The Piper’s Promise by Leah Cypess is the third book in the middle grade fantasy Sisters Ever After series. The books in the Sisters Ever After series are all retellings of fairy tales with each book bringing a new story done in a new and creative way of being told from a sibling of someone in the original tales. Each of these books can be read in any order or as a standalone if choosing to do so.

This third book of the series is a retelling of the Pied Piper fairy tale with this new story being told from the Pied Piper’s little sister, Clare. Clare is determined to figure out just what is going on in the small town of Hamelin when she finds out that her brother has been accused of stealing the town’s children away. Clare knows this isn’t the actions of the brother she knows, the one that protects her over anything else.

Clare learns that her brother used the Fae Queen’s magic pipe to lure Hamelin’s children away so that is where she must begin investigating. With the help of Anna, the mayor of Hamelin’s daughter, Clare ventures into the Faerie Realms and follows what she believes is the path that will lead to her brother and the missing children.

I’ve said it before but I’ll say it again, yes I know I’m a little (a lot) older than who is meant to be reading middle grade novels. Heck, I was probably too old for them by the time I did hit middle grade all those decades ago. But that being said I just love a good story and don’t really care if it is marketed for me or not so being a fan of fairy tales I was curious when I first noticed the series and dove right in. So far I have thoroughly enjoyed each tale and The Piper’s Promise was no exception. I definitely recommend picking up this book along with the other’s in the Sister’s Ever After series if you enjoy and exciting new twist on the old classics.

I received an advance copy from the publisher via NetGalley.

Thanks to Delacorte Books / Random House Children's Publishers and NetGalley for giving me the opportunity to read an advanced copy. Opinions are my own.

The Pied Piper's little sister is determined to rat out the truth about her brother's bad behavior and save the children of Hamelin. The third book in the sisters Ever After series, perfect for anyone who loves fairytales about sisters and magic.

The Pied Piper's little sister Clare and the Mayor's daughter Anna journey to the realm of the faeries from the town of Hameln to try to bring back the human children of Hamelin.

Love the premise of two girls going on adventures. It is too often when it is the boys going off on adventures.

Thank you to Netgalley and the publishers for giving me access to the free advanced digital copy of this book.

I liked this title just as much as the others in this series. Cypess has a wonderful way of taking the stories and sticking to them closely while also adding in her own characters and elements. So much fun to see these old stories in a new way. Especially this story which often gets skipped over in the fairy tale line up. Can't wait to see what comes next!

I haven't read the other books in the Sister's Ever After series, I just jumped in on this one, because it's not often that I see retellings of the Pied Piper story. I can say with confidence that these books can be read independently.

This story takes place after the Pied Piper, Tom, has led the children off from the village of Hamelin. Tom's little sister hears about this and is horrified! She and her brother were humans, adopted by fairies. She can't understand how he could steal so many humans and bring them into the fairy realm. Why would he do that? She goes on a quest to find her brother, and return the human children to their parents.

Her mission will test her courage, her loyalty, and her resourcefulness. This was a story of growth and adventure. It showed the beautiful and treacherous parts to the fairy realm, and some of the dangers of the human world as well. Clare has to discover her own strength and who she really is inside. Is she more human or fairy? Where should her loyalties lie?

This was a fun middle grade fiction novel. A lot of good versus evil, a winding adventure through two worlds, and complicated characters.

I would recommend this book for 9-12 year olds.

This is a Fantasy Middle Grade, and this is the third book in the Sisters Ever After series. I have read and reviewed the first two books in this series before reading this book. I do think this book can be read as a standalone without any problems. This is a re-telling of The Pied Piper which I had never heard before reading this book. I think I had a hard time figuring out what was going on because I did not know the Pied Piper story, and I also do not normally read books with fairies in them. I did not connect with the story or the characters. I found parts of this book to be hard to follow. I finished reading this book, and I liked the ending. I was kindly provided an e-copy of this book by the publisher (Delacorte Press) or author (Leah Cypess) via NetGalley, so I can give an honest review about how I feel about this book. I want to send a big Thank you to them for that.

The Piper’s Promise (Sister’s Ever After #3) by Leah Cypess, 304 pages. Delacorte Press (Random House Children’s Books), 2023. $17.
Language: G (0 swears, 0 “f”); Mature Content: PG; Violence: PG
BUYING ADVISORY: EL, MS - OPTIONAL
AUDIENCE APPEAL: AVERAGE
While living in the Realm with the fae, over a hundred years have gone by in the human world when Clare (11yo) crosses the boundary again. Clare is looking for her brother, Tom, who hasn't come back from his latest mission for the fae queen. She has heard rumors of Tom kidnapping children, but that can’t be right—and Clare is going to prove it.
Fairy tale retellings are always fun, and I enjoyed Clare’s story based on the lesser-known tale of The Pied Piper. Cypess uses common fae lore with her own spin on it, makes several lying characters dance around each other, and adds small details that hint at their involvement in other loved fairy tales. Overall, this magical story is about the sacrifices we make for those we love.
Clare and Tom are depicted as White on the cover. The mature content rating is for kidnapping, and the violence rating is for mentions of drowning and some fantasy fighting scenes.
Reviewer: Carolina Herdegen

Of all the fairy tales, I am not deeply familiar with The Pied Piper as I am with say the princess fairy tales (the Grimm and the Disney). The book held my interest but comparing this to Cypess' second book, Glass Slippers, it didn't leave me with the same awestruck feeling that I had when I finished that book.

So the story goes that the Pied Piper led the rats out of Hamelin and then when he didn't get paid he took Hamelin's children too. The book starts the same, except that the Piper, Tom, has a sister, Clare, who is determined to right his wrong of taking the children. Clare finds herself caught up in a nefarious plot between the Mayor of Hamelin, her dear brother, the rat prince and the Faerie Queen. Faerie lore dictates that faeries can't lie and that one must never bargain with them as there is always a trick involved. This proves true once again in this story.

I do think younger readers with active imaginations may find the rats a bit scary, especially given the size (think the R.O.U.S.s from The Princess Bride). However, even with the sinister plot this is still one of the tamer re-tellings I have read. I eagerly look forward to these releases and I can't wait for the next one.

My thanks to Netgalley and Delacorte Press for this ARC in exchange for an honest review.

This was my first introduction to the Sisters Ever After series - what a great idea, this was a lot of fun. In this story, Clare is the younger sister of the Pied Piper of Hamlin, Tom. She's on a mission to find out why he's stolen the children of Hamlin, and what she finds will change her world forever.

This was a fun read! It's going to be great for kiddos who like mystery and magic. The story was generally pretty accessible and was a fun way to retell the story of the Pied Piper in a way readers likely haven't encountered before. More sensitive kiddos might have trouble with depictions of physical violence and scary situations, but overall this will suit a lot of patrons who enjoy middle-grade books.

My only note about this is that all of the characters read as white. Cypress doesn't describe the characters really in detail, letting the reader fall into the default of white. The cover images of this and all of her books so far imply the same. This isn't a dealbreaker and many kids will likely still enjoy this story and the series it comes from, but it is something to point out for those of us that have a lot of patrons from marginalized backgrounds.

What a tangled web we weave when we practice to deceive. When the mayor of Pam made promises to the pie Piper his intentions may not have been the most honest. Because after the rats were gone and Tom the Pied Piper came for his pay instead of leaving with gold coins he left with the children of Hamlin but not all of them. Was it just a coincidence that the mayors daughter and was safely secured away on that ominous day? It’s now the next day and the pie Piper‘s sister has counter offer her services to the mayor of Hamlin. She says she will find her brother and find out just why he would take all the towns children because that doesn’t sound like something her brother would do. To the Mayor‘s surprise and astonishment his blind daughter A says she will go with her to retrieve the children and in the end find out the real story. When they sit out on their journey they will find out a lot of things in one is that there is a liar in their mitts but it isn’t the Pied Piper. I love the retail retailings and after reading Bri Rose the first book in this series I was so excited to see this one and couldn’t wait to get my hands on it and it was as great as I thought it would be. I love the The sisters books and truly hope there is more than three. I received this book from NetGalley I am the publisher but I am leaving this review voluntarily please forgive any mistakes as I am blind and dictate my review.

This middle grade fairytale series is just so cute and wholesome! The covers are absolutely adorable adorable, reminding me of the Disney Princess fairytale movie covers (this one especially reminds me of Tangled). This kind of reminded me of the old Gail Carson Levine middle grade fairytales that were super popular back in the day (the type of hype that fairytales deserve to have today tbh). It felt really nostalgic!

The world building is so whimsical and adorable. It kind of reminds me of Ella Enchanted, with lots of fairies and magic. Unlike the two previous installments focusing a princess and giving us a peak at royal life, this book takes place in the village of Hamlin and the fairy realm. Instead of the princess of a kingdom, this is about the princess of the fairy realm. The narration was super adorable and I know that younger readers would absolutely LOVE this read. Even older readers like myself would enjoy this if you also love fairytales, because while it is middle grade, the narration isn’t overly young in an annoying way.

This wasn’t the best middle grade fairytale I’ve ever read, but it was whimsical and adorable. This series kind of has the same vibe as Once Upon a Marigold, Tuesday’s at the Castle, The Wide Awake Princess, or Ella Enchanted.

Thank you to Delacorte Press for sending me an advanced copy in return for my honest review.

Hadn't read the first 2 books in this series but was attempting to see if this was appropriate for gifts and recommendations. Admittedly, I was a little lost on the plot/story. Personally think there are better books for kids to read.

*I received this digital book from the publisher through NetGalley in exchange for my honest review.

I was excited to read this book, but I'm not sure if it was because it was for a YA audience, but I was a little disappointed in the plot. I was looking forward to learning about the Pied Piper and his sister, and it just seemed like it was Clare telling the audience why they were the way they were time and time again. I was hoping for a little more magic in the Realms, and it was a lot of bickering and explaining WHY things were they way they were instead of just moving on with the story. Perhaps. I went in with expectations that weren't met, but I just wanted it to be a little more magical and look forward to unfolding the story!

I haven’t read a lot of fantasy lately partly because rom coms are just too addicting :) But The Piper’s Promise reminded me why I loved fantasy so much! The worldbuilding in this book was just amazing, and I felt like I was with the characters.
The Piper’s Promise is a retelling of the Pied Piper fairy tale from his sister’s perspective. Clare knows who her brother is, and while he has been around fae all his life, he is not fae. He can still love, and he would never just steal children away. So with Anna, the mayor of Hamlin’s daughter, she goes to find him and save the children of Hamlin. But who exactly will she find her brother or another cruel fae?
I loved Clare so much! She had always relied on her brother, and a part of her believed that she needed him to survive. I loved watching her grow into herself and choose to love. Clare has been in the fae world since she was a baby, and the fae don’t love. So she had to choose whether she wanted to be fae or be human.
And her relationship with Tom, her brother, was wonderfully done. I don’t want to give everything away, but this sibling relationship gave me all the feels. I love books where siblings actually love each other, and you could see the love Clare and Tom had for each other. But they had to overcome all obstacles in order to find each other.
I loved the adventure in this book! And seeing the different sides of the fae world. There are some creepier moments because they have to fight off rats, but overall this is a very clean read. I would totally recommend this book to any fairytale lovers! It is part of a series, but I haven’t read the other books, and I still loved this one :)

Highlights:
Adorable sibling relationship
Conventional family values
No romance!
Strong heroine
Kept me guessing
Couldn’t put it down
Wonderful world building

I voluntarily reviewed a complimentary copy of this book which I received from the publisher through Netgalley. All views expressed are only my honest opinion, a positive review was not required.

Thank you to Net Galley for the ARC. This is a great addition to the Sisters Ever After series. I wasn't as familiar with the Pied Piper as I was the stories in the previous two books, but I still was able to follow along. Cypress once again writes a protagonist who kids will relate to and root for.

Review: This was another wonderful book in the Sisters Ever After series by Leah Cypress! This series has become one of my favorites. I was so happy when I got approved for an e-ARC of the book! I had high expectations for it, and I just had to read it immediately. And I was not disappointed! It was so good, and such an interesting take on the pied piper fairytale. Clare was a great character, and I loved reading her journey. The ending was lovely, and made me cry. Leah Cypress writes awesome retellings, and I can't wait to read what's next! Overall, I highly recommend this book!

I received an e-ARC from the publisher.

Very nice twist on the Pied Piper Story. Also enjoyed how in this book she expanded to a sister and brother team. She will be his sister ever after no matter the gender of her sibling. I, also, especially enjoyed the Fae aspect of the story.