e-ALC, 09:35:46
Narrated by: Kimberly Woods, Marcella Cox, & Brittany Johnson
Release Date: November 4, 2025
Published by: Books on Tape
Read from: November 3-4, 2026
Stand-alone
Source: PRH Audio App (I received this ALC free from the publisher and their app. I also received a hardcover copy of this book. I read it in tandem with the audio. This did nothing to influence my review!)
Content Warning: Death, Grief, Emotional Abuse, Physical Abuse, Murder, Child Abuse, Suicide, Infidelity, Suicidal thoughts, Arachnids
For Readers Interested In: 2sLGBTQ+, Action, Adventure, Audio, Dual POV, Fantasy, Holy Crap this sounds good!, Sparkly Covers, Most Anticipated, Racial/Ethnic Diversity, Romance, Royals, YATwo dead princesses must find true love’s kiss to bring them back to life in this heart-stopping romantic fantasy debut. For fans of Cinderella Is Dead and Girl, Serpent, Thorn.
Amala has spent her whole life trying to be the perfect delicate, quiet, obedient. But when she’s murdered on the night of her wedding, her story is cut short before it begins.
Kha’dasia has been told her whole life that she is too rough, too loud, too much. She’s no ordinary princess but a ruthless warrior on a quest to fulfill her late brother’s dying wish. Except she dies before reaching her destination.
When both girls wake up in a cursed forest, the gods offer them a second chance at life—if they can find true love’s kiss. But there’s a catch, the gods warn. While the right kiss will save you, the wrong kiss will kill you.
On their journey, the princesses must overcome challenges that force them to face the truth of their lives…and their deaths. And as Amala and Kha’dasia grow closer, they can’t help but wonder if true love has been standing right in front of them all along.
*MY THOUGHTS*
Fantasy isn’t the usual genre I reach first for, but I will ALWAYS reach for a beautiful cover. And this one didn’t disappoint at all. This book was so good and I loved it so much more than I thought I would.
Ok so the main thing about this that I loved was the adventure. I was not expecting them to go on a quest while dead? That was crazy. It was like them doing it in the after-life lol Idk how to explain it. It was just weird and cool lol I was not prepared for that part. I do wish we had gotten a better look at the world around them, but for the most part, with everything happening I was ok with it.
The romance was cute. I mean as much as it could be for the two that hate each other and who are basically trying not to kiss each other because of what it could mean. Y’all know how I am about enemies to lovers, so this took me a minute to get through because I was so mad at her for a little bit. But like, I hate when people are so mad that they take out their anger on the nearest person. And all because she liked her. She was annoying lol And I’m not saying who on purpose lol No spoilers!
As a Disnerd, I loved this. It really felt like I was watching a Disney movie sometimes lol I know it sounds weird, but like the action, and the adventure, and the romance, and just all of it. (Granted it is a little darker, but still) I know this is just like basic fantasy stuff, but as someone who mostly likes fantasy lite, this made all the difference for me. It really helped me escape into it and actually have fun. There was even an arachnid in there that came with a scene that I thought I was going to freak out about, but nope. Even that didn’t bother me.
This was a lot of fun! I want to say so much more, but I don’t want to give out any spoilers. Just go get it if you haven’t read it yet! I hope you have as good a time reading it as I did!
Overall, I give this
