Review: Two Moon Princess

Title: Two Moon Princess
Author: Carmen Ferreiro-Esteban
Publisher: Tanglewood Press
Pub Date: June 16, 2010
Format: Galley via Net Galley (Thank you!)

In this coming-of-age story set in a medieval kingdom, Andrea is a headstrong princess longing to be a knight who finds her way to modern-day California. But her accidental return to her family's kingdom and a disastrous romance brings war, along with her discovery of some dark family secrets. Readers will love this mix of traditional fantasy elements with unique twists and will identify with Andrea and her difficult choices between duty and desire.--Goodreads

Sometimes, I find myself craving a good romantic fairy tale. In times like these I usually turn to movies or television, but I had heard pretty good things about Two Moon Princess, and decided to give it a go, expecting it to be pretty run-of-the-mill--you know, something I could mindlessly read, that would satiate my fairy tale appetite. What I ended up getting was straight up lovely coming-of-age story with a really sweet romance intertwined in it.

When I first started this one, I was a little nervous--the tone is a little, well, naive. I tend to like my leading ladies sassy and cynical, and while Andrea is definitely courageous and daring, she's not that great with the one-liners. But after reading for awhile, I realized that subtly-pointed zingers don't really belong in a medieval kingdom. Once I readjusted my expectations of the book, I realized just how much I was enjoying it.

In fact, Two Moon Princess is very reminiscent of a lot of the stories I read when I was younger. Not that this is a childish book, but the prose are very simple and the vocabulary is very accessible. It's definitely a book that anyone with the ability to read could enjoy. I don't feel like there are too many books like that out these days.

Overall, this book not only quenched my fairy tale thirst, but exceeded my expectations. If you're in the market for a well-plotted, well-imagined story, with a little bit of soul-searching and a lot of action, definitely check this one out.