The best books about princesses

It was on my favorite TV show as a kid, In Search of… starring Leonard Nimoy, that I first heard of Anna Anderson, the woman who claimed to be Grand Duchess Anastasia, daughter of Tsar Nicholas II of Russia. The tsar was murdered with his entire family in 1918 – or so it was thought. So who was this old woman living in Virginia claiming to be Anastasia? Decades later, I saw the headlines reporting that DNA tests proved Anderson was an imposter, but I never knew one percent of the story before diving into The Resurrection of the Romanovs. Reading along while a mystery from my childhood was so painstakingly solved was great fun. If only now they could find the Loch Ness Monster.

Told by a fictious narrator set in a fictitious place about fictitious people in a fictitious kingdom—but all presented as real—the narrative style of The Princess Bride is both unique and delightful.

William Goldman goes all in on his ruse of a historical origination of the tale, leading to some readers being genuinely fooled, much like Orson Wells’s radio broadcast of The War of the Worlds. 

Given is a fantasy romance, centering on the relationship between Yenni and Weysh. Yenni is a princess of the Yirba who ventures to a distant land to seek a magical cure for her ailing father; Weysh is a charming and troublesome dragon shapeshifter who believes Yenni is his Given, or destined mate.

In addition to offering a unique spin on dragons, Given has wonderful world building. We learn about the intertwined history of three cultures: the Yirba, the Creshens, and the once-mighty dragons. While the draconic aspect is what drew me to this book, I also loved learning about the magic system, and how each culture approaches magic use. The romance is sweet and understated, and is well balanced with Yenni and Weysh's personal goals.

This is another oldie, but a goodie! The Unicorns of Balinor was my favorite book series as a kid, and I’ve even revisited it as an adult. I may or may not have painted some model horses after the Sunchaser. This is a testament to how good of a story this is—growing up, these books were always checked out at the library! (Yes, that was the cool thing to do back then.) If you’re looking for epic fantasy adventures with fantastical unicorns, this is for you.

Mythology, romance, twisted villains, and a reluctant hero come together to make a book you will not want to put down. I’m a sucker for greek mythology and love it when it's brought into the modern world. The idea of a whole culture and supernatural world intertwined with ours will always catch my attention. There’s something so intriguing about the idea that there’s more going on in our world than we can imagine and this story pushes the narrative brilliantly. The main characters can irk your nerves at times but if there is no drama there’s no story in my opinion. These are realistic characters in unrealistic conditions and they’re always fun to read about.

At first glance of Silver and Ravens doesn’t really seem to be a retelling of The Twelve Dancing Princesses, with its unique characters, and sweeping worldbuilding that took my breath away. It’s an epic fantasy, to be sure, with such depth that I dare say it holds its own as much more than just a retelling of a fairytale. With magic lions and foreign lands and mysterious princesses, it’s a wonderful story in and of itself.

Instead of reinventing the fairytale, A Time of Mourning and Dancing instead brings back that timeless, classic, whimsical feel that comes with the original stories. The book also contains copious amounts of humor that lighten the otherwise dark story, making it both a hilarious and nostalgic read! Mainly I love the unique world that holds the same feeling as C. S. Lewis’s Chronicles of Narnia, and as a lover of classics, it’s perfect.

I was instantly transported by this epic saga of high fantasy steeped in legend and myth. The beautiful descriptions of the rugged, dreamlike, and sometimes sinister lands and fabulous otherworld dimensions of the Elder Isles, make Lyonesse an incomparable read. I love Vance’s stunning prose style, his razor-sharp dry humour, and the complexity of his characters. It is boundary-defying fantasy, mercifully devoid of elves, dwarves, and dragons but brimful with intrigues and subplots, unexpected twists, sudden violence, acts of heroism, and scenes of tragedy, love, strangeness, and betrayal. Lyonesse is magic from beginning to end.

Everyone knows the story – the princess is kidnapped by a dragon and a knight comes to rescue the princess. Cimorene is the princess of a king who is very traditional. The problem? She’s not. She has no interest in a Prince. So off she goes to find the dragons and be properly captured. I love how Wrede breaks the traditional mold in this trope. It shows girls/women can find their own way in a traditional world. This pushes the boundaries and teaches our kids they can break the boundaries too. 

Fairy tales are often disturbing, and “Donkeyskin,” the Charles Perrault story upon which Robin McKinley based Deerskin, is no exception. And so, unlike many of McKinley’s novels—which retell fairy tales for a young adult audience—Deerskin is firmly an adult book. But though McKinley does not shy away from the dark themes in this story, which include incest, rape, miscarriage, and PTSD, she is respectful of them, and of the impact they have on Lissar, the story’s protagonist, and on the reader. Though this is often a difficult read, it’s also a hopeful one—a story not just of abuse, but of recovery, and proof that strength of character doesn’t always reveal itself through the swinging of swords or the slaying of dragons. 

(There’s also a sweet romance. Oh, and there are dogs. Lots and lots of dogs. And they are delightful).

This is the book that taught me not to dismiss wonder as something that’s only for children. This warmest of winter tales helped me see that wonder is a light to illuminate times of grief and loss; a fiery hope that combats fears; and a faith that defies the circumstances that seek to steal our joy. I have never encountered a fictional world that felt more like home.

I had never read the Princess Diaries books but was a fan of the movies. I had also read some of Meg Cabot’s adult novels. When I heard that Meg was releasing an adult installment of her popular princess series, I had to read it. Royal Wedding follows Princess Mia and her Prince Charming as they plan her fairytale wedding. This book was also unique as it connected to a series of middle grade novels about Mia’s younger half-sister. (From the Notebooks of a Middle School Princess) I wound up buying my daughter the whole series for her Easter basket during the first part of the pandemic as I thought it might cheer her up. It did!

This is a third book which appears to be a biographical account of Diana Spencer’s life in the royal family. It really focuses on the interaction between the monarchy and the press. The two are in a relationship that is sometimes acrimonious and sometimes symbiotic. It’s impossible to understand how the media establishment and the monarchy function without reading Brown’s book. She was herself the editor of major magazines on both continents. For a while, she ran Vanity Fair and later The Daily Beast. She was married to a prominent newspaperman who held prominent roles in London and New York. She knows what she’s talking about.

In one of my binge-buying phases, I picked up the Ash Princess. I can’t tell you how long it sat in my library unread, but I desperately wish I had read it sooner.

Theodosia is exactly the kind of character that drew me to YA Spy novels to begin with. It doesn’t matter how many struggles she has lived through, she carries herself with a strength that most don’t see or appreciate. She survived the torture and humiliation of being a child of a deposed queen, and still had the strength to spy on her oppressors and free her people. If that isn’t the embodiment of the YA spy genre, I don’t know what is.

Tapping into Edinburgh’s grim history of graverobbers (which, if you haven’t had the chance to play tourist in Scotland before, is absolutely fascinating), The Resurrectionist of Caligo uses the dark fantasy staples of blood magic and necromancy to explore the death industry, its role in urban environments, and its storied connection to academia and medicine. Following the trials of Caligo’s local “resurrectionist”, Roger, this book examines what happens to the dead in fantasy worlds, tracing the journeys of their cadavers from death to autopsy to burial to exhuming, taking a closer look at the ceremony and taboo surrounding death and how cities manage the nitty-gritty logistics of storing (or utilizing) their dead once the funerals are over.

I first discovered George MacDonald’s work in a church library, where his books took up several shelves! The Princess and the Goblin is a great introduction to his fantasy novels. This charming story builds on familiar fairy-tale tropes and offers us ingredients that fantasy readers love: homey characters, growing peril, mysterious magic, and events that require uncommon courage and sacrifice. Follow it up with The Princess and Curdie for more delight.

In doing so you will join a great company of beloved Christian authors who appreciated George MacDonald’s genius: C S Lewis felt that Phantastes “baptized [his] imagination.” My favorite author L.M.Montgomery often reread At the Back of the North Wind. G.K. Chesterton felt "[The Princess and the Goblin] . . . has made a difference to my whole existence . . . ” And even J.R.R. Tolkien thought well of The Golden Key. And I… show more.

Ok. First, you’re right. This isn’t a novel. In fact, it’s likely shorter than this review. But it is a book that deserves to be mentioned in the same breath as many fantasy novels. This classic came out in 1980 and set the whole stereotype of what a prince, a princess, and a dragon are supposed to be, right on its head. Is it a feminist tome? Maybe. Is it funny? Yes. Does it do what the great fantasy books should do? Yes, it turns our ideas around, entertains and introduces us to the brightest, smartest, and most powerful character of all: the paperbag princess. And what gives her that power? The fact that she knows exactly who she is. There’s nothing more powerful than that.

I loved this take on the classic fairytale, with the addition of the thirteenth princess hidden from the rest of the world and living as a servant. And despite all this, she still fought to save her sisters, taking on the role of the hero of the story instead of the soldier character in the original tale. It’s a fast and fun read, and one of the reasons I fell in love with The Twelve Dancing Princesses fairytale.

When I finished this book, I immediately wanted to go back and read it again! Princess Lia flees her home on the day of her arranged wedding, only to find herself falling in love with two handsome strangers. She has no idea one is her betrothed prince and the other is an assassin hired to kill her. In a masterful storytelling move, the reader gets into both the love interests' heads but has no idea which is the prince and which is the assassin.

I remember being twelve, lying in bed and reading this into the wee hours of the night, dimly aware of the train whistle from the other side of town.

The magic of the story – the wonder of the aliens and their world – transported me and wrapped me up and made me want to go rescue alien princesses and liberate oppressed alien peoples. Nothing about this book makes sense scientifically (what else do you expect from the author of Tarzan?), but somehow it still made me want to go to be an astronaut and explore new worlds. 

Don’t write it off because of the terrible movie adaptation or the schlocky book covers. Embrace the camp and feel the magic!