This Princess Kills Monsters: The Misadventures of a Fairy-Tale Stepsister: A Novel

by Ry Herman

A princess with a mostly useless magical talent takes on horrible monsters, a dozen identical masked heroes, and a talking lion in a quest to save a kingdom—and herself—in this affectionate satire of the Grimm Brothers’ fairy tale The Twelve Huntsmen .

Someone wants to murder Princess Melilot. This is sadly normal.

Melilot is sick of being ordered to go on dangerous quests by her domineering stepmother. Especially since she always winds up needing to be rescued by her more magically talented stepsisters. And now, she's been commanded to marry a king she’s never met.

When hideous spider-wolves attack her on the journey to meet her husband-to-be, she is once again rescued—but this time, by twelve eerily similar-looking masked huntsmen. Soon, she has to contend with near-constant attempts on her life, a talking lion that sets bewildering gender tests, and a king who can't recognize his true love when she puts on a pair of trousers. And all the while, she has to fight her growing attraction to not only one of the huntsmen, but also her fiancé’s extremely attractive sister.

If Melilot can't unravel the mysteries and rescue herself from peril, kingdoms will fall. Worse, she could end up married to someone she doesn’t love.

Genres: Fantasy, Romance, Queer, LGBT, Fiction, Retellings, Adult

Audible Audio

First published June 17, 2025

About the author

Born in the US, Ry Herman is now a permanent Scottish resident. Their debut novel, the queer supernatural romcom Love Bites, was published by Jo Fletcher Books in July of 2020. Ry is bisexual and genderqueer.

Their most recent book, This Princess Kills Monsters, is a retelling of “The Twelve Huntsmen”, one of the Grimm Brothers’ weirdest fairy tales. It takes that tale’s jilted, trouser-wearing fiancée, her eleven identical crossdressing doppelgangers, a talking lion, and of course, the princess, on an extravagant, fantastical quest to save a kingdom, subvert destiny, and fall in love with the perfectly right wrong person.

Ry has worked at a variety of jobs, including submissions editor, theatre technician, and one job which could best be described as typing the number five all day long. Ry acts and directs, and has performed at the Edinburgh Fringe Festival. Hobbies include baking bread, playing tabletop roleplaying games, and reading as many books as humanly possible.

Reviews

[Jamie · Rating 5 out of 5]

This Princess Kills Monsters is an enchanting feminist retelling of the Grimm Brothers' The Twelve Huntsmen, not that it exactly sticks to only one fairy tale, mind you … this book borrows bits and pieces from allllll the stories. It's heartwarming and hilarious and action-packed, and I loved pretty much every moment of it. It is fairly heavy on the romance which isn't normally my thing, but overall the lovey-dovey stuff isn't too distracting and takes a backseat to the sorcery and saving the kingdom bits.

And there is a whole lot of sorcery. There are multiple sorceresses doing sorceress-y things. I mean, people get turned into geese, you guys. And would any fairy tale be complete without an enchanted spinning wheel??

And the characters? Fantastic. Melilot is a witty and likeable protagonist, but in my opinion Gnoflwhogil, Meliot's brave and slightly … aggressive fairy sister-in-law, is absolutely delightful and the real MVP of this book. For some reason she reminds me of Anya from Buffy the Vampire Slayer (or a considerably-more-violent version of Anya, anyway), and Anya was my very favorite character from Buffy so I guess I have a type? Even the villains are multifaceted and not entirely hateable, and, I mean, the reasonings behind their misdeeds aren't entirely without merit, so …

Oh, and there's a dragon. And spider wolves. And grumpy enchanted mirrors. And an epic battle à la the Battle of Winterfell. And also I'm probably going to get so many hate comments from Game of Thrones fans regarding that comparison, but whatever.

So, yeah. Fantastic book. Definitely read it if you're into feminist fairy tales with humor and heart and sorcery of all sorts. My rating: 4.55 stars, rounded up.

Many thanks to NetGalley and The Dial Press for providing me with an advance copy of this book to review. Its expected publication date is June 17, 2025.

[Krysta ꕤ · Rating 4 out of 5]

“It didn’t feel like I was walking into happily ever after. Not exactly. Those are reserved for the ends of stories, and this was the beginning.”

🩷🧡💜💙 happy release day 🩷🧡💜💙

this book was so much fun! i usually don’t always love breaking of the fourth wall, but it worked so well with the fairytale vibe of the book. princess Melilot is a hot mess honestly, but i loved how she pushed against what was expected of her. as a satire on “the twelve huntsmen” i think this was successful, it knows what type of book it is and plays to those strengths in the actual story. there’s so many monsters and characters, the romance was cute too. if you’re looking for an entertaining read with queer characters, read this.

➵ many thanks to NetGalley, the author and Random House Publishing for the arc, all opinions are my own.

[jenny reads a lot · Rating 5 out of 5]

That was a phenomenally good time!

This is what I mean when I say I enjoy cozy fantasy. The stakes were medium, the humor was endless, and the fairy tale vibes were perfection. I’d give it a million stars if I could.

While This Princess Kills Monsters is a retelling of the Grimm Brothers’ The Twelve Huntsmen, it’s also full of so many other fairy tale references. It’s wildly unserious (and I mean that as the highest praise) and laugh out loud funny.

I finished this book with sore cheeks from all the smiling and laughing it provoked.

I desperately need an artist to create the hair filling the tower scene! STAT!

What I loved…
- every single character, even the villains were totally fun to read
- speaking of characters they were relatable and flawed
- dragons, and various other totally crazy magical creatures
- feminist af
- perfectly queer (princesses get to marry princesses, a transgender love interest, and tons of queer joy and acceptance - I want to live inside this book!)
- family forward story that will have you calling your sister to tell her how much you love her!
- honestly if I wrote everything I loved about this book in list format the list would be about a 100 pages long - and I really think some of this is better experienced with no prior knowledge.

I really just need you to go read this book now, it’s phenomenal and fun and you won’t regret it!

5⭐️| IG | TikTok |

Thank you NetGalley and The Dial for sending this book (eARC) for review consideration. All opinions are my own.

[Ricarda · Rating 5 out of 5]

As a German, I must shamefully admit that I have never heard of the tale of The Twelve Huntsmen. And I would definitely remember it with its twelve identical looking hunters who don't really serve a purpose in the story or the kinda sexist talking lion. It's a tale of a prince who is already in love but has to marry a foreign princess to fulfill his father's last wish. But after a bit of crossdressing shenanigans and some mortal peril, he comes to the realization that he can't possibly marry anyone else than his beloved, and the foreign princess is thrown under the bus. Ry Herman decided to give a voice to this princess and enhanced the story, because let's be real, the original tale leaves much to be desired. Herman starts out by giving the foreign princess a name for once – Melilot – and creates a backstory set in a strange fairy tale kingdom full of silly magic. It's Melilot's job "to go on nonsensical quests and solve annoying puzzles", and to do basically anything her stepmother, the wicked sorceress queen, tells her to. Her sisters often come to her aid and while Melilot loves them fiercely, she can't help but feel like the least among them. Her sister Jonquil rides a dragon and is married to a bloodthirsty faerie warrior princess, and her sister Calla is friend to all animals (the kind that weaves clothing for you or that would join you in a musical number), while Melilot's most prominent magic is about making her hair grow really fast. She's also the only one who is married off to a foreign land, but there's really nothing she can do about that. So Melilot finds herself in a kingdom plagued by weird hybrid monsters that's ruled by a somewhat useless king whose first adviser is this talking lion that's always promoting his book about human nature. But stranger things have happened in this fairy tale world, where silliness awaits around every corner. Every other character has a strange affliction or weird magic, and the way this was so bluntly talked about cracked me up every time. Like of course Melilot can't use the spinning wheel when they are known to bring curses and death, and yes, Jonquil's father died from ripping himself into two pieces when someone guessed his name right, it happens. This book took common fairy tale themes and showed how ridiculous they often are, and it was such a fun time. Many fairy tales are referenced, some even retold at length. The overarching plotline was just ok, but the world and the characters really made up for it. Melilot was a no-nonsense character in an all-nonsense world, and I liked her a lot as a main character. It was great to see the strong bond she had with her sisters and their spouses, and the relationship with her stepmother was complex and not at all the basic evil-stepmother trope that's common in fairy tales. The little romance was cute too, but it's really not the focus of the story. It's more about Melilot finding her place in life and maybe saving the kingdom while she's at it. And yes, she slays more than one monster in the story, but I'm not a fan of the title of the book. Melilot is really not the warrior princess the title makes it sound like she is, but I hope it draws some well deserved attention to this book. The cover is incredible, though. Kudos to Alexis Flynn who designed it. So yeah, I can recommend this book without any reservations. For readers who like … fun, I guess.

Huge thanks to NetGalley and Random House / Dial Press for providing a digital arc in exchange for an honest review.

[MagretFume · Rating 4 out of 5]

I liked it a lot. It's funny and doesn't takes itself too seriously, but still the story is well constructed and the writing is good.
I liked the many references to fairytales woven into the story, the light romance and the many adventures the MC goes through.

Unfortunately I didn't really connect with any of the characters. They felt unidimensional and not very likeable, except maybe for the sisters, which were my favourite.

Overall I had a good time but I felt like it really missed some character development.

Thank you Random House!

[Sunny Lu · Rating 5 out of 5]

What a hilarious delight of a queer fairytale retelling mashup! I loved and adored Princess Melilot and all of her siblings. I haven’t had this much fun with a fantasy in a long time. Would recommend this to enjoyers of Alix E. Harrow’s Fractured Fables series and Brandon Sanderson’s Tress of the Emerald Sea. Just so so so sweet and fun and also funny.

[Dee (in the Desert) · Rating 4 out of 5]

4 solid stars - Another Pride🏳️‍🌈 read - Very fun high fantasy story that is also quite feminist, queer & inclusive and just a whole lot of humor. I was unfamiliar with the main fairy tale this one was based on (12 Huntsmen) but there were plenty of others referenced & skewered here - the author's note was quite helpful at the end too! If you like High Fantasy or the "Princess Bride" you'll enjoy this! Really liked the messages about different kinds of love, family & mothers too & it left me with a big smile on my face!!😁😁😁

[Zoë · Rating 4 out of 5]

finished this so quickly I forgot to rate it bc I was so consumed by it

[DianaRose · Rating 3 out of 5]

firstly, thank you to the publisher for an arc!

this was a fun conglomeration of many different fairy tales and folk lores, but despite the silliness it still takes the time to carefully discuss serious topics such as parent death, misogyny, and animal abuse

—

i’ve seen so many good reviews about this sapphic fantasy! very excited to dive in

[Krissi · Rating 4 out of 5]

Thank you to Netgalley, the publisher, and the author for providing a free e-arc in exchange for an honest review.

Go into this book expecting a silly, sarcastic , fun ride, and you won't be disappointed! I had a great time while reading this. The story was funny, fast-paced, had fairy tales woven throughout the fairy tale, had a good plot, and really pulled you in. I think it's the kind of book where you will know from the first chapter of you're going to like it or not.

The only issue I had was the character development. I wish we got a little more out of each character, kind of like in The Princess Bride where you developed such a connection with the characters as well as were enthralled with the plot which you can definitely see The Princess Bride influence throughout this book. I am definitely interested in reading more work by the author, and I hope we can get more stories from some of the secondary characters as well!

[Ali Do Is Read · Rating 5 out of 5]

4.75 but will probably turn to 5 stars any second now. also I'm BEGGING for a Gnoflwhogir origin story 🙂‍↕️

[Noi (in & out) · Rating 4 out of 5]

“Logic and magic don’t exactly go hand in hand. And a good thing, too.”

This was so fun, and the audio made it so much better.
---------
How could I resist that title and cover?

[Billie's Not So Secret Diary · Rating 2 out of 5]

This Princess Kills Monsters
by Ry Herman
Fantasy Cozy Retelling
NetGalley eARC
Pub Date: Jun 17, 2025
Random House
Ages: 14+

Melilot's stepmother keeps sending her and her step-sisters on quests, but unlike her sisters, Melilot isn't all that gifted. Her special powers are growing her hair and turning herself into a puddle. Her newest quest is to get married, but on her way to his kingdom, her carriage is attacked by spider-wolves.

Rescued by six huntsmen who look almost identical, she decides to keep her true identity hidden because it seems as if someone might be trying to kill her. But at the castle, it is a fate worse than death; according to their traditions, enforced by a talking lion, women of marrying age are to be sequestered to their own floor of the castle, only allowed to go outside by balcony but still hidden from sight.


Yeah, there wasn't much killing of Monsters in this story, and what action there was wasn't graphic or adventurous. It was a cozy story retelling a lot of different 'fairy tales', taking snippets of Snow White, Cinderella, and a few others, which I thought was very creative, but it doesn't have that much action or adventure. I can say there are a few funnies that help keep the story from being a complete bore.

Romance/falling in love is a big part of this, but it does not have explicit content. There is some violence, and other details that may offend younger/immature readers, but overall it's suitable for readers fourteen and older.

My biggest gripe with this is that the title didn't have much to do with the story. I was expecting a lot more adventure/hunting. Yes, there are monsters, and... spoilers, but... spoilers.

I would have given it one more star if there was more action/monster hunting, and the 'fairy tales' the characters told each other to explain this world's history had more descriptions instead of just telling the tale.

It wasn't bad, but wasn't great either.

2 Stars

[laurel [the suspected bibliophile] · Rating 5 out of 5]

THIS is the kind of fairy-tale fantasy I'm talking about!

Both a retelling of the Grimm's "The Twelve Huntsmen" and entirely it's own thing, with a delightful twist on the evil stepmother trope and a bunch of other familiar fairy tales.

Right from the prologue I knew this was probably going to be a four or five star for me. And I generally HATE prologues.

I adored the humor. I loved the self-aware writing style. I loved Melilot's family. I loved the huntsmen, who needed a bit more page time to be full characters instead of stereotypes, but it was a. big cast. Whole thing, just love love love.

[Kitkat · Rating 1 out of 5]

This Princess Kills Monsters has a lot potential, and some great elements, but suffers from structural issues and some troubling themes.

Princess Mellilot, a classic "underfoot fairytale stepdaughter" type, is sent by her sort-of-evil, definitely-a-dictator stepmother to be wed to the king of a small, non-magical kingdom. Melilot is unremarkable compared to her very powerful sisters, and despite loving them, also kind of resents them. Arriving in the kingdom to meet her fiance, things immediately go wrong when Melilot is attacked by monsters, and realizes the kingdom is waiting for her to save the day (except they're under the impression she's strong like her sisters). From here, the book advertises there will be a love triangle between one of the king's mysterious twelve identical hunters and the king's smokin' hot sister. That's where the problems with this book begin to really show.

The Good:

- The contrast between the insane fairy tale world Melilot is from and the mostly-non-magical kingdom the story takes place in is excellent and often humorous

- The humor is sometimes painfully corny, but when it's not, it can be pretty funny

- Overall, mostly the concept, setting, and fairy tail backdrop are the biggest strengths. The world is fun.

- The weaving of fairy tale content and elements was really enjoyable. The huntsmen are all pretty great, though honestly they didn't get enough screen time because we focused really hard a romance with... kind of the least interesting of the batch.

The Bad (SPOILERS AHEAD) :

- The promised love triangle romance is executed so poorly as to basically not exist. The romance arc with Sam comprises nearly 90% of the book's content, with the promised sapphic romance elements in the synopsis boiling down to a couple of short scenes where Angelique says a flirty one-liner and Melilot blushes. This make the synopsis feel wildly inaccurate, which is frustrating on its own, but it leads to structural and thematic issues in the third act of the book.

- Sam's reveal that he's a trans guy is a bit of a thematic shift for the book, and I feel a little silly for not seeing it coming. I liked this reveal, and I like Sam as a character, but given how absolutely little time the supposed sapphic love interest was given, and the total lack of relevance Sam's trans identity has to any character arc, this felt a little bit like a "bait and switch" from "love triangle with sapphic romance" to "hetero romance, but the guy is trans even though it's never relevant, and the woman is bi, even though it's also never really relevant". 90%+ of this book's content is focused on a straight romance where the queer nature of the characters is inconsequential to the story being told. Unfortunately, when these queer themes do come to the surface, it's surprisingly kind of... thematically misogynist? Which comes to the next point.

- The lesbian love interest that's shunted to the side and is built on like... four pieces of dialogue between the two characters.. is revealed to be THE villain. The explanation has lots of feminist undertones... women in our setting are second class citizens with no power, no rights, and women can't inherit the throne. Oh wow, that's a huge problem, right? Maybe we should actually side with this usurper because she's the only one in a position of power that cares about the rights of women in her country, right? WRONG, she's INSANELY EVIL. Like, she immediately begins monologuing about how she's been kidnapping and torturing animals since she was a child and how she's willing to murder anyone and everyone in her family solely because she wants power for the sake of power. Excuse me... What... the.. fuck?? So we've spent 90%+ of the story focused on a hetero romance, and even if we HAD given equal time to the sapphic love option, it doesn't matter because she's a serial killer animal torturing power hungry narcissist because... feminism? HOW IS ANYONE CALLING THIS A FEMINIST RETELLING???

- Casual misogyny abound. Grevase, the new king, presses back at every opportunity when a character is like "Hey, maybe.. women's rights?" with some variation of like "Well, it's too much, or maybe we'll talk about it later?" His fiance has to be literally bleeding to death and demanding it before he's like "Okay... I mean.. we'll try.. women's rights.. I guess.. if we have to." That's the side the reader is supposed to be cheering for!! Even after knowing his sister, whom he relied on and brought to the kingdom for guidance because he didn't know how to rule, was targeting the rest of the family because she'd been denied the right to rule due to her gender, Grevase does... nothing? Isn't like "Oh shit, maybe she has a point, actually" and instead lets his fiance murder the shit out of his sister. King Grevase's response to his sister's death, ultimately drawing its cause all the way back to the oppression of women in his kingdom, is to FORBID ANY MENTION OF HER EXISTENCE AND ERASE HER FROM HISTORY. Bruh. This is supposed to be a feminist retelling???

- The ending barely solved the core thematic issue of misogynistic oppression. The king begrudgingly lets his wife be a military leader and ends gendered segregation at her dying demand. And that's all the effort he takes. Setting up education and support programs for these women who were until now essentially baby factories? Well, that's his wife's responsibility, obviously. The king? He's going to keep his impossibly misogynist talking lion adviser in his position, but just... ignore him. Oh wait, except they're letting him give hours-long sexist diatribes at every royal meeting to discuss policy, and commission a second edition of his ultra ultra sexist book, which is like the entire UNDERPINNING of the sexist social and legal structure in their country. I am so sorry, because the bones of a good book are here, but this is a zero out of ten ending.

- The character arc for Melilot is kind of nonsensical. Like, yeah, her stepmother actually IS abusive, but maybe she actually DID abuse Melilot because she cared about her, and maybe actually she's AFRAID of Melilot who is now super powerful because really all she needed was to believe in herself... which she was only able to do because she... didn't have her abusive stepmother pointedly ruining her life. Melilot's abuse is hand waved away as like "Well there was no way to reach her and the queen ran out of options and what she did wasn't good but maybe she meant good" when it's like "Bruh, Melilot was a rebellious CHILD". She stands up to her stepmother after years of being neglected and abused "for her own good" and then is like "Well, maybe I'll still take quests from my stepmom, but only when I feel like it, and I'll do some traveling, but I'll probably come back and visit some every now and then". It just seems like the book's take on child abuse is like "maybe it's more complicated than we might think", which is frankly, just awful.

[Erin · Rating 4 out of 5]

Thanks to NetGalley and Random House Publishing Group - Random House for access to this title. All opinions expressed are my own.

Publisher's Description: A princess with a mostly useless magical talent takes on horrible monsters, a dozen identical masked heroes, and a talking lion in a quest to save a kingdom—and herself—in this affectionate, feminist fairy tale satire.


Sometimes, I like my reads and my characters not to take themselves too seriously. At times, ridiculous events occurred, but I loved the irony and humour. If you like fairy tales where the main female protagonist knows how to play the game and turns our perceptions on their heads, you're going to love This Princess Kills Monsters.






#ThisPrincessKillsMonsters #NetGalley.
Publication Date 17/06/25
Goodreads review published 29/06/25

[Ry Herman · Rating 5 out of 5]

It's publication day!

I hope you all enjoy this one. I'm honestly pretty proud of it.

[milo · Rating 1 out of 5]

ARC provided by NetGalley and the publishers! Thank you so much for allowing me to read this early in exchange for an honest review!

1.5 but I can't even round up. Which sucks.

As much as it pains me to give a book with prominent transmasc rep a rating so low, I just can't get over a bunch of things about it.

Predominantly, it doesn't even feel like a YA book pretending to be an Adult book, which is a common critique these days. No, this book reads as a Middle Grade book pretending to be an Adult book.

The prose is stilted and seems very sure of itself being charming and funny, which it's generally none of. It also refuses to engage with itself seriously for more than a few pages at a time which I find insufferable. If even you won't engage with your book and the world within it earnestly, how can I? I keep seeing this compared to the Princess Bride, and as somebody who considers that their favorite movie, I'm sorry but I don't see it at all. The Princess Bride is silly and campy but it also has so much heart. It's also legitimately funny which, again, this book isn't— but it thinks it is.

If your book is largely based off of finding yourself funny at the expense of earnest care for your world, it should probably actually be funny. The humor is largely an ungodly mix of lawl random xD and millenialisms that would make a tumblr user cringe. It's a lot of making references to fairytales and going OMG ISN'T THAT SO SILLY YOU GUYS?

I can't help but feel let down, maybe because this was my first ARC since getting back into reading seriously. Maybe it's because I'm fresh off of devouring T Kingfisher's fantasy romance series, which engages with itself earnestly even when it knows it's being absurdist and ridiculous. I don't know. I'm sure this book is for somebody, but it certainly isn't for me when everything I read just makes me think of how irony-poisoned we are now. Everything is tongue in cheek. It makes me sad.

To transition to individual aspects of the book that make it a frustrating read: the way stronger/rural accents in this book are treated makes me sad and angry. Maybe it's because I just was talking about how Gaelic cultures are demolished by fantasy authors with little respect, with a particular demonization and jester-fication of Scottish and Irish coded characters prominent. There's a character whose accent being so strong nobody can understand them is their ENTIRE character, and in the year 2025 that accent is written out on the page in excruciating detail every time. It's weird and embarrassing.

The romance is... boring. I suppose? They set up a love triangle that doesn't go anywhere because the book isn't long enough and doesn't develop either love interest or dynamic nearly enough to stand on their own, much less pitted against each other. I want to like Sam as a trans man, and I think in another story he could've been the star of the show. But in this one? He's wasted.

To be honest, the only thing I can really appreciate is the guts it takes to publish a book with such prominent trans rep in the current political climate, especially a love interest.

So, sorry to be the first one to tank the rating of this book. I think there are people out here who will like it but not me, and unfortunately I would not rec this to any of my friends. This might find a home in the BookTok crowd, but who knows.

[fulcrum · Rating 4 out of 5]

This story found me right in the middle of a reading slump, and I decided to give it a chance almost entirely because of its bright, vibrant cover. I went in with very few expectations: I’d never heard the tale of the Twelve Huntsmen before, and, judging only by the title, I had somehow imagined a completely different kind of book (I am, admittedly, the sort of person who does not read summaries). What I didn’t expect was how thoroughly and pleasantly surprised I would end up being.

I assumed this would be something light and frivolous: fun, low-stakes, more vibes than plot. Instead, I found a story with real depth. Beneath its cosy surface are layered conflicts, stories nested within stories, and small moral questions woven throughout. The protagonist is likeable and easy to root for, and the romance subplot felt genuine and sweet (yay, I was not misled here: this is really a queer story!)

What makes the book particularly successful, though, is how well it maintains its balance. Yes, it is a cosy fantasy, and there is no shortage of funny, absurd, and occasionally chaotic moments, but it never tips into becoming a single exaggerated spectacle. The secondary characters are given room to be multifaceted and recognisable, and the story allows for darker moments that ground the humour and offset the frivolity.

For all its warmth and comfort, this is a nuanced and meaningful book, one that understands when to be playful and when to pull back. It is precisely this careful balance—between cosiness and conflict, lightness and depth—that makes the story engaging and rewarding to read.

[Ashley · Rating 4 out of 5]

My only complaint is that this felt just a teensy bit too long. But otherwise, a very fun time.

[Corrie Brown · Rating 5 out of 5]

An absolutely fun read, full of interwoven and twisted fairy tales with wit and humour.

[alex · Rating 2 out of 5]

This Princess Kills Monsters is labeled an "affectionate" satire, but I wouldn’t call it a satisfying one. The aim of satire is to highlight and criticize societal issues through humor. While the book does point to the ridiculous expectations of gender in the original The Twelve Huntsmen and the kingdom of Tailliz, its criticism isn’t particularly new, clever or constructive. Yes, women are valuable members of society and should have an active role in it – and? We already know this. Moreover, I feel that the actual satire already happens in the prologue, which is a humorous and over-the-top recount of The Twelve Huntsmen, and the rest of the story adds nothing substantial to it. The choice to tell the story from Melilot’s POV also adds very little. Her romance with one of the huntsmen is cute but pretty superficial, and the relationship with the king’s sister is an exaggerated bait for readers interested in sapphic romance. Sadly, This Princess Kills Monsters puts such a focus on its thin, rarely truly clever humor that the plot is rendered flat and nothing remarkable is achieved by the end of the story. At its highest points, it’s a fun romp, but I expected more. And for a title like that, Melilot does a disappointing amount of monster killing, and every kill is basically accidental. 🙄

[zara · Rating 4 out of 5]

i have no idea what convinced me that the main ship is sapphic but nevertheless... it was nottt a pleasant surprise 😠 everything else was pretty fire

[Katie Hall · Rating 2 out of 5]

Thank you to NetGalley and Random House Publishing Group for a complimentary early release copy of This Princess Kills by Ry Herman.

This Princess Kills Monsters took me a while to read, I thought about dnfing it a few times but I pushed through because there were some stuff that did hold my interest and I wanted to see where things would go. The start of the story is rather slow but I did like seeing Melilot’s magical step sisters, I enjoyed the relationship between the sisters, the magical elements, and the whole stepmother thing. The dynamics with Melilot’s family is interesting to read about and I like the direction that the story went in with those. Some of my favorite parts of the story had be the flashback/story book told chapters, while they were long I found them to be enjoyable though it was a little annoying to have present day characters interrupt whoever was telling the story at the time.

The story didn’t really pick up for me until about the fifty percent mark of the book. I have mixed feelings about Melilot’s character as I felt her among others held so much potential but they just felt a bit flat. For a good percentage of the book it feels like Melilot isn’t really doing much of anything but existing during scenes. Even when things pick up a bit more action wise I still felt disappointed by how things had played out with her. The love interest for Merlilot was a good one, I liked the love interest and thought that the two of them had great potential but I wouldn’t say that we got much of a romance between them. It’s made pretty obvious early on who Melilot was going to end up with, while I’m happy with who I’m disappointed that we didn’t get more between them. This story does have a twist that I didn’t catch onto and I liked that twist as well, the twist is what really kept my attention for this story.

I feel like the big reason that this story didn’t partially work for me is because it’s satire, I was aware of this going into This Princess Kills Monsters but I don’t partially think this type of writing works for me. The story tries to be funny & amusing, and it is sometimes but some scenes, plot details, and dialogue lose some of the mood because of it. The main plot line of this story is about the huntsmen’s and what’s going on with them. The cover for This Princess Kills Monsters is so pretty! The artist did an awesome job! Overall rating a 2.5.

[Anna Makowska · Rating 4 out of 5]

Wacky. Unabashedly queer. A wild romp of fairy tale parody, memey humour and some wisdoms about prejudice, tradition and how family is complicated. Fun but kinda forgettable.

Recommended for fans of humorous fantasy and satire of tropes, like Dreadful, Long Live Evil, How to Become the Dark Lord and Die Trying, That Time I Got Drunk and Saved a Demon and similar. Judging by the fact I dnfed 2 of these and the other 2 didn't even appeal to me, I feel this book deserves a 4 for effort because I managed to finish it without quitting of cringe.

Bonus points for queer rep including trans love interest and lesbian side characters.

Unfortunately, I think humorous fantasy is another sub-genre after cozy fantasy I don't mesh well with. Inevitably the characters feel like 2-dimensional caricatures and the plot feels like a theme park ride ticking off attractions (tropes) from a list.

I seriously hoped Angelique would redeem herself, Gervase would abdicate and everyone would feast on a roasted lion in the end, but alas, this isn't that kind of book. Maybe I should just go watch Cinderella with Camila Cabello instead for some wacky fairy tale twist.

The cover is stunning though and enchantingly rainbowy, as suitable for a very queer book.

Thank you Netgalley and Random House Publishing Group: Dial Press Trade Paperback for the ARC!

[Sam’s Sapphic Reads · Rating 4 out of 5]

This Princess Kills Monsters follows Melilot, a low-level sorceress who is the stepdaughter of the great Queen and all powerful sorceress. It’s a mash-up between multiple fairytales such as the Twelve Huntsmen, Rapunzel, Sleeping Beauty, and speaks in parts about others.

It was a wild ride following this story, and the imagination that this author has is truly incomparable. The great thing about this book is I could vividly imagine the story while I was reading, not to mention it was adventurous and hilarious.

It isn’t just about the fairytale ending with a happy ending. It talks about family, true family, and learning more about yourself. Melilot believed she was lesser than her sisters and that they thought so too, but throughout the story her sisters stuck by her and supported her the whole way.

The whole bunch were crazy, but I loved them all. The writing of this story was extremely impressive and I found myself lost in it. It’s a wonderfully written LGBTQ+ fairytale.

Please note: I received a copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.

[Kyara B. · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was an absurd adventure that ended up being a really good time!

As a satirical, comical retelling of The Twelve Huntsmen, this story really shows how illogical and silly many fairytales are. While I was hesitant of the book’s tone at first, I was quickly pulled in. I love how it doesn’t take itself too seriously. I laughed a lot more than I expected to.

Melilot is fun to follow. She is quirky, imperfect, tired of her stepmother, and constantly in the shadow of her sisters. Her journey quickly becomes one of fun, humor, and all kinds of mythical creatures.

While humor is at the forefront of this story, we do explore Melilot as we see her grow. Alongside her is a great cast of amusing characters each with their own layers. I also enjoyed the romance and the amount of inclusivity.

There were good twists and turns and I enjoyed how everything wrapped up. This ended up being an unexpected surprise and a good pick-me-up. I’ll probably continue to think of this book fondly as time goes on.

[Chasing Silhouettes · Rating 5 out of 5]

4.75 🌟

' “That, I’m afraid, is a rather long story.”
“Is it a good story?”
“It’s filled with mystery, magic, adventure, and danger...."' (Ch 6)

Somewhat humorous, ornery, quirky fairytale (with fairytales within the fairytale). Think Princess Bride, Ella Enchanted, Enchanted, Into the Woods, or even Shrek... but not for children. This gives off the same type of quasi-comical vibes (the prologue, even more so).

'...“As you know, my heart has been sliced into pieces like a bruised, mealy apple, its very core ripped out and the remnants laid upon a crust of misery, to be baked into a pie of sadness after being sprinkled with the cinnamon of despair.”
“Now I’m hungry,” Sam complained.' (Ch 7)

It allowed me to take a good refreshing break for some lip-twitches, chuckles, and giggles — some silent and some laugh-out-quietly, hehe.

Jaunty perilous journeys. Good fantastical epic battle scenes full of action and strange and peculiar characters and creatures. It did not lack the entertainment factor! And the surprising twists!

It had fun little references to classic fairytales within, too!

Absolutely loved this story (or stories) and the writing. It kept my attention and interest. If I had had the time to read it in one sitting, I would have!

' “On the other hand, this could be a horrible trap meant to lure us in, and something awful is going to happen if we stay.”
“What kind of something awful were you thinking?”
“Oh, the usual. Our legs get cut off if we don’t fit the bed. Forced marriage to a beast. My firstborn child is demanded as payment for—”
“Those are your worries? I was more concerned about axe murderers.”' (Ch 21)

eARC courtesy of NetGalley, The Dial Press / Penguin Random House

[Cassandra]

this cover made me audibly gasp so naturally it's going onto my tbr

[Denise Ruttan · Rating 5 out of 5]

I wasn't sure how I'd feel about this book at first, as I have grown tired of fairy tale retellings - so many of them are just Disneyfied glitter versions of some very dark and often abusive, sordid tales. I also tend to dread humorous writing because I hate the cringe and absurdist humor that's so popular today. But something drew me to this story, and I unexpectedly absolutely loved it so much that I may have to preorder a copy. Just look at that gorgeous cover, too.

This is a clever, lighthearted retelling of the Twelve Huntsmen, a very bizarre fairy tale with scorned princesses, a gender essentialist lion and women disguising themselves as men to guard the king. We never do find out why they needed 12 huntsmen similar in appearance. Perhaps it's to fool the King as to the true nature of Jack, his first love.

He rejected Jack to fulfill his father's dying wish to marry a sorceress princess of Skalla, a kingdom full of faeries, folktales come to life and magic, a contrast to his backwards kingdom of Tailliz, beset by monsters, bereft of magic and possessing of conservative gender roles for women.

Except the princess in question is a charmingly impudent brat with an attitude who is incompetent except for her only magical talent, excessive hair growth when stressed. Her pumpkin carriage is destroyed by monsters on her way to the far-off mountain kingdom, and she disguises herself as a handmaiden. Along the way she's attracted to the King's mysterious sister, Angelique, and falls for one of the huntsmen, Sam, a trans man.

I loved the bi rep and queer overtones of this story, and how it wove many different folk tales into the narrative - Princess Melilot's sister's compassion for animals, another sister's passionate marriage with a terrifying fae queen. The humor was well done and not overwrought or pretentious. I laughed in a few places. It brought out the absurdist nature of fairy tales and mocked them in a reverent, tongue-in-cheek way that I appreciated.

It wasn't so much of a retelling as a fleshing out of the story to wonder what had happened next to the scorned princess and side characters, whose fate is abandoned to history in the original tales.

An entertaining ride with a refreshingly accepting but complicated and suffocating family, and a princess who finally believes in herself and comes into her own power when she learns to ask for help and grudgingly recognizes that she's not alone.

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for the advance review copy. I am leaving this review voluntarily.