These books have been taking a darker twist and this was darker than all the rest put together. The book starts with Beatrice's death, and Snow attempting to resurrect her spirit in a new body. Only she breaks her mother's magic mirror and is possessed by the demon that inhabited the mirror, kidnaps Jakob, and flees to Allessandria intent on destroying those who exiled her. Oh, and she leaves behind her imaginary sister, made into flesh, Gerta.

I really liked it and looked forward to seeing how Talia, Danielle, and Greta would save the day. But then Jim had to (view spoiler). Okay, maybe not quite that melodramatic, but it was in the same ballpark. I have to give Jim major props for that, though. It takes great writing chops to kill off a main character without succumbing to hackneyed plotting.

I loved the parallels with the Snow Queen tale, which followed much more closely to the original than many others Jim had pulled into this world previously. Snow plays both the part of the Snow Queen and Kai, but Jakob is also Kai. And Gerta is, of course, Gerda. This may be my favorite retelling yet, because of the originality. ( )

This series is definitely a case of "don't judge by the cover." I mean, seriously, these covers are AWFUL, yet the series is rather fun. This was kind of a disappointing end (?) to the series, but they were fun books to read, and have some ass kicking ladies to boot! I'd recommend them for sure, just...damn, these covers are bad! ( )

I had only read the first three Princess novels a few months ago, but found myself eagerly awaiting the conclusion, wondering how all of the story lines could possibly be tied up. I think Hines did a beautiful job of wrapping things up and created an ending that will (hopefully!) appease most readers. The story moved quickly, and the further I dove in to the novel, the more I found myself trying to sneak in a page here and there to see what would happen. There were a few plot twists that had me skeptical at first, but Hines masterfully wove everything together as the plot progressed.

Also, I'm also really glad I read the postscript after the novel's end. I'll definitely be looking out for more books by Hines! ( )

After spending 4 books with these girls, I cried a lot when I made it to the end of the series. These books were amazing, and definitely worth the eventual re-read. Shame about it being the end. Hopefully I'll wake up one day and find the author has written just one more. ( )

This is the fourth, and possibly last, installment in Hines’ Princess series. I have enjoyed all of them and they remain as ‘keepers’ on my shelves of paper books. This one is a little darker than the others are, as some reviewers have pointed out.
I do not personally care for dark fantasy. I prefer more lighthearted, humorous, and satirical works, but the dark aspects in this are not overdone and there is still a hopeful and optimistic mood conveyed by the end of the story. It has a few smiles in it too, such as in the first chapter, in which the princesses are hunting down the witch-hunter, Hansel, who, we are told, first got into the business by stuffing some poor old woman into her own oven.
This is not a classic tragedy of death and failure by any means. However, it does take the reader on an exciting adventure full of soul-searching, discovery and sacrifice, and it has just enough of the old “sword and sorcery” action to keep readers who expect that kind of thing in a fantasy novel happy. I just wanted to mention that in case others were put off by reviews suggesting this is a dark fantasy. It is not.
The princesses are strong characters, likeable and even believable given a certain amount of suspended disbelief. I found myself sympathizing with Snow in her conflict with the demon that possesses her through her mother’s mirror, and I appreciated the intelligence Hines shows in her efforts to defeat it. But to say more on that would require spoilers.
I would recommend this book to those who appreciate positive fiction with admirable characters pursuing noble causes. You will find this installment of the Princess Novels more satisfying though if you read the others (in order) first.
( )