First in a duology that reimagines fairy tale tropes within a space opera—The Princess Bride meets Princess Leia.

Rory Thorne is a princess with thirteen fairy blessings, the most important of which is to see through flattery and platitudes. As the eldest daughter, she always imagined she’d inherit her father’s throne and govern the interplanetary Thorne Consortium.

Then her father is assassinated, her mother gives birth to a son, and Rory is betrothed to the prince of a distant world.

When Rory arrives in her new home, she uncovers a treacherous plot to unseat her newly betrothed and usurp his throne. An unscrupulous minister has conspired to name himself Regent to the minor (and somewhat foolish) prince. With only her wits and a small team of allies, Rory must outmaneuver the Regent and rescue the prince.

How Rory Thorne Destroyed the Multiverse is a feminist reimagining of familiar fairytale tropes and a story of resistance and self-determination—how small acts of rebellion can lead a princess to not just save herself, but change the course of history.

I don’t read back cover copy so I had no idea what thus book was about. The title includes “multiverse” though, so I figured it was worth a shot.

Lots of humor. Lots of creativity. Lots of excitement and great characters and captivating interactions.

Also lots of descriptions and backstory that aren’t always relevant and tend to slow the story down at times. (I listened on audio and sped it up to 1.5x to pick up the pace at times.) It’s also written in omniscient, which lends itself to those types of long story interruptions. Omni isn’t my favorite (for that reason) but the author writes well in omniscient.

A few swear words, but nothing gratuitous and no f-bombs.

Overall, an entertaining story. I’ll pick up book two to see how the story ends.

Rated PG/PG-13 for thematic violence and some swearing. Get your copy here!