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The Scarecrow King: A Romantic Retelling of the King Thrushbeard Fairy Tale
Princess Rinda of Balinore knows of only one way to get her cold father’s attention – to be an obnoxious, spoiled princess. When she finds out that the king plan to marrying her off to a far-flung nobleman, she puts on her best bratty show in front of the entire court. But Rinda’s plan backfires, and she soon finds herself married to the most ineligible man ever. Her new husband is monastery raised, poor as dirt, and a traveling minstrel.
A very, very bad traveling minstrel.
But Alek isn’t what he seems like on the surface, and neither is Rinda. She won’t take this marriage lying down, and schemes to find herself a new husband – a king. But as she and Alek travel together, they learn that not only are appearances deceiving, but goals can change in the blink of an eye, and love can get in the way of the strongest plans…
The Scarecrow King is a romantic retelling of the King Thrushbeard fairy tale.
A very, very bad traveling minstrel.
But Alek isn’t what he seems like on the surface, and neither is Rinda. She won’t take this marriage lying down, and schemes to find herself a new husband – a king. But as she and Alek travel together, they learn that not only are appearances deceiving, but goals can change in the blink of an eye, and love can get in the way of the strongest plans…
The Scarecrow King is a romantic retelling of the King Thrushbeard fairy tale.
ebook
First published September 22, 2013
57 people are currently reading
3335 people want to read
About the author
Jill Myles
39 books1,674 followersJILL MYLES writes as Jessica Clare and Jessica Sims.
A NOTE ABOUT FRIENDING: I will happily friend you back if you friend me! Goodreads is, after all, about discussing books we both love. I will NEVER self-promote my books to you. And if you self-promote your books to me, no matter how nicely, I'm deleting you off my list. Sorry. Goodreads is about fun, not spam.
A NOTE ABOUT MY REVIEWS: Hey, look at that! Most of my reviews are really positive! This is not me kissing ass - It's because at heart, I am a lazy reader. If I'm not enjoying a book, I don't finish it. I don't review anything I didn't finish, ergo, most of the reviews I put up here are pretty much positive across the board because I finished them and was happy with the story. Makes sense, right?
A NOTE ABOUT FRIENDING: I will happily friend you back if you friend me! Goodreads is, after all, about discussing books we both love. I will NEVER self-promote my books to you. And if you self-promote your books to me, no matter how nicely, I'm deleting you off my list. Sorry. Goodreads is about fun, not spam.
A NOTE ABOUT MY REVIEWS: Hey, look at that! Most of my reviews are really positive! This is not me kissing ass - It's because at heart, I am a lazy reader. If I'm not enjoying a book, I don't finish it. I don't review anything I didn't finish, ergo, most of the reviews I put up here are pretty much positive across the board because I finished them and was happy with the story. Makes sense, right?
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 283 reviews
March 8, 2023
Though I am usually not a big fan of reading fairytales or their retellings, the summary of this book was so interesting that I started reading it as an experiment. I wasn't expecting to like the retelling of "King Thrushbeard" so much, but surprisingly I did.
Yes, it was a little predictable, like from the beginning it was already clear who the disguised king was, but the way the whole story unfolded was fantastic. I enjoyed this lighthearted, sweet book very much. However, one thing I have to say is that I disliked that cover, didn't match with the story at all.
Anyway, I was not familiar with this fairy tale, so I did some research after reading it, and I am glad that the author has done a great job of making this book so different from the original story. It was much better than the original.
Yes, it was a little predictable, like from the beginning it was already clear who the disguised king was, but the way the whole story unfolded was fantastic. I enjoyed this lighthearted, sweet book very much. However, one thing I have to say is that I disliked that cover, didn't match with the story at all.
Anyway, I was not familiar with this fairy tale, so I did some research after reading it, and I am glad that the author has done a great job of making this book so different from the original story. It was much better than the original.
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March 25, 2022
⤅ This was bloody ADORABLE.
The King Thrushbeard fairy-tale is one of my all-time favourites. I don't know why, but I really love stories of bad-girl heroines pitting their wits against a calm, confident, sneaky hero. The Taming of the Shrew is one of my favourite Shakespeare plays for this reason too. Yes, I've read reams of feminist scholarship decrying it, but I like to think that it's Shakespeare being a little subversive, and the final speech from Katrina is tongue-in-cheek; there's definitely been a great adaptation or two which had that interpretation.
Anyway, back to the story of King Thrushbeard. I've always thought it would make for a GREAT retelling (particularly BDSM, to be perfectly honest) but never found one, until I went through my friend Nenia's shelves and came across this gem. Jill Myles is a penname for Jessica Clare, whose Billionare books I rather enjoy, so I went in with pretty high expectations.
I'm glad to say they were met.
16-year-old Princess Rinda of Balinore is an unashamed brat. She's spoilt, mercurial, and wilfil - traits nurtured by her widowed father's neglect of her in favour of her perfect elder sister. Myles deftly weaves in another fairy-tale here, that of Rumpelstiltskin: the peasant woman rumoured to spin straw into gold is their mother, married to the King of Balinore on the strength of her magical gift. Only it turns out she hadn't a drop of magic at all. In Balinore, only the elite tend to have such gifts, represented by their golden hair. Rinda (and her now dead mother) is a brunette with only a drop of useless magic, and she's treated accordingly by her occasionally physically abusive father.
This book sticks fairly closely to the source material - we have a bearded king show up to marry Rinda, whom she promptly insults and sends packing. Her enraged father swears she'll marry the next man through the doors... who happens to be a cleanshaven, poverty-stricken, cheerful young minstrel named Alek. Despite Rinda's pleas, her father won't be swayed. The two are married and set off to Alek's homeland of Lioncourt, a neighbouring kingdom. Along the way, Rinda begins to lose some of her preconceptions about both her new husband and new lifestyle.
The way Myles handles the whole 'girl being taught a lesson' thing is really delightful: Rinda undergoes a slow, believable transformation that's fuelled almost as much by her internal cognitions as by Alek's actions. And there's a believable reason why Alek hides his identity from her for so long, which goes beyond wanting to teach Rinda a lesson. He's actually a deeply thoughtful and empathetic young man who makes a great YA hero.
On a related note, the handling of consent was great. Although this is YA and Rinda is 16, I was glad that Myles remained true to the spirit of her plot, in that YES Rinda and Alek are married so of course the question of consummation has to be discussed and not sidestepped. Anything explicit happens off-page, but it's clear when it does - one of my biggest pet peeves is when YA novels dress up sex scenes in such flowery language that one can't tell whether the characters have actually had sex or not. Obviously I'm not looking for an explicit play-by-play in a YA book, but if that's a plot point, it should be addressed.
Anyway, this was a delightful book, and I definitely want to read Myles's take on a vampire romance now.
The King Thrushbeard fairy-tale is one of my all-time favourites. I don't know why, but I really love stories of bad-girl heroines pitting their wits against a calm, confident, sneaky hero. The Taming of the Shrew is one of my favourite Shakespeare plays for this reason too. Yes, I've read reams of feminist scholarship decrying it, but I like to think that it's Shakespeare being a little subversive, and the final speech from Katrina is tongue-in-cheek; there's definitely been a great adaptation or two which had that interpretation.
Anyway, back to the story of King Thrushbeard. I've always thought it would make for a GREAT retelling (particularly BDSM, to be perfectly honest) but never found one, until I went through my friend Nenia's shelves and came across this gem. Jill Myles is a penname for Jessica Clare, whose Billionare books I rather enjoy, so I went in with pretty high expectations.
I'm glad to say they were met.
16-year-old Princess Rinda of Balinore is an unashamed brat. She's spoilt, mercurial, and wilfil - traits nurtured by her widowed father's neglect of her in favour of her perfect elder sister. Myles deftly weaves in another fairy-tale here, that of Rumpelstiltskin: the peasant woman rumoured to spin straw into gold is their mother, married to the King of Balinore on the strength of her magical gift. Only it turns out she hadn't a drop of magic at all. In Balinore, only the elite tend to have such gifts, represented by their golden hair. Rinda (and her now dead mother) is a brunette with only a drop of useless magic, and she's treated accordingly by her occasionally physically abusive father.
This book sticks fairly closely to the source material - we have a bearded king show up to marry Rinda, whom she promptly insults and sends packing. Her enraged father swears she'll marry the next man through the doors... who happens to be a cleanshaven, poverty-stricken, cheerful young minstrel named Alek. Despite Rinda's pleas, her father won't be swayed. The two are married and set off to Alek's homeland of Lioncourt, a neighbouring kingdom. Along the way, Rinda begins to lose some of her preconceptions about both her new husband and new lifestyle.
The way Myles handles the whole 'girl being taught a lesson' thing is really delightful: Rinda undergoes a slow, believable transformation that's fuelled almost as much by her internal cognitions as by Alek's actions. And there's a believable reason why Alek hides his identity from her for so long, which goes beyond wanting to teach Rinda a lesson. He's actually a deeply thoughtful and empathetic young man who makes a great YA hero.
On a related note, the handling of consent was great. Although this is YA and Rinda is 16, I was glad that Myles remained true to the spirit of her plot, in that YES Rinda and Alek are married so of course the question of consummation has to be discussed and not sidestepped. Anything explicit happens off-page, but it's clear when it does - one of my biggest pet peeves is when YA novels dress up sex scenes in such flowery language that one can't tell whether the characters have actually had sex or not. Obviously I'm not looking for an explicit play-by-play in a YA book, but if that's a plot point, it should be addressed.
Anyway, this was a delightful book, and I definitely want to read Myles's take on a vampire romance now.
May 9, 2018
What a sweet and cute fairytale retelling and Alek is such a sweetheart. Would love to re-read this story sometime!
March 31, 2016
THE REVIEW
Why this book?
It seemed like a book for me
What I thought
This was a wonderful fairytale retelling. Since I never read the tale King Thrushbeard, I didn't know what to expect. So I gotta say I was surprised by the big reveal. This book was charming and put a smile on my face. Rinda grew through the book, by the end she is no longer the spoiled princess we have to endure in the beginning . Oh and Alek what's not to love? He's the kind of guy every girl dreams about. I also loved that there was no insta love! The romance was slow building and I enjoyed every minute of watching them fall inlove. One more thing, I hated her father with a passion. Overall a enjoyable read.
Aleksandr!
Why this book?
It seemed like a book for me
What I thought
This was a wonderful fairytale retelling. Since I never read the tale King Thrushbeard, I didn't know what to expect. So I gotta say I was surprised by the big reveal. This book was charming and put a smile on my face. Rinda grew through the book, by the end she is no longer the spoiled princess we have to endure in the beginning . Oh and Alek what's not to love? He's the kind of guy every girl dreams about. I also loved that there was no insta love! The romance was slow building and I enjoyed every minute of watching them fall inlove. One more thing, I hated her father with a passion. Overall a enjoyable read.
Aleksandr!
June 17, 2015
3.5 stars
Now this was a fast paced and addictive retelling of King Thrushbeard's tale... of which I was only vaguely familiar.
With a little time available in your hands, I bet you'll be hard pressed to finish reading this asap (if retellings are your cup of tea...)
As one can read in the author credits, Jill Myles wanted to tell this story in the true fairy tale"(ish)" manner.
As such this doesn't have convoluted plots. The characters are what you see. No big secrets are lurking around waiting to be unveiled: You pretty much know what is going to happen.
It felt as if I was reading a more traditional kind of fairy tale... but without all the gore that normally abounds in those.
The characters are interesting, although a little one dimensional.
The plot ends up being interesting because of the bickering between the two main characters.
In the end if this had been more developed _ especially the last bit _ this would definitely get a higher rating.
Now this was a fast paced and addictive retelling of King Thrushbeard's tale... of which I was only vaguely familiar.
With a little time available in your hands, I bet you'll be hard pressed to finish reading this asap (if retellings are your cup of tea...)
As one can read in the author credits, Jill Myles wanted to tell this story in the true fairy tale"(ish)" manner.
As such this doesn't have convoluted plots. The characters are what you see. No big secrets are lurking around waiting to be unveiled: You pretty much know what is going to happen.
It felt as if I was reading a more traditional kind of fairy tale... but without all the gore that normally abounds in those.
The characters are interesting, although a little one dimensional.
The plot ends up being interesting because of the bickering between the two main characters.
In the end if this had been more developed _ especially the last bit _ this would definitely get a higher rating.
November 8, 2023
A very enjoyable read based on a fairy tale that is one of my favorite. Unfortunately not many retellings excist out there.
October 21, 2013
Lovely fairytale retelling of a lesser known fairytale. It was a clean romance and had likeable characters. the princess was a brat even though i felt sorry for her at first. Rinda says mean things but she really does have a heart of gold when she realizes she doesn't need to keep pushing everyone away. Her father was a horrible dad. Alek was so incredibly sweet that he's too good to be true but hey its a fairy tale. He puts up with a lot of the things coming out of Rinda's mouth. I want to read more retellings by Jill Myles now.
April 26, 2016
Likes:
• Storyline
• Atmosphere (loved the mixture of fantasy, fairytale, romance and travel genres)
Dislikes
• Title (which gave too much away)
• Cover (utterly irrelevant)
• Storyline
• Atmosphere (loved the mixture of fantasy, fairytale, romance and travel genres)
Dislikes
• Title (which gave too much away)
• Cover (utterly irrelevant)
February 7, 2021
Sometimes you just need some trashy, angsty romance with a guaranteed happy ending. Yesterday was such a moment for me. Luckily I still have my kindle-unlimited which is invaluable in such cases. An extensive search later, I found my book.
Spoilers for the original fairytale ... and in consequence the retelling I guess
The Scarecrow King is a fairy-tale retelling of King Thrushbeard. I'm German and of a generation that inhaled the fairytales by the brothers Grimm with the mother milk. This one is a highly highly highly problematic one (which is likely the reason it isn't as famous). The plot is as follows. A horribly selfish and spoiled princess is supposed to get married, but she insults every single candidate horribly, including a young king who has a rather ridiculous hairstyle and facial hair (hence the title King Thrushbeard). Her father gets fed up with her and swears to marry her off to the first man to come to the castle. This just happens to be a dirty and highly untalented minstel. The princess gets married of and kicked out of the castle. Her new husband is poor and forces her to leave everything she has left behind. He puts her through a lot and she has to learn to deal with a empoverished life. In the end it's revealed her husband was the king she had snubbed all along and they lived happily ever after. Yeah, she doesn't get angry at him, she doesn't leave him, she doesn't even challange him. She is just so happy to be married to this guy who abused and manipulated her in the worst kind. Grimm's fairytales are rarely great in terms of feminism but this one is particularly bad.
Anyway, I was curious how a retelling of this would work and forsaw a lot of angst and pain. And that's actually what I got. While the princess still isn't the nicest or most decerning character, her motivations are far more understandable and she isn't just passive like in the original. The king isn't nearly as manipulative and cruel as in the original either. While his actions are still highly questionable, his motives at least were kind. And I got my angsty fight in the end after everything comes out.
While it wasn't amazing or brilliant (there were some plot, world building and pacing issues) it gave me what I wanted at the time. Romance, angst and a happy ending.
Spoilers for the original fairytale ... and in consequence the retelling I guess
The Scarecrow King is a fairy-tale retelling of King Thrushbeard. I'm German and of a generation that inhaled the fairytales by the brothers Grimm with the mother milk. This one is a highly highly highly problematic one (which is likely the reason it isn't as famous). The plot is as follows. A horribly selfish and spoiled princess is supposed to get married, but she insults every single candidate horribly, including a young king who has a rather ridiculous hairstyle and facial hair (hence the title King Thrushbeard). Her father gets fed up with her and swears to marry her off to the first man to come to the castle. This just happens to be a dirty and highly untalented minstel. The princess gets married of and kicked out of the castle. Her new husband is poor and forces her to leave everything she has left behind. He puts her through a lot and she has to learn to deal with a empoverished life. In the end it's revealed her husband was the king she had snubbed all along and they lived happily ever after. Yeah, she doesn't get angry at him, she doesn't leave him, she doesn't even challange him. She is just so happy to be married to this guy who abused and manipulated her in the worst kind. Grimm's fairytales are rarely great in terms of feminism but this one is particularly bad.
Anyway, I was curious how a retelling of this would work and forsaw a lot of angst and pain. And that's actually what I got. While the princess still isn't the nicest or most decerning character, her motivations are far more understandable and she isn't just passive like in the original. The king isn't nearly as manipulative and cruel as in the original either. While his actions are still highly questionable, his motives at least were kind. And I got my angsty fight in the end after everything comes out.
While it wasn't amazing or brilliant (there were some plot, world building and pacing issues) it gave me what I wanted at the time. Romance, angst and a happy ending.
February 9, 2020
I came across this book after reading the author's vampire fantasy, Queen of Blood. I enjoyed it so much I wanted to check out more of Myles's work, and this was another standalone, so I wouldn't have to commit to a series. My friend Nenia also enjoyed Queen of Blood, so we decided to read this together (and you can check out her review here!).
I guessed the twist of this story just from reading the synopsis. I'd never heard of the King Thrushbeard fairy tale, so I went and looked it up to make sure I actually wanted to read this. With a bratty, spoiled princess and an arranged marriage, it sounded like everything I could want in a romance, so I went ahead and excitedly downloaded it.
While nowhere near as polished or well-formatted as Queen of Blood, I still managed to enjoy this. Rinda's spoiled and immature personality were so fun. A lot of people hate heroines like that, but I actually love them, especially when there's something deeper hiding behind that spoiled, materialistic facade. Heroines like this are often set up for some of the most satisfying character arcs, and Rinda was no exception.
Alek was another story—I never quite warmed up to him. I didn't hate him, but he was often described as boyish, and overwhelming boyishness is not how I tend to prefer my heroes. I did enjoy his never-ending cheer, even when faced with Rinda's constant attitude, and I was actually sad the few times he veered toward surliness.
The author mentions that the original fairy tale is a bit misogynistic, and she didn't want to carry that aspect over to her retelling. I'm glad she put a feminist spin on it without altering the outcome in any way. I'll definitely read more of her work in the future.
I guessed the twist of this story just from reading the synopsis. I'd never heard of the King Thrushbeard fairy tale, so I went and looked it up to make sure I actually wanted to read this. With a bratty, spoiled princess and an arranged marriage, it sounded like everything I could want in a romance, so I went ahead and excitedly downloaded it.
While nowhere near as polished or well-formatted as Queen of Blood, I still managed to enjoy this. Rinda's spoiled and immature personality were so fun. A lot of people hate heroines like that, but I actually love them, especially when there's something deeper hiding behind that spoiled, materialistic facade. Heroines like this are often set up for some of the most satisfying character arcs, and Rinda was no exception.
Alek was another story—I never quite warmed up to him. I didn't hate him, but he was often described as boyish, and overwhelming boyishness is not how I tend to prefer my heroes. I did enjoy his never-ending cheer, even when faced with Rinda's constant attitude, and I was actually sad the few times he veered toward surliness.
The author mentions that the original fairy tale is a bit misogynistic, and she didn't want to carry that aspect over to her retelling. I'm glad she put a feminist spin on it without altering the outcome in any way. I'll definitely read more of her work in the future.
January 1, 2015
Princess Marinda of Balinore is used to being ignored by her father the king who prefers her blonde and more magically talented sister Imogen. Rindas birthright magic is that she can add luck to inanimate objects by smearing some of her blood on them.
But neither Rinda nor the rest of Balinore considers it something to be proud of.Not when it is such an insignificant magic compared to her sister who can call forth water from the ground with her Birthright.
One day their father declares that its time that they both found husbands. Imogen is happy but Rinda is furious knowing its just a way to remove her from the castle and her father presence.
Rinda comes up with a plan. She will scare away the prospective suitors by insulting them so badly that they wont want to marry such a rude princess even if she is a connection to the throne of Balinore.
When the day of the ball arrives she sets her plan into motion and the suitors soon give up their courtship but things go wrong when the entourage of the King of Lioncourt arrives and Rinda noticing how unshaven and dirty from the road they are calls out..
"King of Lioncourt…more like King of Scarecrows!" I laughed and laughed and laughed at the ridiculousness of it.
Her father is furious by her behavior and declares that he will marry her to the first man who enters the castle. Rinda not taking his threat very seriously learns how wrong she is when she finds herself married off to a poor wandering minstrel named Aleksandr.
This does not suit her at all!
Her new husband brings her from the castle and tells her that according to the customs of his country he will give her a symbolic gift a flower for the 30 days.If after those days she still refuses to accept it then they will be divorced.
This suits Rinda very well as she figures if she can just find her way to the kingdom of Lioncourt she can convince the king to marry her.Then she will have the life she deserves at last.
Luckily Alek is from Lioncourt so she can just as well accompany him.Its not like she will accept his stupid flower.
This is a retelling of the King Thrushbeard fairytale so if you know that story it will be very obvious who Alek really is.
But the author fleshes out the story and strays from the original tale in that instead of Alek being mean to her and stashing her away in a shack to humble her- they go adventuring together instead.
Along the way Rinda learns some valuable lessons and grows as a person and finds her happy ending.
As for the romance...well from what I can judge compared to the authors other books this is pretty chaste. Sure there is kissing but the more intimate scenes are not described in great detail.
I found Alek a guy who could be firm with Rinda but who didnt push her around (even when she deserved it) He does call her out on some of her prissy princess ways but over all he was a great guy. (even if he wasnt a great minstrel lol)
Some people mention in their reviews that Rinda falls in love with Alek a little bit too fast.
While part of me can agree another part of me thinks that no they had been in each others company for some time and had to save each other from some dangerous situations. How could they not fall in love after all that.
We accept it in the fairytales when the basis on the couples relationship is being kissed by a stranger while you are uncocscious.
If there is one thing... I wish Rinda had a confrontation with her father towards the end.But he just seems to disappear from the story.
This is a wonderful retelling of one of the more obscure fairytales out there that has a flawed but most of the time likable heroine,a sweet brave hero and enough humor,drama and romance to satisfy anyone who wants to disappear to faraway kingdoms for a spell.
But neither Rinda nor the rest of Balinore considers it something to be proud of.Not when it is such an insignificant magic compared to her sister who can call forth water from the ground with her Birthright.
One day their father declares that its time that they both found husbands. Imogen is happy but Rinda is furious knowing its just a way to remove her from the castle and her father presence.
Rinda comes up with a plan. She will scare away the prospective suitors by insulting them so badly that they wont want to marry such a rude princess even if she is a connection to the throne of Balinore.
When the day of the ball arrives she sets her plan into motion and the suitors soon give up their courtship but things go wrong when the entourage of the King of Lioncourt arrives and Rinda noticing how unshaven and dirty from the road they are calls out..
"King of Lioncourt…more like King of Scarecrows!" I laughed and laughed and laughed at the ridiculousness of it.
Her father is furious by her behavior and declares that he will marry her to the first man who enters the castle. Rinda not taking his threat very seriously learns how wrong she is when she finds herself married off to a poor wandering minstrel named Aleksandr.
This does not suit her at all!
Her new husband brings her from the castle and tells her that according to the customs of his country he will give her a symbolic gift a flower for the 30 days.If after those days she still refuses to accept it then they will be divorced.
This suits Rinda very well as she figures if she can just find her way to the kingdom of Lioncourt she can convince the king to marry her.Then she will have the life she deserves at last.
Luckily Alek is from Lioncourt so she can just as well accompany him.Its not like she will accept his stupid flower.
This is a retelling of the King Thrushbeard fairytale so if you know that story it will be very obvious who Alek really is.
But the author fleshes out the story and strays from the original tale in that instead of Alek being mean to her and stashing her away in a shack to humble her- they go adventuring together instead.
Along the way Rinda learns some valuable lessons and grows as a person and finds her happy ending.
As for the romance...well from what I can judge compared to the authors other books this is pretty chaste. Sure there is kissing but the more intimate scenes are not described in great detail.
I found Alek a guy who could be firm with Rinda but who didnt push her around (even when she deserved it) He does call her out on some of her prissy princess ways but over all he was a great guy. (even if he wasnt a great minstrel lol)
Some people mention in their reviews that Rinda falls in love with Alek a little bit too fast.
While part of me can agree another part of me thinks that no they had been in each others company for some time and had to save each other from some dangerous situations. How could they not fall in love after all that.
We accept it in the fairytales when the basis on the couples relationship is being kissed by a stranger while you are uncocscious.
If there is one thing... I wish Rinda had a confrontation with her father towards the end.But he just seems to disappear from the story.
This is a wonderful retelling of one of the more obscure fairytales out there that has a flawed but most of the time likable heroine,a sweet brave hero and enough humor,drama and romance to satisfy anyone who wants to disappear to faraway kingdoms for a spell.
April 2, 2018
I remember fuming when I read King Thrushbeard as a little girl and hated the way that he castigated his princess.
Now when I read it, my emotions are more like this...
I really liked the retelling of this story with the magical spin to it and I liked the author's writing style. I love fairy tales!!! And this fairy tale retelling is filled with so much adventure and a new kind of magic that I would have never imagined. I wish that Jill Myles would do a Snow White retelling.
August 26, 2015
Overall Rating → 5 STARS
Price is Right? →
Love Triangle? →
Cheating? →
Angst Level: High, Medium, Low →
Heat/Language Level: Rated G, PG, PG-13, R, NC-17 →
HEA →
Would I recommend? → YES
Would I re-read? → HELL YES!!!!
Would I read more books from this author? → YES
October 15, 2019
Even though I am reading two other books at the same time, for some reason I am only in the mood to read and finish fairy tale/fantasy romance. 😭 This one was okay.
October 4, 2017
3.5 stars because I loved this book! It was surprisingly sweet and darling, delightfully entertaining, and laugh out loud funny. A retelling of the King Thrushbeard fairy tale, our main character is a spoiled-rotten, lil' punk of a brat princess...which by itself was new for me. Her ridiculous barbs and tantrums were funny.
What a refreshingly light and sweet story that I highly recommend!
THE GOOD
1) Princess Rinda was so freaking funny. Literally had me bursting into laughter out loud. Homegirl had absolutely no filter on her, which I adored, and she was spoiled useless from anything remotely practical.
2) And by contrast, Aleksandr was the kindest and most joyful character ever -- a perfect foil to Rinda. His cheerful demeanor and glowing smile radiated positivity.
3) Slow-burn romance...kind of. What was deliciously slow was the character and relational buildup between Alek and Rinda as Rinda slowly appreciates his selflessness and she in turn becomes less selfish. Her attraction and love for him was a bit abrupt...but whadya gonna do -- this is a middle age YA book and we got things to do.
THE BAD
1) Alek, bro, I know you're a blushing virgin and all but did you have to blush and flush and redden every other page? Keep it on your pants, boy. Damn.
2) After the first third of the book the giggles died down and the story got marginally less enjoyable.
3) Spiders. Enough said.
4) The book took itself too seriously and dragged out the reveal of Aleksandr way too long from Rinda's point of view. Rinda can't possibly be that dense, and I as the reader didn't like being stuck in her dense narrative with her.
THE VERDICT
This was such a cute, entertaining read! If you're in the room for a giggle, a light-hearted fantasy with slow-burn romance and arranged marriages, and a fairly quick and easy read, this is the a book for you. I almost guarantee you'll find yourself grinning at this adorable story.
“For the love of all that is good, he's wearing more feathers in his one cap than I have in my entire wardrobe. Tell us, sir -did you attack a stray peacock on your way to the ball tonight?”
“That is enough, Rinda!” My father's voice was furious. “How dare you humiliate your family before the court?”
But I was just getting started.
“I refuse to marry an old man who resembles a dried up carrot,” I said in my loudest voice.
"Your highness,” the earl began again, shocked. He looked at my father in a mixture of confusion and humiliation and jammed the cap back on his head, smoothing his hand down the hideous orange jerkin.
“Oh, like that's much better,” I said. “Now you truly look like a carrot.” The feathers really did jut from his head like a crown of leafy greens. “Perhaps if you wore a sack over your head instead of that cap—”
What a refreshingly light and sweet story that I highly recommend!
THE GOOD
1) Princess Rinda was so freaking funny. Literally had me bursting into laughter out loud. Homegirl had absolutely no filter on her, which I adored, and she was spoiled useless from anything remotely practical.
“Too hairy,” I told the next one, giving him a disdainful look. “I shouldn't have to brush my husband like a messy rug.”
The crowd tittered, half-horrified, half-amused. They parted to let me through, eager for any sort of gossip or entertainment to divert them. Like crows near for a carcass, they hovered over my shoulder, waiting for me to point out the next unfortunate suitor.
“Too poor,” I told the next one, and stroked my lovely belt of jet beads. “I'm not about to marry a pig farmer.”
“I am a baron, your highness,” the man said, his dark blonde hair revealed as he broke into a sweeping bow, trying to save face.
“Not with those clothes, you're not,” I replied, my voice droll. He glanced up and I saw his mouth thin with dislike. Good. I turned away from him as if he were beneath my notice.
“Too ugly,” I flat out told the next. “Too short,” were the next two. I made sure to point out each humiliated man so the rapt audience would know just who I was humiliating. “Too freckled. Too pale. And you. Goodness, no, not you. You hold your wine goblet like a woman. And you? Are you even old enough to be here? You're scarce more than a stripling.”
2) And by contrast, Aleksandr was the kindest and most joyful character ever -- a perfect foil to Rinda. His cheerful demeanor and glowing smile radiated positivity.
3) Slow-burn romance...kind of. What was deliciously slow was the character and relational buildup between Alek and Rinda as Rinda slowly appreciates his selflessness and she in turn becomes less selfish. Her attraction and love for him was a bit abrupt...but whadya gonna do -- this is a middle age YA book and we got things to do.
THE BAD
1) Alek, bro, I know you're a blushing virgin and all but did you have to blush and flush and redden every other page? Keep it on your pants, boy. Damn.
2) After the first third of the book the giggles died down and the story got marginally less enjoyable.
3) Spiders. Enough said.
4) The book took itself too seriously and dragged out the reveal of Aleksandr way too long from Rinda's point of view. Rinda can't possibly be that dense, and I as the reader didn't like being stuck in her dense narrative with her.
THE VERDICT
This was such a cute, entertaining read! If you're in the room for a giggle, a light-hearted fantasy with slow-burn romance and arranged marriages, and a fairly quick and easy read, this is the a book for you. I almost guarantee you'll find yourself grinning at this adorable story.
March 14, 2019
Sometimes you're just in the mood for a good old-fashioned, sappy fairy tale and this just hit the spot. I had never heard of King Thrushbeard, but I loved this little story. Rinda has never been treated nicely by her father so she has grown to be cold and seemingly heartless. She's rude and doesn't seem to care about anything or anyone with the exception of her sister Imogen. She throws a royal fit and as punishment her father marries to her a poor minstrel, Alek.
Alek is the best. He's extremely patient and kind and wonderful. He's everything you expect from the man of your dreams in a fairy tale. Rinda shows tremendous growth in this story. I grew to love them both. I hung on Alek's every word. I was in the mood to be swooned- and swooned I was.
“When you came in, I thought you were the most beautiful girl I’d ever seen. And then when you smarted off to your father, I thought you were brave. And then when you insulted me with your scathing words, I thought you were clever, if a little mean.” He gave a small shrug and looked away again. “I thought you were perfect.”
Alek is the best. He's extremely patient and kind and wonderful. He's everything you expect from the man of your dreams in a fairy tale. Rinda shows tremendous growth in this story. I grew to love them both. I hung on Alek's every word. I was in the mood to be swooned- and swooned I was.
“When you came in, I thought you were the most beautiful girl I’d ever seen. And then when you smarted off to your father, I thought you were brave. And then when you insulted me with your scathing words, I thought you were clever, if a little mean.” He gave a small shrug and looked away again. “I thought you were perfect.”
July 30, 2021
Not a perfect story, but a perfect fairy tale retelling with all the wholesome vibes. This is my third reread, I think, and it's as heartwarming as always
April 28, 2018
4 Stars
The Scarecrow King is a “romantic retelling of the King Thrushbeard fairy tale.” They probably had to put that on the cover because not many people are familiar with the tale. Although I often dislike rewrites, I am still a sucker for retellings of any the Brothers Grimm tales. So of course I had to read The Scarecrow King.
Rinda is a princess. She is wealthy and pampered. But her father blames her for her mother’s death and is cold and abusive towards her. Rinda’s life has a lack of love in it. She rebels by acting like a spoiled brat. When her father decides the only thing to do is marry her off to anyone who will take her, she tries to scare them all off by acting as horrible as possible which sets off a chain of events that will change her life forever. If you are familiar with the fairytale, then you will know one of the twists. Although it probably would not be hard to figure out even if you never read the original story. It is a fairly straightforward story, but I definitely enjoyed it.
The Scarecrow King is a much lighter and more romantic take than the darker Brother’s Grimm version. I grew up on Grimm stories, so I definitely do not shy away from dark or scary or stories that are more about the lesson than happily ever after. But I was glad that this version was less The Taming of the Shrew / subdue the emotional female vibe and more about empowerment and self-discovery. That was one good change compared to the original story. The other good addition was explaining why Rinda acted the way she did. Rather than just being a spoiled princess who needed to be taught a lesson, she had more depth. And while she was annoying at times, I still understood why she acted the way she did.
The story was sanitized but sweet. I liked the banter between Rinda and Alek. I loved when he taught her to fight. The story was endearing and easy to read. The action parts could have been built up more to increase the stakes though. Keeping things on the very tame side of PG13 unfortunately made things seem less dangerous. It would have been wonderful if the author had maintained at least some of the ominousness tone of the original writers. You know, just enough to send some shivers down my spine a time or two. Instead, the bad guys weren’t ruthless enough which also meant they weren’t scary. Which in turn made the threat seem less menacing.
I wish The Scarecrow King had been longer and fleshed out with more risk and atmosphere. But I still greatly enjoyed it. I would definitely recommend it for anyone who likes their fairytales with a little adventure but not too much gloom.
RATING FACTORS:
Ease of Reading: 5 Stars
Writing Style: 4 Stars
Characters and Character Development: 5 Stars
Plot Structure and Development: 4 Stars
Level of Captivation: 4 Stars
Originality: 3 Stars
The Scarecrow King is a “romantic retelling of the King Thrushbeard fairy tale.” They probably had to put that on the cover because not many people are familiar with the tale. Although I often dislike rewrites, I am still a sucker for retellings of any the Brothers Grimm tales. So of course I had to read The Scarecrow King.
Rinda is a princess. She is wealthy and pampered. But her father blames her for her mother’s death and is cold and abusive towards her. Rinda’s life has a lack of love in it. She rebels by acting like a spoiled brat. When her father decides the only thing to do is marry her off to anyone who will take her, she tries to scare them all off by acting as horrible as possible which sets off a chain of events that will change her life forever. If you are familiar with the fairytale, then you will know one of the twists. Although it probably would not be hard to figure out even if you never read the original story. It is a fairly straightforward story, but I definitely enjoyed it.
The Scarecrow King is a much lighter and more romantic take than the darker Brother’s Grimm version. I grew up on Grimm stories, so I definitely do not shy away from dark or scary or stories that are more about the lesson than happily ever after. But I was glad that this version was less The Taming of the Shrew / subdue the emotional female vibe and more about empowerment and self-discovery. That was one good change compared to the original story. The other good addition was explaining why Rinda acted the way she did. Rather than just being a spoiled princess who needed to be taught a lesson, she had more depth. And while she was annoying at times, I still understood why she acted the way she did.
The story was sanitized but sweet. I liked the banter between Rinda and Alek. I loved when he taught her to fight. The story was endearing and easy to read. The action parts could have been built up more to increase the stakes though. Keeping things on the very tame side of PG13 unfortunately made things seem less dangerous. It would have been wonderful if the author had maintained at least some of the ominousness tone of the original writers. You know, just enough to send some shivers down my spine a time or two. Instead, the bad guys weren’t ruthless enough which also meant they weren’t scary. Which in turn made the threat seem less menacing.
I wish The Scarecrow King had been longer and fleshed out with more risk and atmosphere. But I still greatly enjoyed it. I would definitely recommend it for anyone who likes their fairytales with a little adventure but not too much gloom.
RATING FACTORS:
Ease of Reading: 5 Stars
Writing Style: 4 Stars
Characters and Character Development: 5 Stars
Plot Structure and Development: 4 Stars
Level of Captivation: 4 Stars
Originality: 3 Stars
July 22, 2019
This is a clean, fun retelling of King Thrushbeard! I enjoyed it very much.
September 23, 2015
Fairytale retellings :) I like them, particularly those belonging to the modern trend of “adult” fairytales. This one does not, as it can be surmised from the book's description, and it suited me just fine: I wanted a simple, quick, fluffy and sweet story for the evening and this looked like a perfect pick.
Mostly it was, this book is peaceful and appropriate for all ages but the story is predictable down to the last detail (I mean, fairytales should be predictable, but within limits); the protagonist is your typical feisty princess; there is not much going on; the novel would benefit from tighter editing and I'm positive it exceeds the recommended monthly levels of teenage dopamine.
I liked it anyway, narrative and writing style are ok and I finished it in the allotted evening. 2.5 stars.
Mostly it was, this book is peaceful and appropriate for all ages but the story is predictable down to the last detail (I mean, fairytales should be predictable, but within limits); the protagonist is your typical feisty princess; there is not much going on; the novel would benefit from tighter editing and I'm positive it exceeds the recommended monthly levels of teenage dopamine.
I liked it anyway, narrative and writing style are ok and I finished it in the allotted evening. 2.5 stars.
March 5, 2016
I know the fairy tale about Thrushbeard King, mainly from the film, so I don't know how very much the author changed the original.
Generally I liked it, although I have reservations about a heroine. In the first scenes even I sympathized with her, but before the ball and later appeared to me as the moody brat which isn't taking nothing and nobody into account.
I think that she isn't deserving Aleksander, but he has a good effect on her, so there is a good chance that she will grow into respectful woman and queen.
The book runs quite fast, the whole lasted about a month. At some point one scene reminds me of Lord of the Rings ;-P
Generally I liked it, although I have reservations about a heroine. In the first scenes even I sympathized with her, but before the ball and later appeared to me as the moody brat which isn't taking nothing and nobody into account.
I think that she isn't deserving Aleksander, but he has a good effect on her, so there is a good chance that she will grow into respectful woman and queen.
The book runs quite fast, the whole lasted about a month. At some point one scene reminds me of Lord of the Rings ;-P
January 31, 2016
It was hilarious, romantic, warm and slice of life.
What I loved the most about this book is the way a kind heart can warm a cold one.
IT WAS PERFECT!
What I loved the most about this book is the way a kind heart can warm a cold one.
IT WAS PERFECT!
August 28, 2017
After continuously reading Fantasy Romance, I now switched to a fairytale retelling.
This is about the spoiled princess of Balinore, Rinda. Her birthright magic is granting luck on inanimate objects. Not a magic worthy of a royalty - thus her father, the King, despises her.
Rinda is a spoiled brat. It's been a while since a heroine irritated me like this. I know she's demeaned by her own father, always the unwanted daughter. But she's so selfish, bratty and rude. I really hate her.
I almost dnf this book. The only saving grace on this book is Alek, he's so pleasant to read. I really like him.❤
I already know what the twist will be, so no surprise when the great reveal happened. There's a lot of one dimensional characters in here.
The latter part is a bit fun and what saved the rating of this book for me. It was an ok read.
This is about the spoiled princess of Balinore, Rinda. Her birthright magic is granting luck on inanimate objects. Not a magic worthy of a royalty - thus her father, the King, despises her.
Rinda is a spoiled brat. It's been a while since a heroine irritated me like this. I know she's demeaned by her own father, always the unwanted daughter. But she's so selfish, bratty and rude. I really hate her.
I almost dnf this book. The only saving grace on this book is Alek, he's so pleasant to read. I really like him.❤
I already know what the twist will be, so no surprise when the great reveal happened. There's a lot of one dimensional characters in here.
The latter part is a bit fun and what saved the rating of this book for me. It was an ok read.
December 26, 2025
I really like the fairytale and was looking for retellings - this was soooo lovely! Devoured it in one day 💕
January 2, 2017
Same Review Also Posted In My Blog: Dreamy Addictions
Oh boy, this book was a charming fun romantic tale that I quite enjoyed reading. The Scarecrow King is actually a retelling of King Thusbeard’s fairytale that I’ve never read before, in fact I never heard of it but I really really loved this book! It’s really a nice retelling and now I’m pretty curious to read the original tale. This was actually my second read from Jill Myles and the first one is the queen of blood that I really loved and when I found this book, I knew I’m really going to like this book. Princess Rinda and Alek are definitely fun characters that I quite adored.
Everyone in the kingdom of Balinore has a birthright magic and princess Rinda of Balinore is born with a magic that can bring luck to inanimate objects which is considered to be an insignificant magic in her kingdom. Except for her beautiful blonde sister, she’s ignored by everyone including her father. But everyone adores her sister, princess Imogen who is born with a strong magic, she can call water just by thinking about it. To get her father’s attention, Princess Rinda acts like a spoiled brat and spends his money tremendously without any care. When the king decides to marry off both the princess’s, Rinda gets pretty mad about it and decides to spoil his plans by bringing forth her bratty self at the entire court and insulting her suitors. But her plan backfires on her and instead of marrying a nobleman, she’s married to a travelling minstrel who is also dirt poor. But Alek isn’t what he seems and neither is Rinda. She won’t take this marriage lying down so she comes up with a scheme to find a husband who is a king. But as she and Alek travel together, they learn that not only are appearances deceiving, but goals can change in the blink of an eye, and love can get in the way of the strongest plans.
I loved Rinda! Although she acted like a spoiled brat and seemed very rude, I really liked her because I can pretty much understand why she has to be like that. Honestly, I felt a bit sympathetic towards her situation. I also loved the character development of her. The story tells us how she grows from a spoiled brat into a strong respectable woman. Alek is definitely a charming character who is quite patient with Rinda’s mean personality. I enjoyed the relationship between Rinda and Alek. I was literally swooning, every time Alek does some small little things to win Rinda’s heart. I’m a fan of slow burn romances and I absolutely loved how their slow growing relationship develops into love. I wish there was more romance in it cause I didn’t get enough of it. As for the supporting characters, I pretty much hated Rinda’s father and as for Imogen, she was okay but nothing interesting.
The plot was wonderful! Though the main twist is easily predictable, it was a well executed plot that kept me engaged through out. Since, I haven’t heard of this tale before, it’s kinda refreshing to read this book. The story moved in a fast pace with no boring moments in between. I loved the writing style and I also enjoyed reading the story from Rinda’s perspective. The world building is good but it could’ve been great if there was a bit more world in it. Nonetheless, I liked every thing in it.
Overall, it was a charming and wonderful tale that made me smile! It is one of those tales that you want to re-read it again maybe sometime in the future. It’s a great retelling with right amount of adventure, magic and clean romance.
Oh boy, this book was a charming fun romantic tale that I quite enjoyed reading. The Scarecrow King is actually a retelling of King Thusbeard’s fairytale that I’ve never read before, in fact I never heard of it but I really really loved this book! It’s really a nice retelling and now I’m pretty curious to read the original tale. This was actually my second read from Jill Myles and the first one is the queen of blood that I really loved and when I found this book, I knew I’m really going to like this book. Princess Rinda and Alek are definitely fun characters that I quite adored.
Everyone in the kingdom of Balinore has a birthright magic and princess Rinda of Balinore is born with a magic that can bring luck to inanimate objects which is considered to be an insignificant magic in her kingdom. Except for her beautiful blonde sister, she’s ignored by everyone including her father. But everyone adores her sister, princess Imogen who is born with a strong magic, she can call water just by thinking about it. To get her father’s attention, Princess Rinda acts like a spoiled brat and spends his money tremendously without any care. When the king decides to marry off both the princess’s, Rinda gets pretty mad about it and decides to spoil his plans by bringing forth her bratty self at the entire court and insulting her suitors. But her plan backfires on her and instead of marrying a nobleman, she’s married to a travelling minstrel who is also dirt poor. But Alek isn’t what he seems and neither is Rinda. She won’t take this marriage lying down so she comes up with a scheme to find a husband who is a king. But as she and Alek travel together, they learn that not only are appearances deceiving, but goals can change in the blink of an eye, and love can get in the way of the strongest plans.
I loved Rinda! Although she acted like a spoiled brat and seemed very rude, I really liked her because I can pretty much understand why she has to be like that. Honestly, I felt a bit sympathetic towards her situation. I also loved the character development of her. The story tells us how she grows from a spoiled brat into a strong respectable woman. Alek is definitely a charming character who is quite patient with Rinda’s mean personality. I enjoyed the relationship between Rinda and Alek. I was literally swooning, every time Alek does some small little things to win Rinda’s heart. I’m a fan of slow burn romances and I absolutely loved how their slow growing relationship develops into love. I wish there was more romance in it cause I didn’t get enough of it. As for the supporting characters, I pretty much hated Rinda’s father and as for Imogen, she was okay but nothing interesting.
The plot was wonderful! Though the main twist is easily predictable, it was a well executed plot that kept me engaged through out. Since, I haven’t heard of this tale before, it’s kinda refreshing to read this book. The story moved in a fast pace with no boring moments in between. I loved the writing style and I also enjoyed reading the story from Rinda’s perspective. The world building is good but it could’ve been great if there was a bit more world in it. Nonetheless, I liked every thing in it.
Overall, it was a charming and wonderful tale that made me smile! It is one of those tales that you want to re-read it again maybe sometime in the future. It’s a great retelling with right amount of adventure, magic and clean romance.
October 29, 2014
I've never read the original King Thrushbeard fairytale (though I did read the plot synopsis on wikipedia), but I feel that this is probably a very YA flavoured retelling of it.
I'm not sure why the author decided Princess Rinda had to be 16 because it didn't add anything to the story other than an extra redundant case of "wow, her father is an utter bastard!" when the king literally marries her off to the first guy to turn up on the doorstep. Of course for a lot of the story she was acting like a sullen, spoiled, whiny and entitled princess and that seems to be how most teenagers are written in fiction, because why bother developing a personality for your character when you can rely on insulting stereotypes, right?
Even though Rinda is married off in her own kingdom the author then retroactively states that actually it was just a handfasting (because who cares about Balinore laws, right?) and Alek has 30 days to win her heart or the marriage is annulled. This leaves it open for The Plot
Naturally, being a romance, Rinda falls in love with Alek over the matter of a few days simply because he's not a horrible person to her like everyone else in her entire life and hands out a few compliments. I'm not sure we ever really find out why Alek falls in love with Rinda since she is nasty to him from the absolute beginning and never really eases up on her awful behaviour towards him until she's exhausted, penniless and broken.
The ending was a bit disappointing to me as well, though it did contain the obligatory fairytale HEA.
I'm not sure why the author decided Princess Rinda had to be 16 because it didn't add anything to the story other than an extra redundant case of "wow, her father is an utter bastard!" when the king literally marries her off to the first guy to turn up on the doorstep. Of course for a lot of the story she was acting like a sullen, spoiled, whiny and entitled princess and that seems to be how most teenagers are written in fiction, because why bother developing a personality for your character when you can rely on insulting stereotypes, right?
Even though Rinda is married off in her own kingdom the author then retroactively states that actually it was just a handfasting (because who cares about Balinore laws, right?) and Alek has 30 days to win her heart or the marriage is annulled. This leaves it open for The Plot
Naturally, being a romance, Rinda falls in love with Alek over the matter of a few days simply because he's not a horrible person to her like everyone else in her entire life and hands out a few compliments. I'm not sure we ever really find out why Alek falls in love with Rinda since she is nasty to him from the absolute beginning and never really eases up on her awful behaviour towards him until she's exhausted, penniless and broken.
The ending was a bit disappointing to me as well, though it did contain the obligatory fairytale HEA.
January 16, 2018
So far this is my favorite book this year. (yeah the year just started, but hey.)
I don't think I've ever read a retelling of King Thrushbeard before. If I have I put it at one and so very long ago that I've lost all details of it. Anyway, it's a shame in some ways because this is one of my favorite fairytales. At the same time, I can see why it'd be a hard story to retell. Because it's just so darn good in the original form that besides stretching it out, what would you do with it?
Well someone found a way! And I'm really glad because this is an amazing retelling. If you're familiar with the tale then the twist at the end for the MC(Rinda) won't surprise you, but it doesn't keep the journey from being a blast.
Some of the great changes in this story from the original: Rinda is not a purely selfish, mean princess. It's more like she was born into a family that doesn't love her, with nobility that think she's common, and her coping mechanism is to be as blunt and offensive as she can. When her father informs her that she MUST pick a husband at a ball(he pretends it's her choice, but makes it clear to her that he will choose if she doesn't), Rinda takes matters into her own hands.
If she can't simply "not choose" a husband, she'll make darn sure none of the candidates want to choose her. Her plan seems to be going well, but her father catches on and in a desperate attempt to finish, she starts snowballing. She blunders into the late arriving king from the kingdom across the mountains and blurts the first thing she can think of.
Successfully offending every man in the castle and humiliating her family, Rinda's brought back to reality by a slap and her father's angry decree that the first man to show up on the doorstep will be given her as a bride.
The next morning she's called away from her bed to be married to the first man who showed up that morning, a minstrel(and not a very good one). Angry, hurt, and way outside of her comfort zone, Rinda spends the beginning of her married life lashing out at her new husband, Alek.
Alek takes it all in stride and is such a genuinely nice person that Rinda has a hard time staying mad at him. She still is sure that the peasant life isn't for her. She wants the clothes, the comforts, and so on. (who wouldn't?) But she also begins to see how much Alek does for her.
Their journey is long and there's an overhanging element of tension and danger. It's fun to see how the characters grow and change. How they appreciate each other and make changes for the other. Alek sees Rinda the way no one else ever has, and in turn Rinda treats him like the friend he's never had.
No spoilers, but I also like that both characters had flaws and good qualities. They're easy to like, because you understand the parts of them that aren't so great. You also don't feel like the one is so much better than the other. We eventually start to see that Alek has faults too and it wasn't just Rinda who needed to learn a lesson.
Yes, the love happens over the course of like a week or two, but it's done so well that it doesn't feel at all like insta-love.
I don't think I've ever read a retelling of King Thrushbeard before. If I have I put it at one and so very long ago that I've lost all details of it. Anyway, it's a shame in some ways because this is one of my favorite fairytales. At the same time, I can see why it'd be a hard story to retell. Because it's just so darn good in the original form that besides stretching it out, what would you do with it?
Well someone found a way! And I'm really glad because this is an amazing retelling. If you're familiar with the tale then the twist at the end for the MC(Rinda) won't surprise you, but it doesn't keep the journey from being a blast.
Some of the great changes in this story from the original: Rinda is not a purely selfish, mean princess. It's more like she was born into a family that doesn't love her, with nobility that think she's common, and her coping mechanism is to be as blunt and offensive as she can. When her father informs her that she MUST pick a husband at a ball(he pretends it's her choice, but makes it clear to her that he will choose if she doesn't), Rinda takes matters into her own hands.
If she can't simply "not choose" a husband, she'll make darn sure none of the candidates want to choose her. Her plan seems to be going well, but her father catches on and in a desperate attempt to finish, she starts snowballing. She blunders into the late arriving king from the kingdom across the mountains and blurts the first thing she can think of.
Successfully offending every man in the castle and humiliating her family, Rinda's brought back to reality by a slap and her father's angry decree that the first man to show up on the doorstep will be given her as a bride.
The next morning she's called away from her bed to be married to the first man who showed up that morning, a minstrel(and not a very good one). Angry, hurt, and way outside of her comfort zone, Rinda spends the beginning of her married life lashing out at her new husband, Alek.
Alek takes it all in stride and is such a genuinely nice person that Rinda has a hard time staying mad at him. She still is sure that the peasant life isn't for her. She wants the clothes, the comforts, and so on. (who wouldn't?) But she also begins to see how much Alek does for her.
Their journey is long and there's an overhanging element of tension and danger. It's fun to see how the characters grow and change. How they appreciate each other and make changes for the other. Alek sees Rinda the way no one else ever has, and in turn Rinda treats him like the friend he's never had.
No spoilers, but I also like that both characters had flaws and good qualities. They're easy to like, because you understand the parts of them that aren't so great. You also don't feel like the one is so much better than the other. We eventually start to see that Alek has faults too and it wasn't just Rinda who needed to learn a lesson.
Yes, the love happens over the course of like a week or two, but it's done so well that it doesn't feel at all like insta-love.
October 8, 2023
Charming! I think this is my favorite version of this fairytale. I really enjoyed the characters and the development they go through together and individually. The romance is sweet and Alek is charming. Rinda has built a hard wall around her heart, for good reason, so I especially enjoyed seeing her soften up and become her true self. Overall, an entertaining and engaging story.
Content Rated G/PG
Closed door intimacy between married couple. Kissing. No language. Very mild violence
This was my first book by this author, she left an authors note at the end that her other books are open-door romances, which is a shame for me because I really enjoyed her writing style and would love to read more from her. Maybe she’ll write some more clean fairytale retelling???
Content Rated G/PG
Closed door intimacy between married couple. Kissing. No language. Very mild violence
This was my first book by this author, she left an authors note at the end that her other books are open-door romances, which is a shame for me because I really enjoyed her writing style and would love to read more from her. Maybe she’ll write some more clean fairytale retelling???
September 19, 2017
Ok, first off, King Thrushbeard is one of my favorite fairy tales of all time....unfortunately, for me, this retelling just didn't do justice to the original tale. This is a decent enough young adults read - but that's all there is to it... now if only I were 16, I might have liked this one better...
January 30, 2018
A fun and clean retelling of King Thrushbeard. If you are into fairytale retellings, you will like this one.
Free on kindle unlimited
Free on kindle unlimited
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