Review: 2.75 rounded up because I like the premise and the punchline
Rating: 3 out of 5
Date: 05 29, 2014
An abysmally busy and unintelligible cover, plus very mixed reviews, made me hesitate to even try this, but I figured, "It's free, it's short, and I love fairytale spoofs -- why not try at least the start of it?" I don't regret the few minutes (15 or so, maybe) it took me to read it through to the twist of an ending.Usually if an author is going to have the prince be not-so-charming, she starts with a rebellious heroine, too, so it was interesting to see how this princess only gradually realized she didn't have to resign herself to marrying her "hero".I just wish the writing was more in depth, both as to plot (Why all the ghosts, and what determines what they can and can't do? What about the briefly-mentioned wizard? How did she get captured by the dragon, and what actually happened to her parents? How did Prince Aarach rescue her -- while she was running away from the dragon?? -- and is the dragon really dead? I don't know which of these are addressed in the sequel, which presumably takes place in a third kingdom.) ... but also, and even more importantly, as to character development.The princess is still scarcely more than a spoiled ninny when the story ends; the prince and his transparent parents (Oops, that's a spoiler of a few paragraphs' delayed revelation.) are rather selfishly blind but basically cardboard cutouts; and the rather sweet and somewhat character-building interaction between the princess and the little ghost-girl is too easily and quickly wrapped up.I will say, though, I disagree with those who include the ending among their complaints. I found it entirely appropriate and amusing, even if open-ended.I'm intrigued by what might happen in the sequel, but unless it's considerably longer, or the (doubtless quite short) sample shows impressive improvement in the writing style, I'm not going to *pay* for it.