What do you think?
Rate this book
Princess of the Wild Sea
In this sweeping, modern fairy tale, acclaimed author Megan Frazer Blakemore breathes new life into the the tale of Sleeping Beauty and asks readers: Who deserves to be the hero of your story?
A curse will fall . . .
A hero will rise . . .
Princess Harbor Rose is cursed. Since the day of her christening, she’s lived her whole life hidden away on a remote island with her magical aunts and the eccentric islandfolk. She’s been waiting patiently each day, of each year, following all the rules for being a princess. And now it is only one year until her thirteenth birthday, when a hero will finally arrive to save her.
But as with any story, there are two sides . . . and the curse told of much more than a single princess’s fate. It told of a dangerous foe rooted in powerful magic that would soon approach. It told of a dangerous war that could destroy everything if a young hero didn’t arrive in time. It told of a magic imbued with hope that could save everyone, as long as they believe. With her beloved kingdom and island at grave risk, Harbor Rose has a choice: should she wait for the hero, or take matters into her own hands?
A curse will fall . . .
A hero will rise . . .
Princess Harbor Rose is cursed. Since the day of her christening, she’s lived her whole life hidden away on a remote island with her magical aunts and the eccentric islandfolk. She’s been waiting patiently each day, of each year, following all the rules for being a princess. And now it is only one year until her thirteenth birthday, when a hero will finally arrive to save her.
But as with any story, there are two sides . . . and the curse told of much more than a single princess’s fate. It told of a dangerous foe rooted in powerful magic that would soon approach. It told of a dangerous war that could destroy everything if a young hero didn’t arrive in time. It told of a magic imbued with hope that could save everyone, as long as they believe. With her beloved kingdom and island at grave risk, Harbor Rose has a choice: should she wait for the hero, or take matters into her own hands?
256 pages, Hardcover
First published January 24, 2023
6 people are currently reading
237 people want to read
About the author
Megan Frazer Blakemore
18 books170 followersMegan Frazer Blakemore is an author for children and young adults. She lives with her husband and children in Maine. She has worked in both school and public libraries, and is currently pursuing a doctorate in library science at Simmons SLIS.
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 30 of 30 reviews
November 18, 2022
E ARC provided by Edelweiss Plus
Harbor Rose is a princess who was cursed by a fairy, so to prevent the prophecy of war and death from coming true, her mother and aunts have taken her from the main part of the Lands of Lapistyr and hidden on Small Island with the eccentric residents, none of whom are children. It's an interesting but somewhat lonely life, and when a small boy is washed ashore, she is enthralled with Peter. He is only six, and sent back by the aunts, but remerges a short time later. He's now twelve, Harbor Rose's age, so she knows that there is something odd with her situation. Small Island seems like something out of the late 1800s, with pinafores over calico vests, and men in woolen vests. The aunts have magical powers, and Harbor wants to learn some of them, but is told she is too young. When things start to go wrong, and the danger that they have all feared seems to have found them on the island, Harbor isn't interested in trying to avoid pricking her finger. She tries to embrace her fate and fight it on her own terms. Will it be enough to fight the Frost and the other problems endangering Lapistyr?
Strengths: Like Wolk's Beyond the Bright Sea, Princess of the Wild Sea drops the readers right into a quirky and magical world. We accept that Harbor Rose is an exiled princess and enjoy seeing her interact with the townspeople and her family. We know that something bad is coming, but don't know exactly how it will arrive. There's a lot of feminine knowledge and power in Harbor's family, and I felt right away that no matter what occurred, they would be able to handle it. The twists on the classic tale were interesting, and I don't want to say too much about how the issues are resolved and spoil things! Blakemore knows her way around fantasy, with titles like The Water Castle (2013), The Firefly Code (2016) and The Story Web (2019).
Weaknesses: I started this not knowing that it was a take on Sleeping Beauty, but quickly figured it out when the aunts starting having magical tea in scenes that reminded me Disney's Flora, Fauna, and Merriweather.
What I really think: This is a perfect book for readers who like Barnhill's The Ogress and the Orphans, Ursu's The Troubled Girls of Dragomir Academy, Colman's The Gilded Girl, or other reimaging of classic stories with modern sensibilities and fantastical twists.
Harbor Rose is a princess who was cursed by a fairy, so to prevent the prophecy of war and death from coming true, her mother and aunts have taken her from the main part of the Lands of Lapistyr and hidden on Small Island with the eccentric residents, none of whom are children. It's an interesting but somewhat lonely life, and when a small boy is washed ashore, she is enthralled with Peter. He is only six, and sent back by the aunts, but remerges a short time later. He's now twelve, Harbor Rose's age, so she knows that there is something odd with her situation. Small Island seems like something out of the late 1800s, with pinafores over calico vests, and men in woolen vests. The aunts have magical powers, and Harbor wants to learn some of them, but is told she is too young. When things start to go wrong, and the danger that they have all feared seems to have found them on the island, Harbor isn't interested in trying to avoid pricking her finger. She tries to embrace her fate and fight it on her own terms. Will it be enough to fight the Frost and the other problems endangering Lapistyr?
Strengths: Like Wolk's Beyond the Bright Sea, Princess of the Wild Sea drops the readers right into a quirky and magical world. We accept that Harbor Rose is an exiled princess and enjoy seeing her interact with the townspeople and her family. We know that something bad is coming, but don't know exactly how it will arrive. There's a lot of feminine knowledge and power in Harbor's family, and I felt right away that no matter what occurred, they would be able to handle it. The twists on the classic tale were interesting, and I don't want to say too much about how the issues are resolved and spoil things! Blakemore knows her way around fantasy, with titles like The Water Castle (2013), The Firefly Code (2016) and The Story Web (2019).
Weaknesses: I started this not knowing that it was a take on Sleeping Beauty, but quickly figured it out when the aunts starting having magical tea in scenes that reminded me Disney's Flora, Fauna, and Merriweather.
What I really think: This is a perfect book for readers who like Barnhill's The Ogress and the Orphans, Ursu's The Troubled Girls of Dragomir Academy, Colman's The Gilded Girl, or other reimaging of classic stories with modern sensibilities and fantastical twists.
April 17, 2025
An annoying book pieced together from other stories. yuk.
November 23, 2024
I'm sorry, but this book is just not my cup of tea. 😮💨
I tried it, I really did! But, the plot line was just so slow. 17 chapters in, and nothing happened! And the plot was just too confusing. I was lost most of the time.
This is only my opinion, of course, you might love it! So go ahead and give it a try! 😄
Sorry. My star review is only 1 star 💀🩶
I tried it, I really did! But, the plot line was just so slow. 17 chapters in, and nothing happened! And the plot was just too confusing. I was lost most of the time.
This is only my opinion, of course, you might love it! So go ahead and give it a try! 😄
Sorry. My star review is only 1 star 💀🩶
January 27, 2023
At first, Princess of the Wild Sea might seem familiar. At its core is the tale of Sleeping Beauty, but the classic fairy tale merely serves as the basic framework for what becomes a nuanced and compelling new story.
At the center of the story is Harbor, a plucky young princess who lives on a remote island waiting for her hero to come and save her from a curse that will see her fall into a magical sleep. As she prepares for the eventuality of the curse and her 13th birthday, Harbor also begins to question the world and magic around her. And when the curse actually comes to fruition, it turns out her curse is just a precursor to something much worse.
Harbor is exactly the sort of protagonist you’d want at the middle of such a tale. She’s clever and adventurous and has to work through some of her own flaws. Her surrounding cast of characters are equally as flawed in delightfully warm and understandable ways.
In fact, even though there’s a curse at the center of Princess of the Wild Sea, author Megan Frazer Blakemore’s warm prose creates a comforting undercurrent throughout even the more dangerous, darker moments. And — without giving too much away — her use of the “real world” combined with a fantastical one is a great twist.
Though Princess of the Wild Sea is a standalone novel, Blakemore has a left a door open to further exploration. It’s a delightful read with enough twists that it should even draw in readers who don’t like “princess books.”
At the center of the story is Harbor, a plucky young princess who lives on a remote island waiting for her hero to come and save her from a curse that will see her fall into a magical sleep. As she prepares for the eventuality of the curse and her 13th birthday, Harbor also begins to question the world and magic around her. And when the curse actually comes to fruition, it turns out her curse is just a precursor to something much worse.
Harbor is exactly the sort of protagonist you’d want at the middle of such a tale. She’s clever and adventurous and has to work through some of her own flaws. Her surrounding cast of characters are equally as flawed in delightfully warm and understandable ways.
In fact, even though there’s a curse at the center of Princess of the Wild Sea, author Megan Frazer Blakemore’s warm prose creates a comforting undercurrent throughout even the more dangerous, darker moments. And — without giving too much away — her use of the “real world” combined with a fantastical one is a great twist.
Though Princess of the Wild Sea is a standalone novel, Blakemore has a left a door open to further exploration. It’s a delightful read with enough twists that it should even draw in readers who don’t like “princess books.”
December 14, 2022
This magical middle-grade novel has all the elements its target audience (and adults alike) will enjoy.
The book reminded me a lot of His Dark Materials, but not as gritty and not as dark. Harbor is a great protagonist, fearless, curious and accepting of her fate.
I got a bit lost halfway through the book, but managed to find my way. The book went in an entirely different direction than what I imagined, but the journey was well worth it. If there is a second book, I will gladly pick it up.
The book reminded me a lot of His Dark Materials, but not as gritty and not as dark. Harbor is a great protagonist, fearless, curious and accepting of her fate.
I got a bit lost halfway through the book, but managed to find my way. The book went in an entirely different direction than what I imagined, but the journey was well worth it. If there is a second book, I will gladly pick it up.
January 16, 2023
A beautiful and original fairytale! You will fall in love with Harbor Rose and her adventures!
February 13, 2023
unexpected twists and turns make this Sleeping Beauty riff a good one.
February 9, 2023
First sentence: Three days after Harbor Rose turned twelve a boy washed up on the shore of Small Island. While many things had washed up there, only once before had a child.
Premise/plot; Princess of the Wild Sea is a looser adaptation of the classic fairy tale Sleeping Beauty. There's a baby who's both "blessed" and "cursed" by aunties at a christening. She's a princess. There's a finger prick. There's sleeping...and eventual waking. But it isn't a close retelling or adaptation. It spins its own tale.
Harbor Rose is the 'princess' of the tale. She's raised on an island--a "hidden" island. Her family is trying to protect her from the curse, or so-called curse that is destined to come...
Peter is the 'stranger' that washes up on the island; he comes from a 'different realm' (a place called Kansas). The prophecy said he'd be 'the hero' there to save the kingdom/princess when the time was right...
My thoughts: While it isn't unusual for me to be confused at the start of a fantasy novel, it is unusual for me to be confused at the beginning, the middle, and the end. There wasn't any chapter where I wasn't shaking my head in absolute and total confusion. Comprehension consists of stringing events together and making sense of them as a whole. There was none of that. Could that be 100% me? yes.
What little I made sense of this one felt a bit agenda-ish. The 'Frost' enemies were created by not taking responsibilities for past wrongs, mistakes, sins, etc. A country who failed to recognize that they weren't "saving" the countries they were colonizing/conquering??? A country who failed to recognize the blood on their hands--figuratively and perhaps literally speaking--from their past wars and conquests. A country who hushes up "shameful acts" of the past. And there was some talk of how the 'Frost soldiers' could only be defeated by taking responsibility for the past and acknowledging it, etc. Another possible agenda being that this young girl--12? 13? 14? somewhere around there--is the hero of her own story and only she has the power to figure out the crisis and decide what is best. I don't have a big problem with that--as opposed to relying on a complete and total stranger from a strange land who knows absolutely nothing--but the plot twist that 99% of what Harbor Rose thought she knew about her life turning out to be a lie was odd to me. Her decisions seem to magically appear as if by instinct and luck...since she's clueless too.
Overall, I was too confused to ever enjoy the story.
Premise/plot; Princess of the Wild Sea is a looser adaptation of the classic fairy tale Sleeping Beauty. There's a baby who's both "blessed" and "cursed" by aunties at a christening. She's a princess. There's a finger prick. There's sleeping...and eventual waking. But it isn't a close retelling or adaptation. It spins its own tale.
Harbor Rose is the 'princess' of the tale. She's raised on an island--a "hidden" island. Her family is trying to protect her from the curse, or so-called curse that is destined to come...
Peter is the 'stranger' that washes up on the island; he comes from a 'different realm' (a place called Kansas). The prophecy said he'd be 'the hero' there to save the kingdom/princess when the time was right...
My thoughts: While it isn't unusual for me to be confused at the start of a fantasy novel, it is unusual for me to be confused at the beginning, the middle, and the end. There wasn't any chapter where I wasn't shaking my head in absolute and total confusion. Comprehension consists of stringing events together and making sense of them as a whole. There was none of that. Could that be 100% me? yes.
What little I made sense of this one felt a bit agenda-ish. The 'Frost' enemies were created by not taking responsibilities for past wrongs, mistakes, sins, etc. A country who failed to recognize that they weren't "saving" the countries they were colonizing/conquering??? A country who failed to recognize the blood on their hands--figuratively and perhaps literally speaking--from their past wars and conquests. A country who hushes up "shameful acts" of the past. And there was some talk of how the 'Frost soldiers' could only be defeated by taking responsibility for the past and acknowledging it, etc. Another possible agenda being that this young girl--12? 13? 14? somewhere around there--is the hero of her own story and only she has the power to figure out the crisis and decide what is best. I don't have a big problem with that--as opposed to relying on a complete and total stranger from a strange land who knows absolutely nothing--but the plot twist that 99% of what Harbor Rose thought she knew about her life turning out to be a lie was odd to me. Her decisions seem to magically appear as if by instinct and luck...since she's clueless too.
Overall, I was too confused to ever enjoy the story.
February 22, 2023
Princess Harbor Rose lives on an island with her mother and aunts, hidden away because of the curse that was placed on her at her christening. She's surrounded by loving family and kindhearted villagers, and she would say she knows every inch of the place. Now, in her thirteenth year, she is sure that she will come into the magic that all the women in her family hold -- and if she can avoid pricking her finger as the curse threatens for one more year, she will be able to rejoin her people on the mainland. However, fate has some surprises in store for Harbor Rose, who may not know her island, or her family, as well as she supposes.
It's great to see Sleeping Beauty get more girl power; I liked seeing Harbor Rose having adventures. I'm still a little hazy about some aspects of the "curse," but that may be a case of me reading distracted, rather than the fault of the narrative. I do feel that too much of the plot relies upon Harbor Rose being kept in the dark about things that specifically pertain to her -- a time-honored device, but it would have been so much simpler and safer if the adults around her had taught her everything she needed to know about her world. (But then, of course, there wouldn't be much of a story.) Overall, however, I enjoyed it. Fans of juvenile fairy tale retellings should take a look!
It's great to see Sleeping Beauty get more girl power; I liked seeing Harbor Rose having adventures. I'm still a little hazy about some aspects of the "curse," but that may be a case of me reading distracted, rather than the fault of the narrative. I do feel that too much of the plot relies upon Harbor Rose being kept in the dark about things that specifically pertain to her -- a time-honored device, but it would have been so much simpler and safer if the adults around her had taught her everything she needed to know about her world. (But then, of course, there wouldn't be much of a story.) Overall, however, I enjoyed it. Fans of juvenile fairy tale retellings should take a look!
June 6, 2023
I understand this is a mid grade book, but the wrapup at the end felt too quick compared to the journey and amount of time we spent with the characters. But I do believe that it tackles specific things that children should be taught like setting boundaries and talking about yourself positively and adults, listening to children and learning to face what has been difficult in the past.
August 7, 2023
At her christening, Princess Harbor Rose was cursed. As a result, she has grown up living on an isolated island with her mother and magical aunts, until the day when she turns 13 without being pricked and the curse will be lifted when a hero arrives to save her. But what happens if she gets pricked before her 13th birthday? One can only be so careful...
November 13, 2022
EARC provided by Edelweiss Plus
This is a fantasy adventure that will keep readers following turns and twists as Harbor learns about her past and about the island that was once her safe home. I enjoyed the references to other fairy tales.
This is a fantasy adventure that will keep readers following turns and twists as Harbor learns about her past and about the island that was once her safe home. I enjoyed the references to other fairy tales.
August 24, 2023
3.5 starts from me. I read this aloud to my 7 and 9 year olds who both emphatically rated it 5 stars. I enjoyed the story, but felt the end was a little bit rushed. I appreciated the twist on the classic “hero comes to save the day” tale.
October 12, 2023
This was fun! I enjoyed that combination of all the fairytale elements. The symbolism during the climax felt a little forced, but I liked the general message behind it. Definitely entertaining and perfect for MG fantasy lovers.
xx-dnf-skim-reference
December 31, 2024No idea how this got on my list, but I gave it a serious try. P. 114 and too long-winded, still setting up the world, nothing really happening, and I don't feel a connection with any of the characters, either. Dec. 2024
January 22, 2025
Rather a fun premise -- a take on Briar Rose and the Sleeping Beauty story that tries to move into an Oz-like parallel world (or multiverse) setting. But lackluster prose and inconsistently textured characters made it drab when it might have been jigging.
February 4, 2023
There are some sentences in this book that took my breath away. What a beautiful story!
March 1, 2023
Meh, didn’t love this one
Read
May 1, 2023takes a turn that I did not expect
June 13, 2023
A little confusing in spots, but the moral of the story (hidden sins have power) was well-written. Note for conservative readers: one homosexual relationship in the background.
July 24, 2023
The plot is confusing to follow and complicated for no reason. A badly done Sleeping Beauty retelling.
August 27, 2023
Short, sweet, beautiful. Perfect for an afternoon read or something for a 4th grader to obsess over. It gives some Wingfeather Saga vibes
October 31, 2023
Good but soooooo slow I was like done with like half the book before anything happened
November 27, 2023
This is a little more challenging than the Disney Fairies and those fans may be willing to move to this, but it seems longer.
I abandonded at chapter 14.
I abandonded at chapter 14.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
Want to read
May 31, 2024SM
June 28, 2024
A mixture of familiar fairytales thrown together with other fantasy stories like Wizard of Oz and Chronicles of Narnia. Enjoyable but not one that I feel like I need to share.
August 6, 2024
Beautifully written fairytale that may sound like tales you’ve heard before but with its own twists and lessons to be learned.
April 25, 2024
I really like the twist on how Sleeping Beauty's curse plays out in this story, as well as how a hero emerges according to the prophecy. The aunts are wonderful, if not overly helpful. Despite these positives, I was only lukewarm about the story overall. I was particularly cold about the white walkers and how they have come into being. I'm having a hard time seeing a real following for this book among my students.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 30 reviews