The Princess Search: A Retelling of The Ugly Duckling (The Four Kingdoms Book 5) Kindle Edition

The Princess Search by Melanie Cellier is the unplanned fifth novel in the Four Kingdoms series. It came out last week, and I couldn't wait to read it. It is supposed to be a retelling of "The Ugly Duckling," but it was no more the story of "The Ugly Duckling" than The Princess Fugitive was "Little Red Riding Hood," but the lack of predictability only made the story more enjoyable. The setting felt both familiar and new at the same time because most of the other books in The Four Kingdoms had a side character who was a prince or princess of Lanover, but since the main character in this book was not royalty, she had travelled to parts of the kingdom that the readers have never seen before. It was particularly nice to see the rambunctious youngest princess Celine again, who played a large role in both The Princess Game and A Dance of Silver and Shadow. Since all of her sisters had married off, she was eager to find wives for her two brothers so she could have girlfriends in the castle to play with again.Isn't the cover beautiful? The Princess Search is told from the perspective of Evie, a talented seamstress who makes beautiful dresses that impress the royal family enough for them to hire her as their exclusive clothing maker. Evie is invited to join the royal family on an extended kingdom tour, which she accepts with some hesitance because she is worried that her past might catch up with her during their travels. Despite her monumental success as a seamstress, Evie was raised as an orphan being bounced from place to place without every truly having somewhere she could call home. Many of her foster families were cruel to her, and she was worried that seeing them again might affect her reputation with the royal family who had treated her so kindly prior to the tour.I related to Evie's struggles of having what feels like a dark past. Even though I grew up in a loving family, I moved to several other states after college and had a very bad experience in one of them that made me afraid to return. Like Evie, I also had jealous enemies who dubbed me a liar and a thief. It was touching to see Evie's royal friends ignore these claims and maintain their trust in her above all else. They even took her seriously when she learned secret information about a rebellion against the crown and allowed her to lead them to safety. In the end, Evie realized that her lack of a true home was not a hindrance, but a strength that gave her knowledge about corners of the kingdom that even the royal family didn't know about. As a result, the shy lonely girl who didn't believe in herself transformed into a hero.Melanie Cellier wrote that her main intention with The Princess Search was to give Frederic, the crown prince of Lanover, a love interest since every other kingdom in the series now had a future queen. Of all the princes in The Four Kingdoms, Frederic felt the most like a real guy to me. He was shy, often failed at humor, and couldn't relate to his little sister's energetic antics. He was also a good listener, which is why Evie found him so easy to talk to about her past. That made them perfect for each other. Evie had been bounced around so much throughout her life that she never had anyone she could get acquainted with before needing to leave for the next city. Frederic's faith in Evie gave her the self-esteem she lacked and allowed her to save Lanover from the rebellion.The Princess Search is a wonderful book about overcoming adversity and finding a place to call home. I thought Evie was the second most relatable character in The Four Kingdoms series next to Marie from The Princess Pact. I enjoyed reading about all of the flowing and colorful fabrics she used in her designs, but more importantly, I loved the idea of being given a second chance. Evie had traveled so far and been through so much that it was satisfying to see it all culminate into something beautiful and rewarding at the end.

Love it. Wish it would continue their adventures. And lives together. Good characters and story kept you interested for more

This is my favorite retelling of The Ugly Duckling and one I love to reread. The Princess Search really takes the reader on a journey all throughout the country as well as through Evie and her past. The story holds the good and the bad together. It shows how much growing up and good friends can help one face people and memories from the past and see them differently while also being honest about the struggle and the ways our past shapes us. Evie is practical and optimistic with a great sense of humor. This book has a strong heroine and hero and is full of adventure action, self-discovery, creativity, kindness, overcoming, and humor.

The Princess Search by Melanie CellierEvie had been an orphan as long as she could remember and she had moved around from place to place, each time hoping for a home. Each place she lived, she faced rejection and was forced to move on. I was drawn into her insecurity and could understand her lack of trust. It was also impressive how she learned from her mistakes and came to the point where she decided to trust regardless of the rejection she was certain she would face.Princess Celine was just too cute. Her determination to play matchmaker for her two brothers who were on the Royal Tour with her was charming. She was impish and adorable and often was trying to mother the princes who were significantly older than she was.There was plenty of action to keep the story moving. The stirrings of rebellion continued to flame into trouble and followed them on the Tour. In one city, they literally stirred into flames. I loved the way that Evie’s experiences from her childhood allowed her to give much-needed insight.My favorite part of the story was probably when they were in the desert and Prince Cassian was so awestruck by Tillie that he couldn’t speak around her at all. Their interactions and the way that Celine interfered were so funny, sweet and romantic all tied up into one!I loved the way that the author used the Tour as a way to allow Evie to revisit her past and be able to view it through mature eyes and perspective. It was clever how they journeyed in the reverse order of where she had lived. Slowly, as she learned to trust Prince Frederic and Princess Celine, she unfurled the tapestry of her life to them, letting them see the things she had always attempted to keep hidden. In the process she was able to grow, to heal and to mature into the lovely woman of value that she always had been.This review was originally posted on AmongTheReads.net.Get a preview of The Princess Search at amongTheReads.net

Love this book and the other 4 books in the series, There’s enough intrigue, humour and some sad moments, but with the happily ever after.

Another good book by Melanie Cellier - loved the story, characters and world. Definitely worth a read if you're a fan of the series.

Somehow, these fairytale inspired stories remain fresh & unique despite their origins & series of books that have come before. The battle to find true love never runs smooth & the adventures along the way are quite fascinating. I wish I could travel to this world to find my own true love.

What I love is that those books are not just romances, they're more. I really loved the search of the main character for whom she was and I loved how this was all about accepting each and every part of yourself.

This book was so beautiful! My favorite of all of Cellier's books. It had adventure, romance and a really amazing underlying lesson as well.