Ah, yes, the first in what will probably be a continual string
of sequels in several fantasy series I may half-regret starting somewhere down
the road. Sequels are generally a tricky business, especially since they’re
almost always part of a trilogy, tetralogy or so on. First books have the
benefit of introducing a world and its characters while not being obligated to
explain everything. The second installment has to both expand on the setup in a
meaningful way and not be a thinly
veined rehash of its predecessor. Then again, many second installments are revered
as the best part of a series because they can dare to push the heroes to their
limits and close on a dark ending. A
World Without Princes delivers a blend of all of the above, sometimes to
its own detriment.
The story continues closely from where the first book left
off: Agatha and Sophie are back in their village, now made famous by their
fairy tale. For the few months, Sophie basks in the fame while Agatha just
wants everything to be normal again. When their fame dies down, Sophie grows restless
for attention while being overshadowed by changes in her family life—her father
is getting married to her dead mother’s best friend, who Sophie suspects her
father had an affair with even while Sophie’s mother was alive. Agatha tries to
comfort Sophie and be content with their Happily Ever After. Too bad she can’t
make herself forget Tedros, the prince she started falling for back at the
School for Good and Evil. As the rising tension suggests (along with the book’s
title), events propel the girls from their village back to the school—only this
time their exit is triggered by one of them.
