Violet Eyes [Mass Market Paperback]

A Retelling of the Princess and the Pea

I'm not a huge fan of the Princess and the Pea story. And when I saw that they were retelling it, I wonder what can they do with such a weak story. But after finishing, all I can say was "wow." Ms. Debbie Vigiue is an amazing writer.

Every time it storms, Violet knew that something good or bad was going to happen. During this particular storm, they found an injured man on her father's farm. The man was Prince Richard and the two felt instant chemistry but they knew it was doomed. So, they separated ways. But soon after, Violet found out a secret about herself and knew she had a chance to be with her prince. With courage and with only the clothes on her back, she plans to enter the competition with twenty other princesses for the prince's hand.

This is such a well written improvement on an old and less talk about fairy tale. Ms. Viguie took the original tale and fleshed out the plot, creating an interesting, believable story. There was no lag time in between chapters. The plot kept rolling and I couldn't make myself put this book down. Even as you near the end, the action never stops and you can't help but feel spellbound to see how the pair can overcome the odds to be together. I absolutely loved all the characters, especially Violet and Prince Richard. You can feel the frustration and love for each other as each day brings a new test that could either separate them or bring them closer to being together. The quirks of each of the princesses were funny and I couldn't hate them. To my surprise and pleasure, they weren't selfish. But actually quite charming ladies, just being forced into the situation by their families. And the antagonist was easily recognizable and luckily, the author didn't focus much on her, for the subterfuge would have been a little too much and pulled the focus away from the romance of the prince and Violet. Everyone played their parts well and everyone had their own individuality that makes them stand out.

Of course, the plot was predictable and a lil cliche. If you are tired of reading the same old, I wouldn't suggest this for you. But 'Violet Eyes' brings its own charm with great characters and entertainment. Definitely one of my new favorites from the Once Upon a Time series. If you are a fan of fairy tales and romance, this is definitely worth reading.

Finally, a fairy tale retelling I couldn't put down!

"Violet Eyes" is a new version of the "Princess and the Pea" story. Violet is a simple farm girl who finds her life irrevocably changed when she encounters the injured Cambrian heir, Prince Richard, in her field and nurses him back to health. As Richard recovers, he and Violet fall in love, but Richard is returning home to enter into a political marriage. The catch? He doesn't know who the bride is - his parents are sponsoring a contest among all the neighboring princesses to determine who is worthy of their son's hand. When Violet learns about her secret past, she enters the contest in an attempt to win a future with Richard.

Violet is a spunky heroine that readers will definitely cheer on as she endures the contest trials. While her romance with Richard does seem a little false (there's very little development leading to "you're the one I want to marry"), since it's a fairy tale some carelessness with plot development can be overlooked. What's nice about both main characters is that they are very human - Richard feels that, as the man, he should be proving his worthiness for some lady, not the other way around, and Violet, while admirable, is far from perfect. I also applaud the author for poking fun at the whole princess test concept (the characters are well aware that some of the tests are absurd, instead of really being an indicator of true womanliness), which gives the book added depth to a fairy tale that seems rather frivolous.

And that added depth is why I'm giving "Violet Eyes" a 5-star rating. I've read every book in the Once Upon a Time series, and they can be hit or miss. The latest offerings (such as "Diamond Secret") have been lackluster, and some ("Snow" or "Spirited") were just downright weird and didn't make sense. If I'm going to read a fairy tale retelling, I want depth, simply because fairy tales in their original form usually lack it.

If you're new to the series, definitely a good book to start with. If you've been a little disillusioned lately with the quality of the Once Upon a Time series, "Violet Eyes" will go a long way to restoring your faith in it. Highly recommended.

The other reviews have good summaries, so I'll focus on the pros and cons of this book. The supporting characters are what earned it 2 1/2 stars. Left up to the protagonists and their rushed excuse for a relationship, it would be 2. The author did a wonderful job of fleshing out the other princesses in the competition and making them real people. By the end of the story I wished Arianna or Goldie had been the main character instead of Violet. It would definitely have made for a more interesting point of view. The plot was good and the reasoning behind the tests was well-explained and gave logic to the original tale.

Unfortunately, the main characters were a bit of a let down. As seems to be the pattern in Debbie Viguie's Once Upon A Time series books, there is very little development between the main characters meeting and kissing passionately. After literally two conversations, the prince grabs Violet and kisses her vigorously, making me a little worried he might claim his right as a nobleman to take advantage of peasant women. Of course, making-out with near strangers is a little problem easily cleared up by swift declarations of love. Zero conversations and a few flowery notes later, he is vowing to die for her and walk through fire, though he knows nothing more than her face, name, dubious claim to royalty, and kindness to his horse. Even in their brief dialogs he is a weirdo. From the beginning he makes random statements completely unconnected to their conversations, though the reader assumes they are meant to be insulting since the girl always ends up nearly hitting him. This is all explained by "she brings out the devil in me." Um sure, making an enigmatic joke about the girl who saved your life being an old maid (or a prostitute?) is definitely roguish and charming, especially in the middle of a conversation about your wedding. All this, combined with the "dark and inscrutable expressions" always shadowing his face, convinced me that this man was not a prince, and he was not someone I could ever love, no matter how many times the other characters mentioned his kindness and good character. Redeeming qualities were certainly not apparent in anything he said or did until Violet got to the castle, after which he turned into a prating lovesick sap. Violet herself was a very flat character, and it seemed she only existed to be perfect and long for the next time she could kiss the prince.

Overall this was an entertaining take on The Princess and the Pea, but the main characters' relationship ruined part of the book for me. For better protagonists and stronger writing, I would definitely recommend reading Cameron Dokey's Storyteller's Daughter.

› Go to Amazon.com to see all 16 reviews  4.1 out of 5 stars