The Princess Will Save You by Sarah Henning is my most recent read and it did not disappoint by any means. I like to think I don’t give 5 star ratings very easily, but I devoured this book in a single sitting and would have gladly let it ruin my sleep schedule. Keep in mind that it definitely isn’t for everyone—but it was exactly the kind of book I wanted to read right now, and appealed to my likings perfectly. 

It’s about a princess named Amarande, whose father dies and leaves her as his only heir—but since she’s a female she can’t rule her kingdom unless she’s married. She strongly opposes this, but can’t change the law and is forced to consider marriage with princes from neighbouring kingdoms, even though she’s in love with a stableboy named Luca. Things really pick up when Luca is kidnapped to blackmail Amarande into marrying one of her potential suitors, and instead of giving in, she decides to save him herself. 

I didn’t put this book down, not once. The pacing was fast enough to keep me interested, but not too fast that I didn’t understand what was going on. Occasionally, it did switch to a boring POV and I would skim a little, but other than that, I have little complaints. 

Amarande was such a good main character. She was strong and independent and refused to give into the misogynistic constraints of her kingdom—she could hold her own in battle and in a political setting alike. But she also wasn’t cold and mean like some other heroines, and I really loved that I guess? And of course the love interest, Luca, was such a sweetheart, I couldn’t not love him. 

What kept me reading above all else was the romance. There wasn’t exactly a ton of it because a lot of the book was focused on the politics and the schemes, but when there was, I was completely invested. I wanted Ama to save Luca so badly because the pieces of them we got at the very beginning were so adorable. And when they finally reunited, I may have screamed a little. I really can’t wait to see the further development of their characters and relationship in the next two books, and I will stew in agony until I can finally buy them. 

I can’t even form a very coherent thought as to why I loved this book so much—it’s just one of those cases where it resonates with you and you can’t exactly explain why. But it’s such a criminally underrated book and I think any lover of young adult fantasy should give it a chance.