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This Princess Kills Monsters

The Misadventures of a Fairy-Tale Stepsister: A Novel

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This Princess Kills Monsters

By: Ry Herman
Narrated by: Kristen Sieh, Ry Herman
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About this listen

A princess with a mostly useless magical talent takes on horrible monsters, a dozen identical masked heroes, and a talking lion in a quest to save a kingdom—and herself—in this affectionate, feminist fairy tale satire.

“Exactly the sort of queer fairy tale for grown-ups that I have yearned to read . . . thrilling, irreverent, wondrous—yet unswervingly true to the heart.”—Ryka Aoki, author of Light from Uncommon Stars

A MOST ANTICIPATED BOOK: Autostraddle, Fangirlish, Reactor, Book Riot, Reading Glasses Podcast

Someone wants to murder Princess Melilot. This is sadly normal.

Melilot is sick of being ordered to go on dangerous quests by her domineering stepmother. Especially since she always winds up needing to be rescued by her more magically talented stepsisters. And now, she's been commanded to marry a king she’s never met.

When hideous spider-wolves attack her on the journey to meet her husband-to-be, she is once again rescued—but this time, by twelve eerily similar-looking masked huntsmen. Soon she has to contend with near-constant attempts on her life, a talking lion that sets bewildering gender tests, and a king who can't recognize his true love when she puts on a pair of trousers. And all the while, she has to fight her growing attraction to not only one of the huntsmen, but also her fiancé’s extremely attractive sister.

If Melilot can't unravel the mysteries and rescue herself from peril, kingdoms will fall. Worse, she could end up married to someone she doesn’t love.

©2025 Ry Herman (P)2025 Random House Audio
Fantasy Humorous Literature & Fiction Royalty Satire Witty Magic Fiction

Critic reviews

“Madcap, monster-packed, and swoon-worthy, This Princess Kills Monsters is a romp through deftly reimagined fairy-tale terrain. Melilot is a princess with humor and heart amid a cast of characters who are likewise uproarious and sparkling, yet grounded in real emotion. This delightful adventure is as enchanting as it is hilarious.”—Julia Seales, nationally bestselling author of A Most Agreeable Murder

“A satire of the Grimm Brothers’ fairy tale The Twelve Huntsmen, this novel follows a princess as she, well, kills monsters. Melilot[’s] evil stepmother is constantly tasking her with dangerous quests, and now she’s being commanded to marry a man she has never met. The book features queer and trans characters and will surely appeal to fans of queer fairytale reimaginings.”Autostraddle, “Our Most Anticipated Queer Books for June 2025”

“I laughed so much while reading this book. Such a fun and adventurous story of a retelling of a Grimm fairy tale . . . an absolute wild ride with hilarity, romance, and adventure!”—The Nonbinary Librarian

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