The Princess Fugitive by Melanie Cellier

The Princess Fugitive by Melanie Cellier ISBN-13: 978-0980696387 Kindle: 354 pages Publisher: Luminant Publications Released: June 30th 2016

Source: Rented through Amazon Unlimited.

Book Description, Modified from Goodreads:
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. 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.


My Review:
The Princess Fugitive is a young adult fantasy novel with a romance. This is the second book in the series, but it can be read as a standalone. However, you'll better understand Ava's dilemma if you fully know what she did wrong in the previous book. Ava's father and brother are cruel, selfish rulers, and her father has formed her into a villain by using her desire to please him. This means that she's clever and able to take care of herself, but it also means that the only man who is loyal to her is her bodyguard, Hans. When they're forced to flee the castle, she learns how to make friends again and how to rely on the skills of these friends to help her regain her kingdom.

I liked that Ava and Hans were a good team and that she appreciated his guidance in learning how to be a good (rather than a selfish, evil) ruler. Their relationship was built on trust and friendship. The main characters were engaging and reacted realistically to events. The world-building was light, mainly a medieval feel but with curses and godmother magic items. There was no sex or bad language. Overall, I'd recommend this fantasy to fans of fairytales and heroic fantasy.


If you've read this book, what do you think about it? I'd be honored if you wrote your own opinion of the book in the comments.