Dangerously Ever After by Dashka Slater

Dangerously Ever After Reviews

• 
  Calista

  This story was a pleasure to read. The fanciful artwork delights the eye and the princess and her dangerous garden are interesting.
  
  The princess's hair is done up in a do that looks like a scorpion tail. She loves dangerous things like plants with spikes and terrible smells and walking blindfolded at the edge of the moat. There is a line later where she is on her own away from her castle where she says that she loves dangerous things when she knows her home is safe. It's a great idea and part of growing up.
  
  She meets a prince who is normal and that bores her, but after hurting one of her grenade plants he brings her roses. She doesn't like the smell, but she loves their thorns. She has the prince send her some seeds and they turn out to be these weird flowers that are noses and they don't like bad smells, so they have allergies at the princesses.
  
  I love the imagination of flowers that are noses. There are wonderful ideas in this twisted little story. There is a love story, but its between the nose flowers and the roses, funnily enough, which that twist makes me happy.
  
  This has all the elements of a known fairytale, but they are all twisted and given a big spiced dose of girl power. I had fun reading this and do think it will be enjoyed by kids.
• 
  Arminzerella

  Princess Amanita likes dangerous things – most particularly her dangerous garden filled with dangerous plants. While she is tending to it one day, she meets Prince Florian, who accidentally sets off some of her greanapes (they explode after being picked). To apologize for his blunder, he brings her some roses, which Amanita adores – because of their thorns. She sends Florian back to his gardener with a request for some seeds, but her handwriting is pretty awful and he sends her “nose” seeds instead. Amanita tends her seeds and they grow into lovely noses, but they’re incredibly unhappy in her garden – “The noses, it seemed, were allergic to every other plant in the garden. They sneezed all morning and all afternoon.” Amanita – after a very sleepless evening dealing with the noses – decides to confront the Prince. She pulls up the noses and sets off for Florian’s kingdom on her bicycle. Without any idea of where it is. The noses, with their keen sense of smell, however, are able to guide her there safely, and when installed in the rose garden, they live happily ever after. Amanita, too (she gets the “thorniest rosebushes in the royal garden).
  
  Amanita is delightfully peculiar and has the most interesting hairstyles. Although she likes dangerous things, she realizes that she likes them in the comfort of her own home/garden and not so much in strange places where they could actually harm her. Good thing the noses keep her safe. Quirky and vibrantly colored – this is a beautiful book. The text is a little wordy, so some readers/listeners might get a bit squirmy before the end.
  
• 
  Reading_ Tamishly

  The story was supposed to be about a princess who was made of funnier and fiercer stuff. But I did not find them in this story at all. Funny doesn't mean one can be mean and unfriendly like the Princess was to the Prince when he was in trouble. Fiercer does not mean to live dangerously like riding a brakeless cycle. This book is just misleading. And what's with all those noses?!
• 
  Inhabiting Books

  If you're the mother of little girls, you're probably going to encounter princesses at some point in your reading repertoire. This can be delightful or painful, depending on how the author chooses to portray said princesses. The delightful ones get reread with enthusiasm, and the painful, simpering, irritating ones get quietly "lost" in whatever manner deemed necessary.
  Never fear, Dangerously Ever After by Dashka Slater and Valeria Docampo will be in the enthusiastically reread category, with no pain involved.
  
  Princess Amanita is not your average princess. She loves all things dangerous, and her garden would make Morticia Addams proud. And then...
  

  "One day, as the princess was watering a patch of itching thistles, a prince from a neighboring kingdom rode up. His name was Florian and he was out looking for for a dragon to slay, or a knight to challenge--or at least someone his own age to talk to."

  
  The prince's arrival sets off a chain of funny events that culminate in the character growth of the princess (and undoubtedly of the young prince, too.)
  
  My girls and I chuckled our way through the appealing absurdity of this refreshingly non-girly princess story. It appealed to my younger princess-loving daughters, and even my older princess-loathing daughter. I can see this being a hit with boys, too, because the traditional princess aspect isn't present. (It will help that the word doesn't feature in the title, but the word "danger" does.) All kids can identify with danger-loving Princess Amanita in some aspect, because at its heart, Dangerously Ever After is the story of a little girl whose way of identifying herself is called into question when she encounters events outside her comfort zone and control, which leads to growth and balance. That sounds heavy, doesn't it? But really that "lesson" is just naturally absorbed into the story.
  
  This is the first book I've read by Dashka Slater, and I'm delighted with the introduction. The story's pacing, language, and length work beautifully as a read-aloud, perfect for ages 4/5 and up. It's one of the few picture books we've read that appeals to all my girls with equal enthusiasm. The illustrations by Valeria Docampo are a delight. Beautiful, vibrant, and fun, they perfectly highlight and compliment the text. The cool blue palette keeps the fierceness of Amanita's world in check. My girls loved the scorpion tail inspired hair-do, the suit-of-armour dresses, the prince's steed (a bicycle), and the strangely appealing garden.
  
  For what it's worth, my girls and I are giving Dangerously Ever After a hearty thumbs up.
  
  
  
  Published in Semptember 2012 by Dial Books For Young Readers
  Review copy generously supplied by publisher.
  
  Nominated for the CYBILS 2012 by Charlotte of Charlotte's Library.
  
• 
  Amitha

  2013 Update: (see original review below)
  
  Now that this book is age-appropriate for my daughter (she's now almost 4) she loves this book! My minor quibbles about the book are now gone. Clearly, she was just a little bit too young last year. She now understands most of the puns and laughs out loud about the silly noses. Very cute.
  
  Original review:
  
  When I received an email from this author asking me to review her latest picture book, I was thrilled. I LOVED
  Sea Serpent and Me, which had been a baby shower gift from a good friend of mine (thank you, P!). The ending makes me tear up every time. So cute.
  
  While this story doesn't feature a cute little girl and her sea serpent, it does feature a spunky princess and a creepy garden.
  
  Dangerously Ever After is the story of Princess Amanita, a princess who wears blue and has a dangerous garden full of plants like stink lilies and grenapes (grenade + grapes = grenape). When the Princess receives roses from Prince Florian and is enamored by their dangerous thorns, she requests some seeds for her garden. Unfortunately, instead of roses, she receives noses, and she must find her way to Prince Florian's castle to give them back.
  
  The story itself is cute and the illustrations have lots of fascinating details to look at. Princess Amanita is a great counterpoint to those Disney Princesses who my daughter is already starting to love.
  
  Toddler Monkey's reaction: She's like Rapunzel!
  Me (inwardly groaning at Disney Princess reference): Why?
  Toddler Monkey: Because she wants to leave her castle!
  Me: Oh. Okay.
  
  While I was happy to read a story with a spunky, independent princess (who also wore pretty and unusual dresses), I'm not sure my toddler was quite ready for this one. She was very puzzled about why Amanita would like dangerous things ("Why does she like thorns? I don't like thorns!") and I wasn't sure how much explaining I wanted to do, not wanting to make dangerous things like "leaning out of the topmost turret of the castle" sound appealing to her toddler brain.
  
  But I think this book will grow on her (gardening pun intended) in a few years.
  
  Note: I received a copy of this book from the publisher.
• 
  Heidi

  Princesses are a topic that is always popular among little girls. But to be honest, I get sick of the Disney princess type, although they are getting better, the type where the princess has to be rescued, is beautiful, etc. Because of this, I am glad that there are more princess books coming out involving girls that don't fit that image. The princess in Dangerously Ever After is very much her own person. She loves things that are dangerous. Things like her pet scorpion, a bike with no brakes, and a garden full of 'prickles and stickles and brambles and nettles.' When a prince shows up and wreaks havoc in her garden she is not pleased. And when he tries to fix the damage by giving her roses, she is even less pleased, until she sees the thorns. She loves the thorns and seeks some rose seeds of her own, but what she gets is not what she wanted and adventure results. I enjoyed the fairy tale feel to the story, the story is definitely unique and fun. I highly recommend this to those who want a fairy tale, but a untypical one.
• 
  Amy

  If I have to read princess stories, I would like them to all be like this: dark, quirky, and strange. I immediately fell in love with Princess Amanita when I walked into her garden filled with "dangerous" plants and saw her scorpion hair style. If the plant doesn't prick you, stick you, try to eat you, or stink you out, she's not interested. Cactuses, fly catchers, stapelias--yes, please. My 6-year-old daughter and I are very envious of her garden.
  
  "But what does it DO?" she asks when a prince offers to bring roses from his garden. Smelling nice is just not appealing, so she puts the roses in the water with the thorns sticking up out of the water.
  
  
  
  The illustrations in the book are beautiful, the storyline is both gothic and silly in parts, and they all live dangerously ever after. Checking this book out of the library wasn't enough; we needed to own this one. I may request it for bedtime more than my child does. ;)
  
  Edit: I think Princess Amanita would love this Poison Garden:
  http://www.npr.org/sections/health-sh...
• 
  Kristina Jean Lareau

  Dashka Slater certainly offered Valeria Docampo an amusing story to illustrate. The text was funny and lively if a bit wordy. Princess Amanita gives spunk a makeover with her obsession with dangerous plants. The illustrations are dynamic, yet soft. The Princess wears a beautiful blue and white gown with a cage petticoat, adding an element of style and history to the illustrations. And even though there is a Prince who offers her roses, this story doesn't end with a heteronormative "Happily Ever After." Instead, the Princess retains her love dangerous things. The contrast between thorns and sweet smelling roses makes this picturebook a gold mine for those interested in its analytic and scholarly value.
• 
  Carol

  Princess Amanita loves dangerous and nasty things - particularly in her garden. Everything she grows does something nasty or vicious to any who dare get near enough. When a young prince visits her she is at first unimpressed with his gift of beautiful pink roses. However she soon discovers that where there is a lovely rose blooming, there are also wicked and lethal thorns, exactly her kind of thing. Unfortunately her request for seeds from the neighboring gardener is misread leading to an adventurous trek through a very dark and dangerous wood. Ultimately she discovers that it is good to venture outside one's comfort zone and explore a bit - it is a great way to make friends.
• 
  Christiane

  Princess Amanita (perfect name!) loves dangerous things like her collection of "daggers and broken glass" and her beautiful, terrible garden. When a neighboring prince brings her a bouquet of pink roses she is not impressed, until she notices their thorns. Colorful, detailed illustrations, a clever storyline, and an uncommon princess make this a great choice for those young patrons clamoring for “princess stories” and who’s moms are mouthing “No Disney!” in the background.
• 
  Laela

  Princess Amanita loves all things that are dangerous. She is the kind of princess who only likes roses for thier thorns. She is delightful.
  
  What realy is enchanting about this book are the very pleasing illustrations. The colors pop off the page. There are little hidden things in all the pictures. Princess Amanita's hair looks like a scorpions tail. Her cat is wearing armour. This book has such a touch of whimsy to it you'll want to pick it up again and again.
  
• 
  Anjali Williams

  A refreshingly different princess book with a spunky, unique heroine! I felt like it was written for an adult reading-aloud audience as much as it was for children, and I was grateful for it. The illustrations and prose are equally lovely.
• 
  Briana

  A beautiful, original tale with enchanting illustrations.
• 
  Edward Sullivan

  Odd but charming with a nice touch of enchantment. Love the scorpion tail hairdo.
• 
  Minda

  Amazing book for kids and adults. My 4 year old son loves it as do I. The story is very clever and the illustrations are fabulous. Highly recommended!
• 
  Brian

  From the back cover....
  Not all princesses are made of sugar and spice - some are made of funnier, fiercer stuff.
  
  Another lesson from this book: work on your penmanship.
• 
  Courtney

  This is an adorable children's book! Such a unique princess story.
• 
  Stacey

  Every now and then I come across a children's book that is just SO MUCH FUN and this is one of them.
• 
  Kayla

  As much as I liked Dangerously Ever After, I had a couple of problems with it. The first problem is the princess's parents. They let her do horribly reckless things that could seriously hurt her, if not kill her. One example of this is letting her collect broken glass which could seriously injure her. Another example is letting her lean out the tallest turret. If she were to fall out the turret, it would most likely kill her. My second problem with the book is that Princess Amanita is not a very good role model. I don’t know about the younger generation now, but most of my role models were characters in books. Junie B. Jones was a particular favorite role model of mine. With Princess Amanita always doing dangerous things, girls might imitate her thinking it’s cool. If they do they are likely to get hurt. I did love the illustrations in the book They were beautiful. My favorite one was Prince Florian’s castle with the roses everywhere. The story line was good. I just don’t think that it was appropriate for younger children who are easily influenced.
• 
  Teresa Edmunds

  As a big fan of fairy tales, I was excited by the cover and title of this book. This princess is definitely someone new. Princess Amanita is attracted to danger. She likes her pets poisonous and her plants putrid. I love Docampo's illustrations and attention to detail - like how Amanita's hair and her cat's tail resemble a scorpion's tail - so delightful! The story stumbles a bit with a somewhat rushed resolution, but overall it is a refreshing take on a princess story.
• 
  Luisa Knight

  It was a little odd and the princess seemed a little too contrarily contrived for my liking.
  
  Ages: 5 - 9
  
  **Like my reviews? I also have hundreds of detailed reports that I offer too. These reports give a complete break-down of everything in the book, so you'll know just how clean it is or isn't. I also have Clean Guides (downloadable PDFs) which enable you to clean up your book before reading it! Visit my website: The Book Radar.
• 
  Andrew

  Princess Amanita is not sugar and spice. She likes danger and adventure and tough things. After being gifted roses by new friend, Prince Florian, she falls in love with the thorns. She goes after her own rose seeds (but ends up getting nose seeds), so she journeys with some nose flowers and discovers something about herself, the strange nose flowers and her friend Florian.
  
  Cute story for all of our tough girls!
• 
  Cara

  I thought this was cute. A princess that isn't cookie-cutter. She's different. She likes things that are dangerous, the more dangerous the better. She meets a normal prince, and at first, she wasn't too impressed when he gave her a flower. When the thorn on the rose pricked her, that got her interest, and the rest is history.
• 
  Roger

  If you like the Addams Family or other comics by Charles Addams, this is the children’s book for you. The content is not as dark as Charles Addams, and the artwork is actually bright, beautiful and colorful, but the subversiveness is there (as well as the vase of thorny rose stems). Loved it. 4.5 stars.
• 
  Engel Dreizehn

  It was beautiful, unique with a timeless feel...I like yes the girl has own tastes and that it is completely ok for a princess to have dangerous tastes but also at the same time as the narrative points it's good to be open minded to others and not be over confident with their strengths, like having an interest in dangerous things.
• 
  Danielle

  Gorgeous, vivid Illustrations.
• 
  Brett

  Now that's a princess story I can get behind.