Rogue Princess is a fun and energetic retelling of Cinderella that gives readers a gender swap, making the tale unique and charismatic.

Fun

Right from the beginning, the reader knows that this will be an exciting read. Princess Delia is running from the palace to find an alternative means for energy for her planet other than marrying. Moreover, who does she find stowed away on her ship? None other than our Cinderella Aidan.

A kitchen boy working in the palace, Aidan seeks to escape from his stepfather and stepbrothers. So, he hops on the only ship available to him in hopes of escaping dressed as a guard.

However, their escape does not go as planned.

The entire opening of Rogue Princess is executed wonderfully and engagingly. Their dynamic instantly builds up the attraction between the two characters without falling into the trap of the insta-love trope. Which makes the story work.

Story and Characterization Work Together

Myers builds up the friendship with the characters while giving the reader a strong sense of their personalities. For example, Delia is very headstrong, determined to do what she needs to be the best queen for her people. However, that does not mean she knows exactly what is happening in her kingdom.

Right after her escape, she and Aidan encounter pirates. Although piracy has been outlawed from her understanding, there are no pirates. What is love is how Aidan says, “well, no one told them,” without sounding cliché. This event encourages Delia to get to know her kingdom outside her palace walls. She ventures out, sneaks out, and loves that Aidan speaks his mind, disregarding the fact that she is a princess. She may be royalty, future queen, but she knows very little of the actual struggles her people face.

Delia has excellent character development, growing more aware and more determined to help her people, especially in the face of unveiling secrets.

Aidan’s development is not as grand as Delia’s, but his perspective is still great to read. Aidan challenges and befriends Delia. He is snarky and clever, quick to respond to the princess in unorthodox ways. Their dynamic works so well because of that. Moreover, it does not hurt that she is always the one to save him with her excellent sword fighting skills that give the reader pause and even more love for their budding relationship.

Final Thoughts

If you have ever seen Stardust, that scene on the airship with the pirates accurately captures how Rogue Princess made me feel. It was full of love and entertainment. It was funny, unpredictable, and overall well written. The storytelling is concise, dropping plot twists here and there that keep the reader guessing and keep the story unique and engaging until the very end.