The Bibliophile's Bookshelf

Title: The Princess Fugitive: A Reimagining of Little Red Riding Hood

Series: The Four Kingdoms #2

Author: Melanie Cellier

Genre: Young Adult, Fantasy, Retelling, Clean Romance

Rating: 4.5 stars

Review:

Princess Ava used to be a weapon – sharp, strong and beautiful. But when she fails at her most important task, she’s forced to flee from her own family.

Only her personal bodyguard, Hans, remains loyal. Hans claims to know the real Ava but she finds that hard to believe – after all, she’s been the villain so long that she can’t remember anything else.

But deep in exile, Ava learns her kingdom needs a hero and she might be the only one who can save it. The catch? She’ll have to ally herself with the very people she blames for her downfall.

But in a game of life and death where the stakes are an entire kingdom, winning over her enemies will only be the beginning. Can one fugitive save her people, her kingdom and, hardest of all, herself?

In this reimagining of the classic fairy tale, Little Red Riding Hood, the girl in the red hood has been swallowed up by the wolf and must decide if she’s willing to fight for her freedom, no matter the cost.

The books in The Four Kingdoms series can be read as stand alone stories, however, for greatest enjoyment, they should be read in order. – summary from Goodreads

A Princess Fugitive was the perfect addition to The Four Kingdoms series.

This book focused on Ava, princess of Rangmere and the antagonist of The Princess Companion. This book helps explain how Ava got to the point she was in the previous book.

There was some amazing character growth! Ava goes through significant character development and moves away from being selfish and guarded, to open and caring. It was beautiful to read. As Ava became more open, she did start acting more like a teenager, though I didn’t find it too bad.

There was definitely more overt Christain messaging, which I liked. In the first book, the Christain message was definitely in the background and was more shown in how the characters acted. This book, Ava found the High King and chose to follow him, which helped her start turning around her life. It shows how your life can change when you follow a certain path.

I liked Hans! He was so protective and sweet. He was always in the background and was steady presence. I loved seeing this strong male character in touch with his emotions.

This was a different romance from the first book. This romance was built on years of companionship, and you can sense the love throughout the entire book. I do wish there was a little more time of them being together, though.

We got some new characters, Evelyn and Sarah. They were a lovely addition to the cast. Evelyn is the only female guard in a caravan, while Sarah is the bubbly daughter of a merchant. They are cousins, polar opposites, and become fast friends of Ava’s. They are lovely and fun characters, as well as nice representations of different types of women.

We did see some familiar faces, which I was so happy about! We got to see Alyssa and Max for a brief period, and they were happily married and in love! I loved seeing these two characters and hopefully we get more cameos in the future. We also got to see Aldric and Mathilde. Aldric is such an interesting character, and we got to see even more of him in this book- he played a pretty big role in the second half of the book. My only complaint is that there isn’t an entire book dedicated to Aldric and Mathilde!

This is a Red Riding Hood reimaging, and I think that is true. It is a loose retelling, but I love how it is done. The kingdom and the king are the wolf, and Ava is becoming the wolf, but if she turns away from her teachings she will be saved. It’s actually a really nice way of telling this story.

This book was definitely more political than the first book. Ava and her friends had to win over the court as she fought for the crown. I loved this part of it and it deepened my understanding of Rangmere. It also added some lovely dramatics.

The trial aspect of this book was super interesting, and I highly enjoy getting to read different ascension ideas. I thought this part was well thought out and written. It was very dramatic and captivating!

I wish there was a little more on Konrad and the king. I think it would have been nice to see a little more on them to understand the cruelty a little more.

This book still maintained a slightly slower pace, but I think it fits this type of story. There was more adventure and travel in this book. Ava travels from Rangmere to Arcadia back to Rangmere, and part of this trip took place on a merchant caravan. This world building is complex and thorough.

This book did have a different feel than the first book, but it still felt magical and brought me a lot of joy to read!

The romance was completely clean, again. There was a little more violence. Not too much and not graphic at all, but a step up from the first book.

The Princess Fugitive is a wonderful, clean romance reimaging of Little Red Riding Hood. With character development, a slow-burn romance, adventure, and political drama, this is not one to miss!