Princess Ben
Smrithi Upadhyayula Period 3
Some Information About This Book
Author: Catherine Gilbert Murdock
Number of pages: 368 pages
Genre: Speculative fiction
Lexile: 1090L
Princess Benevolence
Princess Benevolence, or Ben, is the main character and is the one who changed the most from the beginning to the end of the story. She is the princess of the small kingdom of Montagne. She started out as a meek, inexperienced girl being shielded from the world by her mother. By the end of the book, she transformed into an independent, strong young lady trained in the magical arts and capable of ruling a kingdom. The change was caused by the sudden death of her parents and her placement under the control of her aunt, the cruel Queen Sophia. In order to bear her horrible treatment, Princess Ben had to learn to watch out for herself. She did this by learning magic and how to deal with the Queen.
A Minor Character With Major Importance
The Drachensbett soldier who captured Ben after she fell from her broomstick into the mountains was a minor character. Yet, if he had not been there to take her prisoner and carry her off to the camp, the story would have ended very differently. Without him, Ben would have probably perished in the snowy mountaintops.
Ending
The way this book ended was definitely different than most books. Mainly, that is because both the protagonist and the antagonist got what they wanted in the end. The ending was effective, though, because it wrapped up the story well with two royal weddings and a happy future for both couples, King Renaldo and Queen Sophia, and Princess Ben and the Prince of Drachensbett. It showed how, after all the hardships she endured, Princess Ben was finally rewarded with a good husband and a kingdom to rule.
This book reminds me of the Hunger Games because both are about a girl who is treated unfairly for a while, finally decides to fight back, and eventually wins.