The Prince’s Dangerous Wish by Brittany Fichter
Fairytale. 278 Pages. 4 Stars
Synopsis:
No six-year-old boy means to kidnap another child. Not on purpose, at least…
When the faerie Healanie promises Queen Nadine a child with a gift, Nadine never expected the gift to be such a curse. But after discovering that her son has the ability to receive nearly everything he wishes for, she does her best to protect him from the world and from himself.
Just as the queen feared, when the manipulative castle cook learns of the boy’s gift, he loses no time in stealing him away and convincing him that he’s saved him from the dangerous world beyond. Prince Rolf’s captor is his own undoing, however, when he convinces the heartbroken little prince to wish for a friend to grow up with. Little does he know that such a small, headstrong girl is capable of helping the prince discover the truth–and courage–he will need to one day set everything to rights.
Delve into these standalone fairy tale retelling novellas of lesser-known tales as told by Wendy and Peter Pan. The Nevertold fairy tales are not set in the same world as the Classical Kingdoms Collection, but they have the same clean romance, magical mystery, and happily-ever-afters.
My Review:
Admittedly, I’ve always thought the Pink a strange little tale. Fichter borrows elements from it to craft an misadventure with a bit more of a happy ending.
I can’t say I liked this one better than the first Nevertold Fairytale, but it was still a cute story that soothed the ache in my heart. I particularly find it fascinating that Fichter leaned into the idea of hardship bearing blessing, for generations even. The theme of suffering and pain transforming and refining us as people is a most beautiful theme, and my favorite part of the story.
Novellas are difficult due to their length, but I think Fichter continues to weave in elements from her other world in a satisfying way. Fichter cleverly wove in elements from the original tale in a way that felt more natural to a story, though I do think some of them would have been even cooler if she’d had more room to develop them. The resolution for Nadine and Albert made my heart happy. And the weight of grief and loss suffered by Rolf and Bethan touched my heart. Some of the other side characters rounded out the story, though I did itch to see a little more from some of them. Alas, that is to be expected.
The plot was a little more coherent than the strange original, but it also gave me mild Hansel and Gretel vibes. The bit with the stag and the huntsman was probably my favorite plot element. I love how that turned out and thought it a clever reimagining. I read it in one sitting, so found it mostly engaging. And I look forward to the next in the series.
Content: no foul language, a clean romance, and some mild fantasy violence. Thematically, the story deals with misunderstandings, conniving villains, and great loss, but with the hope of noble hearts who choose to do good and right. Suitable for a preteen.
More:
Book 1 in the Nevertold Fairy Tales is The White Slipper (5 Stars)
Book 3 is The Enchanted Wreath
These are standalones and can be read in any order. However, I’ll be reading them in publication order cause…I’m me. XD
On GraceBought
See my thoughts on the previous book here!