I have recently finished a book called The Thirteenth Princess. It was full of action, romance, suspense, and was a very relaxing book to read. Even though it had action, romance, and suspense I rate this book a seven, because it did not contain any big surprises that compel you to keep reading.
The genre of this book is fiction. There are enchantments, magic, and many other things that we know cannot be real. The Thirteenth Princess is a fun read and makes me think what the world would be like if some of these things were actually real. I loved leaving my everyday life and joining Zita in her fairy tale world.
The character development in this story was very intriguing. Zita, the main character, started out as a cook's assistant, but secretly she was the thirteenth princess. She went from being a commoner to becoming a full princess. Along the way she met Babette, a good witch, and began learning about the palace, Babbette's magic, and rules that were not enforced when her mother was alive. I think that she gained wisdom from her experience as a cook's assistant and her ability to see Babette more freely as a commoner. Zita started to figure out what was wrong with her sisters and how to help them the more she explored the palace and the enchantments. Zita also changed when she visited her sisters on Sundays. They did her makeup, hair, and everything they could to remind her that she was a princess and they loved her no matter what.
Another character that surprised me was Nurse. She was almost like a mother to the princesses since they were babies. Yet, Nurse was really an evil witch that wanted to get rid of them.
I was pretty surprised when I found out that Nurse was putting the enchantment on the princesses. I think that Diane Zahler did a good job of hiding that it was the nurse until Zita announced it. I think the reason it was so shocking is that throughout the book Zahler made it seem like the villain was a scary man or something. I was also surprised when Nurse said that Zita's father had loved her a long time ago, but had fallen in love with Zita's mother and married her. Since he fell in love with someone else she decided to put the terrible enchantment on the sisters.
A passage from the book that I thought made an impact is this:
'"Zita," he said hoarsely."Daughter, please forgive me. I moved to his side, my tears spilling over, and for the first time he put his arms around me. His embrace was a place of such strength and safety that I felt I might never be afraid again. But too soon he released me."'
I choose this passage because I thought it showed how Zita's father had neglected her for as long as she could remember, but he still cared for her. He also felt badly for the way he had been treating her, even though it was not her fault when her mother died. He had been blaming Zita until he found out that she had absolutely nothing to do with the death, it was actually Nurse.
I am excited to see if Diane Zahler, the author of this book, will write a sequel to The Thirteenth Princess. I think that I may have to wait because the book was published this year. It will definitely be worth the wait.
I think that this was a great book and definitely something I would recommend to someone who wants to read something relaxing and fun. So, if you have not read The Thirteenth Princess, you should keep an eye out for it and read it when you are in the mood for fun.
- Madeleine W.
