Audiobook Review: Prince of Song & Sea (Princes #1)

Author: Linsey Miller

Narrator: Dan Bittner

Audiobook Length: 7 hours 58 minutes

Princess Sophia has helped her twin sister Lily save the duchy of Marin. But now Sophie faces an even greater threat when she sets out to free the cursed kingdom of Palinar from its beastly prince. Alone, and with danger on every side, Sophie must navigate a magical castle and its even more mysterious master to discover the secret to breaking the curse.

Except the more time she spends with Prince Dominic, the more she starts to question who exactly she’s supposed to be saving. With time running out for the trapped inhabitants, and the reappearance of an old enemy, Sophie may have to choose between saving the kingdom and following her heart. 

Find It On: Goodreads / Amazon

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Prince Eric begins the Princes series with his novel, Prince of Song & Sea. These follow a similar format to the Twisted Tales series where the source Disney movie/tale is changed in some way and a new story is told; only this time, this series is told from the POV of the princes. The story begins in the kingdom of Vellona two years after Eric’s mother, Elenora, disappeared, which occurred soon after his father, Marsello, died. His 18^th birthday is approaching with his coronation to follow, which means the kingdom is anxious for him to find a bride. This is easier said than done as Eric is cursed since birth where he will die is he kisses anyone who is not his true love and does not have a melodic voice. To break this curse, Eric sets out on a quest to find the witch on the Isle of Serein.

Before I began this story, it was difficult not to be biased as Prince Eric is my clear favourite among all the Disney princes. He is caring, loves the sea, and has a clear love for his dog, so it is an easy choice. He had many qualities to enjoy in the Disney tales (movies, books, and shows), so I was glad that Miller kept these in her version. There were some disjointed moments where his personality did not really add up. While I appreciate the author wanted to put her own spin, I just wish a little more care was given to weave her additions with the source material. The story begins with introducing Eric in town where the reader meets his two friends, Gabriella and Vanny. I liked this introduction to Eric’s character where they are practicing sword-fighting as his interactions with his friends give a nice background in a more natural way.

Once Eric and Ariel meet, the story more or less follows the movie with some additions to give it more depth. The writing style is more simplistic which is expected given the target audience. The same also goes for how some topics are handled as there could have been more exploration of some mature ones, but they are kept at a more surface level. With Ariel, this novel goes into further detail about her writing ability and her contract with Ursula. This is debated among many Disney fans as I maintain there was no evidence that Ariel could write in the movie as she does not even look when signing, which could instead indicate that the quill is magic, and it signs as Ariel is agreeing. This is also why Trident can use magic to sign rather than using the actual quill because the contract is bound by will rather than the actual signing.  

Both this story and Part of Your World (Ariel’s Twisted Tale) have Ursula determined to rule both the land and the sea. The Disney source material, however, has her focused on the sea, so I wish either of these stories explained, in some way, the need for this change. I do wish that instead of Ursula, this story used her sister Morgana, as the land and sea takeover aspirations would have added up more considering she wants to fulfil Ursula’s wishes of ruling the sea plus she wants revenge on Eric. I can appreciate that Miller attempted to go more into Ursula and her magic, but it still did not fully add up, for me.

Throughout the novel there are nods to the music and stories from the Disney film and Broadway show along with Once Upon a Time. The source materials and this story do weave together well, and I enjoyed this take on Prince Eric and the Little Mermaid story. Max continues to be the favorite as he is a very lovable dog! I can imagine there were some limitations for the writing considering this is a Disney novel, so it is difficult to tell if there are reasons behind some of my negatives or not. I still greatly enjoyed this story, and this seems like it will be a great series. As I listened to the audiobook, I loved Dan Bittner as the narrator! I cannot wait to read the next story featuring Sleeping Beauty’s Prince Phillip!