Audiobook Review – The Stepsister Scheme (Princess, Book 1) by Jim C. Hines (4/5 stars)

Reading Level: Adult
Genre: Fantasy
Size: 352 pages
Publisher: DAW
Release Date: January 6, 2009
ISBN: 978-0756405328
Stand Alone or Series: 1st book in the Princess series
Source: Audiobook from Audible.com
Rating: 4/5 stars

This is the first of four Princess books written by Hines. Previously I read Hines Jig the Goblin series and enjoyed it. This book has a lot of humor and is heartfelt, it was a cute read with a predictable, yet engaging plot.

I listened to this on audiobook and it was well done. The narrator did an excellent job of doing individual character voices and conveying emotion.

Danielle (aka Cinderella) marries the Prince Armand. Things are going dreamily for them until Danielle’s stepsister tries to murder her and Danielle finds out that Armand has gone missing into Fairy Town. This is the point where Danielle finds out that the Queen has some secret agents of a sort in Talia (Sleeping Beauty) and Snow White. Both are have their own special abilities and are going to assist Danielle in rescuing Armand.

This was a fun read of a mishmash of fairy tales. I enjoyed it alot. It would probably be okay for young adult, but the characters are adults and do discuss adult issues. For example Danielle talks a bit about how much fun her and Armand had on her wedding night. There is also some subtle discussion about the rape about one of the female characters.

Danielle is admittedly not trained in rescue missions. I liked that she was caring and loving but determined to help rescue her husband. I also love that she had to undergo some training to use her sword (and wasn’t instantly proficient with it).

Snow White and Talia are also engaging characters who have their own heart-wrenching pasts and tales. Hines doesn’t shy away from the dark side of these fairy tales. He does a very good job of making believable characters who have survived living past the tragedies that these classical fairy tales visited upon them.

The characters have a lot of heart and I loved the idea of our favorite fairy tale heroines being the active rescuers. The whole book tips these fairy tales on their heads a bit. As a reader we are forced to think about how someone might actually deal with the fallout from these crazy fairy tales.

The plot is well done and full of intrigue, dark magic, evil stepsisters, and even more evil sorcerers. It is a fun and engaging read that doesn’t take itself too seriously. Everything is nicely tied up at the end of this book.

Overall a fun read. I really enjoyed it. It is a fun and light fairy tale retelling for adults. The characters have a surprising amount of heart and depth to them as well. I loved how the fairy tales were mashed together and how we got to see what happens after the fairy tales we know have ended. I am uncertain right now if I will read the remaining books in this series. While I enjoyed this book, it wasn’t spectacularly awesome…it was just cute and fun. Recommended to those who enjoy fairy tale retellings with some spunk to them.

This book goes towards the following reading challenges:
– 100 Books in a Year Reading Challenge
– 150+ Reading Challenge
– Audio Book Challenge
– TBR Pile Reading Challenge