Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for granting me free access to the advanced digital copy of this book, as this book has already been published, I will not share my review on Netgalley at this time.

I honestly felt lost in this book most of the time. The pacing and character introduction was much too fast and scattered, making it hard to both bond with the characters and to figure out what exactly mattered and, ultimately, making it feel like nothing did. This wasn't helped by the use of tropes and ideas specific to Disney's Cinderella, which I think only added to the confusion (both in that it led readers to make assumptions and was a form of distraction because I genuinely spent quite some time going "Wait, is that just fully copied over?"). I

A fun and exciting fantasy novel for middle grade readers. Perfect for fans of Gail Carson Levine, Diane Magras, or Lois Lowry.

This was such a fun and unique middle grade story! I have never read from this author before but was drawn in by the cover.

It starts out seeming like a Sleeping Beauty retelling, but it brings in SO many other fairytales. And even turns into a really cool sci-fi esque story - no spoilers!!

The main character read very middle grade, she was fun to follow and definitely made some dumb decisions but very understandably so.

Super cool read!

This was a good MG novel, that I enjoyed reading! I would recommend checking it out!

I received an e-ARC from the publisher.

At first, Princess of the Wild Sea might seem familiar. At its core is the tale of Sleeping Beauty, but the classic fairy tale merely serves as the basic framework for what becomes a nuanced and compelling new story.

At the center of the story is Harbor, a plucky young princess who lives on a remote island waiting for her hero to come and save her from a curse that will see her fall into a magical sleep. As she prepares for the eventuality of the curse and her 13th birthday, Harbor also begins to question the world and magic around her. And when the curse actually comes to fruition, it turns out her curse is just a precursor to something much worse.

Harbor is exactly the sort of protagonist you’d want at the middle of such a tale. She’s clever and adventurous and has to work through some of her own flaws. Her surrounding cast of characters are equally as flawed in delightfully warm and understandable ways.

In fact, even though there’s a curse at the center of Princess of the Wild Sea, author Megan Frazer Blakemore’s warm prose creates a comforting undercurrent throughout even the more dangerous, darker moments. And — without giving too much away — her use of the “real world” combined with a fantastical one is a great twist.

Though Princess of the Wild Sea is a standalone novel, Blakemore has a left a door open to further exploration. It’s a delightful read with enough twists that it should even draw in readers who don’t like “princess books.”

Princess Harbor Rose is cursed. Hidden in a remote island with her mother and her aunts, she cannot wait to turn thirteen and be finally free from the doom prediction. Until then, she learns how to be a proper princess. But one morning, she finds a strange object on the beach, and the prophecy comes true : war is coming and a hero is going to rise to save everyone.

If you love fairytales, you will love Princess of the Wild Sea. This charming middle grade novel has everything to please magic lovers : a courageous princess ready to do anything to save her people, heroes from another world on a mission and magical aunts with extraordinary powers. I really enjoyed the story : the word weaving is perfect and I really appreciated the retelling of Sleeping Beauty and all the other famous tales mentioned.

The characters grow along the story, discovering truth along the way. I love how Megan Frazer Blakemore emphasizes the importance of teamwork. It is a well written classical quest, but it isn't reduced to a simple story about good versus evil. Princess of the Wild Sea will surely please young readers and adult alike.