Reviews

Princess of Death by Cortney Pearson

booksavvyreviews's review against another edition

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4.0

What I loved:

Pirates, princesses, and a curse! What wasn’t to love and be drawn in by the premise? I wanted to know what was happening next with the characters and storyline.

Right from the beginning, I was drawn into Cali’s plight to save her kingdom and loved ones. She must travel to a magical land that will cost her greatly, but she doesn’t realize how great. With a time limit of only 5 days, she’s tasked with a mighty job of finding a potion, and answer that will heal and help her kingdom.

We are allowed to experience and see the new kingdom through Cali’s eyes, which is seeing it for the first time, and it allows us to learn things with her at the same time. I thoroughly enjoy Bae as a character, he’s mysterious and interesting with more layers than I think we can see during this first in a series, and he’s by far my favorite character. He is the Prince of Pirates, the son of the Captain, and he has more than just a mysterious air surrounding him, he has secrets too, and those drive his actions and his father’s during the book.


What Left Me Wanting More:
The pacing left me wanting a little more depth between the characters. The entire book happens in a week or so, which leaves Bae and Cali’s interactions limited to 3-4 days. I would have loved to see this built up and drawn out a little more to make sense of their connection.

Outside of Cali, Darren and Bae, I felt as though the other characters needed more depth as well. They felt a little stiff for me, and I couldn’t relate or feel for their plight.


Final Verdict:
Princess of Death has an intriguing plot that anyone who loves pirates and princesses will love. With the promise of an action-packed sequel, this novel will surely hook fans of Pearson’s work! A fast-paced page-turner, that will have readers diving for it !


Good Points:

Epic world-building!
A promising series.





Originally posted on YABC: YABC INDIE STAFF REVIEWER | My Website

bookwormjourney's review against another edition

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3.0

Going in to this book, I was really interested by the concept of the book. I like to discover new, original plot lines and this is definitely that. You follow Princess Caliana "Cali" Brahmvir across the boundary with the help of some magic (which is frowned on in her kingdom) to get plants needed to brew a cure for a plague that is overtaking her land. When she's whisked away, she gets caught in the dangers facing another kingdom and the antics of a devilishly handsome pirate prince.

My biggest critiques with the book included how slow it was to get started. There were a lot of unique names for people and kingdoms so it's a lot to take in when you first get started. I will say that it really did pick up when Cali went to Lunae Lumen, the other kingdom and especially when she met Bae, the pirate prince. I don't think this was a terrible book overall, but there were times where I felt disconnected from the plot. Like I wasn't sure where things were going. This is book one in a series, so there wasn't much of a resolution so I may continue reading on to see more of how the story progresses. Again, I was torn between 3 and 4 stars. 3 felt too little but 4 felt too much. Let's say 3.5. I voluntarily reviewed this after receiving a free copy.

emm_enchanted's review against another edition

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5.0

Review also on my bookstagram: emm_enchanted

A dashing pirate, strong-willed princesses and an interesting plot, makes one hell of a book that you just can't put down.

Princess of death begins in the fictional land of Zara, plagued by necrosis. Cali, the would be crown princess is desperate for a cure when her best friend contracts the disease which eventually spreads to her. With the help of an outcast witch, she reaches the beautiful land of Lunae Lumen where she is on a mission that will help her people. Unfortunately, she gets embroiled in the problems of this new land which leads her to shocking secrets and ends up with her making the ultimate sacrifice.

The best part about the book was it's characters, they were well written with backgrounds which helped me love or hate them. Cali and Soraya had their flaws but also the strength to do what is right. Their decisions and actions were appropriate as per their age. I especially love books with strong female characters, and this book was one of them. Bae was well written but someone who is conflicted, so I am yet to decide whether I like him or not.
The world building is amazing and we see the politics of the kingdoms, their beliefs in an entity known as Undine and familial relationships.
There is magic and creatures like the finfolk which was fascinating and I'd like to see more of it in the next book.
The book is written in the 3rd person, something I usually prefer and kept me hooked throughout. There were a few unexpected twists that I liked, and the ending made me want to immediately pick up the next book. There is also a character that I'm most curious about and I'm hoping to get some answers soon. I can definitely say the sequel is going to be even more exciting than this one. For people who enjoy a romantic fantasy with all of the above elements, this book is for you.

clarissagosling's review against another edition

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5.0

Fun and novel