cover image Princess Rose and the Quest of the Golden Gown

Princess Rose and the Quest of the Golden Gown

Jennifer & Daniel Frazier. J&D Stories, $7.99 paper (177p) ISBN 978-1-73529-580-0

On the eve of her 13th birthday, Princess Rose of Ametheria is forced to embark upon a three-year quest. Rose senses something is amiss at her birthday banquet when a mysterious map appears in her pile of presents, but things escalate quickly when drinking a suspicious-tasting bedtime tea results in Rose awakening in an empty commoner’s cottage, only accompanied by her trustworthy stable boy Joseph, who does not know much more about the situation than she does. With the support of Joseph and her loyal steed Wisher, Rose, now an incognito princess, traverses various terrains, from the mountains to the desert to beneath the oceans, in a race to collect the components of her prophesied golden coronation gown. Alongside traditional fairy tale characters, settings, and missions, Rose’s emotional connection to her mother, the Queen, and her newfound friends-slash-travel companions feels genuine. Daniel Frazier adds simple b&w chapter heading illustrations, and storybook prose favorably features stories within a story. A reliance on tropes chafes, but characters including a frightened troll, mermaid raconteurs, and unpredictable goats keep the pages turning in the Fraziers’ energetic debut. Ages 8–12. (Self-published)