Happily Ever After

My princess book marathon started with reading an Advanced Reader Copy of Unbetrothed—written by fellow Storyteller Squad member, Candice Pedraza Yamnitz. This epic Latin fantasy book released in February 2022. I ordered a copy for my home library, as it was wonderful! Afterward, I found myself gravitating to other princess tales, and before you knew it, I acquired quite the stack of books.

The Three Savages rolled their eyes when they saw me reading, yet again, another princess book. I told them the books were for research, as my manuscript contains “royalty” within the world I created. But, really, I was having so much fun discovering my inner princess. Fairytales help everyone, young and old, call into question: What is beauty? What is friendship? What is love? What is evil? What would help us live happily ever after?

In these stories, each princess (or future-princess-to-be) goes on a journey of self-discovery. Once their “identity crisis” was solved, the main character’s personal growth helped lead them to the discovery of true love—which, of course, was a prince.

I hope you’ve discovered the true love of Jesus Christ and have committed your life to him. Be secure in your identity as sons and daughters of the King of Kings and Lord of Lords—we’re all princes and princesses!

“… I will be a father to you, and you shall be sons and daughters to me, says the Lord Almighty.”—2 Corinthians 6:18

“But to all who did receive him, who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God, who were born, not of blood nor of the will of the flesh nor of the will of man, but of God.”—John 1:12-13

Let us all look forward to an eternal inheritance—complete with a crown. Faith in Jesus Christ alone for eternal life is our “happily ever after.”

I truly believe God’s magnificent redemption plan laid out for us in the Bible is why princess stories of “happily ever after” resonate with our souls. No matter your age, these Young Adult and Middle Grade books are sure to entertain and put a smile on your face.

Unbetrothed by Candice Pedraza Yamnitz

The adventure Candice Pedraza Yamnitz takes you on is a wild ride, as Beatriz must enter the Valle de los Fantasmas to receive her magical gifting. If she is successful, she believes she will finally find happiness through a betrothal to her long-time friend and secret crush, Prince Lux.

Beatriz’s journey into Valle de los Fantasmas transports you into a jungle survival experience. Along the way, enemies become friends as they help Beatriz on her quest. Spanish vocabulary intermingled within the text creates an enjoyable and unique world-building experience.

The character arc of Beatriz is magical as she transforms from a haughty, prideful girl to a humble, caring, and wise young lady. She discovers her self-worth is not in her magical gifting, but being content with whom the Ancient One created her to be. She also learns to value the people who accept her as she is. Note: Allegorical Christian themes are expertly woven throughout this well-written novel.

The nitty-gritty of this Young Adult book:

• Romance: Clean. Just hand-holding and a few kisses.
• Language: Clean
• Violence: PG-13, as there is a war at the end. No explicit gory details

The Goose Girl by Shannon Hale

This story blew me away. Princess Ani is kind and respectful, and too soft-spoken for her own good. She possesses the ability to speak with birds. Her character growth over the course of the story is thanks to the lessons learned from her troubles and the friends she made along the way. Over time, Ani discovers how powerful she really is, and that she possessed that power all along.

This book contains a bit of everything- suspense, adventure, betrayal (the deception by the antagonist is so clever!), self-discovery, romance, friendship, loyalty, magic, and a “happily ever after” ending. If you love fairytale re-tellings, this one is fabulous because it hasn’t been told hundreds of times. The Books of Bayern series contains several more stories that I hope to read in the future.

The nitty-gritty of this Young Adult book:

• Romance: Clean. Just hand-holding and a few kisses.
• Language: Clean (There is one odd story told that depicts nudity, but not explicit/crude.)
• Violence: PG-13. There is a massacre, a slaughtered horse, and people hanging from nooses in the village square in various scenes.

Ella Enchanted by Gail Carson Levine

This book portrays a twist on the classic Cinderella story. Once I finally put the original fairy tale out of my mind and accepted this book’s unique re-telling, it came to life.

Ella + Char forever. I adore their sweet friendship, which turns into a wonderful love story. The letters they write back and forth stole the show. More of this in youth literature, please!

It’s such a darling Middle Grade book that is worthy of your time. You can read it in a day!

The nitty-gritty:

• Romance: Clean
• Language: Clean
• Violence: Clean

Fairest by Gail Carson Levine

After finishing Ella Enchanted, I dove into Fairest—which features characteristics of the classic Snow White story.

Aza has a beautiful voice and a kind spirit, but physically she is nothing to be admired. Upon her first visit to the king’s castle, she allows herself to get caught up in a great deception and lies to everyone.

The sweet lyrical moments Aza has with Prince Ijori will put a smile on your face. In the end, all is made right, and Aza gets her “happily ever after.” There are more books in this series, and I hope to someday read them all.

The nitty-gritty of this Middle Grade novel:

• Romance: Clean
• Language: Clean
• Violence: Clean

If you have any other clean teen princess books to recommend, please post them in the comments section. I wish you all the best on your journey to discover your “Happily Ever After.”