3.5 stars

This book is a quirky, fun retelling of the Grimm's "The 12 Huntsmen" told from the perspective of the fiancé princess. It combines elements from multiple different fairytales and mentions all the typical fairytale tropes in passing at least once. It doesn't take itself too seriously, and so is generally funny, heartwarming and full of action.

What I liked... I thought the humor was great and there are definitely some laugh out loud moments. The characters are generally pretty good, with my favorites being Liam and Sam. I wish we could've learned more about them! I also liked the magic and that the 12 huntsmen all have different (and fun) abilities. And I liked the way the author wove in background stories as separate stories - I thought it was a nice touch that didn't make it feel like info dumping.

What I didn't like... Melilot (FMC) was probably my least favorite character in the book. She suffers from some extreme middle child / step child syndrome, which causes her to feel inadequate and lash out at her sisters and her step mother. Normally, I wouldn't have an issue with this (we all feel this way at times!), but my main problem is that she knows that she does this, recognizes it, tells everyone about it and yet... does absolutely nothing about it, except complain. So I really think there were opportunities for her to grow more that were left unexplored, making her character journey feel a bit incomplete. I also wish that there had been more opportunities to actually learn about and explore the huntsmen and their abilities, but I don't think there was enough space in the book.

Overall... I definitely think that you should read this book if you enjoy fairytale retellings! There are some fun twists as well, with complex family dynamics and some great trans rep. It combines an adventure and a battle with romance and humor, in a well balanced way. I really enjoyed reading this and it moves quickly, making for a fun read!

This princess kills monsters is a retelling of the Grimm brothers “the twelve huntsman”

I tried really really hard to get into this book but I just could not get into it or the retelling of the stories .

I DNF’d this book at 40% because of how bored I was and because it felt like a chore reading the book.

One of my main issues was that while being a retelling they constantly found moments to make fun of and badmouth the original fairytales which I didn’t much like, another big issue I have is nothing in this story was ever taken seriously which isn’t really for me I’m not a big comedy fan and much prefer the original fairytales.

Thank you Netgalley Random House Publishing Group - Random House | Dial Press Trade Paperback for the arc

I LOVED this modern take on fairy tales! It was exquisitely well written and so funny that I laughed out loud in several parts. I’m not much for fantasy stories but this was marvelous! Can’t wait to read so much more from this brilliant and fascinating author.

Thank you #netgalley for the ARC!

I devoured this book. I started reading it last night and stayed up way too late because I had trouble putting it down. So yeah, I ended up finishing it less than 24 hours from when I started reading it.

What did I enjoy the most? Was it the retelling of a fairytale I had always found super weird and delightful (The 12 Huntsmen)? Was it the humor? Was it the Easter eggs from many different fairytales? I think it was the combination of all of the above.

World building was fun, characters were a delight to get to know, and the story itself made wayyy more sense than the original (but that’s not a terribly high bar).

Pick up this book if you’re looking for a cozy, funny, warm, delightful read …. and if you’ve read those classic Germanic fairytales I venture your reading enjoyment will grow exponentially with each recognized reference.

This book is fantastic. It reminded me strongly of fantasy I read as a kid, but geared towards adults. The protagonist is witty, sarcastic, and funny, and the story is told in a conversational tone that made me feel like I was in the world. I enjoyed all the little references to different fairytale archetypes and themes. The plot manages to be suspenseful even though the reader is technically told how the story ends at the very start of the book. I would absolutely recommend this book to lovers of fairytales.

While described as a cozy retelling of The Twelve Huntsmen, this book weaves in numerous other fairytale references throughout the plot.

The prologue sets the tone, establishing a whimsical and absurdist storytelling style. Everything you’d expect from a fairytale happens, in a playful, humorous way. There are allusions to behind closed door romance, and glimpses and kisses between the FMC and two love interests with a HEA.

I really wanted to love this book, but unfortunately I did not. The main issue was its excessive length, both in wordiness and overall page count. While the absurdist style and chaotic plot were fun at first, they became tedious by the end. This made the pacing feel uneven, and I often found myself skimming.

Overall, I appreciated the LGBTQ+ representation, feminist themes, humor, and the variety of fairytale elements, but the book felt too long and wasn’t quite to my taste. I can see many readers loving it but it just wasn’t for me.

Spice 1.5/5
Plot 4/5
Writing 4/5
My Enjoyment 3.5/5

Review posted on Goodreads, romance.io, Instagram, Tome, personal blog, & will post on Amazon when available.

This was a really fun book. I enjoyed every minute reading this. I love fairytale retellings and this was just a fun take on that. It gives Shrek or Princess Bride type vibe the play it plays with tropes and characters we already know but turns them on their head. This book also had some great trans rep which I absolutely love. My only issue was the writing was a little oddly paced so it took a minute to get used to but it was definitely worth it. I plan to read the rest in this series and see where Herman takes this.

I would give this 3 stars. It wasn’t the best writing but by no means the worst. Sometimes it moved too fast for me to understand what was going on but I loved the representation and growth of the characters. I don’t see many trans characters where it is not harped on that they’re trans, I loved that it was acknowledged and then the plot continued forward.

Unfortunately I did not enjoy this book which is really unfortunate since the premise seemed interesting and like something I would enjoy. The writing style was probably the main reason I couldn't continue as it was hard for me to remain interested. I do think this is something others would enjoy if they like this style of writing.

Thank you NetGalley for a free copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. This book was a great palate cleanser in between more serious books. It had fairytales, humor, and a happily ever after. I enjoyed reading a story from a different point of view.

A perfect fairytale retelling that kept me want to read the next page. It had some good queer representation that I also throughly enjoyed.

Oh I loved every single minute of reading this book. It was the most fun I've had reading in a long time. It was a perfect balance of weaving in familiar fairytales with an irreverant tone. There were fairytale Easter eggs everywhere that didn't feel heavy handed, just fun and delightful. It had me laughing out loud at multiple points. The queer representation in the world was exactly what I'm looking for these days - easy, happy, something you can't ignore, and also not necessarily the focus, just woven into the fabric of the story. All of the characters felt fully developed - I wanted more of all of them, not because there was a lack, but more because I could imagine each one of them and wanted to know what they were up to, too. Despite the lighthearted tone Ry does not shy away from serious topics, instead handling them with understanding and just the right amount of humor.

I've picked up many of these kinds of fairy tale retellings, and rarely do they hit so perfectly. I hope that Ry writes more in this world, because every minute I spent with this book was just an absolute delight.

*Thank you to Dial Press and NetGalley for an ARC in exchange for my honest review*

What a delightful fairytale retelling! The kitschy little twists on The Twelve Huntsmen, as well as allusions to classics like Little Red Riding Hood, Sleeping Beauty, Rapunzel, and The Princess and the Pea, freaking fabulous. It truly creates its own story from the base material.

I enjoyed how inclusive this was for the queer characters; the only drama in this book is truly the evil mage trying to kill them all. And really even as someone familiar with the fairytales, it still surprised me! There's adventure, love stories, intrigue, and more. And ultimately I was really satisfied with the ending, so props to you Ry Herman.

Cozy, funny, retelling with gusto, energy and heart. I loved it- the blurb suggested shrek, I’d say shrek-esq, it’s very fun, I enjoyed this one for sure!

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for allowing me an arc, all thoughts and opinions are my own!

Thank you to NetGalley and Random House Publishing Group for providing a copy of this ARC in exchange for an honest review.

This Princess Kills Monsters has one of the best premises of the year and a gorgeous cover, and because I’m a simple woman, that’s all you really need to catch my eye. When I picked up the book, I was hoping for a whimsical breath of fresh air in the genre, and while I did get a lot of whimsy, I can’t help but feel that the story fails to give us something truly brilliant by leaning into too many narrative tropes we’ve seen before.

To quantify what I mean, let’s start at the beginning: Princess Melilot hails from Skalla, a land ruled by her domineering (but not quite evil) stepmother. She's the middle sister, and her inability to summon great feats of magic or talk to animals leaves her feeling like the least talented and most inadequate of her stepsisters.

When I first learned that Melilot’s character arc was going to be about overcoming her insecurities about her siblings and becoming confident in her own abilities, I almost audibly groaned. At this point, I’m pretty over the protagonist being the ugly duckling of the family and irrationally upset that their siblings are so brilliant, amazing, etc. while they’re just them.

This Princess Kills Monsters also does the tired YA thing of having a female protagonist who is convinced that she’s not special at all (and trying so hard to convince the reader of the same thing), but also somehow attractive enough to land two important love interests at the same time, who fall in love with her after just one or two interactions.

In the end, my favorite thing about This Princess Kills Monsters wasn’t Melilot or her love interests or even the retelling of The Twelve Huntsmen, but the surprisingly badass subversion of the evil stepmother formula.

The Queen of Skalla stole the show every time she was mentioned, and I kept on thinking about her even when she wasn’t. I found her character the most unique and nuanced aspect about the novel, and I wished the story leaned into it more than it did, rather than on the somewhat shallow plot and romance.

Ultimately, what makes This Princess Kills Monsters stand out from the crowd of self-indulgent fantasy romance novels of the 2010s Tumblr era isn’t its plot or characters (with the exception of the stepmother), but that now, in 2025, these types of plots and characters can exist in such a queer story.

Sure, I’ve seen Melilot’s schtick before, and I’ve rolled my eyes at just as many love triangles in the past, but if you sit me down and ask me when, in those other stories, the female protagonist was bisexual and no one questioned it, and the love interests got to be a woman and a trans man, I’d probably say never.

If I hadn’t had to read so many of these (tragically straight) stories in the past, then This Princess Kills Monsters probably wouldn’t have felt so derivative to me as a reader. I think it’s great that, today, someone could be exposed to these tropes for the first time in a mostly competently written queer story. A lot of us didn’t get that choice.

Also, that talking lion can take his book and shove it.

It blends together multiple stories from Grimm’s original fairy tales and Ry Herman did a good job of trying to piece them all together it did feel a little disconjointed. The beginning was a bit confusing with so many descriptions of many fairy tales thrown together, i felt the characters were hard to understand as described.

Overall, i liked the general idea of the story and realized it was a queer story through small references. So I understand it was one but it was not overtly a queer love story. I like that it didn’t focus on that wholly, it just was. I think the final will be more polished and great for YA!

I REALLY REALLY LOVED THIS. Fairy tale retellings, queer characters, chaos causing fairies and family relationships.

Just really loved the way the fairy tales we know were woven into this intricate world with magic and princesses, and happy endings.

I started to fall in love with this book when I saw the cover and title, and by the end I had completely fallen in love with the book as a whole.

This book is utterly ridiculous in the BEST way possible. I was completely hooked from the start, drawn in by the author’s humorous and sarcastic writing style and laughing my way through the end. The worldbuilding was unique, and at no point in the story did I know what the characters would encounter next because quite literally anything was a possibility. Despite the chaos, we are still led through an engaging and well-structured plot, and I loved how the author wove in multiple clever references to other fairytale characters while still making this story feel entirely its own. I adored all the characters and especially loved Melilot's family and the layers of complexity Ry Herman added to all their relationships. The character development, queer representation, and feminism were all elements that added so much to the book in subtle ways, making each character so vivid and simply delightful to read about—even the villain!

I can't remember the last time I had so much fun reading a book, and will surely miss this world and characters.

4.75 stars! Thank you to NetGalley and Random House Publishing Group for the opportunity to read this arc in exchange for an honest review.

OK. I really struggled with this one - it's very irreverent and fun, but the writing style was not my cup of tea. I do think there's an audience for this book though, and they will definitely enjoy it more than I did.

Unfortunately this was not the book for me. I dnf’d it before I got halfway through so I can’t accurately review the entire book. But I can say it was ridiculous in a way that made it really hard to take seriously. It doesn’t read like a finished novel. I had the hardest time figuring out what was really happening.

I’m someone who LOVES fairytales and adores the brothers Grimm but this did not hit for me. I understand it’s satire and supposed to be moderately ridiculous take on lesser known tales. I’m just not sure it fully succeeds. For me, it did not.

There is one thing I’m absolutely going to praise the author for though. The queer representation in this book and the transmasc character being prominent within the story. In this climate of 2025? I say HELL YES. More of this energy in more books please.