Book Review: The Seven Years Princess

The Seven Years Princess by Brittany Fichter

Fantasy. 286 Pages. 5 Stars

Synopsis:

Her kingdom is in ashes.

Her crown is worth even less.

Her betrothed is promised to another.

But this princess is determined to reclaim it all.

On her seventeenth birthday, Princess Maleen’s future couldn’t be brighter. Despite the loss of her parents at a young age and her controlling uncle’s constant paranoia, Maleen is on the cusp of everything she ever dreamed of. Her people adore her. Her coronation is only seven years away. And best of all, her childhood sweetheart, Prince Roburts, has proposed. Their two kingdoms, which have always had an uneasy relationship, will be united in peace for the first time since becoming sovereign nations of their own.

Unfortunately, this is more than her uncle can abide. Angered by her betrothal, he locks her in a tower in hopes that she’ll have come to her senses in seven years’ time when she comes of age to ascend the throne.

For seven years, Maleen tries to escape, expecting at any minute that her beloved will break down the door. But when seven years come and go, she realizes that escape is up to her if she ever wishes to see the sun again. Upon breaking out of the tower, however, she quickly finds that getting out was the easy part. War and death have torn the two kingdoms apart. And an even worse fate is awaiting her people and her beloved if she can’t find a way to muster her courage one more time.

My Review: 

So, this is why I adore Fichter. I may or may not have stayed up until a ridiculously late hour to get this finished because I could.not.put.it.down. Fichter, why do you do this to me?!

No, but more seriously, I think this may be one of the best of Fichter’s works yet. This book was so strong in so many ways. And it made my heart happy. I wanted to go back and reread it as soon as I’d finished, but alas, my body demanded sleep.

I really like Maid Maleen’s story. I have for many, many years. But it’s done surprisingly rarely. Fichter folded Maleen’s story into her Classical Kingdoms world so seamlessly. It was beautiful to see the worldbuilding elements weave into this story so well. And the ways she touched the original elements of the tale were creative and fun. I really enjoyed seeing the nods to the original, but the story very much felt it’s own. It fleshed out the fairytale and gave it a very distinctive Fichter flavor.

Aside from the classic fairy tale we all know I adore, there were fun little elements of mystery threaded throughout the story as the characters worked to puzzle their way out of situations. It’s always a treat to watch characters work for something, but I particularly love when they have to find clues, test theories, and solve a mystery. The story also really felt a touch like Ella Enchanted by Gail Carson Levine in a couple of ways. It just had this enchanting, whimsical hope. The letters, the menagerie, the adora-freakin-ble couple, the slowburn romance worth rooting for, the strong-willed heroine who faces the impossible and sacrifices herself to save those she loves. It just touched a nostalgic vein for me and made me feel at home.

I also have to say I truly loved Maleen. She was so strong and so relatable. I loved seeing her struggle, but her nobility and heart prevailed every time. Her character was so easy to love and cheer for. She hooked me in pretty quickly, but my love for her grew stronger throughout the story. I loved her stubborn persistence, her loyalty, and her sacrificial nature. She has got to be one of my all time favorite Fichter heroines. And Rob! Okay, he came in with those green eyes and I was a puddle to start with. Then he swoops in like a hero with the mantra of the hour and it was history from there. I loved his development and my heart absolutely broke for him. I also loved getting to see some of the story from his perspective! Yay! But the heartache and scars (literal and emotional) he bore made him shine all the brighter.

I will say there were only few, very minor things that slightly disappointed me. The biggest was that I had hoped the medallion would be threaded throughout the story and stay with Maleen until the end. That felt kind of like a missed opportunity to me, or maybe I was just sad to see it didn’t really mean as much as I had thought. The solution to salvation at the end (no spoilers) felt both really clever and slightly convenient. I don’t really know that there would have been a good way to foreshadow that, and maybe having read previous books already I should have picked up on that possibility sooner, but I was kind of like “oh, that’s all. okay.” I also think the bit that happened off screen would have been more impactful on screen and I’d really wanted to see that the rectangle things had been dealt with, so that felt like a bit of a lose thread.

Thematically, this book was so beautiful, so strong, and so appropriate. Hold fast has such incredible power. Words honestly fall short. Fichter nailed this. She showed such beautiful endurance and strength and sacrifice in such touching ways. I have loved so many of her books and I feel like betraying them to love this one as much as I do, but just wow. Wow wow wow. Thank you, Fichter, for once again going deeper. Your stories aren’t just beautiful and fun and fluffy. They touch my soul and that is why I love you. Ima need this one signed and maybe framed XD

There’s no foul language, the romance is clean and sweet, realistic and still heartwarming (a few enjoyable kisses and references to looking forward to marriage), and not really any graphic violence. However, as the original tale includes, the story is set amidst a war. Mostly, the war is over and we see ramifications of that, but there are still hostilities, mentions of the horrors of war, etc. And there is definitely an emotionally abusive family member that the MC deals with, but again nothing explicit. It would make for good conversation. Beautiful themes of brokenness and hope. I’d recommend the book for 14/15+

More: 

Book 0.5 (a novella) in the Classical Kingdoms series is The Green-Eyed Prince (4 Stars)

Book 1 is Before Beauty (5 Stars)

Book 2 is Blinding Beauty (5 Stars)

Book 3 is Beauty Beheld (5 Stars)

Book 4 is Girl in the Red Hood (4 Stars)

Book 5 is Silent Mermaid (5 Stars)

Book 6 is Cinders, Stars, and Glass Slippers (5 Stars)

Book 7 is A Curse of Gems (5 Stars)

Book 8 is Neverland Falling (5 Stars)

Book 9 is Breaking Neverland (5 Stars)

Book 10 is The Sentinel’s Song (4 Stars)

I have read and rated the above on Goodreads. Check out the links for more info.

The Becoming Beauty trilogy should be read in order; however, most of the others are technically stand-alone novels. The Neverland books are a duology. That said, I’d still read them in order since there is some crossover between characters.

Here is a picture of the reading order as posted by the author:

ON GRACEBOUGHT:

If you missed it, be sure to check out the reviews for the previous books in the series here on GraceBought! 

The Green-Eyed Prince, Before Beauty, Blinding Beauty,  Beauty Beheld, Girl in the Red Hood, Silent Mermaid, Cinders, Stars, and Glass Slippers, A Curse of Gems, Neverland Falling, and The Sentinel’s Song