Princess of the wild swans

Princess of the Wild Swans is loosely based on the tale The Wild Swans by Hans Christen Anderson.

There were some nice original parts to this version, but it also had many problems.

Highlights:
- the princess stays in her kingdom during quest to break the spell and save her brothers/father/people.
- fun cast of characters
- not too long. Good for an afternoon read and fun for kids.

Lowlights:
- The princess is 12 yet some of her thoughts/actions/responses are more in line with an older teenager. It almost felt like she started this for an older audience then was told to take it down a few levels.
- The spell only lasted a few weeks. (in the original tale it took 7 years)
- The princess had help gathering the nettles (again, in the original tale she had to do it all herself)
- The princess could speak telepathically to others (again, cheap cop out.)
- Lots of extra plotlines that were never resolved (more information about faerie would have been nice. And a reuinion with the guard would have been good too).

Overall, it was a cute fun read, but it really missed the mark on the original tale. This book is a fluffier, friendlier version of the original tale. What I loved about the original was the girl's dedication to her brothers. For 7 years she had to stay silent. 7 years of plucking needles, spinning thread, making shirts. And at the end she's nearly burned at the stake. It's such a powerful story of devotion. This story had very little of that. Yes, she loved her brothers, but it just wasn't the same.

3.5 stars!
Based off one of my favorite fairytales, I really enjoyed how different Meriel's character was from other versions and the story behind their world and it's secrets. There was more magical things in this book that went rather nicely, and it was technically a middle grade too!