The Secret Princess: A Retelling of The Goose Girl (Return to the Four Kingdoms) Paperback – May 23, 2020

Giselle is the youngest princess of Eldon who is determined to prove herself as she embarks on a royal visit to the Four Kingdoms. Things go awry and dangerous plots start to appear. Giselle is determined to play the hero rather than a tag along as she works to uncover the nefarious plans against the kingdom of Arcadia and save herself in the process. Phillip, a kind and helpful man who mysteriously appears wherever the action is, offers to help. Thus begins Giselle's very own adventure.Giselle is clever, passionate, caring, determined, and gracious. She is also relatable insecure as she is growing up and finding her own worth. She is trying to prove herself as well as prove her suspicions of the treacherous schemes. Her adventure can be a bit slow at times, but the characters are engaging and there are plenty of secrets to be revealed along the way. The ending is incredibly satisfying and fun to read. A Secret Princess is a good start to the Back to the Four Kingdoms series and it has great tie-backs to the previous two series. This book is likely to be enjoyed by those who liked any of Melanie Cellier's other books, Goose Girl retellings, coming of age stories. mysteries, mysterious motives, clean romance, exciting but short and non-gory fight scenes, humorous animal side-kicks, and happily ever afters.

The Secret Princess is a retelling of the underappreciated Grimm fairy tale, "The Goose Girl." It is more loyal to the original story than other adaptations I have read and provides plenty of references to Melanie Cellier's other books. Princess Giselle was introduced as a friend to Princess Celine in A Crown of Snow and Ice, but we didn't get a true feel for her personality until now. Like all of the other princesses in the Four Kingdoms books, she is intelligent, capable, and prone to falling in love. The action kicks off right at the beginning when Giselle's ship is attacked by bandits who threaten the more vulnerable princesses traveling with her. She is determined to track them down without getting captured as well, so her handmaid Sierra suggests that they switch places to hide her identity from the bandits. After Giselle agrees to the idea, Sierra appeals to the queen and king of the kingdom where they washed up and convinces them that she is the true princess while Giselle is her maid. She casts Giselle away to become Arcadia's temporary goose girl, where the forsaken princess hides under the guise of a servant and attempts to uncover the mystery of the traitor behind the raid on her ship.What makes this book stand out among earlier fairy tales in the series is the vibrant supporting cast of characters. It is the first book I've read by Melanie Cellier with a talking animal, which gives it the feel of a Disney movie. Giselle's horse, Arvin, is a magical gift from the High Palace of the Godmothers. She is the only one who can hear him speak, which is usually for the best. He adds plenty of comic relief to an otherwise dark story of betrayal and espionage. I couldn't help cracking a smile at almost everything Arvin said about how superior he was to other horses and how no one he encountered was worthy of riding him. This book is also the first in the series to introduce a love triangle, though it's pretty clear who Giselle is going to end up with. The love interests, Philip and Damon, are both strong brave men with lots of tantalizing secrets who aid Giselle when she gets attacked by the traitors who know her true identity.I loved all of the references to Melanie Cellier's other Four Kingdoms books. The throwbacks provided excellent world-building and a sense of nostalgia for the setting and characters. It takes place in the kingdom of Arcadia from her first book, The Princess Companion. Princess Alyssa and Prince Max are now twelve years older and have children of their own. It was a pleasure to see how their relationship developed over the course of time and that Alyssa is still as respectful of commoners and servants as she was when she first stayed at the castle. This works very much to Giselle's advantage when she is thrown in with the servants as a goose girl. It was great to see that Giselle and Alyssa would have been friends regardless of their station and the instant bond that Giselle formed with Alyssa's son and daughter. I also enjoyed reading about Giselle's experiences herding geese as it was a task I was previously unfamiliar with.The Secret Princess may be the best book Melanie Cellier has written yet. It combines all of the strengths of the previous Four Kingdoms books while introducing a capable new heroine and a terrific cast of characters. I loved the humor with the talking horse as well as the more serious elements. It was refreshing to return to the familiar world of Arcadia and learn about all the new adventures that took place there during the book's 12-year time gap. I highly recommend this book to anyone who loves princess stories. The Secret Princess is a wonderful introduction to a lesser-known fairy tale. The next book in the series, The Mystery Princess, is currently available for pre-order, but it will be nearly a year before its release.

Well, that was a thousand times more epic than I expected... Of course, that's typical of Melanie Cellier's books. This one blasted my expectations out of the sky. Which means it was BRILLIANT.I love "The Goose Girl" retellings so much because of 1) how uncommon they are and 2) the multitude of themes that can be explored! I mean, yes I know, there are multitudes of themes in every fairytale that's retold, but not a lot of them deal with the suddenly-humbled-down status of this fairytale (granted, the original goose girl princess was something of a disappointment in this area, but we are thankful to the fairytale authors who do a good job in making up for that). Melanie Cellier did not disappoint!First of all, let's point out the absolute likability of these characters. Giselle is one of my favorite side characters over from the Beyond the Four Kingdoms series-- she's so practical and witty and endearingly blunt, yet tactful. She feels the need to prove herself capable of having her own adventure without her sister-in-law Celine always coming in to save the day. I loved that element in this story, and I loved Giselle's overall NON-contrived humility and open-mindedness. And she had her problems too, and the best thing about her personality is that she's so unafraid to address them. WE NEED MORE HEROINES LIKE THESE.Philip was certainly an intriguing character, but I do wish he had more depth to him. That's about it...I was so, so happy to read about our dear beloved Max and Alyssa and their life as it is twelve years after their own story. That being said, I am ridiculously excited for the next book in this series because there is a high possibility that it will be set in Rangmere, which means *covers mouth to muffle my anticipation* Ahem, let's move on.One of the best things about these retellings is how utterly complex and clever these plots are. The villains' schemes and even the brilliance of our own heroes never cease to amaze me, and honestly, this one was awesome. Really awesome. I won't say any more.Before I end this review I want to add that Arvin is quite possibly the best talking animal companion no one asked for but everyone expects.(How is it that every time I review one of these books I completely lose any trace of a professional edge and start rambling like a gushy fangirl? It's embarrassing, is what it is!)SO yes, I do 100% highly recommend this series. Well actually, the two series before this one, and then this one. Thank me later.Always be a happy camper!

This book has all the things you want in a wholesome, thrilling, action packed, cinnamon roll romance story!! No cursing, no spice, and characters you just can’t help but fall in love with. Be sure to have ample time to read when you pick this one up!! It was more than hard to put down!

I'm very happy to review this book. I hope to circle back and read more books of the four kingdoms. Thanks for a great read!

A royal delegation is sent to the Four Kingdoms - but everything goes horribly wrong. Four girls have a part to play in fighting an approaching darkness. This is Giselle's story.Giselle was a supporting character in 'A Crown of Snow and Ice', and it was good to see her come into her own in 'The Secret Princess'. She is resourceful and resilient - if more than a little self-deprecating - and well aware of her responsibilities as a princess. She has a thirst to prove herself, and she does exactly that.Some of the characters from books in 'The Four Kingdoms' and 'Beyond The Four Kingdoms' make an appearance - and it's obvious that some of the issues they faced haven't gone away. Arvin, Giselle's talking horse, was certainly an intriguing character and it's hinted that this isn't the last we'll see of him.I deeply enjoyed 'The Secret Princess', and I'm eagerly anticipating 'The Mystery Princess'!

This is my new favourite of hers! it was so beautifully written! I couldnt put it down, and I'm very excited for her next book! I love these books and i would definitely reccomend it to anyone who's asking!!!!

I got more than I expected with lots of royal blood, some even spilt. And plenty of thrilling adventures. A lark from start to finish

As all of Melanie’s books, this page turner is a fun retelling of The Goose Girl, without the morbid severed horse head of the original. Instead we get a fairy horse with a difficult personality, who lives through book.