Princess Ben
by Catherine Gilbert Murdock
Summary (taken from Amazon.ca)
Benevolence is not your typical princess and Princess Ben is certainly not your typical fairy tale. With her parents lost to unknown assassins, Princess Ben ends up under the thumb of the conniving Queen Sophia, who is intent on marrying her off to the first available specimen of imbecilic manhood. Starved and miserable, locked in the castles highest tower, Ben stumbles upon a mysterious enchanted room. So begins her secret education in the magical arts: mastering an obstinate flying broomstick, furtively emptying the castle pantries, setting her hair on fire . . . But Bens private adventures are soon overwhelmed by a mortal threat facing the castle and indeed the entire country. Can Princess Ben save her kingdom from annihilation and herself from permanent enslavement?
What I thought...before I read it.
I was scared at what the turnout of this book might be, like most people are when they buy the book without reading it from a library, reading reviews or hearing about it from a friend or relative. The summary was fairly general, and I was reluctant to start thinking that it would be another one of those fairytales written by a wannabe-fairytale author. So, as I've said twice, I was unsure about starting Princess Ben.
What I thought...while I was reading it.
Starting the book, I was surprised at the writing. Most novels I read have fairly simply vocabulary and for once I was happy to be reading a vocabulary that matched my own and the made the novel that much more interesting. Of course, the first few chapters are, in speaking, "setting the stage" for the book. It made for an almost didactic narration and couldn't help but find myself bored to the gills at the beginning. My interest was slowly making its way as obsolescent.
But then it got exciting. It truly, truly did. The story combines mystery with adventure, adventure with romance, romance with ignorance. It all intertwined into a great plot and I was reading every word with an eagerness that only I have when I'm really, really obsessed
I can't say much about the ending except that it climaxed perfectly and the denouement couldn't have been constructed better. If I told you about it, it'd naturally give the whole novel away. It was just great and a lovely fairytale for people of advanced reading level.
What I thought...when I was done.
I was pretty much in awe. I'd never read a book by Catherine (Gilbert) Murdock, as she'd never really interested me. It was my mother who chose this book out for me and I couldn't have been happier with my purchase.
Now, no matter what people say, I'm a devoted fan of Harry Potter, but Princess Ben beat Harry Potter by a lot and a half. The plot was developed that much more, the writing that much more creative and original, the characters that much more believable.
Then, of course, I decided to share my love of the book on YWS. (Great idea on my part, I think!)
Who this book is for...
The material is definitely suitable for most, but with the style of narrative and the developed vocabulary, I would say ages 14 and up. If you're younger, and you're confident enough, I'd suggest maybe looking at a preview on Amazon.com and looking at the narrative style before buying it. It just might not be equal to your level of reading just yet.
And...that's the review
Gender:
Points: 18486
Reviews: 522