Friends, my honest opinion of The Last Princess by Galaxy Craze is that it was a god awful book. On the upside, it is a super quick read — only taking a few hours to get through. However, this dystopian debut did not work for me despite how quickly I zoomed through it.
The Last Princess
England has been hit by seventeen days of natural disasters, which mess up electricity and kill the food supply. Violent cannibals live in the woods. Eliza lives in relative privilege and is quite lucky because she is princess of England. However, all of this changes when a revolutionary attacks her family and she is the only one to escape. Living on her own and among the commoners, Eliza wants revenge.
Y’all, if I had to subtitle this review it would be called ‘Wherefore art thou transitions?’ Seriously, I would be reading and thinking the book was happening in one place or we would explore one facet of the story more deeply when BAM! It’s the future and Eliza is in an army hacking off wrists when she was legit just in a garbage dump looking for clothes. I never felt grounded while reading, just lost the whole time because I didn’t feel adequately transitioned between scenes.
I don’t really think a book should leave the reader in a state of utter confusion as to the world and what is going on with the plot. Yet, I Â felt the world building was quite shoddy in The Last Princess. I wasn’t satisfied with the explanation of the Seventeen Days. I didn’t exactly know why the natural disasters happened or how decimated the population was or what the food source was or how people survive. Was it just England? I feel like I shouldn’t have these questions. I also never understood why the revolutionary villain guy was so hell bent on killing the royal family. Absolutely nothing felt fully fleshed out to me and that really bugs me.
Further, I have little memory of the characters. With a main character, I think there should be some defining characteristics. Yet, all I remember about Eliza is that she chops a wrist off rather reluctantly, she goes through a lot of survival, and has siblings. Oh yeah! And she falls in love with some guy who has a secret but mysteriously shows up every time she is in trouble or about to die and gets her out of it. I don’t even get why he liked her so much, but I was not a fan of the instant love or the whole damsel in constant distress thing.
Perhaps what bothered me the most while reading this book was a personal pet peeve. Lots of animals are callously slaughtered by an evil character, including a dog and a fox mom and baby. For me, that sort of violence is way too much. I don’t like reading about animal murders, especially if it’s not for a food source. It makes me uncomfortable as a reader and not in a way where I am uncomfortable, but my mind is expanding.
I realize this review of The Last Princess is very subjective. If you are similar to me in taste, I can sum this up quickly: poor world building, bland characters, and lack of transitions. If you want to see and read this for yourself, by all means go ahead, but personally I do not recommend this book.
Disclosure: Received for review via Netgalley.
Other reviews of The Last Princess by Galaxy Craze:
Bibliophilic Monologues – “I found it impossible to like The Last Princess”
The Bookish Babes – “I am really glad I gave THE LAST PRINCESS a shot.”
The Book Cellar – “The Last Princess by Galaxy Craze was one awesome read!”
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Hear, hear!
<3
No to animal deaths!
YES! Seriously I can handle a LOT when reading, but not ever the death of animals.
MANCHEE!
Heart = SHATTERED.
I love that book foreva.
That is EXACTLY how I felt about it!! Also, I don’t even remember her reluctantly chopping off that wrist, just being ‘give me all the revenges!!’
I was really put off by all the animal cruelty as well and you’re right, there was zero transition.
I’d been so hoping to love this… 🙁
It’s so clear in my mind because when I read it, I actually said the fuck? out loud. I was also hoping to fall madly in love and push this on all my people, cuz hello gorgeous cover.
HAHAHA. Ok, I almost want to read this now just because your review is very entertaining. I’m sorry this book didn’t live up to your expectations, but I appreciate your honesty, because now I can stay far away. Great review
Honesty is super important to me. I don’t like to be bullshitted and I would imagine my readers feel the same way.
Thanks for your compliments, V!
Yeah, I can’t deal with animal deaths let alone the murders. I almost gave up on Delirium because of it. Thanks for mentioning it in your review because it’s one of those things I need to steer clear of in books.
Oh man, animal deaths are so hard to read, aren’t they? If I had know there would be animal killings going in I would not have read this book.
Hmm… it is never easy to say you hated a book, is it? I think you outlined why you didn’t care for it, though – and that is the important part. I think the lack of transitions would kill me too (and thus, I am not going to read this one). Thanks for sharing your thoughts!
It is really hard! And I think it’s because there’s such a culture of nice in the YA blogosphere that it’s hard for me to be like this book was whack and I hated it.
Ah well, honesty is the best policy always!
I always feel sad when I find books that I completely disliked. That sucks that you disliked The Last Princess. I agree, In any novel, there needs to be solid and amazing world building in order to be good. Thanks for the reasonable negative review. I will check this book sometime to see what think.
I’m glad you are still willing to check out The Last Princess! I hope you like it much more than I did.
I have a copy of this for review but I don’t think I will be reading it after reading your review and other not so positive reviews. I think the concept is interesting. Too bad it didn’t work out so well.
Awww. Yeah the concept is fabulous, just the execution was not up to par.
Oh dear. Sounds like the premise is there–I kind of like the idea of a princess joining her people and kicking some butt–but it needed some more help to get it together. Sad. I’m impressed you stuck with it and finished the book, though. Hope your next read is much better!
I will stick through most reads even when I am not in love with the book. I totally need to learn how to DNF.
Oooh. Animal slaughter? Really? I bought this book but I might have to pass based on that alone. Animal slaughter really, REALLY upsets me. I better not read this then.
Well, it’s not SUPER gruesome, but one part they have to go hunting in the woods and the main character girl sees something cute and is like aww I will let them live, then the psycho girl kills the cute thing right in front of her to be a psycho.
Oh god. I saw your one star on Goodreads, but this is even worse than I was imagining! Personality-less heroine, no explanations for why the hell anything is happening, sudden changes in location, and unnecessary fuzzy animal slaughter?
HELL TO THE NO!
What makes me extra sad is that I KNOW I will still read this at some point. Damn my need to read all of the dystopias. It sounds like this needed some serious editing still. How do books without transitions get to publication?
Haha, I don’t even know. I mean, there are some people who really liked this so maybe you might? But yes, ugh so many of my pet peeves hit and the whole time I am like okay when does this get better, I am so far in, can’t stop now, etc etc.
Animal deaths and shoddy world building? Definitely skipping this one.
Exactly.
Waah, I am sad that you didn’t like The Last Princess. I haven’t heard much about it before your review, but I’ve been considering getting the audiobook. Now I kind of want to just to see what I think compared to you. But I’m worried about the nothing being fully fleshed out thing. *waffles* Thanks for the honest review, April! We’ll see if I end up giving it a shot.
Hi
As the brother of the author of the book I want you to know that the people who kill animals are the bad people. My sister is a vegan, she donates money to PETA every month and has three rescue dogs!
Do you eat meat? If the answer is yes then you are an animal killer .
The first thing I noticed about this book when I read it was that it was from Alloy Entertainment, and my experiences with their books have been less than awesome. Book packaging products just don’t do it for me, and this one was a very kind 3 stars from me. I totally get where you’re coming from. I don’t know why I even liked it as much as I did looking back…
I haven’t heard much about his one but I don’t think this book is for me. I appreciate your thoughtful review.
Did anyone else think this book was ridiculously sad? I know that post-apocalyptic worlds are supposed to be that way a little, but I almost gave up on reading it because of that.
Also, I agree that the book had a lot of potential, but didn’t exactly pan out the way that it should have. The transitions weren’t strong enough.
🙂
I loved your review! Transitionitis can be fatal. And I completely agree with gratuitous animal violence in books–any books.