Princess Floralinda and the Forty-Flight Tower

By: Tamsyn Muir

Narrated by: Moira Quirk

When the witch built the 40-flight tower, she made very sure to do the whole thing properly. Each flight contains a dreadful monster, ranging from a diamond-scaled dragon to a pack of slavering goblins. Should a prince battle his way to the top, he will be rewarded with a golden sword - and the lovely Princess Floralinda.

But no prince has managed to conquer the first flight yet, let alone get to the 40th.

In fact, the supply of fresh princes seems to have quite dried up.

©2020 Tamsyn Muir (P)2020 Recorded Books

Clever Girl!

This has the feel of the Brothers Grimm meets Shrek’s Fiona as Princess Florinda transforms from damsel to dragon slayer in 39 not too easy steps and via confrontations with an impressive variety of magical beasts. It’s clever and funny, but not for animal lovers or vegetarians. 😜 There are not so subtle digs at men, gender stereotypes and fairy class systems. The ending is quirky, if a bit abrupt. On sale, this was a delightfully twisted tale.

I liked this so much better than the hot mess that was the author’s Gideon the Ninth. Moira Quirk’s narration is perfection. This is free of swearing except for a riff on “effing madmen.” I will let my 6th grader listen to this no problem. For similar books, I recommend Once More Upon a Time or the series beginning with Two Necromancers, A Bureaucrat, and an Army of Golems.

A great take on a princess locked in a tower

This short listen was fun and laugh out loud funny from start to end. The couple of reviews that call it woke or feminist had me scratching my head. A princess battling her way out of the tower (feminist??) or because a fairy doesn't have a gender and the princess assigns one is woke (really??). I would agree with the reviews that there is enough violence/gore that it probably isn't for under 12, but otherwise it's pretty tame stuff.

Put simply, this is a fun, quick listen. You won't regret this purchase.

Most amusing

Humorous and well paced. The story is the perfect length. I couldn't recommend it more.

Decadent

This was a great listen. Quirk's narration is legendary, and Muir has a way of describing things that never gets old. This twist on the entowered princess was memorable and exciting, though definitely not for young children. Weak but creative protagonists overcoming great odds is a theme I'll never get sick of, and the character and relationship development is top shelf. Overall, it's a delightful and funny story.

Fun and unexpected. Truly enjoyed Cobweb and Floralinda

This is a lovely and enjoyable read. It’s very entertaining and jovially feminist in nature.