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Princesses Don't Become Engineers
Princess Elaine of Riviera has been through nine governesses. Only when she decides to study math and science at the prestigious University that she stops tormenting her elders. The problem is that the University does not welcome female students. How can Elaine, who has only been schooled in basic reading and court etiquette, prove that she is capable of higher education? And how will everyone accept an anti-social princess who just wants to invent gadgets and fix machines?
282 pages, Kindle Edition
First published August 4, 2014
86 people are currently reading
333 people want to read
About the author
Aya Ling
14 books439 followersAya is from Taiwan, where she struggles daily to contain her obsession with mouthwatering and unhealthy foods. Often she will devour a good book instead. Her favorite books include martial arts romances, fairy tale retellings, high fantasy, cozy mysteries, and manga.
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Displaying 1 - 28 of 28 reviews
September 5, 2017
Steampunk lite.
I picked this book because I was looking for steam punk fiction for younger kids. I thought this might do. But it isn't really steampunk. It does have some Steampunk elements, like an inventive girl and her efforts to get society to stop treating her like a pretty face and respect her for her mind.
That said I, as an adult reader, found the book very put down able, and in fact I read a whole other book before finishing this one. I also think the whole girl power message was a little overwhelming.
But then it isn't for adults, it's a book for twelve year old girls and I'm sure twelve year old girls will love it.
I picked this book because I was looking for steam punk fiction for younger kids. I thought this might do. But it isn't really steampunk. It does have some Steampunk elements, like an inventive girl and her efforts to get society to stop treating her like a pretty face and respect her for her mind.
That said I, as an adult reader, found the book very put down able, and in fact I read a whole other book before finishing this one. I also think the whole girl power message was a little overwhelming.
But then it isn't for adults, it's a book for twelve year old girls and I'm sure twelve year old girls will love it.
August 3, 2018
I LOVED Princesses Don't Become Engineers! This is a terrific book with a great plot and fabulous characters! I've read books by Aya Ling previously, though I didn't realize it, and loved those as well.
Set in a fantasy world sans magic but full of mythological beasts Princesses Don't Become Engineers is a great story about a girl who finds her passion and the family who supports her non-traditional path.
The only "problems"I had with Princesses Don't Become Engineers is that there are a few curse words and a few typos. I can't wait to share this with my girls!!
Set in a fantasy world sans magic but full of mythological beasts Princesses Don't Become Engineers is a great story about a girl who finds her passion and the family who supports her non-traditional path.
The only "problems"I had with Princesses Don't Become Engineers is that there are a few curse words and a few typos. I can't wait to share this with my girls!!
March 30, 2020
I haven't read the other two books in this series - and I doubt I will, neither of the plot lines or characters appealed to me enough to read them. But this book was great. An odd mix of young adult/middle grade, but enjoyable nonetheless. Elaine is first introduced as a twelve year old brat. She enjoys inventing things but she doesn't like school. Throughout the book she grows and develops into a hardworking determined young lady who has dreams and goals and is willing to compromise to achieve them. The time jump was a bit out of nowhere. The suspense and mystery plot line at the end more so. I liked it but I would've liked it to be brought in earlier and developed further. The timing and pacing was just a bit out for it. I liked the romance between Elaine and Andre, although I would've liked to see more of Andre throughout. But I did like the girl power message throughout the book. Solid 3 stars.
February 16, 2017
Ling gives her readers the life of a princess and a realistic story of breaking through barriers and becoming more than what others expect. Thrown in is just a hint of romance. Her book is well-written fun surrounding a great deal of struggle. It just might encourage a few young girls/princesses to move beyond what they are to become something they wish to be. The characters and setting will fulfill your fairy tale wishes.
November 14, 2017
Princesses Don’t Become Engineers is an adorable book. Elaine is not your typical princess, but she is truly lovable. My 9 and 11-year-old boys loved the book and when I finished reading it to them, they both said it was such a good story. They really loved how it ended. They were really hoping it would end that way. I highly recommend this book to middle grade kids (even though the main character is a princess, it’s definitely not just for girls!). It makes a lovely family read aloud.
May 23, 2018
Teenage Inspirational Story
I will NOT be spoiling the book in my review.
I loved the story plot line, and the mischievousness of the main character. If not for the 5 or more times a chatacter cursed, I would've enjoyed the book far more.
If you get passed that, it was a clean, non pornographic book that was sweet and pure. The book helped me see that I need to work hard and push to the positive. A great book to read if you scribble out the bad vocabulary use.
I will NOT be spoiling the book in my review.
I loved the story plot line, and the mischievousness of the main character. If not for the 5 or more times a chatacter cursed, I would've enjoyed the book far more.
If you get passed that, it was a clean, non pornographic book that was sweet and pure. The book helped me see that I need to work hard and push to the positive. A great book to read if you scribble out the bad vocabulary use.
September 13, 2025
Princess Elaine doesn't like to study, is always running off doing things unfit for princesses, and finally she learns that if she joins this boys-only school, she could become an engineer and only study the things she likes to study! Kind of! So, she does.
This was kind of cute. Also very ordinary. I didn't realize at first that it's a series. It can be read standalone but there are a few mentions of other characters like you should know who they are.
This was kind of cute. Also very ordinary. I didn't realize at first that it's a series. It can be read standalone but there are a few mentions of other characters like you should know who they are.
July 30, 2017
Achieve!
I love the theme that passion for a talent comes when we find interest. She was a troublemaker because no one tried to understand what she really wanted. But when the University actually listened and answered her questions, she finally focused on her studies and strived to achieve. I really liked it!
I love the theme that passion for a talent comes when we find interest. She was a troublemaker because no one tried to understand what she really wanted. But when the University actually listened and answered her questions, she finally focused on her studies and strived to achieve. I really liked it!
July 3, 2017
aya ling makes me happy. even though there were crazy jumps in time & a printing press/copy machine made by a master carpenter, i still thoroughly enjoyed spending time with elaine & her spunk & passion.
August 5, 2020
I read the first third or something like that and I decided I don’t care enough to keep on reading. I don’t know if this is classified Middleschool, but I would. I think younger readers will enjoy it way more than I did.
May 5, 2017
I really should have given up reading this. I didn't enjoy it though I am sure someone might.
It was laboured, trivial and riddled with mistakes.
I shall say no more.
It was laboured, trivial and riddled with mistakes.
I shall say no more.
July 10, 2020
Cute and entertaining, but not a high quality book. Could use a lot of editing.
June 28, 2021
Fantastic book! I love a natural flow of the book and how the characters had great growth.
April 22, 2022
This book would have benefited from more editing!
March 11, 2017
This is a thoroughly delightful book, and I loved it.
As for ages, it would be good for 12 and up.
No sexual content and no violence.
There is a nice bit of suspense at the end, but that's all I'm going to tell you. The story is finely written, and the editing and formatting is excellent. The characters are great, from top to bottom; from the main characters, to the lesser characters.
I easily give it 5 stars and highly recommend it to add to your reading list.
As for ages, it would be good for 12 and up.
No sexual content and no violence.
There is a nice bit of suspense at the end, but that's all I'm going to tell you. The story is finely written, and the editing and formatting is excellent. The characters are great, from top to bottom; from the main characters, to the lesser characters.
I easily give it 5 stars and highly recommend it to add to your reading list.
January 22, 2017
I felt this was a weaker book than the first two. For one, it started when Elaine was 12, a little young for romance. So when the story fast forwarded four years to get to the romance part, it felt a little forced and uncovincing. For another, it seemed to want to be two books in one.
Elaine fights to become a scholar and break the gender barrier of her kingdom's university is the first story, and Elaine deals with suitors while only wanting to work on her inventions (except for this one guy) is the second. I feel like the stories could have been handled in the same book if it was a longer book, but the shift was odd, the romance felt a little pasted on, and the book itself seemed to end very abruptly with some dangling plot threads unfinished. Not a bad story, but a little rushed and over simplified.
Elaine fights to become a scholar and break the gender barrier of her kingdom's university is the first story, and Elaine deals with suitors while only wanting to work on her inventions (except for this one guy) is the second. I feel like the stories could have been handled in the same book if it was a longer book, but the shift was odd, the romance felt a little pasted on, and the book itself seemed to end very abruptly with some dangling plot threads unfinished. Not a bad story, but a little rushed and over simplified.
January 31, 2024
This is probably really only four stars, but I don't care. I read this delightful YA fantasy in one day. It is light hearted, upbeat, and predictable. Who cares? It is a delightful coming of age story about a discontented princess who discovers that it's more fun to have a screwdriver than a broach.
July 20, 2016
Didn't like it as much as the other two in the series. I just didn't find the character as likeable and felt like the ending was a little abrupt. However, I would like to see more stories based in this world.
January 15, 2016
I love Princess Elaine, I think she is fun loving and full of character. The book was good until the very end. I felt that the author spent more time explaining Elaine's studying then on Renee. It ended so quickly without much of an conclusion. It just seemed like if Ling stopped the story to soon.
January 30, 2017
Very different read... (good different)
I really enjoyed the characters in this book! The story line was good and I like that it has a lot of powerful women. I'll definitely be reading one of the other books.
I really enjoyed the characters in this book! The story line was good and I like that it has a lot of powerful women. I'll definitely be reading one of the other books.
October 8, 2019
I think the writing could be a bit more polished but it was so fun that I gave it 4 stars for enjoyment!
October 31, 2018
Well, this princess is nothing like me, she actually wanted to study ...
February 7, 2017
Light, girl power fantasy.
February 1, 2017
Cute story, but yikes!! Find a better editor!
March 31, 2017
Second reading rating
Good book,obviously because I've read it twice now. Fun book,an easy read,sort of carries you along. Fun characters,nice fairy tale ending
Good book,obviously because I've read it twice now. Fun book,an easy read,sort of carries you along. Fun characters,nice fairy tale ending
June 27, 2017
I really loved this book! This was probably my favorite one. I wish there was more though, the ending felt abrupt and it made me feel a little incomplete. I feel like there could have been an epilogue or something. I was still enraptured all the same!
May 2, 2017
That was amusing! But it wasn't satisfying. I wish was longer.
It was 216 pages:
The first half dragged, the second half, depicting an older princess, flew by. The asymmetry was strange. I wish the first half was more like a prologue and the second half was long enough to be an entire book by itself.
Where was the romantic tension? Why was the conflict so short? What happened afterwards at the science fair? I didn't want the ending to be the romantic conclusion: I want the ENGINEERING conclusion! I want to see the formidable engineer Elaine is rewarded for being!
Also as I was skimming I came across the word "pansies". Unfortunately, I read it as "penises"; and that was my punishment for skimming. Don't skim people.
Overall it was okay. Similar to Princesses Don't Get Fat . I look forward to reading Princesses Don't Fight in Skirts.
It was 216 pages:
The first half dragged, the second half, depicting an older princess, flew by. The asymmetry was strange. I wish the first half was more like a prologue and the second half was long enough to be an entire book by itself.
Where was the romantic tension? Why was the conflict so short? What happened afterwards at the science fair? I didn't want the ending to be the romantic conclusion: I want the ENGINEERING conclusion! I want to see the formidable engineer Elaine is rewarded for being!
Also as I was skimming I came across the word "pansies". Unfortunately, I read it as "penises"; and that was my punishment for skimming. Don't skim people.
Overall it was okay. Similar to Princesses Don't Get Fat . I look forward to reading Princesses Don't Fight in Skirts.
Read
May 20, 2017I appreciated that Elaine's lack of enthusiasm for school and class doesn't really go away, she just now has subjects that she cares about to motivate her. I also liked seeing Elaine as a young woman in the "absent-minded inventor" role in the last section of the book, and I was glad that she still had a lot of her impulsiveness.
I didn't find the three or four year jump distracting. I'm sure there were lots of obstacles in those years of university, but the first year covered the biggest one, so jumping forward didn't feel wrong. And again, I liked seeing where she ended up, what she was working on and how she had grown.
I spent a lot of time pretty confused about the worldbuilding. Inventions happened in this world in a very different order than in our own, and no explanations are really given as to why. How did people in this world before Elaine develop steam engines and not wheelchairs or printing presses? I'm also a little confused about what magic can/can't do in this world and what creatures exist (definitely griffins and ogres?), but I'd guess some of that is in other books in the series. I also have a lot of questions about school. If Elaine was covering literature and history in her classes before going to the university, is it just because of math and science that women don't go to university and become scholars? Some of what was expected of twelve-year-olds on the entrance exam surprised me, too. (Also, the grading system used is relatively modern in our world, but again, steam engines, so sure.)
I didn't find the three or four year jump distracting. I'm sure there were lots of obstacles in those years of university, but the first year covered the biggest one, so jumping forward didn't feel wrong. And again, I liked seeing where she ended up, what she was working on and how she had grown.
I spent a lot of time pretty confused about the worldbuilding. Inventions happened in this world in a very different order than in our own, and no explanations are really given as to why. How did people in this world before Elaine develop steam engines and not wheelchairs or printing presses? I'm also a little confused about what magic can/can't do in this world and what creatures exist (definitely griffins and ogres?), but I'd guess some of that is in other books in the series. I also have a lot of questions about school. If Elaine was covering literature and history in her classes before going to the university, is it just because of math and science that women don't go to university and become scholars? Some of what was expected of twelve-year-olds on the entrance exam surprised me, too. (Also, the grading system used is relatively modern in our world, but again, steam engines, so sure.)
Displaying 1 - 28 of 28 reviews