Rise of the Princess

By: D. A. L., Lizzy Lujan

Narrated by: Stacey Treichel

Length: 5 hrs and 32 mins

Publisher's summary

Princess Lizzy and Princess Ruby were determined to act when trolls invaded their castle on the eve of Princess Lizzy’s 13th birthday. The princes were on a mission for the King, leaving the Northern and Southern Kingdoms without any defenses. Refusing to accept the kidnapping of Princess Savannah and Princess Tammy Lee, the two heroines vowed to bring them back safely.

With courage in their hearts, and with the help of a fairy named Blake, they set off on a daring mission with fate hanging in the balance. On the way, they have to deal with giant spiders, goblins, trolls, a dragon, and more. Would they be able to defeat such dangerous creatures? How could they possibly endure the harsh conditions of the land? But as they ventured, new friends would help them and eventually become trusted allies.

This story is about Princess Lizzy calling upon her inner strength to defend those she loves from certain peril. It’s an inspiring narrative of friendship, courage, and never surrendering in the face of insurmountable obstacles. This tale will take listeners on a thrilling quest full of unexpected turns along the way. Join Princess Lizzy as she embarks on this heroic mission that will alter her life forever!

©2022 D.A.L. (P)2023 D.A.L.

YA Magical Fantasy

This was my first experience with D.A.L.'s and Lizzy Lujan's work, and it was very entertaining. The story featured two young teenagers who faced many challenges in their quest to save Princess Lizzy's two kidnapped sisters. I liked the characters. I appreciated the relationship between Princess Lizzy and Princess Ruby. I liked that the two girls faced their own insecurities and helped each other in their weaknesses. I was entertained by all the magical creatures that made an appearance in the story. I liked the flashes of humor and magic. Stacey Treichel's narration was good, and her performance kept my attention. I was given a free copy of the audiobook, and I have voluntarily posted this review.

Great for the younger set

Yes, even girls can thwart attacks from trolls, giant spiders, and attempts to make them into stew. Full of action, and easy to listen to and understand, this story will delight preteen girls.

Character Writing At Its Finest

Review for “Rise of the Princess”

“Rise of the Princess” by Daniel Antonio Lujan
Review By Brett Salter

Opening Line: “Aren’t our dresses the most gorgeous things you’ve ever seen, Ruby?” Princess Lizzy asked, gushing while moving about, unable to stay still.”

Favorite Line: “Know this… the dragon you’re facing is one of the evilest creatures I have encountered. I once saw it, and it also saw me. Normally, animals embedded with darkness fear me, but that was not the case with this dragon. It has no fear,” said Jasper.

The Review:
“Rise of the Princess” is a middle-grade book for kids seeking adventure. It's got uplifting themes about facing your fears and utilizing your abilities to their fullest. As well as providing plenty of fairytale references for those die-hard fantasy readers out there.

Let me start by saying thank you to the author for providing me a free copy for my review. I thoroughly enjoyed this book. Having read another book by Dan Lujan, I was interested to see if his style would change in a new genre or if he would keep it much the same. Although the writing style is similar, the books are VERY different, but not in a bad way at all. This book is charming, personal, and full of adventure which makes for an easy read.

Lizzy and Ruby are the main characters in this one. Though they are temporarily joined by some friends like Blake (a fairy), Avalon (another would-be kidnapped princess), Jasper (a unicorn), an elf appropriately named Richard Aolis, and a sorceress name Sierra. This is the second book I have read by Lujan that has a main character named Lizzy. That got me thinking that perhaps all of his books are connected like a multiverse, and that Lizzy is a constant character or Nexus Being for all the books he writes. Other than our main heroine Lizzy, Princess Ruby is a great addition for comic relief (see my “One Last Thing” section). She adds a flare of friendship that seems genuine between the girls. You can tell they know each other very well and that compatibility helps them numerous times throughout the book. The girls also employ the help of a fairy named Blake who has several tricks up her tunic. She’s described wonderfully and brings a sense of wonder or mysticism to the book that the princesses don’t necessarily have. However, she is maddeningly tight-lipped when it comes to educating the girls on certain things. For someone who wants to help them, she sure didn’t like to get their hopes up with information. Although all three of these characters are believably written and interact true-to-life, I still think Jasper’s brief appearance was my favorite. Unicorns are seldomly used in literature, so I thought his inclusion was pretty dope.

The most rewarding part of the book is trying to pick up on all the fairy tale references and mythological influences which abound. From references to the tower and character Rapunzel, to an allusion to Shelob the giant spider from Lord of the Rings, to the magical creatures like fairies, trolls, dragons, and harpies, there is so much in this book to unpack as far as world building that it kept me entertained the whole way. There was even a clever stereotype inversion where lowly goblins were actually 15-foot-tall creatures . Blath’s breath was repugnant! I thought this was interesting because in most fantasy, goblins are smaller, less substantial threats. Lujan definitely picked his cast of villainous creatures from all sorts of mythologies.

This is a terrific book! In my opinion! Massive amounts of world-building that could lead to plenty more adventures if Lujan chooses to do so. The siblings of the creator King could all have their own spinoffs, and the magic behind the gems is a great avenue for additional adventures. Not to mention the ultimate goal for the bad guys in this book is a princess from another planet!! Now, we are talking about a handful of worlds in this galaxy that could serve as platforms for an intergalactic war if the siblings don’t get what they want (their magic gems) Earth is even mentioned as a possible battleground at one point! I hope Lujan decides to explore these further. Having kids myself, I know how attentions can wane, and screens quickly replace written words. But Lujan has something cool cooking here.

One Last Thing: I like to add this "one last thing" section as an insight into how weird I am when I read books. Ruby TOTALLY reminded me of a young girl her age. She must have said at least 20 times how she “hates” something. Whether it be trolls, or boots, or whatever she was angry with at the time. It just really reminded me of my daughter at that age. And so, even though she looked different than my daughter, I always imagined my daughter’s face, crossed arms, and pouty lips when Ruby says she “hates” something. Too funny! Lujan nailed Ruby’s character for sure! Also, I can’t NOT mention the fact that two characters in this book were named after 2 of the 4 main characters from one of my all-time, favorite shows, RWBY. In this case, we had a Ruby and a Blake, but I think Lujan could have snuck a Weiss or Yang in there somewhere. I sure kept looking for them!

I would recommend this book for anyone interested a quick, clean adventure over the age of 11. The chapters are not too long for younger kids, and the content is in NO WAY too scary for anyone reading at the middle grade level. There is some mention of blood, torn skin, and some tenses scenes when the girls and Blake face off against certain creatures. The wraith may be a little scary for younger audiences, and the battles against the harpies and the trolls at the end have some moments of superfluous, fantasy violence, but the book overall is in no way too much for anyone who’s seen The Princess Bride or other heart-warming fantasy movies. I loved this book as such a talented treat. I enjoyed the author’s penchant for good storytelling to the fullest!

Final Review: 4.5 color-changing fairies out of 5 - (4.5 / 5)

Great fantasy novel for young readers

My 10 year old daughter and 12 year old son loved this audio book! It was entertaining, imaginative, relatable, and full of adventure. As a parent I often find it difficult to listen to early reader audiobooks because the narrators use “baby voice” but Stacey Treichel did a wonderful job. I would recommend this book for a family road trip or any preteen who loves fantasy.

Great YA fantasy

This book had both brand new author and narrator for me. The plot, friendship between the two main protagonists, and setting were great. The narrator did a fantastic job. I highly recommend for middle and YA readers.

Fun for Kids!

What a fun fantasy story for young readers. Girls, especially, will appreciate the strong female heroines. I think this will be a fun listen for my 6-year-old daughter. It may be too young for my 11-year-old as she is already on much more mature books. but this was a sweet story ages 7-10 would really enjoy.

A fun bedtime story

This beautifully-performed story feels like a dad telling his daughters a bedtime story with the daughters as the main characters. It's sweet and silly and the two main girls feel very real. The author has a cool multi-planet universe and plot worked out, and it's clear that multiple books are in the works. I liked the theme of girl power throughout the book, although (**Spoiler**) it was undermined by the way the prince rescued the girls in the end. I look forward to seeing the author's form continue to grow as they write future books.