Synopsis Once upon a time, in a tiny kingdom called New Tinsley, a young princess named Mabelrose lived in a small castle with her loving parents. Like so many other fairy tale princesses before her, Mabelrose was a kindhearted young girl who was well-loved by everyone.
But unlike all other princesses, she did not posses the charming beauty and grace the rest had in abundance. She did not have hair as black as ebony or skin as white as snow. Instead, her hair was a dull muddy brown in color and her face was full of freckles.
Even so, Mabelrose was a very special girl. Despite her unglamorous appearance and her awkwardness, she was quick on her feet and she was very smart. Of all the other princesses that have come and gone, it is she who will prove to be perhaps the best of them all.
Captured by an evil dragon, she does what no other princess ever attempted in fairy tale history: she escapes all by herself! Her brave flight from the dragon's black fortress would be but the beginning of a long and exciting adventure.
It is an epic journey that will test her strength, her courage and her love to its limits; a quest which will take her to many strange lands. Along the way, she would meet many enemies, make many more friends, and finally find true love. It is a story of a brave and resourceful young princess and her journey to find her home.
This unexpected tale of a young princess who rescues herself from an evil dragon is seemingly for young readers yet should bewitch all fantasy fans. Espinosa's saga follows Princess Mabelrose from her early days as a quite unspoiled princess to her epic journey to return to her modest kingdom after being carried off by a dragon. The beast loves gold and princesses, of course, and lives in a ruined castle surrounded by a thorny wood that has been the ruin of countless would-be rescuers. Not content to wait for deliverance and unaware that her father has set out to claim her, Mabelrose uses her smarts to sneak away from the stronghold, taking along the most useful items in the dragon's treasury: a camouflage cloak and boots that make her walking easy. As Mabelrose traverses the land of 100 kingdoms, she encounters the generous Munken folk, who shelter her from the dragon, and the puzzlingly hostile Leptians, animals who are ruled by a cruel tiger. Her charm consistently wins her friends along the way, from Spiky the porcupine to a boar who, despite a princess's kiss, fails to turn into a prince. Espinosa's influences seem to be equal parts Grimm fairy tales, animated Disney films, the Wizard of Oz and Japanese manga, and the work is meticulously rendered in a seductive palette of brights and shadows. While our heroine may not be the fairest in the land, she's adorable enough to be a convincingly attractive leading lady. Mabelrose's journey remains unfinished at the book's close, leaving way for a sequel.
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