I've never liked a nonfiction book as much as I liked this one. I wish that this book was fiction because reading about the horrific things Princess Sultana, the storyteller, endured as a woman in Saudi Arabia was devastating. Princess Sultana was a princess who grew up in Saudi Arabia, but she did not live a life that many people would consider a royal life. She suffered through the horrible treatment of women in Saudi Arabia and tells her story in this book, where we learn about her experiences including being forced to marry young, being beaten, and watching her friends get killed or raped. Before reading this book I did not know how poorly women were/are treated in Saudi Arabia and how little rights they had, and it was extremely eye-opening to read this book. The storytelling is amazing because it is very straightforward and doesn't try to affect the reader through its writing, yet anyone who reads this book will be left heartbroken due to the content of the stories. I think that this is an important read and I wish this book was more popular because it was both educational and emotional. ( )

I received a free copy of this e-book from the publisher (via NetGalley) in exchange for an honest review.

I read the original Princess series a few years ago, and I really liked them. I have a deep interest in women's rights, and the books' subject matter appeals to me.

After reading this one, I was left unfulfilled and disappointed. First off, if you haven't read any of the other Princess books, you'll be lost. None of the characters grow or evolve in this book, so if you don't already know them, you probably won't grow to care for them. This isn't the kind of book that can be picked up and enjoyed without reading all the others in the series.

Secondly, I was most frustrated by the fact that nothing really seems to happen in the book. The narrative mainly consisted of Sultana saying how important "her work" is, and how many millions she gives to women's causes. That, mixed in with conversations she has and very awkward letters she receives, makes this book very unsatisfying. It seems like the characters would talk about several terrible situations women were in, but nothing was done aside to say "I want to help." I would have enjoyed this more to find out how exactly she was helping, or what exactly was being done to help women, but the book was extremely short on details.

I wanted to like this book. I really did. It took me forever to get through it, because the book failed over and over again to catch my attention and engage me. I still think highly of the first three books and will certainly recommend them to interested parties. I do not feel that this book is a worthy successor to the original trilogy. ( )