Finished The Unhandsome Prince by John Moore. I’ve read some of Moore’s light-hearted fantasies before, so when I saw this one at the used bookstore, I snatched it up.

In this book, Caroline, a very determined peasant girl, has spent weeks systematically catching frogs and kissing them in hopes of returning a handsome prince to his original form (he was enchanted by an angry sorceress). She finally succeeds and ends up with Hal, who’s everything a prince should be — except handsome. Hal’s cute, but not cute enough for Caroline, so the two of them go to Hal’s kingdom so she can meet his brothers, who are much more handsome than he is. Also accompanying them is Emily, a magical apprentice who has a thing for Hal. Along the way, the trio meets Rapunzel and Rumplestiltskin, among other folks. There are sword fights, riots, and a wheel that can spin hair into gold.

Moore writes what I would consider to be fairy tale spoofs. He takes common fairy tales and myths and turns them on their head, and The Unhandsome Prince is no different. The humor is very wry and tongue-in-cheek. Moore doesn’t take himself too seriously, which is something I always appreciate.

If you’re looking for a light, fun, quick read, you’ll probably enjoy this one or one of Moore’s other books, like A Fate Worse Than Dragons. I did. Thumbs up.

Up next: Atlantis Awakening by Alyssa Day.

Books in my TBR pile: About 14.

A thought: On a side note, it is just me or are several of the Ace Books usually shorter than those published by other fantasy lines? This one was less than 300 pages. I believe Patricia Briggs is one of their authors too, and her books are usually right at 300 pages or a little less. I’m wondering if the line’s word count is only 90,000 words instead of 100,000. Anyone know?