The
Lost Princess of Story
The
Chronicles of Story Book 1
by
Suzanne de Planque
Genre:
Middle-Grade, YA Fantasy
"The
magical land of Story meets Brooklyn in this unconventional fairytale
reminiscent of Narnia...a masterpiece..." San Francisco Book
Review
"...an
epic, imaginative portal fantasy touched with welcoming whimsy..."
Publisher's Weekly BookLife Reviews
Prince
Charming grew up, became King, and married and murdered his way
through six of the most famous fairytale princesses. Now the World of
Story is torn by civil war, the Wall has been built, and the Doors
closed.
Knights
and princesses, heroes and magical creatures are refugees in
Brooklyn, the place in this world most hospitable to magic. They
thought they would be home soon.
Fifteen
years later, Brooklyn girl Lilla is chafing at her guardian Gus's
strict rules. Why home school? Why can't she walk two blocks without
a chaperone? And why won't Gus answer questions about her
parents?
Lilla
escapes the rules in her beloved books. She is convinced she can find
a way to the worlds between the pages.
She
is right. Everyone around her has kept one giant secret. Magic is
real. On both sides of the Wall, in Story and in Brooklyn.
Can
Lilla find the Door that will take her to Story, the World that knows
her wildest wishes and her deepest hidden damage, where reward is
limitless and danger is beyond all she can dream?
MAGIC
IS NOT BIRTHDAY CAKE WISHES. MAGIC IS POWER AND TRANSFORMATION.
FIND
THE DOOR.
The
Lost Princess of story is YA crossover. All ages book of
multigenerational urban fantasy/portal fiction/ retold fairy tale
with a Tudor twist. LGBT+ characters.
Recommended
for readers of Seanan McGuire's Wandering Children series, Lev
Grossman's The Magicians series, Melissa Albert's The Hazel
Wood, Hafsah Faizal's We Hunt the Flame, and books by Gregory Maguire
and Terry Pratchett.
Reviews
"The
magical land of Story meets Brooklyn in this unconventional
fairy tale reminiscent of Narnia. Exciting action, fun (and
sometimes messy) adventures, and of course, wondrous magic awaits
readers as the fine line between fantasy and
reality is
explored. An homage to refugees who find themselves in a
world harsher than what they have left behind, The Lost Princess of
Story is a masterpiece that is representative of the
real-world issues we face today."
-San Francisco Book
Review
"The sweeping first volume of de Planque's
Chronicles of Story, created as a 'valentine to
children's
literature and fantasy', invites readers to sink into an
epic, imaginative portal fantasy touched with welcoming
whimsy...There's amusing banter, an adorable and hungry
teacup-sized dragon, and an enthusiastic narrator given to wordplay
and allegory... Lovers of fairytales and epic
adventures will
enjoy this dangerous quest filled with loveable heroes and magical
creatures." A grade.
-Publisher's
Weekly BookLife Reviews
"Author Suzanne de Planque
weaves a marvelous new world for fairy tale
and high-fantasy
lovers alike. This endlessly creative novel
is an immersive new chapter to the fairy tales we've known for
generations. The narrative voice is charming, and there
are continuously smart turns of phrase and plays on words. A
tremendous creative achievement, The Lost Princess of Story will
thrill anyone who has ever fallen in love with a story." ⭐⭐⭐⭐
1/2
-Self Publishing Review
"... a great read
,
with subtle nods to fairy tales and more current fantasy
fiction... carefully skewers and pays tribute to
how fantasy
tales work... Recommended for readers who prefer works by
Gregory
Maguire, Terry Pratchett, and works such as Ella
Enchanted."⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
-LibraryThing
Suzanne
de Planque is a writer, actor, and a stay-at-home mom.
Theatrical
credits include off-Broadway and other New York, regional, and tours;
everything from Shakespeare to Sondheim. A few highlights from her
years in the theatre include enacting what must be
every Grimm's
fairytale in her years as the self-proclaimed Queen of Children's
Theater, playing cut-rate Disney princesses at birthday parties,
inspiring a generation of high school students as the DON'T examples
in a series of job-seeking educational videos, and breaking her neck
falling out of a giant teapot dressed as the Dormouse.
The
latter resulted in a career change to playwriting, and a healthy
respect for teacups. Her plays have been commissioned and performed
in New York and regionally. This is her first novel.
She
lives in a little white house in Brooklyn with her husband and son,
an impressive array of costumes, swords, and Original Broadway Cast
albums, and a world-class collection of children's books. She is an
avid collector of antique and vintage children's literature and a fan
of literary
tourism in
person and on Pinterest. She has never
passed a wardrobe without checking, just in case.
Win
one of three Swag Packs!
LILLA—THE
READER
$100
Amazon gift card
Lost
Princess of Story t shirt
Lilla
t shirt (Book theme)
Large
stuffed Tickey Ding (the mini dragon character in Story)
Coat
of arms personally created for you by the Royal Designer of Story
(book illustrator), suitable for framing
More
reader and Story swag
SOPHIE—THE
PRINCESS
$50
Amazon gift card
Lost
Princess of Story t shirt
Sophie
t shirt (This Princess Saves Herself) I
Medium
stuffed Tickey Ding
Coat
of arms personally created for you by the Royal Designer of Story
(book illustrator), suitable for framing
More
princess and Story swag
JAMIE—THE
KNIGHT
$25
Amazon gift card
Lost
Princess of Story t shirt
Jamie
t shirt (Knight in Shining T Shirt)
Small
stuffed Tickey Ding
Coat
of arms personally created for you by the Royal Designer of Story
(book designer), suitable for framing
More
knight and Story swag
This sounds great! I'll be buying it for my neice
ReplyDeleteHi, Glenda! Hope your niece enjoys it. You might like it too.
DeleteLost Princess has two feisty, strong female leads. Lilla, the reader, a Brooklyn tween, who discovers a Door to the World of Story, where all books and stories are real; and Sophie, a Brooklyn mom who used to be a princess in Story. Sophie’s is Lilla’s best friend’s mom, kind of like Lilla’s mom, too. Both of them discover their inner heroes in the book.
Lots of readers of all ages have reached out to me and told me they enjoyed the book.
Hope your niece has a great read! Thanks for commenting,
This sounds like a fantastic series! I'm really looking forward to reading it!
ReplyDeleteHi, Debbie!
ReplyDeleteHope you love reading Lost Princess as much as I loved writing it! Last year in lockdown I was yearning for books that took me out of my own world into a world of magic and adventure and wonder. I hope that readers will love the journey.
It really is a valentine to everything I love best about fairy tales and fantasy and portal adventures.
Thanks for commenting. Enjoy your read! Lost Princess is available on Amazon, special launch price just $2.99 ebook. 15.99 paperback. It’s #2 Hot New Release in Teen and YA Girls and Women and #4 Hot New Release in Teen and YA Family today on Amazon.