Sofia: Princess of the Broken by Jasmine K. Swinburne is a Rapunzel retelling following the princess Raylin, who has been isolated for years in a tower. Her aunt claims to be protecting her because of the threatening sun and moon magic she possesses, which endows her with the ability to conjure objects from anywhere, among other powers. But after an encounter on one of her getaways from the tower, Raylin finds herself in the royal court, impersonating a princess vying for the hand of Prince Malakai, who happens to already be in love.

The premise of Princess of the Broken asked me to suspend my disbelief too much. It was difficult for me to become immersed in the story when I was left incredulous from the early plot setup, in which a lieutenant not only prevents the arrest of a thief (Raylin) but also meddles in the foreign affairs of his ruler by disguising her as a princess—a potential political match for the prince—and sends the intended princess home. I couldn’t imagine what he has to gain from this.

Whitney: I found myself side-eying this odd turn of events as well. Although, I was willing to give it the benefit of doubt since we’re trading in both fantasy and fairytale for this one. It took so long to discover the lieutenant’s motives that I wasn’t particularly surprised at the reveal.

Sofia: In addition, I wish more focus were given to the particularly thought-provoking aspects of the plot, such as the question of how a relationship survives between a servant and a king forced to choose a wife. Teddy, Malakai’s lover, exists as a figure, not a character with his own personality and story. This was a letdown for me. And how did Raylin’s time in captivity change her? I hoped this would receive more attention in the story, since I think it’s an important part of the foundational Rapunzel story.

Whitney: I agree with your thoughts on Raylin. I wish there’d been a more in-depth exploration of Raylin’s life and how it affected her. Although, because we discover early on that Raylin has the ability to get out of the tower when she wants but always returns, perhaps the next step would have been to make the connection between her captivity and a kind of Stockholm Syndrome (or gaslighting) would have added an extra layer of complexity to her story.

I also thought that Teddy could have been fleshed-out more but as he isn’t central to the plot other than serving as Malakai’s “REASON,” I understand why the author chose to just prop him up in the corner. That said, I appreciated what I felt were very real emotions and worries on Malakai’s part about coming out to his parents, court, and nation. This was convincing in my opinion and my mom-heart wanted to hug him throughout the story.

Sofia: In general, Princess of the Broken left me confused, particularly in relation to magic. Its limitations were inconsistent. The abilities of characters stayed dormant and then became powerful in certain scenes with little justification. Raylin’s powers—as well as each ability’s stipulations—seemed to change without reason. I think the requirements for conjuring and the more abstract facets of her magic could have been explored in a clearer way. For example, it’s mentioned that she must imagine an object perfectly to conjure it, but she later conjures seemingly whatever she wishes without already having seen the object. A soft magic system can work well, but it often becomes a crutch in this book.

Whitney: Indeed. The magic was unstable and its manifestations felt convenient and contrived. A magical deus ex machina, if you will. Did it solve the problem at hand? Yes. Did it feel insincere? Also yes.

Sofia: Another trend in Princess of the Broken that I didn’t care for was how characters who first seemed morally gray always became either completely likable or completely evil by the end of their stories. Overall, I was unsatisfied with the antagonists and their motives. To me, lust for power isn’t a convincing enough reason for the convoluted nature of the villains’ plot. In fact, it almost seems like they lost power along the way instead.

That being said, this book does feature very sweet friendships between women, which I wasn’t expecting given the Selection-type setup. This was a pleasant surprise. The narration is fast-paced and easy to follow. Princess of the Brokensubverts tropes related to the Rapunzel story in an interesting way, seeing the fairytale through a darker lens. However, I wouldn’t call it a hopeless story—although Raylin’s situation is arguably worse than the original Rapunzel’s, this time, she has the solidarity of a band of princesses at her side.

Whitney: So often friendships between women are written as false or shallow, opportunistic or back-stabby. Authors like to downplay the very real, often instantaneous friendships women are able to forge – particularly during challenging circumstances. I was waiting for the shoe to drop on most of the princessy interactions but was pleased that it never did. I appreciated that.

Sofia: Although this book is a cut from SPFBOX, readers who like fairytale retellings and court-based fantasy may enjoy Jasmine K. Swinburne’s Princess of the Broken. It didn’t click with me, but there is still a compelling story within these pages.

Whitney: I second this paragraph.