A Fairly Ordinary Princess
Lavanya P Kesan posted under Book Review on 2023-04-04



Fantasy stories have never failed to fascinate me. That which takes the reader to a different world altogether and that world which breathes with a life of its own are always a joy to read about and speaks volumes of the author’s ability to write speculative fiction so effortlessly. ‘A Fairly Ordinary Princess’ is one such lovely tale of a teenage princess called Nirzari who gets lost into (not in) a book. Well, readers do lose themselves in a book and the author weaves a tale literally around that idea. The book has many smart representations of such phrases scattered all through. For example, don’t you ‘pore over a book’? The author builds that phrase into the story very nicely. The modern-day princess Nirzari who deems herself only fairly ordinary and nothing princess-like, and her pet parrot get to read an interesting book and fall into it inadvertently. She gets to meet her Grandma who had already gotten disappeared into the book so many years ago. The book is all about their journey to freedom into their world from the world of words, pages, bookmarks, rainbows, dreams, chess games, and what not!  Some highlights that I loved:-
  • The presentation of a princess like a girl-next-door, sans frills and embellishments.
  • The grandmother-granddaughter bond has been so sweetly brought out through so many light-hearted moments through the tale. Having never really experienced that bond in real life, I found it so endearing! The princess-pet parrot friendship too was shown really well, with the parrot being that close friend who smirk as well as support the princess.
  • The short verses interspersed across the prose that carried so much meaning.
  • The names of the characters have been so meticulously chosen to really stand out and stay with the readers long after they finish the book. Some striking few – Nirzari, Aaloka, Jawaab-e-Hazir, Gustakh-e-dil, Firki and Dabbu!
  • The extraordinary world building inside the book where the princess gets lost. It so subtly but effectively brings out the importance of preserving Nature and an ecosystem.
  • The beautiful hand-drawn illustrations that gives an idea of what the next chapter is. Also, the bright cover.
Some of the many lines that are crafted so thoughtfully:
  • ‘We must learn to do what we need to, to afford to do what we love to.’
  • ‘I’ve always been at the right place at the right time, just did not do the right thing,’ says Grandma
  • ‘Sometimes after your eyes have rained, you find a rainbow in your heart.’
  • ‘When you don’t find an answer outside, you must look within.’
  • ‘Ordinary is a relative term.’
  • ‘You could lose yourself in books to find yourself.’
There are many such…along with some little slips and misses too ☺ I felt some parts/chapters were a little disconnected from one another and I had to read and re-read a bit to understand how the story is shaping up and progressing along. Also, there were a few ideas which seem forced and that which were done away with/modified to suit better could have added greater value to the story as a whole. And, that’s my opinion… My best wishes to the debut author whose short stories I have read, loved, and learned from. ‘A fairly ordinary princess’ – a tale of a book inside a book so intelligently written. The author’s efforts shine through! ~*~ Grab your copy here: