True: A Fairy Tale Retelling of Puss in Boots

The Crown and the Sceptre #3

by Kristina J. Jordan

Forced from home into a strange land of intrigue, danger and mystery, can Liliana trust a sassy cat to be her guide?

Liliana’s life took a downhill turn when her father’s business imploded, leaving her struggling to feed them from her scanty tavern girl wages. When Liliana’s father dies, he leaves their only remaining possession, a decrepit mill, to her brother.

To Liliana, he leaves a cat.

Bullied and isolated by her cruel sister-in-law, Liliana flees. Guided by her cat and her strange new group of friends, she quickly discovers life isn’t easier when you’re having an adventure; but it certainly is more interesting...and dangerous.

When Liliana encounters a vicious ogre terrorizing the land, she jumps in to help; but to do so, must assume a new identity—one that is not her own.

Liliana’s bravery earns her the respect of the royal family, but what will happen when she is forced to face her greatest threat…the truth.

True is book three in the Crown and the Sceptre series. This book can be enjoyed both as a standalone novel or as part of the series.

Genres: Fairy Tales, Fantasy

147 pages, Kindle Edition

Published September 2, 2021

Reviews

[Wysteria · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was such a great adventure!

I originally read a sample of this book and just couldn’t believe how well the author made you deeply care about the characters in only four chapters!!! I needed to know how Liliana escaped from her life and how she came out!!! I won't spoil anything but she was doing much better by the end of the book.

Liliana was such a amazing and sweet character. She definitely deserved her own happily ever after.

I loved Ardus, he was such a cute and sassy kitty!

I've never read the story of Puss in Boots but absolutely loved this retelling! I just loved all the adventures they went on!

There are references to characters from the other books so personally I would recommend reading the series in order.

I am looking forward to reading more from this author!

I received a free copy via Story Origin and am leaving an honest review.

[Sabrina Wannet · Rating 5 out of 5]

I am absolut in love with this puss in boots retelling. In the beginning it is about a girl that has lost almost everything. She only has her very sick dad, her brother that is not much around and her job at the tavern. It starts with a parade of royals going through town and Liliana fall in front of the horse from Prince Landry. Loving the same starting letters. It takes a long time till he comes back in the picture. In the mean time a lot of stuff happens and forces her the follow Ardus (puss in boots) the talking cat.

She goes on a big adventure that is also very educational even for the reader if you know what it means. For me it meant thinking about similar stuff for it.

The book is filled with laughter, fear, love, new friendships and off course the questlike roadtrip. I loved reading this ARC and I will definitively read more from this amazing author and her lovely world-building skills.

[Kylie · Rating 5 out of 5]

I LOVED this book! How have I not heard of this author or this series yet??? True tells the story of Liliana, a girl who has lost pretty much everything and when her father dies she inherits a cat, but not just any cat, a talking cat. This story follows Liliana and here companion Ardus through their adventures to find a new life and home for Liliana. There are so many fun and amazing characters throughout this story and fantastical world building. I don't recall any of these characters falling flat and most had some interesting backgrounds and stories. I do wonder what happened with her sister in law and hope a future book may shed some light on it. Although it is said you can read this as a standalone, a lot of previous characters are mentioned from the first two books which left me curious on their stories. I fully intend to go and read the first two books and look forward to many more retellings form this author.

I received a review copy from Story Origin.

[Janalyn, the blind reviewer · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is book 3 in the crown and scepter Series, but it can definitely be read as a standalone. Liliana’s life goes from bad to worse after her father dies and then she goes from the pan straight into the fire. She thought her sister-in-law was bad, Then to meet the ogre who is a menace to everyone in the land. Puss in boots is her treasured companion, but she thinks he sometimes doesn’t know where he is even going. This is a sad summary compared to the great story that is true the retelling a Puss in boots I mean she eventually becomes a hero and meets the royal family after gaining their favorite and much much more. Just know it do you love the the best I have bread. I highly recommend this book to anyone who loves fairytales or sweet romances. You won’t regret buying this Icertainly did not! Please forgive any grammatical errors as I am blind and dictate most of my review but all opinions are my own.

[Goth Gone Grey · Rating 5 out of 5]

Full books of short fairy tales - love it!

In case you haven't noticed, the world can be a bit of a s***show. Enter escapism in the form of fantasy books! (Triumphant horns playing).

I've raved about this series and will continue to so do, interwoven stories dropping hints for future developments. The characters are fun, and even knowing the basics behind the source material, it's a delight to see how the author works it it.

A note that they could use further editing for typos and such, but are still a worthwhile read. I'm quite fond of Ardus.

An example of the writing:

"Liliana didn’t know where one procured miniscule boots and hats, maybe doll’s boots at the mercantile?

“A feathered hat?” Ardus demanded, patting Liliana’s leg with an insistent paw.

Liliana rolled her eyes; holding in a smile. “A feathered hat.” "

[Sara Eves · Rating 5 out of 5]

A few loose ends

I just have one question. Really I want to know what happened to Cherry from the last book. I thought she was caught and put in bronze handcuffs so she couldn't access her magic. Obviously something happened to her between then and now. I wish there had been some mention of that.

Otherwise it was a very engaging story. I thoroughly enjoyed it.

[Melanie · Rating 5 out of 5]

I really like this retelling of Puss in Boots. This author does really well at developing the emotions that would come with the challenges. The characters are not flat but have some depth. A very enjoyable read!