I Want to Escape from Princess Lessons, Vol. 1

妃教育から逃げたい私 [Hikyōiku Kara Nigetai Watashi] #1

by Izumi Sawano, Miru Yumesaki (Illustrator), Camilla L. (Translator)

Duchess Leticia Dorman has been betrothed to Crown Prince Clarke since age seven. She was once a rambunctious and free-spirited child, but the strict education she’s receiving to make her a fit future princess has really put a cramp in her lifestyle. Her only hope is that the prince might someday take an interest in someone else—so when Clarke shows up to a royal ball with an unknown woman at his side, Lettie is overcome with delight, presuming her dream has come true and her engagement has been broken off! She wastes no time retreating to an easygoing countryside life, but her newfound peace is cut short when the prince shows up and claims she’s still his fiancée! Clarke is determined to win Lettie over and marry her, while Lettie is determined to resist his charms and escape! Who will emerge victorious in this heart-pounding battle of wills?

Genres: Light Novel

197 pages, Kindle Edition

Published September 20, 2023

Reviews

[Hot Mess Sommelière ~ Caro]

When the joke is "rape :DDDDDD"

[Clinton Walsh · Rating 2 out of 5]

Physically forcing someone (kidnapping) by a prince doesn’t make it right

Spoilers.

I was sickened by the how this entire premise was set up. Girl is essentially tortured for ten years per her own words, forced into a marriage by a conceited prince who never once thinks that maybe I should ask the girl I insist on marrying whether she’s happy. Maybe take the time to get to know her. No, instead I’m going to trick her into thinking she’s free (the one things she has dreamed of for those ten years) and then tear that dream apart not 24 hours after starting her free life. Literally, carrying her kicking and screaming into a locked carriage. Where she suddenly calms down, doesn’t resent him, and upon actually looking at him falls in love with him? Oh, and brother is sadist who actively conspired against sister in order to ingratiate himself to the next king. Actually smiling at her despair.

The protagonist is unrealistic at all of the key junctures in this story. There were tons of better tools that the author could have used to bring the protagonist back to the palace, to acquaint the prince and protagonist, etc. Unbelievable amounts of hand-waving, railroading, and “it happens this way because I as author-god says it happens this way”. Prince claims to love her and proceeds to trample over her happiness without a thought. That’s not love. He is more possessive than loving. Gah, rant over. Btw I couldn’t finish the book. The story structure was so unrealistic that I wouldn’t be surprised to find that this author is a teen. My gripes are not with the translation (which was fine up to the point I ceased reading).

[Stas · Rating 1 out of 5]

DNF

Am filled with SEETHING RAGE.
WTF?!?

HARD PASS.

[ReadToBreathe · Rating 3 out of 5]

On the surface level, this book is hilarious and fun, but on the deeper level, it's problematic in every way you can imagine. Not a single character was likeable. The brother is a total trash, the FL doesn't know how to stand for herself, her father is useless, and the prince is a narcissist who doesn't understand the word no.

[Stardust92 · Rating 2 out of 5]

Almost every character is annoying but Lettie takes it to a whole new level

[Mariána K · Rating 1 out of 5]

Boring and creepy...

Putting aside the flat and unlikeable characters, what will constantly rub you wrong is the constant and blatant lack of consent. The way the main character is treated by every other character is with a complete disregard to her wishes. This lack of regard is so extreme that it comes off as very rapey. Additionally, the complete lack of proper courtship makes her softening resolve feel more like Stockholm syndrome.

This book is very short and consists of endless boring situational shenanigans that do not have any consequences.

It isn't until you finish reading the book and are delving into the bonus chapters that you actually get a glimmer of non-creepy behavior or perspective. There's a single chapter at the end that is from the prince's perspective. It is in this chapter that you find out that the prince is actually sincere in his love for the girl but he is manipulated through bad advice given to him by the girl's brother to conduct all the shenanigans that you have just witnessed from the other perspective. At this point you come to realize that the real creeper is her brother and that the prince is just stupid. The only way he is redeemed is through his stupidity and taking advice leading to terrible actions and behavior.

If that weren't enough let's talk about selfishness. The prince is so selfish that he doesn't care that he's making his love interest completely miserable and unhappy. He doesn't care, as long as he gets to be with her. As for the girl, her only objection is that she doesn't want to go to school. The irony is she's already done going to school. At the very beginning of the book it is very clearly stated that she's done with her princess lessons. So her throwing an entire fit about not wanting to take princess lessons is completely pointless because she's already done with it.

The whole thing is exasperating. It's a mixmash of really bad communication combined with a whole bunch of laziness and stupidity. The shenanigans that are supposed to make you laugh out loud are boring and tripe. There wasn't a single thing redeeming about this story, I really want those hours of my life back... And the money too please.

Save yourself the travel and do not read this one. Apparently there's an anime you can watch instead...
(￢_￢;)

[Mariela · Rating 1 out of 5]

I wish I could write something positive especially after I read the author's note saying it was their first book. *Sigh* It started out promising. I thought this was gonna be the book where the girl ditches the obsessed narcissist and lives a happy life but no. It doubles down on it. Everything that the prince did would have put him in jail if he wasn't a Prince! Kidnapping, assault...she writes a scene that is supposed to be played as cute but she did not give consent and even fainted from the emotional overload of his unwanted touching!!! For crying out loud! Not to mention the 10 years of abuse his parents inflicted on her prior to the start of the book! The prince's apology for the ten years of abuse aka Princess lessons is half assed at best. His parents, the chief abusers never apologize. All they do is laugh at her real concerns and make the bars on her window tougher to break. This book was nightmare fuel! And she plays it for laughs! This is insanity! This is not cute or funny. The explanation that she was the one who wanted to marry him comes way too late in the story and it doesn't even help because she was like 7 years old when she said she wanted to marry him! And her brother should go to jail! He's a creep and a narcissist! He basically sold his sister! Wtf with this book!
I read the whole thing cuz I was hoping she could swing an escape at the end that was permanent but no dice. She is well and truly trapped. That poor girl.
I gave it one star so I could post the review. Translator is good at their job and the author is good at putting a story together. If the aim was to terrify and make the readers cry for this poor girl then mission accomplished!

[Katharine · Rating 2 out of 5]

Chapter 1 - 10

I just can't continue this series. It's clearly meant to be a romantic comedy, but it's just horrific. The female lead tries everything she can to escape from the Prince but is constantly caught and is literally dragged back at times. It's shown multiple times that during her "princess lessons" she was abused by her instructors. She has been forced into the role of becoming queen since she was seven years old, and suffered ten years worth of abuse and confinement. This is all brushed off because "The Prince wuvs her soooo much". Yikes. I'm dropping it and adding it to my DNF since the plot is going nowhere and the characters are both empty and annoying. The only reason it gets two stars is because the art is pretty. The best thing about this series is the art quality.

[Ghadeer · Rating 4 out of 5]

fun and cute

[Mya · Rating 1 out of 5]

Why the hell did they animate this? The pictures in my head were bad enough.

[Uka · Rating 2 out of 5]

The princess lessons are like 5% of the book and it’s more “I want to escape from captivity arranged by everyone trying to gaslight me” ??

[阿近 · Rating 1 out of 5]

　　結束漫長艱苦的《遺恨》後，我讀一點輕鬆甜美的戀愛故事，於是拿起覺得「封面畫得很漂亮」就腦波很弱地買回家的《我想蹺掉太子妃培訓 》第一集，然而閱讀過程深深地體悟到這是個錯誤的決定。本來我預期想讀到少糖至全糖等級的戀愛故事，沒想到本傳只讓我讀得怒從心起。比起王太子克拉克的十年深情沒被看見，我先感覺到的是女主角蕾蒂希亞的意志十年來都不被未婚夫尊重，始終想要盧到蕾蒂希亞發自真心同意婚事為止，但一直不能如己所願，就配合大舅子的計策採取綁架監禁這種過激手段，展開故事開端。

　　看到本傳一再反覆蕾蒂希亞逃跑，就立刻被克拉克發現抓回來，只是進一步加深我對克拉克的厭惡，這位王太子男主角簡直就是陰魂不散的跟蹤狂。對我來說，這件婚事在蕾蒂希亞說「不」的時候，一切鬧劇就該停止了。而不是一直安排克拉克對蕾蒂希亞死纏爛打，即使作者後來將這樁監禁鬧劇的責任推派給男二蕾蒂希亞的哥哥，王太子這種追求方式也無法讓我感受到他的魅力，無論是人格魅力或作為伴侶的魅力。

　　更令我火大的是，蕾蒂希亞一方面努力堅定自己的初衷，卻老是看到王太子的美貌就被迷得暈頭轉向，無法神智清醒堅持拒絕，感覺把女主角編得像是傻瓜一樣。其他人也沒多正常，配角組的鄰國小王子想要獲得心上人的愛，竟然也是想要綁架對方，搞什麼鬼啊？你們這群人不綁架別人就無法跟人建立正常的情感關係嗎？

　　雖然蕾蒂希亞最終確實被盧到同意婚事，也逐漸真心喜歡上王太子，稱得上是可喜可賀的快樂結局（？）但我依舊耿耿於懷。我相信如果不是處在「女人一定要結婚」的類中世紀時代背景，蕾蒂希亞生活規劃的第一順位肯定仍是選擇單身、自由自在地快樂生活。只是她沒能投胎在那樣的時代，不得不退而求其次選擇和王太子結婚來保障自己的生活，接受王太子打造出的城堡庭園來聊以慰藉，勉為其難地藉由這些事物來取代真正嚮往渴求的生活。