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I used to think of princesses as cute, elegant, graceful, weak, too much living large, the usual. I often wondered why women keep on telling stories about such girls. Can’t they tell stories about women who killed armies, or weren’t afraid of getting hurt? Luckily there is one book that changes the image of a weak princess. Here comes a strong and fearless princess!
Yes, I’m talking about The Maverick Princess by D.A. Arthur. The story is set on a snowy mountain in Valhalla. There, a king, king Gustav, produces a new heir (meaning, his wife is having a child who is going to be his successor), but instead of having a son they wished for, they get a daughter. But this child isn’t just a girl, it’s a special girl. While her mother, Queen Mara, despises her (the queen wanted a son), the king is just as happy as when he would get a son. When this girl, Kristina, also appears to be highly gifted, king Gustav decides to raise her like a girl. The story starts easy, as if everything is going to be all right. However, like in every book, something is going to happen. In this case, something does happen. King Gustav dies in a war. From that moment on Kristina’s life changes. She decides to act like a boy and to become king, yes, king, of Vidaria. So far nothing that’s shocking or new. If you would read this brief description you probably wouldn’t want to buy the book. Well, let’s start of somewhere in the middle. Kristina wants to prove to herself that she can be as strong and powerful as her father, and so decides to end a war, the same war king Gustav got killed in. See it as a revenge action. And you might have guessed it, Kristina decides to go to battle as a soldier. The storyline is unique, though you can sense a lot of influences of other stories. It is loosely based on the story of Christina of Sweden. Luckily I don’t know her history, so I can’t compare it. However, I did see some other influences. I don’t think this is correct, but I did sense a sort of influence from Shakespeare’s Hamlet. The whole story is set in the past, so that we can see another world. This makes it easier to escape from the daily life. What I really liked about the story was the fact that the main character, Kristina, is different from the other people, not just women. She comes over as a superior being, yet she isn’t. It intrigues you, especially the way she acts. It makes you want to be her. However, sometimes she can act a bit too hard, especially when she needs to kill someone, like she’s soulless. Fortunately Ms. Arthur wrote a lot of passages which shows that she most definitely does have a heart. A little point of critique is the fact that the story contains spelling errors, especially in the “embarrassing” passages. For example, she says that Kristina often wishes for male genitals, and often prayed to God, asking “Pray tell me why I was born a girl.” Also, there are some inconsistencies. Kristina for example never wears dresses, only at the Saint Lucia ball. Why only then? Sure, the author explains it by saying it is not a dress, only a costume. Yes, there are some errors. Every book has errors, but they are only bad if the book is utter crap. This book is all but crap, it’s an enjoyable book, though it is actually meant for the more adult readers. What the final judgment is? Well, let’s wait until the final episode of the legacy. To be continued… The Maverick Princess By D.A. Arthur, a.k.a. Jewel Simmons Price: $24.95 ISBN 1-4137-1294-0 |