Protagonist Bound by Geanna Culbertson

What I Loved:

I love a fairytale fantasy and that’s SO what I got with Protagonist Bound! I loved the world the author created for this story! I’ll go into that in detail below, but it was so much fun!

My Synopsis:

Crisanta Knight is the daughter of Cinderella, and with that royal heritage comes a heavy responsibility to be the perfect princess and live a fairytale life. Except Crisanta isn’t interested in that. She doesn’t want to be saved by a prince, sing with the birds, or learn the importance of high heels.

Crisanta lives in Book, a realm where the stories of people’s lives are written by the Author. Protagonists are determined by the author, and once your Book appears, your life is in the hands of the Author.

So, as royalty, Crisanta has been a protagonist since birth. She has two years left at Lady Agnue’s School for Princesses & Other Female Protagonists and her Prologue could appear at any time. When it finally does, she wants nothing to do with it and sets out on a dangerous journey with her friends to find out how to change it.

How I Felt:

The world Geanna Culbertson has created is so well described, I could envision everything, and I loved that! She provided detail that allowed me to truly see the buildings and people. She did an excellent job, and it has set up a world that people will continue to love throughout the series. The “Author” that decides who is a protagonist and what each character’s story will be was an interesting concept. I’m really excited to see what happens in book two as Crisanta tries to change her “Prologue”.

The characters were wonderful. Crisanta Knight, the main character, is absolutely fabulous. Her attitude is a bit sassy and so determined that you can’t help but love her. She addresses the reader directly like she’s telling them the story, and I really enjoyed that writing choice. Crisanta provides side comments, and goes on diatribes at times, even in the middle of a fight.

“I gotta say, while I don’t necessarily encourage having archenemies, foiling them can be pretty darn fun.” – Protagonist Bound

The side characters are just as wonderful as Crisanta. Her two besties, SJ (Snow White’s daughter) and Blue (Little Red Ridinghood’s sister) are perfect friends for Crisanta. SJ is the perfect princess and quite the potion creator. Blue is fierce and strong and makes the perfect fighting partner for Crisanta.

This is a slow-burn type of story. It’s perfect for someone that wants to get lost in the world and kind of feel like they have gained a new best friend. There’s not a lot of action in the early chapters, it’s about understanding who Crisanta is and how her world is built. The story picks up a lot in the last 25% of the book in terms of action, but I enjoyed all the details and learning about how the characters interact throughout the early part of the story.

Overall, I really enjoyed Protagonist Bound! I fell in love with each of the characters, and with the world. My only complaint was that at times, I felt Crisanta went a little too far into the weeds as she described something or had a side-thought about something. Descriptions got a little long, and I wanted to get back to what was happening in the story. Other than that, this was a fabulous book, and I cannot wait to read the second one!

Content Warnings:

None! This book is fabulously clean.

To Read or Not To Read:

I would recommend Protagonist Bound for readers of all ages that enjoy a fairytale setting with strong characters and a ton of details to make you immerse yourself in the story.

Where to Find This Book:

Protagonist Bound by Geanna Culbertson is available at these sites.

Bookshop.org | Amazon Kindle | Amazon | Goodreads

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I was going to be a great protagonist. At least that’s what my mom, Cinderella, kept telling me.

I, however, had my doubts. Unlike most main characters at Lady Agnue’s School for Princesses & Other Female Protagonists, I was opinionated, bold, and headstrong. Moreover, for a princess, I had a lot of issues. I’m talking vicious nightmares about people I’ve never met, a total stalker prince, and a Fairy Godmother for an enemy.

But I digress. Because here’s the thing about living in an enchanted realm of fairytale characters, crazy junk you never planned on happens all the time. One minute you could be practicing fainting exercises in Damsels in Distress class, sword fighting in a field, or flying on a Pegasus, and the next, BAM! Your book has begun and you’re saddled with a prophecy that changes everything.

I still don’t know if I will be a great protagonist one day. But I know one thing about my fate, for certain. Despite what The Author and the antagonists have in store for me, whatever it costs. . .I’ll be the one taking charge of my own story.

Just the Facts:

Protagonist Bound by Geanna Culbertson
Genre: Young Adult / Fantasy
Page Count: 434 pages
Publisher: BQB Publishing
Pub Date: May 10, 2016