I recently had the pleasure of picking up a free eARC of Tested: A Princess and the Pea Retelling by Sarah Carlisle in exchange for an honest review. And, let me tell you, I plan on adding this book to my physical library ASAP! It was such a wonderful surprise, both magical and grounded and so much more profound than I ever would have guessed. I can’t give the premise justice in my own words, so just read the quick blurb from Goodreads:
Aine harbors a fervent desire: to shield the land and its inhabitants from the negligence of her father. However, her aspirations are threatened when her parents scheme to barter her off to a neighboring lord. The Queen’s invitation to compete in a contest to determine the prince’s bride arrives just in time.
Prince Rian, ensnared by a curse demanding he win the affection of the “perfect princess” before his twenty-first birthday, grapples with dwindling prospects and fading optimism. With scant months remaining, his ambitions have dwindled to a single to enact even the slightest improvement on the world—or at least his country—before his death.
As Aine faces the queen’s tests, fate entwines her destiny with Rian’s. Unfortunately, the determined Lord Cleirigh will stop at nothing to thwart her ascent.
Tested: A Princess and the Pea retelling, book blurb from goodreads
Ratings for Tested
Story: 5/5
Worldview: N/A (not Christian but amazing themes)
Aine and Rian are only a part of the stellar cast of Tested. I loved seeing their worldviews challenged and how they had to grow as people. They did challenge each other, but their personal growth was not done with the motivation of pleasing the other, which was awesome. The side characters shined between high-flying Colm and bird-loving Prince Finn. Even the other princesses were well-rounded young women: kind, courteous, and fair. The author’s grasp of situational humor really made me laugh out loud at many points. The magic in this story wasn’t weird at all, but rather the backdrop of the fairytale itself. Despite having so much information on the rest of the world, I never felt overwhelmed with the world building and the whole kingdom just felt rich and alive. I’m so excited to pick up A Gentle Hope and eventually A Retelling of the Wild Swans.
Worldview is not applicable because I rate books based on their Christian perspective. However, the themes for this novel were so profound and relatable. Aine is distrustful and guarded with everyone around her. As much as she wants to let people in, she struggles with getting burned and hurting herself, but in protecting her own interests, she hurts the people dearest to her. Meanwhile, Prince Rian really is a haughty, arrogant crown prince who needs to learn a thing or two about subtlety. He’s so desperate to leave some kind of legacy that he doesn’t even realize he’s only cementing himself further into a self-righteous attitude–the same perspective that blinds him to the dangers right in front of him. Seeing Aine and Rian confront their shortcomings and grow individually was unexpected and spectacular.
Overall thoughts
All in all, a phenomenal novel that catapults Sarah Carlisle into being a preferred author of mine! I’m excited to read A Gentle Hope later!
If you’re interested in reading shorter fairytale retellings, you can check out some of my reviews on the Once Upon a Twist Tales series by Kirsten Fichter. The Rose and the Balloon (A Beauty and the Beast Retelling) and Diamond (A Rapunzel Story) are a few good ones, as well as The Bear of Rosethorn Ring.
