Synopsis
Raised in splendid isolation.
Betrothed to a man she despises.
Destined to rule over the greatest city on earth.
She is the Golden Princess.
Sarah dreams of love and adventure beyond her gilded prison, but tonight her dreams come true in the most terrifying way imaginable. A bloody power struggle erupts for the throne, and dawn finds the princess on the run with a bounty on her head. Alone and hunted by guards, criminals and a ruthless slaver who will stop at nothing to burn his brand into her flesh, Sarah must summon courage she never knew she possessed.
Hope, however, comes in the form of two lowly thieves. Driven by a secret, they race through Hur-ar’s underworld to find Sarah before her enemies do.
Before the next sunset, Sarah’s fate, and that of empires, will be decided with gold, steel and blood.
Review
I read this book as a judge for FanFiAddict during SPFBO XI. These opinions are entirely my own and don’t necessarily represent the views of the rest of the team.
From its opening pages, The Golden Princess delivers exactly what its premise promises: danger, flight, and a young woman forced out of a gilded cage and into a brutal world that wants to claim her. Raised in luxury, promised to a future she doesn’t want, and suddenly hunted through the streets of Hur-ar after a bloody coup, Sarah’s fall from sheltered royalty to desperate survivor makes for an inherently compelling setup.
The story unfolds as a fast-moving chase through alleyways, markets, and the underbelly of a sprawling desert city. There’s a grounded, political tension that reminded me of The City of Brass—minus the overt magic—where the intrigue comes not from spells but from power struggles, factions, and human cruelty. That emphasis on grit over spectacle gives the book a harsh, immediate energy.
While the title and blurb center Sarah, the narrative broadens to include multiple perspectives, especially her brother Ezra. Interestingly, Ezra ended up being the character I connected with most. He feels layered and active, wrestling with difficult choices and personal stakes that make his chapters especially engaging. The wider cast—family members, thieves, slavers, and schemers—all contribute to a sense that this city is alive with competing agendas. Watching each of them navigate their own dangers, defeats, and small triumphs kept me turning pages.
The pacing is brisk, often urgent, with a strong sense of forward momentum. There’s rarely time to breathe, which suits the story’s “on the run” structure well. From a purely plot-driven standpoint, it’s easy to get swept along.
That said, a few elements didn’t fully land for me. The worldbuilding, while functional, felt a bit light; the Middle Eastern–inspired setting has the bones of something rich, but I wanted more texture and depth to make Hur-ar truly unforgettable. Some of the street dialect and phonetic slang also slowed the reading experience, and the dialogue sometimes sounded more modern than the setting suggested, which occasionally broke immersion.
Character-wise, Sarah herself felt less distinct than I’d hoped given her central role in the marketing. Her “princess in a tower” starting point is classic fantasy territory, and I found myself wishing for more unique traits or quirks to set her apart. The villains, especially Bal’eeb, lean heavily into straightforward menace and ambition, which makes them effective threats but somewhat one-note.
My biggest challenge was the ending. The novel clearly functions as the first half of a larger story, and it stops at a moment of upheaval rather than resolution. While that approach will excite readers eager to dive straight into the sequel, I personally prefer at least some closure to the main arc. Still, for those who love continuous, serialized storytelling, this cliffhanger style may work well.
Overall, The Golden Princess is a fast-paced, character-driven escape tale with strong tension and an engaging ensemble. Even when certain aspects didn’t quite click for me, I appreciated the ambition and the constant sense of peril that propels the narrative. Readers who enjoy political intrigue, multiple viewpoints, and gritty, grounded fantasy adventures will likely find a lot to like here—and may be more than ready to follow Sarah’s journey into the next installment.
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