Review: Princess for Hire

Princess for Hire by Lindsey Leavitt

16th March 2010 | Disney-Hyperion

The rating on the back of the book is a really good guide to who will gain the most enjoyment from reading Princess for Hire.

I was initially worried this book would be a little juvenile for me when I read the 11+ recommendation and while I did feel this throughout the book, it did not stop me from enjoying the plot and hoping the best for the protagonist but I do like my books to feature a little bit more serious issues.

We are immediately introduced to Desi, a regular teenager who discovers she has magic potential. We are taken along with Desi as she launched into the role of a Substitute Princess where she is transported into the body of Royal Princesses when they need a break from their hectic lives unbeknownst to their closest friends and family.

While Desi fumbles along working out the best way to act as a Sub, she shares with us many exotic and exciting places which add depth to the story and is likely to instill the want of travel in many girls.

One of Desi's roles was to fill in for a fourteen-year old Western Amazonian girl at an important stage of her life - turning into a woman. Desi did fulfill the role as best she could by performing the dance ritual without any guidance from the original Princess but while doing this she was expected to be practically naked as the Amazonian's live their every day life. The author has set out that this young teenager went along with this without too much worry. It didn't seem too realistic to me, I would think even a fully grown adult would be embarrassed in this situation and be forced to run and hide amongst the forest in a situation like this.

While working as a Sub, Desi gains many important life lessons that help improve her real life drastically. One of those life lessons involves Hayden, a boy she has had a crush on for many years but who has paid little or no attention to her. When placed in a very similar situation as a sub for Elsa she realises her own mistakes and tries to rectify them for both the Princess and herself. She almost immediately finds herself a new crush and all is well in whoville.

Most of the book revolves around the 3 roles Desi fills as a Level One Substitute Princess, we only look back at her real life a few minor times and I would've liked to see more conflict or serious issues, she could have even shared her secret role with her best friend, Kylee for a bit more excitement in the story.

As I said at the start of the review, I do think this is suited to girls around the age of 11 who enjoy reading fun stories with a touch of magic.


Check out www.princessforhire.com to read the first few chapters.

If you like this, you might like this:

+ Hex Hall by Rachel Hawkins

+ Heist Society by Ally Carter

+ Forget-Her-Nots by Amy Brecount White

Q: Did this review influence you to add this book to your wishlist (or remove it altogether)?