ARC Review: The Midnight Prince by Angie Grigaliunas
Disclaimer: I received an ARC of this book, and I’m leaving this review voluntarily.
Genre: YA Fantasy, YA Fairy Tale Retelling, YA Clean Fairy Tale Retelling
Expected Publication: 27 October 2023
Series: Once Upon a Prince Book 5
Rating: 5 stars
Just when I thought I’d never get over my book-hangover from The Wicked Prince by Celeste Baxendell, Angie Grigaliunas comes through with a wonderful Cinderella retelling in The Midnight Prince. Prince Kirran’s heart was broken by his beloved Alia when she didn’t show up to his birthday ball 7 years ago. He had planned on announcing her as his bride since the two were madly in love, despite her being a servant and an orphan. When she didn’t show, he took his broken heart to the warfront and became a vicious soldier. However, after his brothers are killed and he is the only prince left who can inherit the crown, he returns home. When he runs into Alia at a masquerade ball, he’s shocked to find out that, according to her, she did attend the ball 7 years ago. And, in her memory, she caught him telling his friends and family that she was merely a fling.
This was possibly my favorite Cinderella retelling ever! Right off the bat, the romance is intense and angsty. There is so much tension and hurt between Kirran and Alia, which really heighten the stakes of the story. I really appreciated how the ball was at the beginning of the story. It was a bit unexpected, and it allowed for events to unfold with a unique twist to the original fairy tale.
Similarly, I felt like Kirran and Alia’s relationship was very authentic and believable. In many ways, Grigaliunas took on a huge task with their relationship. Where the original fairy tale doesn’t necessarily involve a lot of emotional depth, Kirran and Alia’s relationship is vividly complex. The foundation of their romance was portrayed remarkably well considering it was all backstory. The backstory did not bog down the current story, yet it also felt solid and tangible. This made the hurt both characters felt and their attempt to find out what happened to them all the more powerful for the reader.
Oftentimes, my reviews of romance or romantasy novels involve me highlighting aspects outside of the romance because I rarely love romance for the actual romance; it’s usually the side characters, world-building, magic system, or other factors that make a romance enjoyable for me. So, when an author can make me love a romance for the romance, that says something about their talent, and that was the case with this novel. I also adored the other aspects of the novel as well, particularly Alia’s friendship with Reena, but the romance really shined in this story! Another win for the Once Upon a Prince series!
