This princess kills monsters The misadventures of a fairy-tale stepsister : a novel

Ry Herman

Book - 2025

"Someone wants to murder Princess Melilot. This is sadly normal. Melilot is sick of being ordered to go on dangerous quests by her domineering stepmother. Especially since she always winds up needing to be rescued by her more magically talented stepsisters. And now, she's been commanded to marry a king she's never met. When hideous spider-wolves attack her on the journey to meet her husband-to-be, she is once again rescued-but this time, by twelve eerily similar-looking masked huntsmen. Soon, she has to contend with near-constant attempts on her life, a talking lion that sets bewildering gender tests, and a king who can't recognize his true love when she puts on a pair of trousers. And all the while, she has to fight her... growing attraction to not only one of the huntsmen, but also her fiancé's extremely attractive sister. If Melilot can't unravel the mysteries and rescue herself from peril, kingdoms will fall. Worse, she could end up married to someone she doesn't love."--

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FICTION/Herman Ry
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Location Call Number   Status
1st Floor New Shelf FICTION/Herman Ry (NEW SHELF) Due Jul 30, 2025
Subjects
Genres
Queer fiction
Fantasy fiction
Romance fiction
Novels
Published
New York, NY : The Dial Press [2025]
Language
English
Main Author
Ry Herman (author)
Physical Description
396 pages ; 21 cm
ISBN
9780593733080
Contents unavailable.
Review by Publisher's Weekly Review

This charming, comic take on the Brothers Grimm's "The Twelve Huntsmen" from Herman (Love Bites) takes readers on an irreverent tour of fairy tale tropes through the eyes of a wonderfully snarky princess. Melilot, the least magical stepdaughter of the sorceress-queen of Skalla, is surprised when the newly crowned King Gervase of the rundown kingdom of Tailliz asks for her hand in marriage. Afraid of disobeying her stepmother, Melilot agrees to the arrangement, despite learning that Tailliz has no magic and is haunted by unnatural creatures. Melilot gets a read on what she's up against by disguising herself as her own maid to infiltrate Gervase's castle before the wedding. There, mysteries abound; Melilot must learn why someone is plotting to assassinate her, how exactly the king's 12 huntsmen are all identical, why Gervase called off his previous engagement, and what role she plays in the prophesy that a Skallan princess will save Tailliz from peril. Distracting her from her investigations is Gervase's assertive and flirtatious sister, Angelique. Herman zeroes in on the hilarious absurdities of fairy tales writ large while crafting a queer heroine full of heart and self-confidence. Readers are sure to be won over by the cleverly deployed archetypes, snappy prose, and rollicking adventure. (June)

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Review by Library Journal Review

Princess Melilot is tired of quests, especially the ones her stepmother sends her on. In most cases, she has to be rescued by her step- and half-sisters before utter calamity falls upon her. Melilot knows her stepmother likes her least, and when she is told to marry a king she has not met, she realizes she has no choice in the matter. When Melilot is attacked in the forest on the way to the kingdom, a group of 12 huntsmen rescue her, and she decides to tell everyone that she is the princess's maid, so that she might experience a brief period of freedom in which to see the kingdom, before her wedding limits her autonomy. Faced with a talking lion who dictates gender tests, a growing attraction to not only one of the huntsmen but the king's sister, plus more attempts on her life, Melilot must figure out what is going on before not only her heart but the kingdom is lost. VERDICT Herman's (Bleeding Hearts) delightful secondary characters and humorous tone bring this subversive, queer fairy tale retelling to life.--Kristi Chadwick

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