Ellie and the Prince: 1 (Faraway Castle)

This fun adventure follows the journey of Ellie a.k.a Cinder Ellie as she wrangles magical beings, nasty nobility and her love interest Prince Omar. An enjoyable read.

This is a light contemporary-fantasy retelling of Cinderella. It's a fun, sweet story in a series that I really like. (The third book, The Rose and the Briar, is very solid and the fourth book, The Lady and the Wish, is my favorite book this year.)But two observations: first, you REALLY need to read the novella Cinder Ellie first. It sets up the world, the Faraway Castle resort, Ellie and Omar's relationship, cinder sprites, secondary characters, everything. If Ellie and the Prince is your first time in the Faraway Castle world, you might be confused or frustrated. Second, Ellie and the Prince overlaps with The Siren and the Scholar (book 2) and The Rose and the Briar (book 3), and tells some of the same events from Ellie's perspective. However, since Ellie doesn't really understand why these things are happening (why does Tor keep running off to Siren Island? Why doesn't Rosa trust Briar?) the reader won't understand why these things are happening either. (As I said, I like this series, but Stengl's structuring choices in this book didn't work out very well.)So for maximum enjoyment and minimum frustration, here's my recommended reading order for the series:Cinder Ellie (novella)The Little Siren (novella)The Siren and the Scholar (book 2)Ellie and the Prince (book 1)The Rose and the Briar (book 3) or The Lady and the Wish (book 4)

Ellie and the Prince, the first official novel in the Faraway Castle series, tells the story of Ellie Calmer, who was selected to help keep the magical creatures at Faraway Castle under control thanks to her supernatural abilities to calm others with the sound of her voice. Her specialty in this role, as introduced in the prequel, Cindere Ellie, is trapping "cinder sprites," small rodent-like beings that burst into flames when they are scared or intimidated. As a magical animal rights activist of sorts, Ellie invents a spray that puts out the creatures' fires while still allowing them to stay alive. She contains the cinder sprites in small glass capsules to make sure they can't harm anyone with their fiery mischief so the guests at Faraway Castle remain happy during their stay. The castle itself is more of a vacation resort for royalty than an actual royal castle. As an employee there, Ellie sees guests come and go and makes sure that the magical beings that only she and a small handful of other people can see don't disturb anyone.Even though the story takes place in a world of royalty and enchantment, the setting is surprisingly modern. The characters are often described as wearing clothing such as jeans and t-shirts. I thought that was a clever idea that made the world of Faraway Castle very unique. If princess stories take place in other worlds that are full of magic, why must they always be set during the medieval or Rennaissance era? After all, they aren't meant to be historical fiction. Faraway Castle is set in a very gentle fantasy land devoid of terrifying monsters or dark mages. It reminded me of the land of Avalon from the series Princess Gwenevere and the Jewel Riders or Centopia from Mia and Me, a friendly world full of magic and wonder that would be a lot of fun to visit. This type of pleasant escapism is exactly the sort of thing I look for in my fantasy tales.The princes of J. M. Stengl's world also have more of a modern appeal than the vapid Prince Charmings of the past. Today's generation prefers men who are gentle and nerdy and willing to let women take the initiative. That is exactly how Prince Omar behaves. Even though he clearly has feelings for Ellie, he is too nervous to talk to her and tries to place himself in as many situations as he can where she would need to talk to him to make it easier for him to cope with his anxiety. Though Ellie is aware of his feelings, she tries to be as standoffish as possible because she doesn't feel that she is worthy of a prince as a mere servant of Faraway Castle. This makes for an adorably awkward relationship that is a lot more fun to read about than a charming prince sweeping a beautiful princess off her feet at first sight. Torbjorn and Kamoana from The Little Siren behave in a similar demeanor. I found their romance even more enjoyable because I love stories about supernatural beings falling in love with ordinary men.There is so much to love about the world of Faraway Castle. The books are full of magic, wonder, cute, awkward romance, and read quickly during a busy day. They are the perfect escape from the monotony of everyday life. The next book in the series, The Siren and the Scholar comes out next week! I am extremely eager to read about how things turn out for the lovely siren Kamoana and her nerdy boyfriend, Torbjorn. If you're looking for a light-hearted escape from everyday life, you should absolutely check out the Faraway Castle series by J. M. Stengl. It's just like our world but better because it's filled with fantasy and fun.

I am a huge fan of fairy tale retellings. The Faraway Castle series does a great job of balancing classic fairy tale elements with a fresh story.I recommend starting with the novella Cinder Ellie, which helps establish the characters and the setting.Faraway Castle is a resort for royalty and wealthy to visit as an escape from their public lives. The employees all have some level of magic, and working at Faraway Castle allows them to develop their magical skills.Unlike most fairy tale retellings, the Faraway Castle series is set in a modern time period with similar technology, apparel, hobbies, etc. available in the 21st century.Ellie is an incredibly likeable protagonist, who cares about all people and magical creatures. The supporting characters are also interesting and sufficiently distinctive from each other. Pay careful attention to a few odd things happening, because the next book covers the same period of time, just from a different POV!

A waste of time. I got this as a free book, so at least it wasn't a waste of money, too. The characters were underdeveloped, annoying and cliche. The story line didn't make sense (they can't be together, oh, now they're together); the place didn't make sense (It's a castle...in another world...with sprites and unicorns...but there's jet skis and stainless steel and tons of modern stuff?); Ellie's "magic" didn't make sense (She can make people feel different by the tone of her voice-- I think. And she's always running around with magic spray bottles); the climax didn't make sense (Ellie saves the party? That's it?); and the Gamekeeper didn't make sense (he was just WEIRD. What was his purpose, how did he get there, why is he there, why does he like Ellie, and is he a good character or not? Nothing about him made sense). I have many other problems with this book, but I'm sure you get the picture.