Before I begin this review, I want to point out that the author was fourteen when she first wrote this novella. To be honest, I could tell she was young when she wrote it, but that is not a bad thing! 🙂 The author’s writing style at that age reminds me a lot of my own when I was fourteen, so I completely understand why the author made some of the choices she made with pacing, description, etc. For a debut novella, I believe she did a good job and has great potential to grow and shine for the remainder of the series. That being said, there were parts of The Lost Princess that I liked, and others I was iffy about.

Highlights:
The Queen’s Characterization: The author did a fantastic job creating a realistic villianness. Her acts of insanity were shocking yet believable, and readers have a reason to sympathize with her later on. As far as redeemable villains go, she is top-notch.

Dove and Cilla: These two ended up being my favorite characters, as their potentials shined through the most. Dove was nosy, curious, and sweet, while Cilla was sarcastic, strong-willed, and brave.

A Certain Crash of a Ship: Okay, so there were two characters that I thought were going to end up falling for each other, and a well-executed plot twist occurs so they–under no circumstances whatsoever–can be together. XD This author knows how to throw in an unforeseen plot twist!

The Iffy Things:

Cast of Characters: With such a large cast of characters (I counted 12 that were mostly in the spotlight), it was a little difficult to not mix the characters up. A few characters’ personalities were also not developed to their full potential, so they were not as relatable as others.

Pacing: From an author’s standpoint, I completely understand what it’s like to want to hurry to finish writing your first novel, so I understand why some of the action seems rushed. However, from a reader’s standpoint, I wish there could have been more difficult circumstances for the characters to face, as most of the problems they encounter are easily solved. I also think that if the book was about 50 pages longer, the characters could have enough room to develop more and have their unique personalities shine through.

Final Thoughts:
Loretta Marchize is a promising author who has great potential as her author career continues to develop. I’m excited to see what she’ll come up with as she hones her unique writing abilities. I also want to commend her for being courageous enough to publish her books at such a young age! That’s true passion for writing, and an author with that much passion has a bright future! 😀