This Princess Kills Monsters is a delightful retelling of the classic Grimm fairytale, The Twelve Huntsmen, and flips the story where we get the perspective of the neighboring princess, Princess Melilot, sent to marry the newly-crowned king Gervase of Tailliz. On the journey to Talliz, Princess Melilot is attacked by spider-wolves, only to be saved by a group of masked huntsmen in the king's service. While she was saved, she finds herself bristling against the traditions of Tailliz and particularly puzzled by the adviser to the king, a lion who seems to know everything there is to know about humans. 

I really appreciated the re-telling and especially introducing (or emphasizing) all of the queerness to the story. Herman does a lovely job pushing Melilot's development and seeing her come into herself as a sorceress and whole person was a great adventure. The character exploration in general was so fun to see everyone (even the Lion) get some redemption as the story continues. I also really enjoyed the different references and easter eggs to other fairytale lore. 

Thanks so much to NetGalley and RandomHouse for the advanced copy.