Review: Sophia, Princess Among Beasts

Sophia, Princess Among Beasts by James Patterson
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

2.5 Stars for me, bumped to 3 Stars for competent writing

This is the first novel I've read that was co-authored by James Patterson (and Emily Raymond). Although not stated in the promotional material it appears to possibly be targeting the Young Adult market based on subject matter and writing style. Princess Sophia (So-fye-uh on the audio edition) is a headstrong, if goodhearted, young woman who seems to have cost her father his life and kingdom. In a story that seems part cautionary fairy tale, part Goblin Market, Sophia appears to move through separate realms of life and death, trying to work her way back to a kingdom of which she should be Queen. She learns lessons of love and bravery during her travails.

This novel has some interesting elements but the plot just lacked clarity for me. The explanations, such as there are, for Sophia's ability to penetrate the world of the dead, and for the fact that some of the denizens who follow her are beasts or more monster or goblin-like in their appearance are largely lacking. Sophia and her dearest servants are startled about revelations about her long-dead mother, but again, no real explanation. I felt some aspects of the book displayed stunning levels of cruelty, especially to animals but also to people, with the real monsters of the story reveling in their own cruelty. It was not an engaging read for me, as a result. As a result of some of the content, I can't really recommend it as a YA novel unless it's for a reader who likes horror/dark fantasy. Though the ending is positive, there's a lot of darkness in the book to wade through.

CW: animal cruelty, attempted rape, murder, threatened and real eviscerations etc.

The audiobook is read with a British accent by Gemma Dawson, who lends some posh to the story with her narration.


I received a paper copy and an audio copy (Libro.fm) of this book in exchange for an honest review.

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