Q U I C K S T A T S
Characters: ⭐⭐⭐
Setting: ⭐⭐
Writing style: ⭐⭐⭐. 5
Overall rating: ⭐⭐⭐⭐
T H E B O O K
// Content Warning: Blood / Confinement / Death / Death of parent / Gun violence / Kidnapping / Murder / Violence //
Publisher: Swoon Reads
Age rating: 14+
Genre(s): Science fiction
Pub date: 21/01/2020
P R E M I S E
Princess Delia knows her duty: She must choose a prince to marry in order to secure an alliance and save her failing planet. Yet she secretly dreams of true love, and feels there must be a better way. Determined to chart her own course, she steals a spaceship to avoid the marriage, only to discover a handsome stowaway.
All Aidan wanted was to “borrow” a few palace trinkets to help him get off the planet. Okay, so maybe escaping on a royal ship wasn’t the smartest plan, but he never expected to be kidnapped by a runaway princess!
Sparks fly as this headstrong princess and clever thief battle wits, but everything changes when they inadvertently uncover a rebel conspiracy that could destroy their planet forever.
M Y R E V I E W
↬ PRE-THOUGHTS
The cover's so fucking gorgeous and just- it's perfect.
I looked up the definition of 'rogue' and it basically means scoundrel. But unfortunately for me, I took French and pronounced it as /roo-h-j/ and it did not go well.
↬ PLOT
Me a few minutes after finishing the book trying to remember the plot:
After several attempts, my brain has shut down so you're going to have to make do with the premise kids.
However, the ending reminds me so much of this book called the Smoke in the Sun which is the final book in the Flame in the Mist duology. And it's entirely different. Different genre, different setting, different vibe. Think of it as Seven Deadly Shadows but ✨n i n j a s✨
↬ WRITING AND SETTING
Keep in mind that the entire novel takes place in space and therefore pirates would literally be like:
That's...interesting to know.
The ending was rushed and the problems likewise were solved too quickly (almost as quickly as they appeared). To give credit where credit was due, the build-up was really good and I enjoyed it.
I wished the worldbuilding was expounded and expanded on more because I do think there were lots of interesting aspects which could've been explored. The information provided was vague and condensed; the author could've done more than remind us every three pages that the book took place in space.
↬ CHARACTERS
I'm not sure if I liked the main character at all. I found her extremely endearing and controlling, but if that's the only way men in your army listen to you, go girlboss!
Aidan was VERY cheeky and I loved the lines assigned to him. Again, he had like zero character development and I prefer him dead.
I don't remember if there was a villain. I think there was one but they weren't too important and contributed nothing to the storyline so uh that's an issue.
↬ CONCLUSION
Pros: Quick read
Cons: Worldbuilding is not expounded upon
Overall rating: 4/5
T R O P E S
Forbidden romance
Retelling
Slow burn romance
R E P R E S E N T A T I O N
Black main and side characters
MLM side characters
S I M I L A R B O O K S
Cinder by Marrisa Meyer
↬ Humans and androids crowd the raucous streets of New Beijing. A deadly plague ravages the population. From space, a ruthless Lunar people watch, waiting to make their move. No one knows that Earth’s fate hinges on one girl. . . . Cinder, a gifted mechanic, is a cyborg.
She’s a second-class citizen with a mysterious past, reviled by her stepmother and blamed for her stepsister’s illness. But when her life becomes intertwined with the handsome Prince Kai’s, she suddenly finds herself at the center of an intergalactic struggle, and a forbidden attraction. Caught between duty and freedom, loyalty and betrayal, she must uncover secrets about her past in order to protect her world’s future.
Cinderella is Dead by Kalynn Bayron
↬ It’s 200 years after Cinderella found her prince, but the fairy tale is over. Teen girls are now required to appear at the Annual Ball, where the men of the kingdom select wives based on a girl’s display of finery. If a suitable match is not found, the girls not chosen are never heard from again.
Sixteen-year-old Sophia would much rather marry Erin, her childhood best friend, than parade in front of suitors. At the ball, Sophia makes the desperate decision to flee, and finds herself hiding in Cinderella’s mausoleum. There, she meets Constance, the last known descendant of Cinderella and her step sisters. Together they vow to bring down the king once and for all–and in the process, they learn that there’s more to Cinderella’s story than they ever knew. . .
This fresh take on a classic story will make readers question the tales they’ve been told, and root for girls to break down the constructs of the world around them.
B O O K S M E N T I O N E D
Flame in the Mist by Renée Ahdieh
Seven Deadly Shadows by Courtney Alameda and Valynne E. Maetani
A D D I T I O N A L R E S O U R C E S
F I N D M E
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