Megan Frazer Blakemore

Princess Harbor Rose lives on an island with her mother and aunts, hidden away because of the curse that was placed on her at her christening. She's surrounded by loving family and kindhearted villagers, and she would say she knows every inch of the place. Now, in her thirteenth year, she is sure that she will come into the magic that all the women in her family hold -- and if she can avoid pricking her finger as the curse threatens for one more year, she will be able to rejoin her people on the mainland. However, fate has some surprises in store for Harbor Rose, who may not know her island, or her family, as well as she supposes.

It's great to see Sleeping Beauty get more girl power; I liked seeing Harbor Rose having adventures. I'm still a little hazy about some aspects of the "curse," but that may be a case of me reading distracted, rather than the fault of the narrative. I do feel that too much of the plot relies upon Harbor Rose being kept in the dark about things that specifically pertain to her -- a time-honored device, but it would have been so much simpler and safer if the adults around her had taught her everything she needed to know about her world. (But then, of course, there wouldn't be much of a story.) Overall, however, I enjoyed it. Fans of juvenile fairy tale retellings should take a look!… (mer)

First sentence: Three days after Harbor Rose turned twelve a boy washed up on the shore of Small Island. While many things had washed up there, only once before had a child.

Premise/plot; Princess of the Wild Sea is a looser adaptation of the classic fairy tale Sleeping Beauty. There's a baby who's both "blessed" and "cursed" by aunties at a christening. She's a princess. There's a finger prick. There's sleeping...and eventual waking. But it isn't a close retelling or adaptation. It spins its own tale.

Harbor Rose is the 'princess' of the tale. She's raised on an island--a "hidden" island. Her family is trying to protect her from the curse, or so-called curse that is destined to come...

Peter is the 'stranger' that washes up on the island; he comes from a 'different realm' (a place called Kansas). The prophecy said he'd be 'the hero' there to save the kingdom/princess when the time was right...

My thoughts: While it isn't unusual for me to be confused at the start of a fantasy novel, it is unusual for me to be confused at the beginning, the middle, and the end. There wasn't any chapter where I wasn't shaking my head in absolute and total confusion. Comprehension consists of stringing events together and making sense of them as a whole. There was none of that. Could that be 100% me? yes.

What little I made sense of this one felt a bit agenda-ish. The 'Frost' enemies were created by not taking responsibilities for past wrongs, mistakes, sins, etc. A country who failed to recognize that they weren't "saving" the countries they were colonizing/conquering??? A country who failed to recognize the blood on their hands--figuratively and perhaps literally speaking--from their past wars and conquests. A country who hushes up "shameful acts" of the past. And there was some talk of how the 'Frost soldiers' could only be defeated by taking responsibility for the past and acknowledging it, etc. Another possible agenda being that this young girl--12? 13? 14? somewhere around there--is the hero of her own story and only she has the power to figure out the crisis and decide what is best. I don't have a big problem with that--as opposed to relying on a complete and total stranger from a strange land who knows absolutely nothing--but the plot twist that 99% of what Harbor Rose thought she knew about her life turning out to be a lie was odd to me. Her decisions seem to magically appear as if by instinct and luck...since she's clueless too.

Overall, I was too confused to ever enjoy the story.… (mer)

Princess Harbor Rose is cursed. Hidden in a remote island with her mother and her aunts, she cannot wait to turn thirteen and be finally free from the doom prediction. Until then, she learns how to be a proper princess. But one morning, she finds a strange object on the beach, and the prophecy comes true : war is coming and a hero is going to rise to save everyone.

If you love fairytales, you will love Princess of the Wild Sea. This charming middle grade novel has everything to please magic lovers : a courageous princess ready to do anything to save her people, heroes from another world on a mission and magical aunts with extraordinary powers. I really enjoyed the story : the word weaving is perfect and I really appreciated the retelling of Sleeping Beauty and all the other famous tales mentioned.

The characters grow along the story, discovering truth along the way. I love how Megan Frazer Blakemore emphasizes the importance of teamwork. It is a well written classical quest, but it isn't reduced to a simple story about good versus evil. Princess of the Wild Sea will surely please young readers and adult alike.… (mer)