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What it is: The Ordinary Princess by M.M. Kaye is a fairytale filled with princesses, animal friends, spells, and whimsy. It tells the story of Amy, whose gift from her fairy godmother is to be ordinary, instead of extremely beautiful or charming or graceful like her sisters. When no prince wants to marry her, she runs away from home and lives in the forest before accidentally meeting and falling in love with a prince.

What I liked about it: If you like fairytales, this has all the elements: kings, queens, princes, and princesses, plus dragons and castles and banquets. It’s a captivating, fun, and easy read for a child or younger teenager.

What I didn’t like about it: The language was a bit formal and archaic–it read like a fanciful storybook more than a novel. And, of course, fairytales and princess stories tend to be predictable, and this one was no exception.

Memorable quote: “No one ever called her by her grand name now. From the townsfolk in the city down to the smallest page at the palace, she was always known simply as ‘the Ordinary Princess,’ while even her own family never called her Amethyst. They called her Amy. And what could be more ordinary than that?”

Overall rating: 3/5 stars.

Challenge satisfied: #15, read a book that is a retelling of a classic story (fairytale, Shakespearian play, classic novel, etc.)

Additional notes: N/A

The Ordinary Princess is book 23 of 24 for my Read Harder Challenge. You can also read my reviews of Homeless Bird or Ready Player One.

An affiliate link is used in this post. All opinions in this review are my own and are not influenced by the affiliate.