NOVEL REVIEW: THE RUNAWAY PRINCESS BY DYNNA ZAIN (PLUS FAN CAST)


Eiyo dearies,

I'm back ^_^ So how was your weekend? Did you do something fun and exciting? And to all my Muslim friends, did you guys have a good Eid Al-Adha celebration with your family and loved ones yesterday? I hope you guys did.

Like I promised you guys in my previous post, today I'm going to share my review of an urban fantasy novel I finished reading more than two weeks ago. The novel is titled The Runaway Princess and it is written by Dynna Zain. Now let's check out the author's bio...


ABOUT DYNNA ZAIN

Dynna Zain is an indie author of urban fantasy novels. She lives in Malaysia. Besides being an author, Dynna Zain is also a digital artist. Besides The Runaway Princess, some of her novels are The Emperor's Bride, Memoria, Cinderlicious, and Evander: The Curse Dragon. 

There's not much information on Dynna Zain on Google. In fact, I can't even find her picture on Google. However, I did find her Facebook and Wattpad. So here are the links to Dynna Zain's Facebook and Wattpad...

FACEBOOK: DYNNA ZAIN

WATTPAD: DYNNARECONTEUR


ABOUT THE RUNAWAY PRINCESS


The Runaway Princess (TRP) is an urban fantasy Bahasa Malaysia novel. Ethan Hazrath is a Eurasian young man from the modern world. Ethan is half Swedish and half Malaysian. Ethan traveled to Malaysia from Sweden to meet his grandmother. As an imaginative person, Ethan was always fascinated with the tale of Princess Hazel. 

Ethan learned about Princess Hazel from his grandmother. Ethan believed that Princess Hazel was not just a myth. At his grandmother's house in Malaysia, Ethan found an enchanted locket. The locket suddenly leaded Ethan to a secret passage under his grandmother's house. Ethan opened a mysterious door in the secret passage. Soon, Ethan found himself no longer at his grandmother's house. He was now standing in an enchanted forest. And at the enchanted forest, Ethan met Princess Hazel.

Princess Hazel's real name was Tengku Hannah Thalia. She was extremely beautiful. Tengku Hannah Thalia (Thalia) was the crown princess of a kingdom called Akalil. Thalia may look as delicate as a flower. But deep inside, Thalia is a very fierce princess. She's the kind of woman who likes to kick butt. 

As the plot evolved, Ethan found out that Thalia was not a happy person. The beautiful princess was planning to seek revenge on her stepfather, Sultan Habil. Sultan Habil was a villain king. He killed Thalia's father, Sultan Mursyid to take over his throne. Sultan Habil was also planning to get rid of Thalia and took Akalil for himself. He also wanted to change Akalil for good.

Thalia won't allow Sultan Habil to ruin Akalil. She planned to kill her stepfather and bring her father's legacy back to the kingdom. But is Thalia strong enough to defeat Sultan Habil? Will she succeed with the help of Ethan Hazrath? A man who doesn't even know how to hold a sword...


MY REVIEW OF THE RUNAWAY PRINCESS


First of all, I have to be honest that this genre is new to me. I'm not that into the urban fantasy genre. Well, I was once a fan of fantasy novels during my teenage years (I was a Harry Potter and Eragon fan ^_^).  But as I grow into an adult, I lost interest in fantasy novels. 

However, I believe TRP is a good kickstart for me to return to fantasy novels. TRP is a very enjoyable read for me. The plot, storyline, and characters are very promising. But mostly, I like the world-building that Dynna Zain created for this novel. The kingdom, Akalil sounds very urban chic from Dynna Zain's description. If you guys loved Ever After High, you are also going to love TRP. From Dynna Zain's writing, I can imagine what TRP will look like if this story is adapted into a movie. It will be amazing and awesome!

Besides the world-building, plot, storyline, and characters, I also like the moral value that Dynna Zain is trying to tell us in this story. Revenge won't make you happy. And losing someone you love does not mean you can't be happy again. 

Overall, I rate this novel 9/10. I highly recommend my fellow bookworms who are into the urban fantasy genre to read this novel. Trust me, guys, you'll love The Runaway Princess. However, I need to be frank that this novel has some mild sexual and violent scenes, and even some disturbing moments in it. So I believe this novel is not suitable for those who are below 16 years old.

Ok, so this is my review of The Runaway Princess by Dynna Zain. I also would like to include my fan cast in this review. So let's not waste time and let's check out my fan cast for Dynna Zain's The Runaway Princess...


MY FAN CAST FOR THE RUNAWAY PRINCESS



#1 CHRIS HEMSWORTH AS ETHAN HAZRATH

Ethan Hazrath is the male protagonist in TRP. He is a Eurasian (half Swedish and half Malaysian). The author made Ethan looks more Caucasian than Asian. He's tall, masculine, and has blonde hair and blue eyes. So I believe Chris Hemsworth is the best actor to play Ethan Hazrath.


#2 IU AS TENGKU HANNAH THALIA/PRINCESS HAZEL

Tengku Hannah Thalia (Thalia) is the female protagonist in the story. She's a magical princess. She's extremely beautiful. She looks like a flower but stings like a bee. And plus, Thalia has a petite figure according to the author. So I believe South Korean sweetheart, IU is the best to play Thalia. Btw, this may sound wild, guys. But I would like to test IU's chemistry with Chris Hemsworth. Hehehe ^_^


#3 JASON SCOTT LEE AS SULTAN HABIL

Sultan Habil is the villain in TPR. He's a pure evil kinda villain, guys. The author portrays Sultan Habil as an evil and greedy king. He's like Scar in The Lion King. And he will do loads of evil things to keep himself in power. Besides evil and greedy, the author also portrays Sultan Habil as a horny womanizer king. I believe Asian-Hollywood veteran and versatile actor, Jason Scott Lee is the best to play Sultan Habil.


#4 REMY HII AS TENGKU HAQEEM

Tengku Haqeem is the second hero in the story. But he is the most lovable character in the story to me ^_^ At the beginning of the story, Haqeem thought that he was Sultan Habil's first son. But in the middle of the story, Haqeem found out his true identity and background. Haqeem was actually from the kingdom of Lothenial. His parents were an aristocrat of Lothenial. Haqeem was taken away from his parents when he was only a baby. Sultan Habil kidnapped Haqeem just to seek revenge on his parents. After Haqeem found out his true identity and background, the courageous prince decided to look for his parents. Haqeem also has feelings for Thalia. After Ethan returned to his world, Haqeem married Thalia, and together they rule Akalil as Sultan Haqeem and Sultanah Thalia. I believe Malaysian-Australian actor, Remy Hii is the best for this role. Remy has the same charisma and courage as Haqeem. And I believe all Marco Polo fans want to see Remy as a prince on a white horse again. Am I right? Hehehe ^_^





#5 LEE JONG SUK AS TENGKU KHALIL

Tengku Khalil is one of Sultan Habil's son. Like Haqeem, Khalil was also taken away from his parents when he was only a child. He was also kidnapped by Sultan Habil. And like Haqeem, Khalil was also looking for his true identity and family. Khalil was portrayed as a very handsome prince by the author. So I believe South Korean hunky actor, Lee Jong Suk is the best for this role.


#6 YOO SEUNG HO AS TENGKU ADRIAN

Like Tengku Haqeem and Tengku Khalil, Adrian was also taken away by Sultan Habil from his parents. Oh gosh... Sultan Habil is so cruel! The author portrays Adrian as a very charming young prince. So I believe South Korean charming actor, Yoo Seung Ho is the best to play Tengku Adrian.


#7 VANESSA HUDGENS AS TENGKU HANIS

Tengku Hanis is Thalia's stepsister and best friend. She is kind and beautiful. Like her brothers, Hanis also thought that she was Sultan Habil's child and a twin sister to Tengku Adrian. But after Haqeem discovered their background, Hanis found out that she was not related to Sultan Habil or even Tengku Adrian. Hanis' mother was one of Sultan Habil's old flames. Hanis' mother was expecting Sultan Habil's child after the evil king left her. The village woman soon aborted her child with Sultan Habil. She later married a village man and got Hanis. After Hanis was born, Sultan Habil came to visit his old flame. Sultan Habil thought that Hanis was his child. But the village woman told him that Hanis was not Sultan Habil's child. The village woman told Sultan that she already aborted his child before she married Hanis' father. Sultan Habil got angry. He brutally bit up the poor village woman and kidnapped Hanis. He also told Hanis' mother that he will make the girl his mistress when she grows up. Euwww!!! Horrible man! I believe Vanessa Hudgens is the best actress to play Tengku Hanis. She has the same sweet vibe as the character.



#8 GONG LI AS SULTANAH ANISA

Sultanah Anisa is the queen of Akalil Kingdom and Thalia's mother. At the beginning of the story, I thought Sultanah Anisa is a very cruel mother. She was always scolding Thalia. And she didn't even attend Sultan Mursyid's (Sultanah Anisa's first husband & Thalia's father) funeral. She was busy preparing for her wedding with Sultan Habil at that time. But towards the end of the story, I found out that Sultanah Anisa was not a cruel woman after all. She was the victim of the situation. Before Sultanah Anisa married Sultan Mursyid, she had an affair with Sultan Habil. They were madly in love. Sultanah Anisa ended her relationship with Sultan Habil after she found out who he is. When Sultanah Anisa married Sultan Mursyid, Sultan Habil got extremely angry. He planned to seek revenge on Sultanah Anisa and Sultan Mursyid. After marrying Sultanah Anisa, Sultan Habil trapped her in his invisible prison. Sultanah Anisa had no choice but to follow his orders. I believe Chinese veteran actress, Gong Li is the best to play Sultanah Anisa.



Ok, this is all for now. I hope you guys enjoyed this review and my fan cast for The Runaway Princess. Btw, has anyone read The Runaway Princess by Dynna Zain? If yes, what are your opinions of this novel? And is there anyone of you a fan of the urban fantasy genre? If yes, please recommend me some urban fantasy novels. I would like to try reading urban fantasy novels again. 

Thank you for reading. I'll see you guys in my next post.

XoXo,

Fadima Mooneira ^_^



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Comments

  1. I've not read much Urban Fantasy to be honest! Great reviews, sounds like a good read :)

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    Replies
    1. You're welcome, Jenny. Yeah, I'm new to this genre too ^_^

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  2. I haven’t read these types of books before. You always share such detailed reviews, thank you for sharing your thoughts. I love the little queen!

    Lauren - bournemouthgirl

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  3. Oooh I think I should try reading Dynna Zain's works! Fantasy stories almost never fail to engage me! 😁

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    Replies
    1. Yeah, I have a feeling you are going to love TRP. Btw, you can borrow it from me if you want since you're my BFF, Maddy dear ^_^ Just let me know. And btw, since you suka urban fantasy novels, recommend lah some for me. Hehehe ^_^

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  4. This is such an interesting review; I've not read much within this genre but I love how you've given it life that's grabbed my attention!

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  5. Wonderful review Fadima! This sounds like a lovely book!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Yeah, it was a lovely read although I'm new to this genre.

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  6. Great review! I've never read these before, but your review piqued my interest.

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  7. This sounds like such an interesting genre to get into. Great review!

    Corinne x

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  8. Awesome review, the cover of this novel is nice. I would enjoy some reading since I'm a bit busy with other things. Helps to get away from the stress of life. Thank you for the suggestion and the review!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Yeah, reading is a must. Even though you're busy.

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  9. I hadn’t heard of this author until now but I’m loving the sound of their books! I defiantly think this is one I’m going to have to purchase myself and give a read. Thank you so much for sharing such a in-depth review. Xo

    Elle - ellegracedeveson.com

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    Replies
    1. Oh wow... the author needs to get this book translated then. Fyi, this novel is in Bahasa Malaysia ^_^

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  10. Great review! Loving your casting choices.

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  11. Great review! I love the fan casting you do also. That’s a really fun feature!

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  12. Wow I learned so much in this novel review - thank you for providing so much information!

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  13. Ohh, I love urban fantasy and this sounds like my cup of tea. I'll check it out.

    ReplyDelete

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