The cover was giving Kill the Farm Boy vibes, and the plot sounded fun. This is a fairytale-retelling story with a blended family and genderqueer characters. The main character is set up as the original princess behind a number of fairytale, most notably Rapunzel and Little Red Riding Hood; the fairytale bits that she hasn't experienced can be found in her step-sister and her half-sister.

Recommend to readers who liked The Halcyon Fairy Book. eARC from NetGalley.

THANK YOU to Netgalley for this ARC!

Bonus Points: LGBT+ rep :)

Loved, loved, loved this book so much!
So many unique moments where Herman chose a wholly original take on classic fairy tales.
This wasn't any sort of retelling or reimagining. This was a completely new fairy tale for a modern audience with humor (laugh out loud kind of humor) and romance, though that wasn't the focus like so many other fairy tales. A happy ending for everyone in such modern-thinking ways that any open-minded reader will absolutely love!

Definitely purchasing when it comes out!

This Princess Kills Monsters was great fun to read, and will be a hit with fans of lighthearted fantasy and Grimm's fairy tales. Melilot is sick of her stepmother sending her out on endless quests, and equally tired of having to be rescued by her much more magical sisters and their spouses, but the only time she fought back against her stepmom she was imprisoned in a tower for a year. So when her stepmother tells her she's betrothed to the new king of a far-off kingdom, she sets off to meet her future husband with only dubious powers and teeth-turned-guardsmen to protect her. But when her pumpkin carriage is attacked by spider wolves and she's saved by 6 handsome huntsmen with unusual talents, she finds herself caught up in a whole other tale full of dangerous monsters and assassination attempts. She disguises herself as a handmaiden to try and prevent further attempts on her life, and starts to fall for Sam, one of the dashing huntsmen, and her possible future husband's sister, which isn't ideal.

It's a story full of humor and adventure, with retellings of Grimm's fairy tales told by various characters throughout the story, working both as a way to explore the backstories of various characters and as cautionary tales. It's a great pick for readers who enjoy fairytale retellings, queer fantasy, and adventure stories laced with magic.

Thank you to NetGalley for the eARC of This Princess Kills Monsters.

This was SO much fun! A retelling of the Twelve Huntsman with a twist. Our FMC is Melilot, a princess of Skalla, who is sent to marry an unknown King by her Evil Stepmother. On her journey to his kingdom, she is attacked by monsters and saved by the twelve huntsmen. She soon discovers that there are many monsters plaguing the king’s land and works with the huntsmen to stop the monsters before it’s too late.

This was very funny and I found myself laughing out loud - a lot. There are many familiar fairytale references woven throughout the story and they were fun to find. Melilot is a strong FMC and I enjoyed her journey as she set out to save herself and the King and find herself outside the shadow of her siblings. This was whimsical and cozy with a very sweet romance! I would definitely pick up this author again.

This Book Kills Reading Slumps

4.75/5 stars

Thank you to NetGalley and Random House for the ARC of this fantastic book. I was immediately drawn into the story right from the prologue, and the book just got better as I continued reading. Ry Herman writes with a very distinct voice that I found refreshing and extremely fun to read. The style did make me worry initially that the satire might be too heavy-handed, but I ended up really enjoying how it was worked in throughout the book. I really loved how casually fairy tales were referenced, with some well known stories mentioned as passing moments or side thoughts.

I am a big fan of “twisted” fairy tales, and this book was a very fun take on that. Although I was unfamiliar with the tale of the twelve huntsmen, this book caught my attention and inspired me to look up/read a couple different versions once I finished reading. Even without having known the story beforehand, I thoroughly enjoyed this retelling focusing on a minor character. Herman beautifully balanced traditional fairy tale elements with satirical self-awareness, which made this a very fun read.

When I picked up this book, I was in a reading slump. The fun story, interesting world, and diverse characters drew me in and helped me get back into the habit of reading every day. The short chapters made this book difficult to put down, and the “just one more chapter” struggle kept me up later than I should have been as I devoured the story.

Overall vibes I had while reading this book: cozy, warm, humorous, nostalgic for fairy tales

Refreshingly Funny

This book had a wonderful voice and design that is both a Fairy Tale Retelling and action Fantasy adventure that is playful and humorous.

I wanted to like this book, but have had to put it down and try to go back to it at least 2-3 times at this point so I am officially DNFing this book at 20%.
Thank you to NetGalley and Dial Press Trade for the opportunity to read this book, but this one just isn’t for me. This started off OK as a love story about a prince forced to marry another woman and abandon the woman he truly loves. I was good finding out that our FMC was one of the jilted brides but once she starts her journey to meet her betrothed this plummeted downhill for me. I think the layering of fairytale stories into an against the grain fairytale was just too much for me and I just couldn’t get into this.

Legitimately funny, doesn't take itself too seriously, has a warm ooey-gooey heart at its center, and feels very much like a Princess Bride for the 2020s, This Princess Kills Monsters is one of the most fun fantasy books I've read in a really long time. It takes bits and pieces from many different Grimm's Fairy Tales and remixes them into something new and exciting, while still being familiar enough to be cozy and comforting.

Thank you to NetGalley, the author, and the publisher for this early copy in exchange for an honest review!

This was a fun, action-packed adventure. I loved all the references to the different fairytales. And the characters were ones to root for!

This author is incredibly clever, and the book is laugh out loud funny and just overall a grand time. Albeit, I think this is more of a wrong book wrong person one for me, or wrong time, I’m not sure, I overall think it was rather adorable and well written, fun, all the things, I think I just need a little less joking in my reads, so I’m not entirely sure what to rate this because: 1) I’ll definitely be recommending this book 2) it’s really fun 3( however i wanted a little more depth, So. With that being said I am somewhere between a 3-4 star for myself, but a 4+ recommendation for readers who love this trope. Pss I kinda love the whole Robin Hood men in tights joking theme I kept envisioning while reading.

I ended up DNF’ing this ARC about 20% of the way through. I felt terrible doing it because I wanted desperately to like this book. The concept felt new and exciting. The fact it was based off a fairytale, but not one of “the big ones” meant I was ready to read something different from a lot of popular fantasy or fairytale retellings.

The BIGGEST issue I had, and then one that made me ultimately put the book down and not pick it back up, was that every 3-5 sentences felt like a strange forth-wall break that was both jarring and unnecessary. “She turned herself into a lake. With ducks! Where did they come from you ask? Who knows.”

Maybe I’m just not the target audience for this story, but I was so hopeful going in, and just couldn’t get past what felt like kind of an odd writing choice.

Ry Herman writes such an affectionate, yet critical retelling of this fairytale. The tone is fun and light, and would be perfect for fans of recent releases such as Long Live Evil by Sarah Rees Brennan and Dreadful by Caitlin Rozakis.

Thanks to NetGalley and the author for granting me a copy of this book in exchange for an honest rating.

This Princess Kills Monsters by Ry Herman, when the book 1st starts we meet a couple who is very much in love but they’re interrupted when the prince is told his father is dying and he must leave to be by his side. He gives the princess a ring and says I will be back for you please wait for me and takes off. When he gets to his father‘s side the prince who we learn is Jarvis is devastated so his father says promise me one thing in the sun says anything, the father tells him please marry the princess from the kingdom of the West and Jarvis is so devastated he instantly agrees and then the king dies and Jarvis is like… Wait marry who? because the princess from the kingdom of the West isn’t his fiancé as a matter of fact he doesn’t even know her but a promise is a promise and Malia is sent for. when the princess is told her engagement is off due to his impending marriage to another she goes crazy loses her mind and breaks all of the royal pottery. Her father not knowing what else to do says my lovely daughter what can I do to ease your mind and make you stop this craziness? The princess tells her father I want 11 women who look exactly like me I want us all to wear pants and I want to go on an adventure and her father agrees. when Malia is on the way to Jarvis‘s Kingdom the only thing she knows about her upcoming home is there strange creatures in the woods and she doesn’t really think much about it until she gets closer and is confronted by a bunch of spider wolves… Yes wolves with their legs. In the middle of watching them eat her guards Huntsman dressed in green show up and save her life and she couldn’t be more thankful if only the one named Jack wouldn’t be suspicious of her. it doesn’t help that she tells them she is the wedding planner and not the princess and that her name is Clover and not Malia. on their way into the kingdom she really becomes close with one of the Huntsman’s despite they all look exactly alike his name is Sam but she is there to marry the king. Sam however will not be the only one she finds herself attracted to only the other one isn’t the king and there’s so many problems the last thing she needs to focus on is a relationship. she learned she was sent for because they need her magical ability to stop the attack by the strange creatures but unfortunately the only magical ability she has is to grow her hair quickly when under stress. I almost forgot the lion keeps telling the king the Huntsman are women and not men but the king knows that is preposterous because they’re wearing pants and women don’t wear pants. there’s so much I’m leaving out of this review about this great laugh out loud fall on the floor giggling story. It is just as interesting as it is funny and it is just as funny as it is action packed and there’s even a villain. This was an awesome awesome book I love adult fairytales and this was a great one. I would recommend this to anyone else who loves fairytales with laugh out loud moments and I mean that literally you will be laughing out loud whether at home or in public this book is so funny. #NetGalley,#RandomHouse, #TheBlindReviewer, #MyHonestReview, #RyHerman, #ThisPrincessKillsMonsters,

This was a really fun story. It was a unique blend of fairytales told in a humorous way that made me laugh right from the first chapter. It follows a quite large group of characters, but at the center of it its princess Melilot who is sent by her stepmother to marry a king and along the way she meets a quirky group of huntsmen on their own mission. I liked all the characters but most of all and other than Melilot, her sisters and their partners where my favorites too, so funny and with different personalities that made for great interactions. There is a found family aspect to the story with magic, some romance and a bit of whimsy. I initially wanted to read this because someone compare it to A.K Caggiano's writing and if you have read her Villains & Virtues series I can totally see why, specially in the way humor is written in both stories. It's bit silly and campy in a very good way to me as someone who enjoys that comedic style. It also had a Princess Bride vibe to it. This is the first book I read from this author and am looking froward to reading more of their work. As an added note I love when books have named chapters, I think it gives the story more personality.

Thank you to NetGalley, Random House Publishing Group for this ARC, all opinions are my own.

"Once upon a time, a woman found herself trapped in the once upon a time."

Thank you NetGalley and Random House Publishing Group for the eARC!

This was such a fun cozy fantasy that somehow managed to not take itself too seriously while also being extremely entertaining and touching. The stakes are somewhat high but the book always maintained a level of endearing humour despite the action. There's so many fun references to classic Grimm brothers fairytales and twists in the well-known narratives that were so charming. I thought the writing was great, light but well-paced, perfect for the quirky pop fantasy vibe this book has. The characters are all so fun, and I loved Melilot's personality, her weird but lovable sisters, and all the supporting cast. I took off half a star because the end did feel a little more stretched out than it maybe needed to be, but it was a satisfying one all the same.

This book was just fun chapter after fun chapter, I can't remember the last time I genuinely had such a fun time with a fantasy book. If you liked movies like "A Knight's Tale", "The Princess Bride", or "Monty Python and the Holy Grail", you'll like this one.

ARC Review

Thank you to Ry Herman, Random House, and NetGalley for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️/5
🫑

Once I got into this book, I really enjoyed it. Melilot grew on me as I progressed further in the book. This book started very slowly for me and I struggled with all of the fairy tale references. My brain kept wanting this book to be a retelling of something I know and it's not! The fact that it is not a retelling is what makes this book enjoyable!

Once I was able to move past that block, I could appreciate the references to other fairy tales.

The cast of characters were witty and fun! I did not expect the villain and that was a fun twist!

This book releases June 17, 2025. If you like fairy tales and are looking for a twist, read this book!

This was such a fun read! Right from the prologue I knew it was going to be a unique read! It pulled me in and kept me entertained. I loved all the nods to other fairytales. I would definitely read more from this author in the future

This was a fun and sweet adventure that ultimately didn't do anything very special to me and felt like it was aggressively trying to tell me something instead of show me something.

This was one of those rare books that you love every single character and want books of each of their stories because simply no one got enough on page time.

Every character was a delight, even the stepmother who I had issues with for most of the story. It was so fun to have so many different story book elements thrown together and having a group of people from a land who are aware of magic and their overall weirdness and the other group being basically horrified by what the others call normal but also being strangely accepting.

I found myself breezing through this book and just having a good time