The Hero's Guide to Saving Your Kingdom is the first book in The League of Princes series
by Christopher Healy. I listened to the audiobook, which was read by Bronson Pinchot. The story is that of four Princes Charming. Prince Liam, Prince Frederic, Prince Duncan and Prince Gustav are the princes who saved Sleeping Beauty, Cinderella, Snow White, and Rapunzel, respectively. Rejected by their princesses and cast out of their castles, Liam, Frederic, Duncan, and Gustav stumble upon an evil plot that could endanger each of their kingdoms. Now it's up to them to triumph over their various shortcomings, take on trolls, bandits, dragons, witches, and other assorted terrors, and become the heroes no one ever thought they could be.
So there is the plot and the main characters, which are all very well fleshed out and grow considerably as the story progresses. they all are stereotypes that grow far beyond what we expect, and what they are prepared for. The lovely princesses are also very strong characters that defy the roles that they are thrust into. I loved that characters we all thought we knew are cast into new light and given further adventures. BUT, what really made this book for me is the narrator. I do not know if I would have enjoyed The Hero's Guide to Saving Your Kingdom to the extent I did if it were not for the voice talents of Bronson Pinchot. Oh my, he gave each of the characters such distinct voices, enhancing the images I had for each and giving them different accents to boot. The phrasing, inflections, and accents of each character just brought them to life for me. I am currently listening to the second book in the series- and he is even more impressive there.
I highly recommend The Hero's Guide to Saving Your Kingdom to readers that love twists of fairy tales, action, adventure, and humor (there is tons of humor here!). I even more highly suggest listening to the book, just be aware that you might catch yourself laughing out loud, which might inspire strange looks from those nearby.
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