26 different princesses for each letter of the alphabet.  I liked that they were diverse.  I appreciated that none of them looked alike.  I also liked that their names were not the usual names.  Each had an interesting name.  Perfect for your 1-4 year old.

Interesting subject, but I fall into the camp that found Fraser's writing to be very dry, which makes this quite a long book. It seems like a substantial amount of it is undigested research - the royal family went to such-and-such a palace to celebrate such-and-such an occasion - maybe because it was intended to be more of an academic biography that simply records facts, but as a non-academic what I'm looking for in biographies is meaning. With all these quoted letters from the young princesses to their governesses apologizing for bad behavior, for instance: what do they actually tell us about the princesses and their lives and culture? What sort of behavior were the girls getting up to, and were some less obedient than others? Did they write the letters of their own volition or because another governess told them to? Without any of this context - which Fraser doesn't provide - quoting a few of these letters doesn't actually tell us anything. Isn't the historian's job to sort through all this primary source material and sift narrative and meaning out of it to share with the reader? Maybe I'm asking for more hand-holding than the type of writing Fraser aspired to here is meant to provide, but at any rate I quit at page 100. I debated a lot whether to continue though, since there is a lot of interesting information here and the six princesses seem to have had interesting lives.

Dormir, c'est se raconter des histoires qu'on ne connaît pas encore.

Chanter c'est colorier les mots.

Un caprice n'est rien de plus qu'une étincelle de mauvaise humeur.

Bouder, c'est pousser un mur qui ne bougera pas.

Ne pas sourire, c'est comme oublier d'arroser ses plantes.

Le hasard, c'est une histoire dont on ne connaît pas la fin.

Les secrets sont enfermés mais ils ne pensent qu'à s'échapper.

Attention : ne pas oublier de penser à se rappeler de se souvenir.

Quand j'oublie, c'est une idée qui joue à cache-cache au fond de moi.

Inséparables (Les):
Deux oiseaux qui accompagnent
les princesses Dîng et Dông
dans tous leurs déplacements.
Ils sont identiques en tout point,
se ressemblent comme deux
gouttes d'eau : l'un s'appelle Kîng,
l'autre Kông.
Kông est l'oiseau de Dîng
et Kîng est l'oiseau de Dông.
A ne pas confondre même si Kîng
se perche sur l'épaule de Dîng
et Kông sur le doigt de Dông.
A retenir :
Kîng est avec Dông et Kông avec
Dîng.
Mais on peut aussi voir parfois Kông
avec Dông et Kîng avec Dîng.

La forêt est le jardin secret du monde entier.

Princesse qui roule se ramasse à la petite cuillère.
(Proverbe stupide)

Disclaimer: ARC via Netgalley.

                There is so much to love about the Princeless comics, and this volume in the collections give us stories featuring Adrienne’s sisters and the goblins.  The sisters each get one story (though the twins have to share) and one story for the goblins.  The goblin story is the most direct comment on modern politics in the book – it is hard not to see Trump and Hilary on the stage.  The story will play on a different level for adult readers than younger readers.  The goblin story also brings back the Goblin Captain who aided Adrienne and Belinda.

                But the main focus of the collection are the Ashe citizens, and while the art, to my mind, isn’t as good as the artwork in some of the other volumes (hence a 3.5 star rating instead of a 4), it was wonderful that the other Ashe sisters got a chance to shine as while as moving the story slightly forward to the coming conflict that was set up at the end of volume 7.

                The first story features Alize and her Sphinx.  It is set in the past, so how Alize formed her community and met her husband is addressed. Then Angelica learns that she is more than just a pretty face by playing a game that looks familiar.  Angoisse learns that she doesn’t need a man, but just a focus.  The goblin story follows Angoisse’s story (which makes sense).  Then finally, the twins appear as they struggle to put aside sniping at each other long enough to help people.  In many of the stories, the Black Knight makes an appearance, tying the stories together in another way as well as pointing towards the future of the series.  Even in Angoisse’s tale where the Black Knight does not show up, there are hints that her adventure is connected to the larger issues playing out in the series.

                The particular strength of this volume is the different ways in which the princesses learn and become more secure in who they are.  Adrienne, who stars in the other volumes, is physically strong - she is not dumb – but her talent lies in the physical.  Here, in these stories, we have sisters whose talents are not the physical but that rest on a different type of learning.  Alize learns from books (and other teachers), the twins studied magic, Angoisse learns by studying human behavior, and Angelica by watching.  While the sisters who were more immature, gain more maturity in these stories, they don’t lose their essential selves.  Angelica might become more than a pretty face, but she also still loves fashion.  The great thing about Princeless is that strength is being shown in so many different ways, not just in terms of Adrienne and Devan, but, now, more fully in terms of each sister.  This putting worth on talents other than simply physical or looking beautiful is wonderful.

                The stories do feature humor.  The two funniest are Angoisse’s and Angelica’s.  Angelica’s story has some great descriptive phrases, and Angoisse’s makes excellent use of the Squint Spiderslayer and the Grimmorax.  The best line comes from the Grimmorax who asks Angoisse, “Are you telling me you want to be weaker so you can find a man who can protect?”  And when Angoisse answers in the affirmative replies, “Do you need me to explain how stupid that sounds?”.  In some ways, Angoisse’s story is the most powerful because she learns the value of herself.  The weakest story, maybe because it is trying too hard for laughs, is the story of the twins, though that makes excellent use of the magical knowledge.  Additionally, weak is a relative term for this collection.

                Can’t wait to see what happens next.

To earn his freedom from solitary confinement on the penal colony of Xanto, Troy must assassinate a princess of Incendium. He thinks the princess doesn’t stand a chance since he is a mindbender. Her father has agreed to free her from all other responsibilities if she completes one task – Princess Drakina must seduce her destined mate and conceive the crown prince of Incendium. She is sure it will be a quick seduction and then she can return home and live the life she wants to live. But when all secrets are revealed, will the truth turn them against each other or will destiny allow this star-crossed pair to save each other and their unborn son?

Wow, this space dragon princess and her destined mate are attention grabbing characters that are strong and vivacious. Their encounter starts off with different goals and with underhanded intentions but the powerful attraction between them changes everything. The chemistry is electrical, the romance is fun, daring, sweet and passionate with an adventurous relationship that makes readers can really enjoy.

The plot is fast paced and full of exhilarating suspense, and a heroine whose personality leaps from the pages while Troy is the strong, sexy warrior. The story is full of unique elements in an engaging and fascinating world that make for a delightfully entertaining read that readers can’t put down.