Forest Princess

by Lucy Winton

Princess Kerenza must keep her magic secret. If anyone were to discover it, she would become little more than a tool and a commodity, like all magic wielders in Anvrea. But things get complicated when she’s kidnapped by rebels – and it seems they already know about her powers.

Help arrives in the form of smugglers disguised as a musical troupe. When they offer to take her beyond the borders of the next country, she decides to keep her identity secret until she can get to safety. But as the group travels through Anvrea, she finds herself genuinely befriending them – and she’s drawn to one, Edmund, in particular.

But love between a princess and a smuggler cannot happen, and the longer Kerenza stays with the troupe the more she is putting them in danger. It’s only a matter of time before the threat against her strikes again – and until she has to choose between her duty and her heart.

Forest Princess is the first book in a series of clean, no-spice fantasy romances.

141 pages, Kindle Edition

Published June 6, 2025

About the author

Lucy Winton is a YA fantasy author. She loves to write (and read) stories with adventure, mystery, friendship, discovery...and a little romance as well. She lives in a seaside town in Devon.

She first started writing when she was four; hopefully, she's improved since then. She loves trying out new recipes, daydreaming and buying more books than her bookshelves can hold.

Reviews

[Chantel · Rating 4 out of 5]

A Princess with hidden, forbidden magic is kidnapped by an infamous mage. Or is she? When she is rescued by a traveling band of musicians, she learns a different side of life and value in friendship and hard work.

Her new friendships and budding love story blossom into a defending force as she faces off with the true enemy to her family and throne.

Loved this unique take and enjoyed the growth of the main characters!

[Lisa Dawn · Rating 3 out of 5]

I received an ARC of Forest Princess, the first book in the Forests of Anvrea series by Lucy Winton. This book is the first in a romantasy trilogy about a kingdom where magic is banned. While I appreciate that the book is a quick and easy read for people who are pressed for time, a certain something was missing that prevented me from being compelled to read the next chapter and root for the characters. It's a simple and sweet story without many twists or turns that wraps up too quickly and easily.

Princess Kerenza is forced to hide her magic from the world due to her father's kingdom-wide ban. She is determined to change the laws when she becomes queen, but there is little she can do about it until then. After she is captured by a group of rebels who know about her magic, she escapes with a group of traveling smugglers. As she gets to know them, she grows feelings for a young man named Edmund, but represses them due to their class difference. During her time traveling with the troupe, she learns more about her own magic and how to wield it to defend herself from future dangers.

This book follows a basic "road trip" formula in which a group of unlikely travelers get to know each other while exploring the surrounding lands. This formula doesn't usually sit well with me because I find it tedious. Although the story is fine for what it is, there's very little action or excitement, even though the main character is supposed to be on the run. Still, I noted several plot similarities to the first book in my own trilogy, with a rebel princess protagonist who wants to restore magic to her kingdom, so I have to give the author props for being on the same wavelength.

Kerenza and Edmund spend a lot of time traveling together, and class differences usually add a lot of romantic tension. However, I felt like I missed most of the chemistry between them. Kerenza needed to outright state in the narration that she had feelings for him for me to realize it as a reader. Even then, I had a hard time seeing it in the story. Although a subtle romantic subplot is not always a bad thing, there wasn't enough of anything else to make up for it. The magic system existed, but was limited to throwing orbs of light. I would have liked to see more variety of powers for something that was considered so rare and dangerous.

While Forest Princess by Lucy Winton is a sweet and straightforward romantasy read, it ultimately fell short for me due to its predictable plot, lack of compelling character development, and underwhelming romance. Despite its engaging premise and relatable protagonist, the story's slow pace and reliance on familiar tropes made it difficult to become fully invested. However, Winton's world-building and magical concepts show promise, and fans of gentle, character-driven fantasies may find something to appreciate here. With some further development and refinement, this series could still reach its full potential within the next two installments.

[Basemath Abernathy · Rating 3 out of 5]

Once, a princess, cruel and cold,
Meets a band with colors bold
Hidden things that come to light,
Will princess cold survive the night?
-Basemath Abernathy

*Minor Spoilers*
This was a slow read for me.

Positives:
The cover is absolutely gorgeous! I loved the gypsy band. They are so fun to be around, and they added a fun, exciting element to the story. They are my favorite characters in the whole book!
My favorite part of this book was the Deep Forest and seeing wild magic. It is so beautiful! I would love to see it someday.

Negatives:
While this was an ok read, it was not the best I’ve ever read. The plot was predictable, the stakes were not very high(and not explained that well), and the climax was resolved too easily. I was not drawn in and I did not really find myself caring what happened to Kerenza. I do not feel that any of the villains in the story were given enough time to actually be fearsome. I likely will not be rereading. I really thought I would like this book.

Cussing: None
Romance: Yes, there is a cute romance, with a kiss.
Violence: Some fighting. A kidnapping
Magic: Yes!

*I received an ARC from the author, all thoughts are my own. I was not paid for this review.*

[Rosalyn Nightshade · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was a thrilling start to the Forests of Anvrea series. The world-building and magic system was really unique and well conceived and I enjoyed exploring more of the world and the Forests. I enjoyed Kerenza's character development a lot - she went from an uncaring, arrogant princess to someone who genuinely cared about her people. I also loved Ed a lot. I just wish that the romance between them could have been a little more developed, but that doesn't take away from my rating of the book. Forest Princess was full of suspense and tension and I found myself holding my breath along with them every time the soldiers came to look for them. Although the book was really short, I think that the pace of the book was just right, but I do wish that the book was longer because I didn't want to leave this world. I can't wait for the next book in this series so that I can return to this world!

Disclaimer: I received an ARC from the author in exchange for an honest review. All thoughts and opinions expressed are my own and I am voluntarily leaving a review because I think that it is an awesome book and more people need to know of it.

[Martha Braebuck · Rating 5 out of 5]

A thrilling and compelling novel, the story and plot were well-conceived and extremely intriguing. I loved how Kerenza's character developed and learned to care about others rather than being the arrogant crown princess. I think the length of the novel was just right. Even though it was really short, I think that all the major points were captured and there was just the right amount of descriptions and emotions. I also loved Edmund and I just wished there was a little more romance between the two of them but this wish doesn't minimalise the story. The world-building was really good and the magic system was unique and interesting. This is an incredible book and I was completely hooked from the beginning. An absolute page-turner that I highly recommend.

I received an ARC copy from the author. All opinions are my own.

[Michaela · Rating 3 out of 5]

I enjoyed my time in this book, for me it was a little short, and because of this, the story felt a little rushed. that being said, I will definitely be reading the rest in the series.

This book would be perfect if you just want a single sitting fun book that still has a interesting plot, and while I felt the story seemed rushed, I still enjoyed the characters and watching them grow.

I wished we had learned a bit more about the magic system, like do the different colours do different things? or are some more powerful? but I feel like that is more of a me being impatient problem and it will probably be explained as Kerenza grows throughout the series

[Christian · Rating 4 out of 5]

🌲Review🌲
Forest princess is a cute fantasy story that falls somewhere between a novelette and a novella meaning that it can be read in one sitting. It is a good fantasy starter for teens and young adults. I found this story to be cozy and sweet. Despite it being relatively short, the main character goes through some good growth. We get to see a bit of found family, hidden powers, hidden identities, and a little dash of romance.

Thank you to Lucy Winton for an ARC of Forest Princess. All opinions are my own.

No-Spice Rating: light kissing
Language: Clean
Faith Elements: None

[Leah Drake]

I can not give this book a star rating because I had to DNF the book at 45%. The story itself is interesting but the writing style was not for me and I was struggling to get through the book. A book this long usually only takes me one sitting but I was finding myself reading one character and putting it down to do other things then picking it back up to try and read more and putting it down again.

I reserved this as an ARC and the review is my opinion.

[Janette · Rating 4 out of 5]

The premise and overall storyline was an enjoyable read, and I like the setup with Kerenza, hidden identity concept, magic, and travelling together with the group. I think this storyline is more suited for a longer novel, though, but it was still an overall nice read.

Thank you for the complimentary ARC. All opinions expressed are my own.

[Raeleane · Rating 5 out of 5]

A fantastic first book in a new series by Lucy Winton. There is lots of adventure, some action, twists, turns, and lots of magic. The characters are all well developed, fun, and engaging. Lucy Winton beautifully and brilliantly weaves her world building skills creatively and magically throughout her story! I absolutely enjoyed reading this book and highly recommend reading it!

[Amber | ✨ Hidden Within The Book ✨ · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book was an exciting and captivating read. I have never read a book by Lucy Winton and was excited to have a chance to read it! This book is book one of the Forests of Anvrea series but can be read as a standalone.

▫️ If you love: ▫️

• Magical elements
• Friends to lovers
• Found Family
• Who did it mystery
• Royalty with a change of heart

Then check out this book!!

Read as an eARC. All opinions honest and my own.

[Thoroughly Clean Indies]

Genre: Fantasy
Tropes: Princess with magic where magic is illegal and its possessors are persecuted
Setting: Kingdom, forest
Writing style: 1st person, past tense
Tone: Mostly even
Character- or plot-driven: Plot-driven

Romance: Yes
Clean level: Basically squeaky. 2 mouth kisses with the barest description. 1 kiss with zero description. 1 near-kiss, zero description.

Favorite aspects of the book:
• Kerenza’s time with the caravan
• Bite-size chapters, perfect for reading in between tasks or snatching a few minutes here and there

This is a quick story that seems mostly focused on plot, so the characters and relationships aren’t fully developed. The main romance happens very fast and we don’t really see it develop, but the characters do not get married yet, so there is time and space for the relationship to be fleshed out and explored in the next book of the series. Kerenza is initially a stereotypically entitled and haughty princess, and though her transformation happens quickly, there is a point towards the beginning where she shows herself already capable of empathy, so it wasn’t too unbelievable.

Side note:
The book’s dedication is raw and beautiful and worth sharing here — “To all who believe themselves lost. There’s always a path.”


(I received a free ARC of this book from the author and am gratefully—voluntarily—leaving a review.)

[Nicole Wright · Rating 5 out of 5]

ARC review of Forst Princess

Princess Kerenza lives in a kingdom that has outlawed magic, any person who has magic is put in special shackles, used as a tool for the kingdom. Princess Kerenza has worked hard to hide her magical abilities, unsure what her father would do if he knew about her magic and afraid what would happen if her secret is revealed.

Issues arise when Kerenza is taken by rebels and then eventually rescued by smugglers. Kerenza keeps her true identity a secret from the smugglers as they show her how to grow her magic and work on taking her over the border to the next country where her magic hasn’t been outlawed.

Edmund is part of a musical troupe who also smuggle magic wielders out of Anvrea. He has no love for the king who keeps the law against magic wielders intact.

Like all big secrets Kerenza’s is eventually revealed.

This was a good book that left me wanting more!