The Princess Bride meets Shrek in this delightfully feminist fairytale full of thrilling quests, quirky characters, and lots of laughs. This Princess Kills Monsters turns familiar stories on their heads and invites readers on a magical adventure they'll never want to end. Seeing the world of the Grimm Brothers through Princess Melilot's eyes is the most fun I've ever had.

This book has an intriguing premise with a strong mix of fantasy and self-discovery. While the action is vivid and the world-building imaginative, I found that emotional moments don’t always resonate, making it a fun but somewhat shallow read. Overall, it’s an enjoyable light fantasy but not entirely in my normal range of story.

As my review is more reflective of the gap in my enjoyment than the quality, I will not be posting the review on social media.

What a whimsical adventure! 

I didn’t know what to expect from this, but when the author basically painted the narrative circle in which the Prince’s former intended being in identical disguises coupled with the story, Sam tells, I was a woman possessed. I went from liking the story to being unable to put it down.

Seriously, this is the best modern fairytale/fairy retelling I’ve had the joy of reading for a long time. I’m so happy there was so much nuance to the story rather than relying on a bundle of tropes! (The exception is the hilarious “One Bed/Bed Sharing” one. 11/10)

The Ogres were delightful
Gnoflwhogir is so much fun
Liam is so mysterious, sweet, and very VERY Wise
Calla and Jonquil are the best
Sam is wonderful
And Melilot is charming, brilliant, and relatable 

All of the characters’ relationships with each other feel so realistic, especially the ones that nearly had me tearing my hair out! (They were all fun!) 

Also, I pretty much teared up any time Melilot was reflecting on her relationship with her Stepmother. It was so complex, but in the end, when Melilot evaluates Angelique to her Stepmother and hears the story Melilot tells Sam? It’s nowhere near perfect, but you can tell they really do love each other. 

It's a crazy good blend of lightheartedness and high-stakes action. (I also happy cried a lot.)

Loved it.

Fairytales are a hard genre to write. However, this book took the most known fables and dumped them on their head. I loved the twists I saw and was so impressed by the flow of weaving the stories into the main story. Beautiful. I loved the ending and the characters were just a delight.

Oh this was a fun read! Loved all the fairytale drama! Fantastic in every possible way and I do read a lot of fairytale retellings. Ooooh itching to read it again!

This is a fantastic twist on a classic fairy tale by the brothers Grimm with a lot of subtle, and not so subtle, references to other fairy tales. At times this feels almost like reading a fever dream, with all the magical monsters and tooth themed quests, but isn’t that the level of whimsy and wonder that you are looking for when you pick up a book about fairy tales?! This is definitely a book I wish I had read when I was growing up. Ry Herman did a wonderful job bringing a classic tale to the modern progressive age and frankly made the characters more relatable. The themes of blended families, understanding one's sexuality, and overcoming both familial and societal pressures and “norms” made this book a thrilling read, not to mention all the magical monsters that needed to be defeated. I highly recommend giving this book a read.

My rating: 4.5 stars

I’d like to thank NetGalley for giving me a chance to read this ARC.

rating 4 ⭐️

oh my god this was so funny. if you like the vibe of assistant to the villian THIS ONE RIGHT HERE IS ONE FOR YOU TO READ. from the plot to the story references to the romance side plot i loved this. so seriously enjoyable and funny.

the main character too is such a breath of fresh air. this story was just so unique from start to end. just wow i loved it:)

3.5 stars rounded down

Very Princess Bride meets Shrek, this was a whimsical and humorous read that stayed nice and light throughout. This Princess Kills Monsters is a retelling of the 12 Huntsmen with quite a few twists. I enjoyed the satirical take on fairy tales and the references made to various stories and their tropes.

There is a very diverse cast of characters with Melilot being a likable FMC. She was easy to root for and her self awareness about being part of a fairy tale world was very amusing. The one other character I liked was Melilot's stepmother - she seemed interesting and had a complex relationship with Melilot, but I wished she was explored more beyond the 'evil' stepmother trope.

The one thing that did fall flat for me was the romance. I didn't care for either love interest and felt the romantic subplot was underdeveloped. At one point the two characters were 'flirting,' but I didn't realize it until a side character told them to 'stop flirting.' I also think the book could've benefited from a shorter length - some parts seemed to drag until the story picked up again.

Overall, this was still an enjoyable read that I would recommend to anyone who likes a light and sarcastic, but not mean-spirited, take on fairy tales.

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for providing an arc!

The cover of this book is what pulled me in and why I requested an arc. I didn’t know what to expect honestly based on the synopsis. Was is going to be serious or cozy?

Turns out, this was a cozy tale that didn’t take itself seriously at all in the best way possible. I’d say Shrek, The Princess Bride, and Assistant to the Villain all mixed together. It gives that sort of vibe.

Our tale follows Melilot and her (mis?)adventures as she finds her true potential and true love.

I enjoyed all the references to various fairy tales through the story. A lot of the humor was derived from these references.

So much girl power!!!

This was fun and I never knew what was going to happen next. Thank you NetGalley and Random House in exchange for an honest review.

Herman starts with the little known Grimm Brothers’ fairy tale <i>The Twelve Huntsmen</i>, teasing out the short, plot-hole filled fairy tale into a full novel bursting with plots and characters from all the classic fairy tales, powered by feminist rage, and letting everyone let their freak flag fly high.

And, in the end, it all comes down to the Millennial fantasy of a parental apology. Tellingly, the apology is not forth-coming, with our heroine having to settle for a "I did my best" that so many other grown children have to deal with.

4.5. I was able to get an advanced copy from NetGalley, so thank you NetGalley! I found this book to be delightfully queer. I would describe it as being a comedy, maybe more of a satire. Sometimes the vocabulary or tone can be a be a bit juvenile, but it really works with the main character, and I enjoyed it quite a bit. I’m excited for when it comes out in June, because I would love to hear a narrator’s interpretation of it! All in all, it’s just a really good time.

The story was funny and light with just enough darkness to keep it interesting as well. The prince was bafflingly oblivious throughout the story, minimum bi curious haha. I loved the sisters relationship even though they were step siblings they really seemed to value her and love her.

It was a weird thing with the identical huntsmen and the other princess though. Still little confused what was going on there.

I'm a big fan of books that read like your favorite fairytales and this gave just that. It was a cozy, feel good snack of a book.

this was such a cozy fantasy and something i was really in the mood for! it had such a light hearted feel and the characters were sooooo good! i loved how fairytale aspects were woven into the story so well!

thank you so much to netgalley, the publisher, and the author for this earc!

From the very first page through to the end of the book, I was fully captivated by the way Ry Herman wove classic fairytale stories into the fascinating, fun, and hopeful story of This Princess Kills Monsters. I found this book to be such a delightful read. The story kept me engaged and I was blown away by the representation, even seeing myself in the love interest, which I have to say is rare for me. I loved that the story revolved around stories and how each and every one of us has one of our own. Sometimes our perspectives are skewed and we end up stuck in our own narrative, and I think this book does a wonderful job confronting that. I found the story dreamy, whimsical, and full of adventure and hope. Exactly what I needed. <3

a queer , fun retelling of original Grimm fairy tales
advertised as specifically the story of The 12 Huntsmen but the author beautifully intertwined most of the well known stories just original versions
including puns, cameos, and the main characters backstory it featured the princess and the pea, cinderella, snow white, swan maiden, rapunzel
the story follows Melilot a magical princess working under the orders of her evil stepmother, the queen
after she is tossed aside as useless compared to her step sisters powers, she is commanded to marry a king
Melilots group is attacked by spider wolves and saved by the 12 identical huntsman who were sent to protector her as there is a plot out for her murder
melilot decides its safer to hide among the staff and is helped by sam on of the 12 identical huntsmen
melilot must work through her childhood traumas and unleash her magic while torn between her feelings for sam and her betroths sister

I choose to not finish this book after about 150 pages because the story really fell short. I will not be posting this publicly as I do not post negative reviews no matter the book.

Many thanks to NetGalley and Penguin Random House for an ARC copy of this story in exchange for a fair review.

This Princess Kills Monsters gives us the tale of Princess Melilot. Melilot has always lived under the thumb of her domineering stepmother, and feels like she will forever play third fiddle to her more talented step-sisters. When Melilot is attacked on the road to the castle of her soon to be husband, she's set on a path to adventure that may just lead to her Happily Ever After.

This story took me a moment to get into the flow of the tale. But once I did? Oh my goodness, how I loved this book. It was funny. It was heartwarming. It was adventure. It gave me "Into the Woods" vibes. I absolutely adored all the nods to the vast number of fairy tales aside from the Grimm's "Twelve Huntsmen" (on which the main story is based). Highly recommend this read to anyone who enjoys the twisted fairy tale genre!

This was a tough one to rate! For my taste, it was too predictable and slow-paced, especially at the beginning. The first half was a bit of a slog for me. But I also loved a lot about it, especially as the pacing picked up in the second half. I enjoyed all the fairy tale references (there were a lot more than just "The Twelve Huntsmen"), the LGBTQ+ rep, the protagonist's complicated relationship with her step-mother, the cultural differences between the two kingdoms, the supportive sisters, and the tongue-in-cheek humour. Melilot is witty and likeable, which is what kept me reading until the end. The whole thing reminded me a bit of The Princess Bride, which is high praise. I'm giving it a solid 3.5 stars. If you're in the mood for a light-hearted and feel-good story with a dollop of romance and a heaping of every fairy tale trope you know, this one might be for you.

4.5 stars; I really liked this book! I love the silly tone it takes, like the one minor character who always seems to have what’s needed for a bad situation like happening to have a mongoose when going against snakes. Why did he suggest bringing a mongoose? In case they ran up against snakes obviously. Oh the characters are trapped in a boiling hot torture chamber? Good thing one of them has magic to make the temperature drop. There were a lot of convenient ways out of tough spots, but the book treated it ironically and the main character was like “are you kidding me!?”

Melilot, the MC, was quite likeable and progressed through a lot of personal development. We love a bisexual disaster. I enjoyed identifying all the fairy tale hints that were dropped throughout; some more obvious than others. I thought her romantic relationship progressed very sweetly, as well as her relationship with her stepmother and sisters.

Overall a very fun read, especially in a stressful time. Thanks to NetGalley for the e-arc!