Arianna and the Maze of Monsters

by Alesha Adamson

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Kidnapped!

She is the bait. He is her captor. A monster awaits in a labyrinth of lies. Can she navigate the truth before losing her heart?

When Princess Arianna discovers a plot against Kelkona, she knows she’s in trouble. She rushes to find help—only to get kidnapped. Unfortunately, her knife-throwing skills can’t thwart the nefarious scheme, nor does it stop Silas, the handsome, stoic fae, from binding her to him. Now she is being dragged through the forest on an adventure she didn’t ask for, stuck with a captor who has secrets of his own.

Their time in the forest only heightens her curiosity about Silas, who she wants to believe is more than the villain he seems. And yet he offers no escape, taking her to the very monster who threatens the kingdom—to use her as bait. The monster will stop at nothing, cursing her to remain forever within the maze. Only a true king can save her, but where will she find such a man?

Will she ever escape this monstrous maze and warn her family, or will she fall for the one person whose loyalties she can’t decipher—is he her silent protector or a monster as dangerous as the one prowling the maze? She must untangle the lies before she becomes lost in more ways than one.

Get lost with Arianna in this sweet and swoony reverse “Princess and the Pea” retelling intertwined with the Greek myth of “Ariadne and the Labyrinth.”

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Book Details

Genre

Fantasy/Science Fiction Romance

Subgenre

Action/Adventure, Fae / Elf, Fairytale, Mythology-Based (Greek, Norse, Celtic, etc.), Royal

Series

Ever After in Vilastroia: Magic • Book 3

Audience

New Adult

Bell Peppers

🫑🫑

Profanity

1 None

Violence

3 Moderate

Drugs, Alcohol, Tobacco

1 None

Publication Date

April 24, 2024

Language Versions

English

Fiction Form

Novel

Sensitive Themes

Abortion, Child abuse/endangerment, Kidnapping or abduction, Murder or attempted murder, Non-consensual touching or coercion (off-page), PTSD or trauma recovery, War or battle scenes

Representation

Depictions of prayer/worship/scripture

Editorial Reviews

Reader Advisory from the Editor:

Are you looking for a light, easy to read, romp-through-the-woods of a romance, where hilarity ensues, love conquers all and nothing really happens? If so, this is not the book you are looking for.

While reading this romp-through-the-woods romance, you will laugh, definitely. You will probably also cry. You will also likely want to throw the book across the room at some point.

But! This story—this story needs to be told. Things really happen in this story—and the things that happen validate the lived experience of millions of real people.

As you read it, know that good will win—love will conquer all in the end.

Oh, and look for a soft surface when you throw it.

For those who need a specific content advisory:

This book contains scenes that portray kidnapping, being coerced to do things at knife point and with magic, child abuse in the form of being locked in a confined, dark space, PTSD/panic attacks due to childhood trauma, sexual assault in the form of forced kissing and non-consensual physical contact, and forced abortion by being made to drink a potion.

This book is a clean romance and does not contain any graphic violent or sexual content.

Editor's age recommendation for this book is 13+

Meh

Not a bad book, per se…just a bit too long & drawn out for my taste.Good plot but quite badly written, unlike the first book.

Arianna and the Maze of Monsters

Reader’s Notes:– this is part of a series, but can be read as a stand-alone– this is mainly told from Aria’s (Princess Arianna) point of view with some parts told from a few other characters’ points of view– there is a kidnapping– a character forces unwanted kisses & attention/touching on another– it is mentioned that a character had a traumatic experience in their youth after having been placed in a confined space & they still don’t react well to being in small spaces– a character plans to force an abortion on another character (using a poison)Review:I’ve only gotten the chance to read The Dark King and the Eternal Dance & this one, but I am so excited to get to the rest of Alesha’s books! I love how she mixes stories from mythology & fairy tales to make entirely new stories in her own magical world!For this book specifically, I loved getting to know Aria (who is one of the triplets if you’ve read any of her other books)! She was interesting and not a typical princess with her hobby of knife throwing. I loved that she wanted to protect her family, even if it meant that she’d be the one in danger. I also really liked trying to figure out what Silas’s motivations were with the different reasons he gave Aria along their journey. He seemed so sweet and caring at times despite their situation and things just never seemed to quite add up until it was revealed to the reader. I also really enjoyed seeing the different parts of the Princess and the Pea tale as well as the Ariadne and the Labyrinth tale! I’d only heard of a reverse tale once before, but I think it might refer to the storyline & character roles being reversed from what is known and it was super fun to have that twist mixed into things!Summary:*though this book does have more than one point of view, the summary below will not include any but Aria’s as it would reveal spoilers*When Princess Arianna overhears a plot against her sister’s kingdom, she is quick to act. But because of her actions, Aria ends up captured. She may have knife throwing skills, but with a binding tying her to her captor & a mysterious monster to come at the end of their journey, things look dire. It certainly doesn’t help that Aria’s captor, Silas, is an enigma who seems to be at war with himself over what he is doing, but is also determined to bring her to the monster.Not to mention that when Aria is cursed to be used as bait for the real prize, Silas becomes her bodyguard against the monsters of the maze. Why does he care so much for her wellbeing when he’s the one who brought her there? Can Aria put her trust in him, or will he be the downfall of her own mission?

What an adventure!

This is definitely not for the weak of heart! 😂 The questions and stress of the whole situation get ya, lol. Arianna gets kidnapped and handed over to Silas who takes her to the maze. He is SO tight lipped it drove me bonkers! Oh my goodness it gets really intense. There’s some good humor and sweet romance. I was afraid it was getting a little Stockholm syndrome-y. But, you get to really know Silas and his character and it doesn’t feel that way after a certain point.
Some important things to know, there is some unwanted touching by villain (i.e. grabbing her waist and pulling her to him, kissing her hand, etc.). There is one forced kiss, because of which I’d say it’s good for ages 18+.

💕Knife throwing FMC
💕Nature Druid MMC
💕Banter
💕Forced Proximity
💕Mystery
💕See characters from other books
💕HEA

Love a HEA

Aria is a fiesty heroin that grows more confident, despite her situation. There is more to Silas than meets the eye. What is he hiding and why? Things get really exasperating for Aria and Silas near the end. Loved the solution.

most unique reverse princess and the pea retelling i have read yet!

While it has been a few years since i read the book that introduces us to this family, it was so fun to pick up with another sister's story and read this compellingly told story of the labyrinth that entwined with a reverse princess and the pea. A few parts of the story confused me, but in the end it all came together. Excited to read more of these sisters stories in the books ahead!