A review by momoxshi
Princess Floralinda and the Forty-Flight Tower by Tamsyn Muir
adventurous
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
A quirkily written novella that goes against all the supposed rules of how fairy tales should go. Princess Floralinda gets trapped in a tower by a witch with an artistic eye. The tower is forty flights up—each level containing an unexpected, vicious monster with the lovely Princess as the prize up top (and a golden sword too) and the first level already containing a diamond encrusted dragon. Princes have come but none so far have come past the dragon. As the days pass and no more princes come, Princess Floralinda grows worried and restless.
+
I found the novella equal parts interesting and boring at the same time. It might have been more interesting to me if the characters were more likable but they were not. They're also a bit abusive towards each other (which I've also seen in Muir's Gideon the Ninth but the characterizations there were more complex-as the work is wayyy longer than this one-but that's something I can't unsee now). I'm not sure I'm a fan of the ending. I did like how the character of Princess Floralinda grew (which was kinda expected) but the choice she made at the end was not something I was expecting.
Still a pretty good read as far as twisted fairy tales go.
+
I found the novella equal parts interesting and boring at the same time. It might have been more interesting to me if the characters were more likable but they were not. They're also a bit abusive towards each other (which I've also seen in Muir's Gideon the Ninth but the characterizations there were more complex-as the work is wayyy longer than this one-but that's something I can't unsee now). I'm not sure I'm a fan of the ending. I did like how the character of Princess Floralinda grew (which was kinda expected) but the choice she made at the end was not something I was expecting.
Still a pretty good read as far as twisted fairy tales go.