Bondoux, A. (2006). The
princetta. Bloomsbury Publishing. Bell, A. (A. Bell, Trans.). (Original
work published 2004). 500 pages. ISBN 9781582349244
Primary genre:
fantasy
Other elements:
adventure, family, friendship, coming of age
Intended reader age:
12 and up
Synopsis:
Malva, fifteen-year-old Princetta of Galnicia, is tired of
being only used and viewed as nothing more than a piece of property by her
parent; whose only purpose in their house is to be married off in a bid for
political advancement and security. Malva with the help of her long-time friend
and maid, Philomena, and her tutor, the Archont plan an escape from the marriage.
On the eve of her wedding Malva and Philomena embark on a journey that will
take them both farther than they planned or ever thought possible.
Review:
It is very interesting to see how far this book went from
what I originally thought it was going to be about. The story does not begin
with the indication that fantasy aspects will be incorporated and the only
mention I could find in my copy (which is the one pictured above) was in the
inside jacket at the end of the blurb, “The
Princetta is an epic tale filled with drama, magic and excitement, where
challenges will be overcome, friendships cemented and hearts won and broken.”
Every other descriptor on the jacket speak only of adventure: Malva’s escape
and wish to be free of duty, obligation, and uncaring parents. I have no
problems with the inclusion of fantasy and I really enjoyed how Bondoux did it
because the characters were as surprised by it as the readers were supposed to
be. They were pushing the limits of the Know World (that is what/ how they
referred to it in the book) and it was thoroughly exciting.
One of the more noteworthy elements I found in the story was
the seeming difference (but really the similarities) between Malva and Orpheus,
specifically their parental issues. Orpheus has always believed his father no
matter what, never disobeyed him, and revered and honored him until the almost
end. Just before he passed away, Orpheus’s father told him about how he has
been lying to him his whole life. His father wasn’t lying to benefit Orpheus
either; in fact this lie set Orpheus up for a very disappointing life so far.
The lie was told so Orpheus would never know his father’s true self. Malva’s parents,
on the other hand, never treated her like a daughter and were using her as an
object to be given away at their discretion. The father’s shared a similar
moment of revealing their true-self to their children as a precursor to death.
Definitely following the idea that this is their last chance to come clean,
giving both Malva and Orpheus a sense of direction in their life.
I have a read a great number of unfavorable reviews for this
book and I can see where some of them are coming from. There are elements that
seem to pop out of no-where and were presented in too rapid a fashion but I
think that is what also appeals to me. Malva led a very sheltered life, always
surrounded by the same people and the same routines. The outside world is
chaotic and dangerous and Malva was able to experience that and was changed because
of those experiences, and yes it just happened to be on a very expedited scale.
I have been trying to think of titles that are similar
enough to this that if you read it you would absolutely love them as well, but
for me this book covered quite a few different genres and pulled from different
cultures to create something unique and special. It is also a book that can appeal to younger tweens (around 12) but could interest young adult readers as well. The issues faced by the characters were not too mature, the physical romance never went past simple kisses, and the violence was pretty mild. There were elements of Greek
mythology, so I would say read the Percy Jackson series if that part interested
you. Another book that I think of when reading this book is the Goose Girl by Hale: princess on the run,
making a life or herself.
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