot also felt very rushed, and the payoff only left me with more questions. If I thought the heroines were flat, Charming himself was paper-thin, and I never really felt like I understood his motivations or how he got to where he was.
CW: emotional abuse, gaslighting
The best descriptor I can come up with for this book is flat, and the biggest problem was that there was absolutely no character development. I get that they’re all meant to be fairytale archetypes, but they should still be able to be three-dimensional people at the same time.
The third person omniscient writing style also made the problem worse. Again, it was trying to mimic the patterns of old folk tales, but it just ended up completely emotionless, and made me feel very removed from the characters and their feelings.
Plus, based on the synopsis, I was expecting this to be a story of female friendship, when in actual fact the three heroines spent the whole book sniping at each other for the same things over and over, which got repetitive and frustrating very fast.
The plot also felt very rushed, and the payoff only left me with more questions. If I thought the heroines were flat, Charming himself was paper-thin, and I never really felt like I understood his motivations or how he got to where he was.
CW: emotional abuse, gaslighting
April 20, 2025
Charming is a fun and unique fairytale retelling. Bringing together multiple classic stories like Sleeping Beauty, Snow White, and Rapunzel. It centers around girl power and the message that you don't need a man to save you (cause he might just steal your gold and disappear into the night). The writing style is funny and kind of in a way the old fairytales would've been written. I get the comparison to Shrek in the way it's been written and a few Prince Charming scenes popped into mind while reading this book.
I loved how everything came together in the end, and subtle references to other fairytales were made throughout the story. I had some issues with the story, but overall had a great time reading it regardless! (2,5 stars)
I loved how everything came together in the end, and subtle references to other fairytales were made throughout the story. I had some issues with the story, but overall had a great time reading it regardless! (2,5 stars)
December 30, 2024
What a fun read. It was a bit slow paced but I really enjoyed it. Prince charming is a liar and a thief and he's wronged one too many women. 3 of his heartbroken victims meet at a wedding and vow to get their revenge. I loved the characters and the magic and the banter in this book. So much adventure and I loved that the princesses didn't need to be rescued. Charming never did learn his lesson but I still enjoyed his character.
July 18, 2023
Originally posted on Just Geeking by.
This review is for an ARC provided with thanks by NetGalley and Rebellion.
While there is a chance that some of the quotes mentioned in this review may not make it to the finished book, I think it is important that disabled readers are aware that they existed in the first place.
Update: The book has just been realised and from checking a sample on Amazon, I can confirm that at least some of the quotes mentioned in this review have made it into the finished book. If someone who reads a published version can confirm if the part from Emilia's story is still included that would be appreciated. Thanks :)
Content warnings:
Within the first few pages of Charming by Jade Linwood describes a character as "being short and oddly shaped, he is what you might call ‘pre-crouched’", a description that I had to look at twice and wasn’t quite sure what to make of it at the time. I wasn’t sure whether Linwood was describing a character with a physical disability or a non-human character. Deciding to give Linwood the benefit of the doubt, I continued reading. The character in question is Roland, Prince Charming’s partner in crime and while I came across no other descriptions that worried me, I did notice that Linwood seemed to take every opportunity to insult Roland. From how he smells, to what he’s wearing, and even his choice of food, the reader is told about how awful and smelly he is.
Still, I kept going, thinking that this was just a writing technique, albeit a bad one, to draw a comparison to Prince Charming who is of course, completely the opposite. From looking at other reviews I believe that some of this was supposed to be a type of humour, personally I’ve never been one for humour that has to knock someone down to be funny, but that’s just me. The more I read I was fairly certain that Charming was never going to rise above a three-star rating for me. That was until I got to the third princess’ story, Rapunzel, or as she’s called in Charming, Doctor Emilia Rapunzel.
As Emilia tells her story she recounts the moments that she and the other orphans are standing waiting to be inspected by a visitor, and that’s when Lindwood drops “crippled” into the dialogue several times. You might be thinking, they’re just uneducated children, they don’t know any better. No, but the author writing the book does and there are several ways that the children could have described the disabled orphans without using a slur. Even worse, one of the disabled authors is called “Twisty”. I was gobsmacked at that one.
I expected Roland to be revealed to be a Dwarf at some point, however, when we get to Snow White’s story (Marie Blanche’s story) Dwarves are mentioned throughout without any belittling comments or mention of their short statures. In fact, Linwood speaks of them in quite high regard throughout which suggests that Roland’s description was indeed about a physical disability.
The entire book is also written from an omnipotent perspective speaking to the writer directly just like a narrator from a children’s animated movie. From the way Linwood describes characters as either ugly or perfect, it feels as if she took a lot of inspiration from Disney’s The Hunchback of Notre Dame and not in a good way.
As I was not enjoying the style of writing, and did not want to find out what other derogatory descriptions or slurs awaited I chose to DNF at 62%.
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This review is for an ARC provided with thanks by NetGalley and Rebellion.
While there is a chance that some of the quotes mentioned in this review may not make it to the finished book, I think it is important that disabled readers are aware that they existed in the first place.
Update: The book has just been realised and from checking a sample on Amazon, I can confirm that at least some of the quotes mentioned in this review have made it into the finished book. If someone who reads a published version can confirm if the part from Emilia's story is still included that would be appreciated. Thanks :)
Content warnings:
Within the first few pages of Charming by Jade Linwood describes a character as "being short and oddly shaped, he is what you might call ‘pre-crouched’", a description that I had to look at twice and wasn’t quite sure what to make of it at the time. I wasn’t sure whether Linwood was describing a character with a physical disability or a non-human character. Deciding to give Linwood the benefit of the doubt, I continued reading. The character in question is Roland, Prince Charming’s partner in crime and while I came across no other descriptions that worried me, I did notice that Linwood seemed to take every opportunity to insult Roland. From how he smells, to what he’s wearing, and even his choice of food, the reader is told about how awful and smelly he is.
Still, I kept going, thinking that this was just a writing technique, albeit a bad one, to draw a comparison to Prince Charming who is of course, completely the opposite. From looking at other reviews I believe that some of this was supposed to be a type of humour, personally I’ve never been one for humour that has to knock someone down to be funny, but that’s just me. The more I read I was fairly certain that Charming was never going to rise above a three-star rating for me. That was until I got to the third princess’ story, Rapunzel, or as she’s called in Charming, Doctor Emilia Rapunzel.
As Emilia tells her story she recounts the moments that she and the other orphans are standing waiting to be inspected by a visitor, and that’s when Lindwood drops “crippled” into the dialogue several times. You might be thinking, they’re just uneducated children, they don’t know any better. No, but the author writing the book does and there are several ways that the children could have described the disabled orphans without using a slur. Even worse, one of the disabled authors is called “Twisty”. I was gobsmacked at that one.
I expected Roland to be revealed to be a Dwarf at some point, however, when we get to Snow White’s story (Marie Blanche’s story) Dwarves are mentioned throughout without any belittling comments or mention of their short statures. In fact, Linwood speaks of them in quite high regard throughout which suggests that Roland’s description was indeed about a physical disability.
The entire book is also written from an omnipotent perspective speaking to the writer directly just like a narrator from a children’s animated movie. From the way Linwood describes characters as either ugly or perfect, it feels as if she took a lot of inspiration from Disney’s The Hunchback of Notre Dame and not in a good way.
As I was not enjoying the style of writing, and did not want to find out what other derogatory descriptions or slurs awaited I chose to DNF at 62%.
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March 27, 2023
I love the idea of this book. First, Prince Charming is actually a thieving villain (yes!) and then the princesses all meet since they're in the same universe (yes!) and decide to team up to get revenge (so much yes!). I'm almost always up for a fairy tale retelling and love this type of twist.
The author does a great job of creating the world. Magic, fairies, demons, and dragons all exist, and everyone in the world lives with it. It's commonly accepted for princesses to have curses and need rescuing and no one bats an eye - that's just how the world works. Roland, the prince's sidekick, was a great character. I wanted more from him - he thought the prince was an idiot and wasn't afraid to tell him (sometimes in front of others). I understand why the author didn't give us more from Roland, but I would have loved more focused on him, besides that he smells.
Where the book fell short for me was that the characters felt flat. The author developed the world and knew the plot, but the characters felt like afterthoughts. Especially with how the stories were told, with each princess telling her story of how she got scammed (plus some bonus stories from other women who were scammed), it became tedious. There were enough differences between the 3 main characters' stories that it was mostly interesting, but I wanted to get through the backstory and get back to the main story and started sighing each "well, when I met Charming...."
The wrap up was very abrupt, especially after how slow the majority of the story was. It felt like the author realized she only had a limited number of pages left and threw it all in there. We learn why Charming is scamming everyone, but it didn't feel like enough - I wanted to know more about him and how he went from a prince to choosing to scam women (was that his first thought?). Or I wanted more on how the women were after they were scammed; that's another case where we get some information - for example, Bella is traveling - but it could have been fleshed out.
Also, the amount of similes the author used was like waves crashing over me and trying to drown me. The comparisons she used kept taking me out of the story since they were discordant to what was happening. You can say someone screamed without saying it was piercing like the wail of a cat. And once I noticed that, it made them stand out even more.
Overall, this is a decent retelling of the fairy tales. It's very creative and the world is well developed. Some parts need tightening while others need expanding, but it's a fun read.
Thank you to the author, publisher, and NetGalley for this advance review copy.
The author does a great job of creating the world. Magic, fairies, demons, and dragons all exist, and everyone in the world lives with it. It's commonly accepted for princesses to have curses and need rescuing and no one bats an eye - that's just how the world works. Roland, the prince's sidekick, was a great character. I wanted more from him - he thought the prince was an idiot and wasn't afraid to tell him (sometimes in front of others). I understand why the author didn't give us more from Roland, but I would have loved more focused on him, besides that he smells.
Where the book fell short for me was that the characters felt flat. The author developed the world and knew the plot, but the characters felt like afterthoughts. Especially with how the stories were told, with each princess telling her story of how she got scammed (plus some bonus stories from other women who were scammed), it became tedious. There were enough differences between the 3 main characters' stories that it was mostly interesting, but I wanted to get through the backstory and get back to the main story and started sighing each "well, when I met Charming...."
The wrap up was very abrupt, especially after how slow the majority of the story was. It felt like the author realized she only had a limited number of pages left and threw it all in there. We learn why Charming is scamming everyone, but it didn't feel like enough - I wanted to know more about him and how he went from a prince to choosing to scam women (was that his first thought?). Or I wanted more on how the women were after they were scammed; that's another case where we get some information - for example, Bella is traveling - but it could have been fleshed out.
Also, the amount of similes the author used was like waves crashing over me and trying to drown me. The comparisons she used kept taking me out of the story since they were discordant to what was happening. You can say someone screamed without saying it was piercing like the wail of a cat. And once I noticed that, it made them stand out even more.
Overall, this is a decent retelling of the fairy tales. It's very creative and the world is well developed. Some parts need tightening while others need expanding, but it's a fun read.
Thank you to the author, publisher, and NetGalley for this advance review copy.
July 17, 2023
Revenge plots are always fun. Give me a woman scorned any day. Charmed combines a revenge plot with another one of my favourite tropes—a fairy-tale remix setting. Jade Linwood takes elements of some of the most familiar fairy tales of the Western canon, turning their protagonists into women who are out to avenge themselves, and in some cases their countries, against none other than Prince Charming. I received an eARC from NetGalley and publisher Rebellion.
Like many fairy tales, Charmed contains stories within stories. The book opens with Prince Charming arriving to rescue Sleeping Beauty (Bella in this version). After he absconds with some of the palace wealth, the book jumps ahead to Bella meeting Marie Blanche de Neige (Snow White) and Doctor Emilia Rapunzel. These two each tell their tale in turn, and having discovered that the rogue in each tale is the same man, they make a revenge pact. The last act of the book comprises the actual plot unfolding, involving a deal with a dragon, another fairy tale protagonist, and more.
I love how Linwood has reimagined each of these protagonists. This feminist revisionism has itself almost become a trope of remixing fairy tales. Linwood takes it one step further, however, essentially syncretizing these tales into their own, imaginary European theatre. Each comes from a region clearly reminiscent of a specific part of Europe, such as Italy or France or Germany, albeit with the addition of creatures like dwarves, dragons, and demons. The three women at the centre of this story are each their own person, with different motivations, dreams, and goals. In particular, Bella proves very difficult for the other two to deal with (perhaps because her century of sleep has suspended her growth into adulthood)—however, I think Linwood makes it evident that Bella’s perspective is just as valid as Marie or Emilia’s.
The pacing of Charmed frustrated me a little, especially at first. I felt like it was taking too long to go from backstory to revenge story. I’m not sure if there is a solution for this (other than making each story-within-the-story shorter, but perhaps that would lose some of the rich character development). Similarly, I’m glad Linwood did her best to give Charming himself sympathetic motives. At the same time, the way in which that exposition is finally delivered to us was clunky.
Finally, our protagonists themselves don’t seem to grow or change all that much. We see a little bit of it in their backstories (any of which could make an interesting novel in its own right), and then the ending hints at growth that can happen now that they are each able to move on. But for the duration of the book itself, they don’t really develop as characters, which is frustrating.
Ultimately, Charmed is a charming book (yes, I went there), but like so many remixes, it felt like it was missing something. I don’t know if my bar is just too high or if I have unrealistic expectations. In any event, this is a book that has a great premise that is faithfully and competently executed—I had fun reading it over the course of an afternoon on my deck—but I’m not sure it is memorable.
Originally posted on Kara.Reviews, where you can easily browse all my reviews and subscribe to my newsletter.
Like many fairy tales, Charmed contains stories within stories. The book opens with Prince Charming arriving to rescue Sleeping Beauty (Bella in this version). After he absconds with some of the palace wealth, the book jumps ahead to Bella meeting Marie Blanche de Neige (Snow White) and Doctor Emilia Rapunzel. These two each tell their tale in turn, and having discovered that the rogue in each tale is the same man, they make a revenge pact. The last act of the book comprises the actual plot unfolding, involving a deal with a dragon, another fairy tale protagonist, and more.
I love how Linwood has reimagined each of these protagonists. This feminist revisionism has itself almost become a trope of remixing fairy tales. Linwood takes it one step further, however, essentially syncretizing these tales into their own, imaginary European theatre. Each comes from a region clearly reminiscent of a specific part of Europe, such as Italy or France or Germany, albeit with the addition of creatures like dwarves, dragons, and demons. The three women at the centre of this story are each their own person, with different motivations, dreams, and goals. In particular, Bella proves very difficult for the other two to deal with (perhaps because her century of sleep has suspended her growth into adulthood)—however, I think Linwood makes it evident that Bella’s perspective is just as valid as Marie or Emilia’s.
The pacing of Charmed frustrated me a little, especially at first. I felt like it was taking too long to go from backstory to revenge story. I’m not sure if there is a solution for this (other than making each story-within-the-story shorter, but perhaps that would lose some of the rich character development). Similarly, I’m glad Linwood did her best to give Charming himself sympathetic motives. At the same time, the way in which that exposition is finally delivered to us was clunky.
Finally, our protagonists themselves don’t seem to grow or change all that much. We see a little bit of it in their backstories (any of which could make an interesting novel in its own right), and then the ending hints at growth that can happen now that they are each able to move on. But for the duration of the book itself, they don’t really develop as characters, which is frustrating.
Ultimately, Charmed is a charming book (yes, I went there), but like so many remixes, it felt like it was missing something. I don’t know if my bar is just too high or if I have unrealistic expectations. In any event, this is a book that has a great premise that is faithfully and competently executed—I had fun reading it over the course of an afternoon on my deck—but I’m not sure it is memorable.
Originally posted on Kara.Reviews, where you can easily browse all my reviews and subscribe to my newsletter.
July 19, 2023
The synopsis for Charming sounded really promising, but I was disappointed by the execution.
The world was kind of a mix between fairytale and historical in a way that wasn’t well explained and didn’t totally make sense. There were fairies, magic, and dwarves, but also mentions of lawyers and doctorate programs. I wouldn’t have had as much of an issue with this if these were more incorporated into the world, but there were no lawyer characters or mentions of them aside from a couple modern sayings involving lawyers.
This really wasn’t my favourite retelling of any of these fairytales and mashing them all together into one story just made it more confusing. I still don’t totally get how the fairies work in this book and it was odd that they were so a part of Sleeping Beauty’s story but basically irrelevant to everyone else.
Not to mention that the minor changes made to each fairytale led to them being retold as the whole first half of the book. There weren’t enough changes to really make this feel fresh and exciting, so this part really dragged for me. I would’ve preferred this information to be sprinkled throughout the book than as whole blocks right at the beginning.
The whole tone of this book was just not what I wanted it to be. I was looking for something fun and fast-paced, but this really dragged and was far more moral than I was looking for.
*Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for providing me with an ARC in exchange for an honest review.
The world was kind of a mix between fairytale and historical in a way that wasn’t well explained and didn’t totally make sense. There were fairies, magic, and dwarves, but also mentions of lawyers and doctorate programs. I wouldn’t have had as much of an issue with this if these were more incorporated into the world, but there were no lawyer characters or mentions of them aside from a couple modern sayings involving lawyers.
This really wasn’t my favourite retelling of any of these fairytales and mashing them all together into one story just made it more confusing. I still don’t totally get how the fairies work in this book and it was odd that they were so a part of Sleeping Beauty’s story but basically irrelevant to everyone else.
Not to mention that the minor changes made to each fairytale led to them being retold as the whole first half of the book. There weren’t enough changes to really make this feel fresh and exciting, so this part really dragged for me. I would’ve preferred this information to be sprinkled throughout the book than as whole blocks right at the beginning.
The whole tone of this book was just not what I wanted it to be. I was looking for something fun and fast-paced, but this really dragged and was far more moral than I was looking for.
*Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for providing me with an ARC in exchange for an honest review.
December 8, 2024
Unexpectedly 'charming' retelling of the fairy tales! At first, I felt a little confused at the names of the princesses. But by a few chapters, I got them properly.
Jean-Marc Charming Arundel = Prince Charming
Lady Bella Lucia dei’ Sogni = Aurora (Sleeping Beauty)
Princess Marie Blanche de Neige = Snow White
Doctor Emilia Rapunzel = Rapunzel
Queen Ella de Braise (Nell) = Cinderella
It was so wonderful and magical the way the plot was designed. I loved how all the ladies joined together for a cause and in turn developed a beautiful friendship. It was quite entertaining and comedic. The narration was witty and engaging- I loved the writing style.
I actually got the book 2 Beast as an ARC but realised I would have to read this first to understand it. So I'm glad I picked this up! I'm very excited to se what happens next and eager to see the characters' journey.
Jean-Marc Charming Arundel = Prince Charming
Lady Bella Lucia dei’ Sogni = Aurora (Sleeping Beauty)
Princess Marie Blanche de Neige = Snow White
Doctor Emilia Rapunzel = Rapunzel
Queen Ella de Braise (Nell) = Cinderella
It was so wonderful and magical the way the plot was designed. I loved how all the ladies joined together for a cause and in turn developed a beautiful friendship. It was quite entertaining and comedic. The narration was witty and engaging- I loved the writing style.
I actually got the book 2 Beast as an ARC but realised I would have to read this first to understand it. So I'm glad I picked this up! I'm very excited to se what happens next and eager to see the characters' journey.
July 29, 2023
I had quite the hype for this book and I did like it overall, but it was a bit of an underwhelming read to be honest.
I was expecting something different maybe, especially in terms of the main character, Charming. It wasn't that charming to me, I think he could have been built a little better and a little deeper.
I liked the side stories of the three heroines and how their characters were a lot distant from the original tales but still perfectly recognisable. Marie Blanche was my favorite, in all her cynical view of the world, which is quite relatable somehow.
The plot is somewhat 'lame' if you take out the side stories. Also the dialogues weren't my favorite style, but I did like descriptions and narrative style. It was quite funny in some places, but I was expecting some more hilarious banter, based on the reviews I'd seen. Anyway, a pleasant read if you're a Disney lover like me, but nothing more.
I was expecting something different maybe, especially in terms of the main character, Charming. It wasn't that charming to me, I think he could have been built a little better and a little deeper.
I liked the side stories of the three heroines and how their characters were a lot distant from the original tales but still perfectly recognisable. Marie Blanche was my favorite, in all her cynical view of the world, which is quite relatable somehow.
The plot is somewhat 'lame' if you take out the side stories. Also the dialogues weren't my favorite style, but I did like descriptions and narrative style. It was quite funny in some places, but I was expecting some more hilarious banter, based on the reviews I'd seen. Anyway, a pleasant read if you're a Disney lover like me, but nothing more.
March 1, 2023
Thank you Netgalley and Solaris for providing me this e-arc in exange for an honest review. My opinion is my own and not influenced by others.
When I read the description of this book I was very exited. I know the fairytales and I always wanted to know how it would be when the princess not only saved herself but also others. In this case the princesses work together to bring down the villain who presents himself as Prince Charming.
I found this story refreshing, funny and well developed and I enjoyed reading it a lot.
Definetely recommend this book when you want to read a retelling of multiple fairytales bound together.
When I read the description of this book I was very exited. I know the fairytales and I always wanted to know how it would be when the princess not only saved herself but also others. In this case the princesses work together to bring down the villain who presents himself as Prince Charming.
I found this story refreshing, funny and well developed and I enjoyed reading it a lot.
Definetely recommend this book when you want to read a retelling of multiple fairytales bound together.
April 2, 2023
4.5⭐️
This was bloody brilliant! I love the story, the characters, the twists! Ahh this was so good I hope there's another in the series ❤️
This was bloody brilliant! I love the story, the characters, the twists! Ahh this was so good I hope there's another in the series ❤️
dnf
October 10, 2023On paper, I should have really dug this one. Fairy tale retelling with a heist and revenge elements? Yes please.
Unfortunately, I struggled to get into it. The writing is so-so, the pacing is all right, but like... the characters just didn't grab me with this one.
Not sure if it's that I'm not in the mood for this kind of tale or what, but I just don't want to keep going.
Unfortunately, I struggled to get into it. The writing is so-so, the pacing is all right, but like... the characters just didn't grab me with this one.
Not sure if it's that I'm not in the mood for this kind of tale or what, but I just don't want to keep going.
August 17, 2023
thank you netgalley for providing me with an ARC in exchange for an honest review
i really enjoyed reading it. it was funny and smart and the way the author changed the original stories was creative. i also liked the characters and how complex each one of them was.
however charming's storyline (both past and the chase) was underdeveloped. less than half of the book was spent on what was supposedly the main plot. it would've been better in my opinion if the princesses' storylines and the main plot were presented at the same time using flashbacks.
do recommend!
i really enjoyed reading it. it was funny and smart and the way the author changed the original stories was creative. i also liked the characters and how complex each one of them was.
however charming's storyline (both past and the chase) was underdeveloped. less than half of the book was spent on what was supposedly the main plot. it would've been better in my opinion if the princesses' storylines and the main plot were presented at the same time using flashbacks.
do recommend!
March 26, 2023
I thoroughly enjoyed reading Charming! I read it as a buddy read and we had a great time trying to guess what would happen.
Charming read like an old school Disney fairy tale with a modern twist. It was a little predictable but not in a bad way. Entertaining and fun, I would recommend this book for anyone just looking for something light and easy to read.
I received an ARC from the publisher, Solaris. Thank you so much for giving me the opportunity to read and review this one!
**Note that the editing is exceptional for a proof.
Charming read like an old school Disney fairy tale with a modern twist. It was a little predictable but not in a bad way. Entertaining and fun, I would recommend this book for anyone just looking for something light and easy to read.
I received an ARC from the publisher, Solaris. Thank you so much for giving me the opportunity to read and review this one!
**Note that the editing is exceptional for a proof.
February 18, 2023
Charming was a delightfully fun fairytale retelling that turned the original stories on their heads and gave everything a light feminist spin. What if the prince wasn't quite the hero he first seemed, and how would his female victims seek retribution? There was plenty of humour throughout this book and the story was told from the POVs of the three women as well as Charming and his manservant. It was a light, easy read that I got through in two nights and I closed the book with a smile on my face. If you enjoy fantasy-comedy and retellings, Charming is worth checking out. It gets four stars from me.
I received this book as a free eBook ARC via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.
I received this book as a free eBook ARC via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.
January 28, 2025
2.5.
It was ok. The story had potential but there was just too much going on. It felt like too many different stories attempting to be 1.
It was ok. The story had potential but there was just too much going on. It felt like too many different stories attempting to be 1.
September 5, 2023
Perfectly Charming.
Sometimes you finish a book, and it feels as though you’ve gone on a long journey, met lots of wonderful, unique and quirky people and when you reach the end, you laugh, then just smile.
Because the journey and the end destination were more than worth it.
‘Charming’ is that book.
Jean-Marc Charming Arundel, more generally known as Prince Charming, accompanied by his vertically challenged valet, Roland, watches as ogres sit in the ducal palace grounds.
Not his palace of course, but one surrounded by a briar hedge and eternally frozen. For fans of fairy tales, you might realise which story we start with.
Prince Charming is handsome, of course, with his tousled blonde hair. At least until he and his valet dispatch the ogres and he’s covered in pungent ogre blood. Not exactly the look needed to meeting his ‘sleeping beauty’.
It isn’t long before he’s made a promise of matrimony to the lovely Bella – after all, his career is rescuing damsels in distress and getting engaged - then done a runner with the king’s treasury. Which is pretty much the other thing he always does after a ‘rescue’.
Roland and Charming are rather like 17th century Rodney and Del Boy; doing anything to gain wealth, using wiles and words to get their way, and being rather inept following through properly on set plans. Their interactions are downright hilarious and whilst Charming thinks he’s the one with all the power and is clever, it’s pretty clear Roland is the brains behind the operation. Yet there’s a tension between them and an anger that sometimes flares in Roland’s eyes.
Bella may be one of Charming’s early victims, but it isn’t until she attends a wedding almost seven years later, that she meets two other women in particular; Doctor Rapunzel and Marie ‘Blanche’.
And their stories are strikingly similar.
So it is, that with Rapunzel as defacto leader, a plan is hatched to find the prince and recover the wealth for each of the victims.
The Fae play an important role in this book, as do other mythical creatures.
As each story threads unfolds, it’s apparent that the characters are pawns in larger plots and secrets abound. Though written with modern sensitivites, some modern dialect and definitely a modern sense of humour, there’s also a classic structure and set of plot devices within. To put it as Shakespeare has in ‘As You Like It’;
“All the world’s a stage, and all the men and women merely players.”
Some go along in a predictable fashion, but it’s women, the fairy tale ‘princesses’ who step up to proverbial mat and control their own destinies.
In many ways it reminded me of ‘The Princess Bride’ and is just as funny, with a few nods to the film thrown in.
This is cleverly plotted, very well written, delightful, a little tragic but massively funny.
In fact, in every way, it’s perfectly charming.
Sometimes you finish a book, and it feels as though you’ve gone on a long journey, met lots of wonderful, unique and quirky people and when you reach the end, you laugh, then just smile.
Because the journey and the end destination were more than worth it.
‘Charming’ is that book.
Jean-Marc Charming Arundel, more generally known as Prince Charming, accompanied by his vertically challenged valet, Roland, watches as ogres sit in the ducal palace grounds.
Not his palace of course, but one surrounded by a briar hedge and eternally frozen. For fans of fairy tales, you might realise which story we start with.
Prince Charming is handsome, of course, with his tousled blonde hair. At least until he and his valet dispatch the ogres and he’s covered in pungent ogre blood. Not exactly the look needed to meeting his ‘sleeping beauty’.
It isn’t long before he’s made a promise of matrimony to the lovely Bella – after all, his career is rescuing damsels in distress and getting engaged - then done a runner with the king’s treasury. Which is pretty much the other thing he always does after a ‘rescue’.
Roland and Charming are rather like 17th century Rodney and Del Boy; doing anything to gain wealth, using wiles and words to get their way, and being rather inept following through properly on set plans. Their interactions are downright hilarious and whilst Charming thinks he’s the one with all the power and is clever, it’s pretty clear Roland is the brains behind the operation. Yet there’s a tension between them and an anger that sometimes flares in Roland’s eyes.
Bella may be one of Charming’s early victims, but it isn’t until she attends a wedding almost seven years later, that she meets two other women in particular; Doctor Rapunzel and Marie ‘Blanche’.
And their stories are strikingly similar.
So it is, that with Rapunzel as defacto leader, a plan is hatched to find the prince and recover the wealth for each of the victims.
The Fae play an important role in this book, as do other mythical creatures.
As each story threads unfolds, it’s apparent that the characters are pawns in larger plots and secrets abound. Though written with modern sensitivites, some modern dialect and definitely a modern sense of humour, there’s also a classic structure and set of plot devices within. To put it as Shakespeare has in ‘As You Like It’;
“All the world’s a stage, and all the men and women merely players.”
Some go along in a predictable fashion, but it’s women, the fairy tale ‘princesses’ who step up to proverbial mat and control their own destinies.
In many ways it reminded me of ‘The Princess Bride’ and is just as funny, with a few nods to the film thrown in.
This is cleverly plotted, very well written, delightful, a little tragic but massively funny.
In fact, in every way, it’s perfectly charming.
May 22, 2024
“You have a plan already?” Bella said, her eyes wide.
Marie Blanche smiled, a little darkly. “That was only to be expected, it seems,“ she said.
This book should have been right up my alley (and in a lot of ways, it was), but having just finished reading it, I’m left wanting more — and not in the best way. It had a lot of strong components and an interesting-enough approach to fractured fairy tales, but I struggled with certain elements that were never quite resolved to my satisfaction. I’m a little disappointed that it only brushed up against greatness, like a stray cat that keeps approaching you but won’t actually let you pet it.
It took a while for me to get into it. 46 pages, to be exact. The backstories for Marie Blanche and Doctor Rapunzel were what hooked me. Their pasts were my favorite portions of the book, and I genuinely would read their origin chapters as fully realized novels. Young girls in tough situations, letting their resourcefulness guide them through terrible trials? Sign me up!
I also loved the justice/revenge setup of three wronged women combining their strengths to take down a royal con man. He had it coming (and all that jazz). But their plans never quite clicked for me, and I can’t really explain why the eventual cornering didn’t do it for me.
There were other things that didn’t quite gel for me, from the very mild, like having trouble with the tone (this may simply be a “me” thing), to the mildly infuriating: Bella! Some things maybe being a little too obvious for the reader! The friggin’ page breaks! (Okay, we do seriously need to talk about the page breaks. Why were they used so frequently? What was their purpose? Sometimes you’d just be mid-scene, and a little break would be sitting there on the page — no explanation — and then the scene would just continue. Why? Am I missing something?? They were so very present and deliberate, and for the life of me, I can’t understand what they were doing in so many places. They felt like oddly timed commercial breaks on a poorly-formatted-for-cable movie, but it was just empty space?????? Linwood, please advise!)
Anyway, despite all of the above, I did enjoy this little tale. It wasn’t perfect, but it was good; and I do hope we’ll be getting more down the road. I’m sitting at a 3.5, but I’ll round up for my girls, the Doctor and the Huntress.
Marie Blanche smiled, a little darkly. “That was only to be expected, it seems,“ she said.
This book should have been right up my alley (and in a lot of ways, it was), but having just finished reading it, I’m left wanting more — and not in the best way. It had a lot of strong components and an interesting-enough approach to fractured fairy tales, but I struggled with certain elements that were never quite resolved to my satisfaction. I’m a little disappointed that it only brushed up against greatness, like a stray cat that keeps approaching you but won’t actually let you pet it.
It took a while for me to get into it. 46 pages, to be exact. The backstories for Marie Blanche and Doctor Rapunzel were what hooked me. Their pasts were my favorite portions of the book, and I genuinely would read their origin chapters as fully realized novels. Young girls in tough situations, letting their resourcefulness guide them through terrible trials? Sign me up!
I also loved the justice/revenge setup of three wronged women combining their strengths to take down a royal con man. He had it coming (and all that jazz). But their plans never quite clicked for me, and I can’t really explain why the eventual cornering didn’t do it for me.
There were other things that didn’t quite gel for me, from the very mild, like having trouble with the tone (this may simply be a “me” thing), to the mildly infuriating: Bella! Some things maybe being a little too obvious for the reader! The friggin’ page breaks! (Okay, we do seriously need to talk about the page breaks. Why were they used so frequently? What was their purpose? Sometimes you’d just be mid-scene, and a little break would be sitting there on the page — no explanation — and then the scene would just continue. Why? Am I missing something?? They were so very present and deliberate, and for the life of me, I can’t understand what they were doing in so many places. They felt like oddly timed commercial breaks on a poorly-formatted-for-cable movie, but it was just empty space?????? Linwood, please advise!)
Anyway, despite all of the above, I did enjoy this little tale. It wasn’t perfect, but it was good; and I do hope we’ll be getting more down the road. I’m sitting at a 3.5, but I’ll round up for my girls, the Doctor and the Huntress.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
May 9, 2025
I feel really bad reviewing another DNF so soon after the last two but those two were ones I’ve tried to read for months whereas this one is a DNF because it was a book club book I just couldn’t get into.
This book had a really great and interesting concept. I got super excited for it. And the first chapter or so really met my expectations. The writing style was super cute. It was super reminiscent of old fairytale writings like I remember reading when I was a kid. The story was interesting, and I was interested in learning more about Sleeping Beauty and Prince Charming and what was happening to them. However, after that it took a sharp turn. We began getting lengthy full history backgrounds of the characters.
As far as a fairytale goes this is not strange. What made this difficult is these background stories literally only of two characters took up almost the first 30% of the story. This was all exposition. Publishers and writers all over could tell you that the recommended length of exposition in a story is no longer than 10% of a book. 30% is way too much exposition, especially for a book this short. We read this as a book club and not a single person in book club got through the exposition aside from me. And by the time I made it through the exposition I had lost all care about the characters and the storyline that I didn’t want to read more.
Now, I have read from others who have finished it that this is a ‘fast paced’ book. I can only assume this means that after the lengthy exposition it gets interesting quickly. So, if you don’t mind a slow start to stories then you might enjoy this book, but I personally didn’t like it very much, but I will put it in my later pile. Maybe someday I’ll finish it. But for now, I just got bored and finished it. I assume the spicy rating is a one because I didn’t see evidence of otherwise up until where I DNF’d at about page 145 or so
Overall, I gave this book a 2 out of 5 star rating. The writing style was cute so it’s not a 1 star but I think it could have been a lot better.
This book had a really great and interesting concept. I got super excited for it. And the first chapter or so really met my expectations. The writing style was super cute. It was super reminiscent of old fairytale writings like I remember reading when I was a kid. The story was interesting, and I was interested in learning more about Sleeping Beauty and Prince Charming and what was happening to them. However, after that it took a sharp turn. We began getting lengthy full history backgrounds of the characters.
As far as a fairytale goes this is not strange. What made this difficult is these background stories literally only of two characters took up almost the first 30% of the story. This was all exposition. Publishers and writers all over could tell you that the recommended length of exposition in a story is no longer than 10% of a book. 30% is way too much exposition, especially for a book this short. We read this as a book club and not a single person in book club got through the exposition aside from me. And by the time I made it through the exposition I had lost all care about the characters and the storyline that I didn’t want to read more.
Now, I have read from others who have finished it that this is a ‘fast paced’ book. I can only assume this means that after the lengthy exposition it gets interesting quickly. So, if you don’t mind a slow start to stories then you might enjoy this book, but I personally didn’t like it very much, but I will put it in my later pile. Maybe someday I’ll finish it. But for now, I just got bored and finished it. I assume the spicy rating is a one because I didn’t see evidence of otherwise up until where I DNF’d at about page 145 or so
Overall, I gave this book a 2 out of 5 star rating. The writing style was cute so it’s not a 1 star but I think it could have been a lot better.
June 18, 2023
Prince Charming is on the run. Again. He narrowly escaped with the treasures he stole from the broken heart he left behind on his journey. Many stops made, many proposals, many broken hearts. How long can he go before the past catches up with him and his small crew?
The narration was written in a fun style similar to the narration in The Princess Bride. I mainly kept thinking Charming was a mix of the charm and humor of Disney's Flynn Rider from Tangled and the greed of Hans from Frozen. To quote Queen Elsa, "you can't marry a man you just met".
Some advice the three princesses in this book would have done well to follow. These scorned women take up the first half of the book individually recounting their tale of betrayal. This made it hard to follow what the point of the book was other than to set up that Prince Charming is an awful scoundrel. It made it clear in each story which princess the character is based off of but it seemed to hammer the point of Charming's foul character more than necessary. There were several points where the dialogue was so dry and the plot barely moving that I was tempted to throw in the towel and mark it as a DNF. Only in the final chapters did the plot finally come together and gain speed, but it did not have the Happy Ever After as often tied to a fairy tale involving a Prince Charming.
Thanks to NetGalley for this Advanced Ready Copy ebook. As of the date of this review, this book is set to be released on 07/18/2023.
The narration was written in a fun style similar to the narration in The Princess Bride. I mainly kept thinking Charming was a mix of the charm and humor of Disney's Flynn Rider from Tangled and the greed of Hans from Frozen. To quote Queen Elsa, "you can't marry a man you just met".
Some advice the three princesses in this book would have done well to follow. These scorned women take up the first half of the book individually recounting their tale of betrayal. This made it hard to follow what the point of the book was other than to set up that Prince Charming is an awful scoundrel. It made it clear in each story which princess the character is based off of but it seemed to hammer the point of Charming's foul character more than necessary. There were several points where the dialogue was so dry and the plot barely moving that I was tempted to throw in the towel and mark it as a DNF. Only in the final chapters did the plot finally come together and gain speed, but it did not have the Happy Ever After as often tied to a fairy tale involving a Prince Charming.
Thanks to NetGalley for this Advanced Ready Copy ebook. As of the date of this review, this book is set to be released on 07/18/2023.
May 31, 2023
Very good fun, and funny as well.
Charming follows the story of a prince turned selfish, puffed-up conman and his imp servant, Roland as they waltz their way across kingdoms, “save” damsels in distress, and make off with their treasure and hearts. Three princesses and former victims team up to hunt him down, and magical hijinks ensue.
Overall, this was quite funny. It moved quickly, and the dialogue and voice were often hilarious. Very dry, witty fairy tail humor. 10/10 on that front.
My one qualm is that Roland is the protagonist of this book, but the book doesn’t seem to know it. From him, we get the most vulnerability via stream-of-consciousness honesty, even when he’s whining about something mundane. He’s drawn one of the shortest sticks out of the lot, and I suppose I expected him to have a bit more of a heart underneath it all. (Although, maybe that’s counter to who he truly is? Hmmm.)
This gets a little trickier when the heroes of the story are not always emotionally accessible or have their emotional beats clipped a bit short. I’d have liked a bit more insight into the leading women. They’re fascinating, but the story held us at a bit of a narrative distance in places I’d have liked to dig deeper.
Overall, it reads like a well-spun fairytale. Clever and fun to read. Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the ARC in exchange for my honest feedback.
Charming follows the story of a prince turned selfish, puffed-up conman and his imp servant, Roland as they waltz their way across kingdoms, “save” damsels in distress, and make off with their treasure and hearts. Three princesses and former victims team up to hunt him down, and magical hijinks ensue.
Overall, this was quite funny. It moved quickly, and the dialogue and voice were often hilarious. Very dry, witty fairy tail humor. 10/10 on that front.
My one qualm is that Roland is the protagonist of this book, but the book doesn’t seem to know it. From him, we get the most vulnerability via stream-of-consciousness honesty, even when he’s whining about something mundane. He’s drawn one of the shortest sticks out of the lot, and I suppose I expected him to have a bit more of a heart underneath it all. (Although, maybe that’s counter to who he truly is? Hmmm.)
This gets a little trickier when the heroes of the story are not always emotionally accessible or have their emotional beats clipped a bit short. I’d have liked a bit more insight into the leading women. They’re fascinating, but the story held us at a bit of a narrative distance in places I’d have liked to dig deeper.
Overall, it reads like a well-spun fairytale. Clever and fun to read. Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the ARC in exchange for my honest feedback.
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