The Piper’s Promise (Sisters Ever After #3) by Leah Cypess #bookreview #middlegrade #fantasy #fairytale #retelling

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Title: The Piper’s Promise

Author: Leah Cypess

Publisher: Delacorte Press

Publication Date: April 18, 2023

Page Count:  296

My rating: 4 stars

About the book:

The Pied Piper’s little sister is determined to rat out the truth behind her brother’s bad behavior—and save the children of Hamelin! The third book in the Sisters Ever After series, perfect for anyone who loves fairy tale retellings about sisters and magic!

Clare’s brother, Tom, also known as the pied piper, has stolen away the children of Hamelin. But Clare knows that’s only half the story. Tom isn’t the easiest person to love, but she’s certain that he couldn’t be so cruel. There has to be a good reason why he stole the Fae Queen’s magic pipe and led the children to a faraway land, never to be seen again.

Together with Anna, the mayor of Hamelin’s daughter, Clare embarks on a journey into the Faerie Realms. In order to succeed, she will have to dodge faerie traps and stay out of the evil Rat Prince’s claws. Only she can save the children of Hamelin and clear her brother’s name.

But who will she have to betray to do it?

The Piper’s Promise by Leah Cypess is the third book in the middle grade fantasy Sisters Ever After series. The books in the Sisters Ever After series are all retellings of fairy tales with each book bringing a new story done in a new and creative way of being told from a sibling of someone in the original tales. Each of these books can be read in any order or as a standalone if choosing to do so.

This third book of the series is a retelling of the Pied Piper fairy tale with this new story being told from the Pied Piper’s little sister, Clare. Clare is determined to figure out just what is going on in the small town of Hamelin when she finds out that her brother has been accused of stealing the town’s children away. Clare knows this isn’t the actions of the brother she knows, the one that protects her over anything else.

Clare learns that her brother used the Fae Queen’s magic pipe to lure Hamelin’s children away so that is where she must begin investigating. With the help of Anna, the mayor of Hamelin’s daughter, Clare ventures into the Faerie Realms and follows what she believes is the path that will lead to her brother and the missing children.

I’ve said it before but I’ll say it again, yes I know I’m a little (a lot) older than who is meant to be reading middle grade novels. Heck, I was probably too old for them by the time I did hit middle grade all those decades ago. But that being said I just love a good story and don’t really care if it is marketed for me or not so being a fan of fairy tales I was curious when I first noticed the series and dove right in. So far I have thoroughly enjoyed each tale and The Piper’s Promise was no exception. I definitely recommend picking up this book along with the other’s in the Sister’s Ever After series if you enjoy and exciting new twist on the old classics.

I received an advance copy from the publisher via NetGalley.

Find this book online:

Goodreads  /  Amazon

About the author:

Leah Cypess wrote her first story in first grade. The narrator was an ice-cream cone in the process of being eaten. In fourth grade, she wrote her first book, about a girl who was shipwrecked on a desert island with her faithful and heroic dog (a rip-off of both The Black Stallion and all the Lassie movies).

After selling her first story while in high school, she gave in to her mother’s importuning to be practical and majored in biology at Brooklyn College. She then went to Columbia Law School and practiced law for almost two years. She kept writing and submitting in her spare time, and finally, a mere 15 years after her first short story acceptance, she sold her first novel.

Leah currently lives in the Washington, D.C. area with her husband and children.