The Bibliophile's Bookshelf

Title: The Abandoned Princess: A Retelling of Rapunzel

Series: Return to the Four Kingdoms #6

Author: Melanie Cellier

Genre: Young Adult, Fantasy, Retelling, Clean Romance

Rating: 4.5 stars

Review:

When Daisy dreamed of leaving home on an adventure, she never imagined ending up trapped in a tower, cut off from the world and invisible to others. The years pass slowly, leaving Daisy desperate to reclaim her old life, however dull.

But her captor has bigger plans, and Daisy knows she can’t just rescue herself. She has to shatter her captor’s enchantments forever. When opportunity comes, however, it arrives in an unexpected guise. Young and handsome, Prince Xander has come to rescue a princess from a tower. Instead, he finds himself battling at Daisy’s side for the fate of a kingdom.

In this reimagining of the classic fairy tale Rapunzel, the princess in the tower can only be seen by the one she loves if she first saves an entire kingdom. -summary from Goodreads

The Abandoned Princess was not only a wonderful Rapunzel retelling, but also the perfect conclusion to this amazing series!

I have long since loved Daisy. Ever since she turned up in A Dance of Silver and Shadow, I have wanted to know Daisy’s story. So, to finally be able to read her tale was amazing! Daisy was also a very lively character, and I am so happy with how it all played out. She learned some patience and restraint, which I thought was nice character growth. There was a similar theme in this book as in The Rogue Princess, where the main characters learn that wanting adventure and being more adventurous is not a bad thing. One of my absolute favorite parts of Daisy’s growth was her realizing how much the other princesses went through and that the only reason she was able to dream and get into as much trouble as she did when she was a kid was because her family loved her and kept her safe. I think these are two very important things, and I love this inclusion.

One of the other things I loved so much about this was the thing Daisy needed rescuing from the most was a solitary life. Not only through her time in her tower, but also being so much younger than her siblings, Daisy was often lonely. So, I loved how her being rescued was actually her being made part of a team. It was incredibly touching, and left Daisy freeing herself from her tower herself.

What caused Daisy to be in the tower was unique and interesting- a take I have not seen yet. I did enjoy that she wasn’t in the tower her whole life, but only five years. Part of the reason it has taken Daisy five years to leave her tower is that she has been rendered invisible to anyone under the age of thirteen. I thought this was a really unique idea and I loved the exploration of this. I did struggle a little bit with how she was in the tower for five years and feeling like her friends and family kind of forgot about her, but I thought this was handled nicely.

I loved Xander so much! He was so sweet and fun, and also was his own character! I was a little concerned that he would be just like Xavier, but he was very distinct. I especially liked how he took everything in stride.

By some fluke, Xander was pulled into the enchantment and turned invisible to people under thirteen as well. I loved this different magic system and how our main characters interacted with the world around them and how they solved their problems. I also think it was a nice way for Daisy and Xander to get to know each other.

I really enjoyed Lori, too! She was so loyal and dedicated to Daisy, and I loved seeing that. I also loved how her responsibility balanced Daisy and Xander’s more reckless approach.

We didn’t quite figure out what the antagonist, Eulalie’s, plan was until almost the end of the book. It actually connects back to The Princess Pact, but I thought it could have been explained a little more. I think the way this part of the story ended was a little sudden and could have used a little more.

We did get to see Celeste and William, Rafe and Marie, and Cordelia and Ferdy! I loved seeing these characters and it brought me a lot of joy. We also got to see their various kids, with the exception of Marie and Rafe’s youngest. It was so nice seeing the various elements of their parents in this new generation, and I loved the impact they made on the story. I was under the impression these characters would be in the story a little bit more than they were, but I loved seeing them. We now have gotten a sendoff for all of the original Four Kingdoms couples.

I will say that this book (and the author notes this in her acknowledgements) included way more references to other books than her previous books. You could totally read this book standalone, and it would make sense, but it will make more sense if you read it in order. There were so many references to other characters and stories, and I loved it. I especially loved getting to see Giselle, Daria, Cassie, Millie, and Teddy again. There were also many references to Celine!

Overall, I think the first time you read this series you should read it on order and back-to-back, though you could take a break in between each arc. However, if you wanted to reread, I think you could read whatever book you want and still understand what is happening.

Finishing this book is bittersweet. This is the true ending of this world, despite there being a duology still left to read. So, this was a little hard for me. However, usually when I finish series, I get a little sad, and I was totally expecting to finish this book and be devastated that it’s over. But I think Cellier did a wonderful job finishing up these stories and giving me some peace with each of their stories. These books also brought me some peace anyway, so there is that. I am so happy to have read these books and can’t wait to revisit these characters in the future!

The Abandoned Princess is a unique and inventive retelling of Rapunzel, with a focus on community and adventure! With a lively main character and love interest, a unique curse, and adventure, this is the perfect ending to a lovely series!

Quotes:

“‘I thought you were all living my dream. But you must have all been frightened and lonely and uncomfortable, just like me. And yet, you endured. You conquered the enchantments that threatened your lives and your kingdoms. And I will endure as well. No matter how many years I’m trapped here, I will one day shatter my enchantment and find my happy ending.’”

“I loved him, and not just because he was the one who had turned up to rescue me. I loved him because he included me but also everyone else. Because he was a royal, but he also cared about everyday people. Because he was intelligent, strong, and entertaining, and he was just as willing to run straight toward trouble as I was… No matter where I had met Xander, I would have fallen for him.”

“And at my side was the man who had rescued me. Not from the tower- I had climbed out of that myself- but he had reached into my solitary life and made me part of a team. And I never wanted to lose that connection.”