This book was absolutely delightful and the perfect lighthearted romp. I expected humour, wit, and that classic fairytale vibe and that's exactly what I got.

I love how fun each character is to follow, and how much love and joy is woven throughout the story. There's a lot of heart and humanity that kept me smiling while I read. It feels like a love letter to fairy tales, and while some aspects feel a bit simple and unexciting, that deep rooted love for all things magical adds a lot to the story as a whole.

It's also worth noting that I love seeing a queer-normative fantasy. It's always so refreshing to step into a story and feel safe and valued while reading, and this book felt like a safe place to land no matter how perilous the story gets. We need more books that feel like this.

This Princess Kills Monsters is a fun, feminist retelling of The Twelve Huntsmen with a fresh, humorous twist. The characters are quirky and engaging, and the book is packed with magic, adventure, and witty fairy tale references. While the romance and pacing can feel rushed at times, the overall story is an enjoyable, heartwarming journey through a fantastical world.

Thank you to Net Galley and Random House Publishing Group for an ARC in exchange for an honest review!

This Princess Kills Monsters is a fairytale retelling from the perspective of a smaller character in the story, Melilot. I wouldn’t say it’s by definition a cozy fantasy as there’s a good amount of battle in the book, but it’s definitely a gentle and heartwarming fantasy. The writing was witty and clever — I loved the fairy tale references sprinkled in throughout, and I always appreciate fun chapter titles. From the Author’s Note, you can tell how much care and effort went into these aspects. The book starts with the fairytale it’s based on so you can see the mystery outlined, and I found most of the closures to the plot satisfying. The story is adventurous, which I loved, and action packed, which I think I have to accept just really isn’t my thing. I found the world well crafted — there were a lot of details to both the world and the magic system, but I found it all easily digestible without there being a bunch of info dumping at the beginning. The idea of retelling a story from the “side character’s” perspective led to conversations on appreciating mundane things, feeling “enough,” and making heroes out of parent/guardian figures. I loved this themes but I wished we dived deeper into them as a lot of what the book touches on with these conversations felt surface level. Melilot was a wonderful and complex main character, which really brought all the action and plot points together. She was strong and heroic, but we also got to see her insecurities. Seeing her character growth was heart warming and inspirational. Additionally, I LOVED the strong sisterhood, queer themes and acceptance, the descriptions in the lake scene, and the main romance subplot.

In This Princess Kills Monsters, Ry Herman rewrites a less familiar fairy tale--that of the twelve huntsmen--from the perspective of Melilot, a woman who travels to the neighboring kingdom to marry its king, despite the fact that he loves someone else. As in the original tale, Herman's version includes cross-dressing, a talking lion, and a fairy tale ending, but it adds in elements from other fairy tales and tropes as well. Melilot has a magical stepmother directing her fate, her own sorcery (which mostly extends to growing out her hair), and a deep distrust of spinning wheels. I loved the parts of this book that explored her relationship with the huntsmen and her stepsisters, each with their own magical powers, and the story definitely grew on me over time. That said, the beginning of This Princess Kills Monsters felt like slow going, despite all the things that happen (monsters, ogres, and sphinxes all make an appearance in the first 50 pages). As in classic fairy tales, the narrative is more focused on plot than character, and most of what we learn about Melilot and her family comes from description and her own thinking, rather than from dialogue. That said, what dialogue does exist is snappy, and Melilot is an engaging narrator. For lovers of retold fairy tales, This Princess Kills Monsters is a worthwhile read.

A feminist retelling of The Twelve Huntsmen, this delightfully reimagined twist of a fairy tale hits all the right notes. This is for fans of Elsa and Honeymaren, or anyone who shipped Tiana and Charlotte. It nods to several other Grimm fairytales without following the current trend of turning every Disney-esque story into a sordid dark romance. This was truly so much fun, and I can't wait to see the beautiful cover hit shelves.

That was a phenomenally good time!

This is what I mean when I say I enjoy cozy fantasy. The stakes were medium, the humor was endless, and the fairy tale vibes were perfection. I’d give it a million stars if I could.

While This Princess Kills Monsters is a retelling of the Grimm Brothers’ The Twelve Huntsmen, it’s also full of so many other fairy tale references. It’s wildly unserious (and I mean that as the highest praise) and laugh out loud funny.

I finished this book with sore cheeks from all the smiling and laughing it provoked.

I desperately need an artist to create the hair filling the tower scene! STAT!

What I loved…
- every single character, even the villains were totally fun to read
- speaking of characters they were relatable and flawed
- dragons, and various other totally crazy magical creatures
- feminist af
- perfectly queer (princesses get to marry princesses, a transgender love interest, and tons of queer joy and acceptance - I want to live inside this book!)
- family forward story that will have you calling your sister to tell her how much you love her!
- honestly if I wrote everything I loved about this book in list format the list would be about a 100 pages long - and I really think some of this is better experienced with no prior knowledge.

I really just need you to go read this book now, it’s phenomenal and fun and you won’t regret it!

Thank you NetGalley and The Dial for sending this book (eARC) for review consideration. All opinions are my own.

This was such a good book. I loved the story and the writing so much. The characters were great and the story flowed smoothly. Will definitely read more books by this author in the future.

I thought this was a fun, quirky read, packed full of magic and fairy tale references. I enjoyed the writing style and found myself laughing out loud at some points. I loved Melilot’s inner voice. I liked that I actually cared about all the character and not just the main ones. This was a great blend of adventure, humor and fantasy that kept me entertained and engaged from start to finish. A pleasure to read!

This Princess Kills Monsters is a fantasy filled feminist retelling of the Grimm Brothers’ The Twelve Huntsmen. And almost every other fairytale story combined!

Lots of references are easy to pick up on but others were more obscure. The Lord of the Rings included reference was a personal favorite.

There is a lot of magic! From evil sorceresses, a grumpy magic mirror, and of course a cursed spinning wheel! Dragons, a talking lion, and almost every fairytale creature you can imagine!

Some parts of this book felt like a love letter to classic fairytales. But once the scene changed the writing became sluggish and drawn out. Not until 50% do we get more details of her past. Their insta-love romance wasn’t my favorite. I would have preferred more backstory scenes and magical sorcery.
I found the villain to be a disappointment and also the moving plot.
But all of that said, this is definitely a read if you want a feminist fairytale with humor.

What an adorable and quirky read. A lot of fairy tale adaptations lean heavily into the creepy and dark themes of the original oral traditions, but this one took a far lighter and more fun approach. I found myself smiling and even laughing at many points throughout. The internal dialogue and writing style were hilarious, while still being engaging. I was entirely invested in what was going to happen to all of the characters, not just Princess Melilot. I also loved how much it was clear that a ton of research and planning went into this story with the countless references to various fairy tales. The main love story was really lovely and focussed on acceptance of who someone is as a person. In fact, the overarching moral of this story seemed to be accepting people for who they are (provided their behaviour doesn’t negatively impact others - looking at you sexist lion). I have already told friends and my book club to look for this upon the release date. Thanks to NetGalley for providing this! As a side note, the cover of this book made me want the new colour Kindle for the first time, so beautiful!

This book combined all my favorite Grimm fairy tales into a humerous, whimsical tale deserved of being told around a fire. Herman was able to take a princess, who was otherwise just a side character, and make her a main character worthy of the tale. Throughout the entire story I was cackling at the changes in tone or side comments from Melilot (who knew the differences between a witch and a sorceress?). The absurd is made mundane in the most clever way possible, making the reader feel as though they were just another resident of Skalla carrying copper nails in case of a tree attack.

This book is a delightfully humorous and fresh retelling of the classic Brothers' Grimm fairytale of The Twelve Huntsmen. The story is a unique blend of adventure, romance, and humor, and it turns the damsel-in-distress narrative on its head.

Princess Melilot is exasperated with the endless chaos her life seems to attract. Her dry wit and frustration with her overbearing stepmother and magical stepsisters make her an instant favorite. She is on a constant quest to fetch something for her stepmother, and now she is requested to marry some king. The problem is she always has misadventures from which she must be rescued from danger. On the way to meet her betrothed, spider-wolf attacks attack her, and masked huntsmen rescue her. They take her to meet the king, who has a talking lion as an advisor and an obsession with human gender roles. The story quickly takes off from there with ferocious beasts, murder plots, and peas.

The banter had me giggling and absurd scenarios that keep the tone light amidst the danger. The story also manages to weave in clever commentary on traditional fairy tale conventions. Melilot's frustration with being a "princess-in-peril" trope and her determination to take control of her destiny adds a modern twist to the narrative. I loved the story's ending with an uplifting turn of events, and the changes in her perspective made me smile. It was a pleasure from start to finish.

I received an ARC ebook for my honest review. Thank you, NetGalley and Random House, Dial Press

If you’re looking for a fun and empowering read, I highly recommend This Princess Kills Monsters! This book is a delightful blend of fantasy, adventure, and humor, featuring a strong female protagonist who defies expectations.

What I loved most about the story is how it combines action with heart. The characters are vibrant and relatable, each facing their own challenges while navigating a fantastical world filled with danger and magic. The witty dialogue and clever plot twists kept me engaged from start to finish.

The themes of friendship, bravery, and self-discovery really resonated with me. It’s a refreshing take on the classic fairy tale, reminding us that true strength comes from within. If you enjoy stories that celebrate resilience and adventure, this one is definitely worth picking up!

I don't know, it was quite charming and I loved the queer rep, but I just couldn't fully get into it. But this is great I think for seeing queer people be happy, we need more of that in literature - especially now.

I wasn't sure how I'd feel about this book at first, as I have grown tired of fairy tale retellings - so many of them are just Disneyfied glitter versions of some very dark and often abusive, sordid tales. I also tend to dread humorous writing because I hate the cringe and absurdist humor that's so popular today. But something drew me to this story, and I unexpectedly absolutely loved it so much that I may have to preorder a copy. Just look at that gorgeous cover, too.

This is a clever, lighthearted retelling of the Twelve Huntsmen, a very bizarre fairy tale with scorned princesses, a gender essentialist lion and women disguising themselves as men to guard the king. We never do find out why they needed 12 huntsmen similar in appearance. Perhaps it's to fool the King as to the true nature of Jack, his first love.

He rejected Jack to fulfill his father's dying wish to marry a sorceress princess of Skalla, a kingdom full of faeries, folktales come to life and magic, a contrast to his backwards kingdom of Tailliz, beset by monsters, bereft of magic and possessing of conservative gender roles for women.

Except the princess in question is a charmingly impudent brat with an attitude who is incompetent except for her only magical talent, excessive hair growth when stressed. Her pumpkin carriage is destroyed by monsters on her way to the far-off mountain kingdom, and she disguises herself as a handmaiden. Along the way she's attracted to the King's mysterious sister, Angelique, and falls for one of the huntsmen, Sam, a trans man.

I loved the bi rep and queer overtones of this story, and how it wove many different folk tales into the narrative - Princess Melilot's sister's compassion for animals, another sister's passionate marriage with a terrifying fae queen. The humor was well done and not overwrought or pretentious. I laughed in a few places. It brought out the absurdist nature of fairy tales and mocked them in a reverent, tongue-in-cheek way that I appreciated.

It wasn't so much of a retelling as a fleshing out of the story to wonder what had happened next to the scorned princess and side characters, whose fate is abandoned to history in the original tales.

An entertaining ride with a refreshingly accepting but complicated and suffocating family, and a princess who finally believes in herself and comes into her own power when she learns to ask for help and grudgingly recognizes that she's not alone.

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for the advance review copy. I am leaving this review voluntarily.

An absolute delight from start to finish! This Princess Kills Monsters is a clever and funny retelling that feels both fresh and nostalgic. Melilot, the middle princess of three, is such a compelling protagonist—clever, resourceful, and full of charm. Her journey from a difficult, magical blended family to a patriarchal kingdom brimming with challenges was both engaging and empowering.

The story weaves classic fairy tale tropes into a cohesive, whimsical narrative while adding inventive twists that kept me hooked. The queernormative world-building was such a refreshing touch, and the romance was incredibly sweet without overshadowing the action and adventure.

Every character, from the lovable allies to the complex villains, had depth and left a strong impression. While there was a slight pacing hiccup in the middle, it didn’t affect my overall enjoyment. The plot was fast-paced and packed with surprises, balancing humor and heartfelt moments beautifully.

This queer fairytale mashup is a must-read for anyone who loves strong heroines, enchanting adventures, and a good dose of humor. Highly recommend!

I have to say, This Princess Kills Monsters is an absolute gem of a read. From the very first page, I was hooked by its sharp wit and refreshing twist on classic fairy tale tropes. Ry Herman manages to blend humor, heart, and action into a story that feels both timeless and modern.

Melilot, the protagonist, is a delight. She's self-deprecating, relatable, and far from your typical "chosen one." Her magical talent may be hilariously useless, but her determination to survive in a world that constantly underestimates her is what makes her so endearing. Watching her navigate monstrous threats, political schemes, and her own tangled feelings had me rooting for her every step of the way.

The supporting cast is just as delightful. The twelve masked huntsmen are both mysterious and oddly charming, and the talking lion—well, I won’t spoil it, but their presence adds a whole other layer of bizarre hilarity. The book also does a wonderful job exploring themes of identity, love, and self-worth without ever feeling preachy.

What I loved most is how this story embraces the absurdity of fairy tales while also turning their clichés on their heads. It’s a satire, but it’s also a love letter to the genre, full of unexpected twists, laugh-out-loud moments, and surprisingly tender scenes.

If you’re a fan of fairy tale retellings with a feminist edge, laugh-out-loud humor, and a protagonist who’s both flawed and fabulous, this book is a must-read. It’s a whirlwind of monsters, masked heroes, and messy emotions that I didn’t want to end. Ry Herman has created something truly magical here.

A really charming, funny retelling of the Twelve Huntsmen! Melilot is an engaging protagonist, clever and witty, and I loved rooting for her. Herman's use of fairy tales was incredibly effective. The romance was very sweet, I loved the family elements, and it was just an overall good time.

I really only had one issue, and it was a pacing/story choice in the middle; but overall it didn't affect my enjoyment of the book.

This delightful retelling of classic fairy tale was a great read! Drawing in from several stories while blending them into a cohesive narrative and with a twist was something new and old. Set in a queernormative world our badass FMC is sent away from her difficult blended family in a magical kingdom to a limited magical kingdom with a patriarchal society.

The characters had depth and instantly adored everyone. Even the annoying characters and the villains. The plot was fast paced and a great adventure with twists. I experienced all of the emotions reading it and had relevant moments

A modern retelling of one of the most bizarre Brothers Grimm fairy tales “The Twelve Huntsmen." This book uses that tale’s jilted, trouser-wearing fiancé, her eleven identical crossdressing doppelgangers, a talking lion, and, of course, the princess to explore queer identity, family trauma, and self-worth.

It's laugh out loud funny that grabbed me from the first pages and left me knowing this is one of the best fairy tale books I've read in a long time. It's so hard to find something to make you laugh and cry all while sharing a gentle message of fun and inclusion. This Princess Kills Monsters is full of action and sly humor, but with more focus on women, romance, and queer characters. It has the fairy tale vibe and feminist themes of Nettle and Bone by T. Kingfisher and Spinning Silver by Naomi Novak, but never lets go of its sense of whimsy.