Princess Paisley

Title: Princess Paisley
Author: Chautona Havig
Series: Not-so-Fairy Tales, book 1
Major Themes: Fairy Tale
Synopsis: When Princess Paisley, an unconventional princess, must choose someone to marry, things get quite interesting in her kingdom of Jackalopany.

I have been reading and enjoying Chautona Havig’s books for seven years now (actually, maybe I should say, loving her books!), but I never got around to reading Princess Paisley until now. When I was on the review team for Everard earlier this year, I decided to read it to my children. They loved it so much that we went on to read Princess Paisley. It’s another fun Not-So-Fairy Tale, and we loved it, too.

Paisley Paisley (and yes, we have discussed what paisleys are, now) was turning 21. That meant it was time for her Majority Ball, and she had to decide who she was going to marry. This was very important, because her husband, according to the laws of Jackalopany, might become the next king. All the eligible young men from the royalty and nobility of the surrounding kingdoms were invited to attend, so she could make her decision. She also invited her best friend Henry, a shepherd. Who would she end up choosing? Prince Rupert of Froggilandria sure didn’t make a good impression the day he arrived, since his first act was to scatter her sheep!

Even though she is supposed to decide what her future will look like, and with whom she will spend it, Paisley really isn’t ready to settle down. She prefers Henry, the shepherd, but he does not want to leave his sheep to be king. Rupert is sure he wants to marry her, but Kyle of Kaiandra, Cletus of Rednecky, and Marcus of Wellsbiundia all do, as well. When Prince Darius of Griffinland will not stop at anything to get his way, tragedy threatens to leave Jackalopany without an heir. How will Paisley recover from the trauma that results?

This book is pure fun. The author constantly interrupts herself to explain things about fairy tales and why things have to be phrased the way they are. I liked reading about the differences between the various kingdoms (I learned, most of the way through the book, that my children had no idea what a “redneck” was, and once they knew, Cletus was funnier than he was before.), and seeing how people interacted. We’ve been quoting from the book lately to help the seven-year-old girl in our family be a little less of a drama queen. If you read the book and meet Brielle, you’ll know what I mean. I also liked the strong family relationships in the royal families of Jackalopany and Froggilandria. Oh, and you can’t miss the “frog pox!” There are a couple of hilarious scenes involving that. If you or your children enjoy fairy tales, you must read Princess Paisley.

WARNING: There is a murder in Chapter 15.