Rogue Princess

Gr 7 Up–Princess Delia teams up with a snarky commoner named Aidan in this gender-swapped sci-fi twist on “Cinderella.“ Delia struggles with her duty as heir to the throne. She must choose a prince to marry who will secure an alliance and save her failing planet. However, Delia secretly dreams of true love and is determined to find another way to help her kingdom. After she steals a spaceship to avoid marriage, she discovers Aidan as a handsome stowaway. Aidan prides himself on his sticky fingers, secretly “borrowing” trinkets from the palace to fund his passage off-planet. Sparks fly from their first meeting as they battle pirates and discover plans for a planetary revolution, and the two fall for each other while uncovering the traitorous plot. The novel features good pacing and characterization of its protagonists, though many secondary characters are flat. Readers who enjoy sci-fi, especially Marissa Meyer’s “Lunar Chronicles” series, will be charmed by Aidan and Delia.