Hi everyone, this last week of November I have a doozy of a review planned for you. It’s true what they say that the best things happen when you least expect it. And boy was I pleasantly surprised when I opened the pages of this teen book to discover a few of my favorite characters from the classics I had read as a child… oops… I may have revealed a bit too much here… press below if you want to find out more…
Title: A Secret Princess
Authors: Margaret Stohl & Melissa De La Cruz
Genre: Historical
Publication details: G.P. Putnam’s Sons; NY, 2022
What this book is about: Young Cedric Errol describes the select Seminary for Young Ladies and Gentlemen he attends as ‘A school designed for families who have a specific desire to forget they ever had children,’ to his best friends, Mary Lennox and Sara Crewe. The school is as far away from Mary’s childhood in India and Sara’s family in Manila as either can imagine. Cedric’s past remains a mystery, but soon a tragic reversal of fortunes ties the fates of all three teens to the mercy of their monstrous headmistress. Their future seems anything but certain, until one of the trio reveals a secret – and a plan – that changes everything.
My review: What an enlightening re-telling this was!! Stohl and De La Cruz have taken the best known tales from Burnett’s repertoire and mashed them up in this engaging and delightful teen read. Despite the colourful and diverse character we see in a Filipina Sara, the crossover of Mary’s world in The Secret Garden into Sara’s (A Little Princess) has lent this tale an invigorating twist. Cedric seems to have combined souls with young Colin Craven and our Dickon has had his heart stolen by Sara! Although I’m not too familiar with Little Lord Fauntleory, Burnett’s other well-known read, I found the character of this teen Cedric quite entertaining. The exquisite attention to detail in the descriptions of Victorian era Manchester and Yorkshire captivates you in every page. For a collaboration, this reads more like a story by a single author, such is their expertise!! I really loved this teen re-imagination of Burnett’s favourite characters and found this tale an amazing teen romance!!
My rating: 4 ⭐
Miss Mahee's Library of Reads 