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Prince of Chandeliers
Wisteria never forgets.
When Princess Linetta finds herself in the silver woods with no memory of the past four years, she comes upon an enchanted castle that appears to be composed entirely of chandeliers. Soon a captive within its walls, she is quickly swept into a world of riddles and magical fountains. As she begins to unravel the secrets of its mysterious owner and befriends the eccentric shapeshifting court jester, the truth behind her own history yet seems far from reach. When a malevolent force shifts the landscape that she has grown to know, will she find the courage to defend all she holds dear and preserve the forgotten riddle nearly lost to Time itself?
Set in a world reminiscent of “The Twelve Dancing Princesses,” Prince of Chandeliers is a story loosely inspired by Beauty and the Beast and “East of the Sun and West of the Moon,” yet sprinkled with a dash of “Snow White” in a medley of other familiar stories, all the while spinning a new fairy tale of its very own.
When Princess Linetta finds herself in the silver woods with no memory of the past four years, she comes upon an enchanted castle that appears to be composed entirely of chandeliers. Soon a captive within its walls, she is quickly swept into a world of riddles and magical fountains. As she begins to unravel the secrets of its mysterious owner and befriends the eccentric shapeshifting court jester, the truth behind her own history yet seems far from reach. When a malevolent force shifts the landscape that she has grown to know, will she find the courage to defend all she holds dear and preserve the forgotten riddle nearly lost to Time itself?
Set in a world reminiscent of “The Twelve Dancing Princesses,” Prince of Chandeliers is a story loosely inspired by Beauty and the Beast and “East of the Sun and West of the Moon,” yet sprinkled with a dash of “Snow White” in a medley of other familiar stories, all the while spinning a new fairy tale of its very own.
- GenresFantasy
483 pages, Paperback
Published November 5, 2025
5 people are currently reading
35 people want to read
About the author
Gina Marinello-Sweeney
4 books85 followersGina Marinello-Sweeney is the author of Prince of Chandeliers, a fairy-tale novel, and The Veritas Chronicles, a contemporary YA trilogy. Both story worlds are filled with eccentric and wonderstruck characters, and her writing has been compared to that of L.M. Montgomery. I Thirst, the first book in The Veritas Chronicles, received the 2013 YATR Literary Award for Best Prologue from Young Adult Teen Readers.
Gina delights in the poetic riddles of the sea, whimsical butterflies that seem as if they are from another realm, and enchanting rose arches that resemble portals to faerieland. She has been writing ever since she was a little girl and turned her bedroom into a “library,” complete with due date slips and a check-out stamp. Gina lives in Southern California with her husband, where she is at work on a companion novel to Prince of Chandeliers, as well as a short story collection.
Gina delights in the poetic riddles of the sea, whimsical butterflies that seem as if they are from another realm, and enchanting rose arches that resemble portals to faerieland. She has been writing ever since she was a little girl and turned her bedroom into a “library,” complete with due date slips and a check-out stamp. Gina lives in Southern California with her husband, where she is at work on a companion novel to Prince of Chandeliers, as well as a short story collection.
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Displaying 1 - 5 of 5 reviews
January 25, 2026
The magical, dreamlike worldbuilding and the blend of fairytale elements pulled me into the story.
November 16, 2025
The book is a dreamlike magical experience with Marinello-Sweeney's characteristic depth of feeling. Add a few colorful, adorable characters into the mix and a classic confrontation of good versus evil. I’ve spent my whole life daydreaming of different fantasy worlds, yet somehow the world of Prince of Chandeliers gave me dreams I’ve never dreamed before.
November 18, 2025
I highly recommend this new book to all. The author is a brilliant, exceptional talent who will delight you with her creative storytelling. Prince of Chandeliers is a brilliantly imaginative tome. Even if you're not a fan of faerie-tales, you'll still love this expressive, splendid work of art. If you love reading faerie-tales, this is the book you've always been waiting for. "Prince of Chandeliers" is most definitely a five-star novel!
December 8, 2025
A Love Letter to Fairy Tales
Prince of Chandeliers is a book that pays a beautiful homage to the fairy tale genre. With whimsical prose reminiscent of L. M. Montgomery's style, the author weaves a new story in a fantastical world where familiar fairy tales are part of its lore, and fragments of these stories still echo through time.
Although Prince of Chandeliers is not a specific retelling, there are two tales that have great influence on its narrative: Beauty and the Beast and East of the Sun, West of the Moon. Princess Linetta finds herself imprisoned in an enchanted castle that it is inhabited by a cursed prince; this sounds similar to the story of Beauty and the Beast, and the reader might assume that Prince of Chandeliers is a love story, which would be a big mistake. Prince of Chandeliers is more than that; it's a story about the Beauty, Light, and Truth that can be found in fairy tales.
The story is told from the point of view of Linetta, a gentle princess rarely found in books these days, who must not only find a way out of the castle of chandeliers, but also discover what happened to her in the last four years, as she inexplicably lost her memory of that period. Linetta is a lovely, kind, and considerate person, strong yet delicate and sweet. However, she is not a Mary Sue; she has flaws: she overthinks a lot, gets lost in her imagination, and is insecure about others and herself, but it is precisely these characteristics that make her relatable. During her stay at the castle, Linetta interacts with two other characters: the Prince of Chandeliers and the court jester, Cornelius.
Prince Daethys is a gifted mathematician and musician, tormented not only by his curse but also by scars from the past. Daethys is an enigmatic character, and I was excited to learn more about him along with Linetta, but I confess that at first I was a little disappointed, as Daethys sometimes seemed to be on the sidelines of his own story. Fortunately, he gradually gained more prominence in the narrative, and his love for Linetta developed appropriately; Daethys is a prince in every sense of the word, and he and Linetta were truly made for each other.
Cornelius, the court jester, is actually the heart of the story. At first, he seemed to be simply a comical sidekick who befuddled Linetta, but helped her along the way, as well as being a trusted advisor and friend of the prince. But throughout the story, the role he plays changes, transforming him from a comic figure into a tragic one. Cornelius is such a complex and well-developed character that he almost overshadows the prince of chandeliers; his ending completely surprised and shocked me, as I wasn't expecting that revelation, but now that I've reread some passages, it seems so obvious that I don't know how that notion didn't occur to me before.
Prince of Chandeliers is, in fact, as the author herself stated, a love letter to fairy tales, and upon finishing the book, I was left with a bittersweet feeling and a desire to revisit soon this magical world.
Prince of Chandeliers is a book that pays a beautiful homage to the fairy tale genre. With whimsical prose reminiscent of L. M. Montgomery's style, the author weaves a new story in a fantastical world where familiar fairy tales are part of its lore, and fragments of these stories still echo through time.
Although Prince of Chandeliers is not a specific retelling, there are two tales that have great influence on its narrative: Beauty and the Beast and East of the Sun, West of the Moon. Princess Linetta finds herself imprisoned in an enchanted castle that it is inhabited by a cursed prince; this sounds similar to the story of Beauty and the Beast, and the reader might assume that Prince of Chandeliers is a love story, which would be a big mistake. Prince of Chandeliers is more than that; it's a story about the Beauty, Light, and Truth that can be found in fairy tales.
The story is told from the point of view of Linetta, a gentle princess rarely found in books these days, who must not only find a way out of the castle of chandeliers, but also discover what happened to her in the last four years, as she inexplicably lost her memory of that period. Linetta is a lovely, kind, and considerate person, strong yet delicate and sweet. However, she is not a Mary Sue; she has flaws: she overthinks a lot, gets lost in her imagination, and is insecure about others and herself, but it is precisely these characteristics that make her relatable. During her stay at the castle, Linetta interacts with two other characters: the Prince of Chandeliers and the court jester, Cornelius.
Prince Daethys is a gifted mathematician and musician, tormented not only by his curse but also by scars from the past. Daethys is an enigmatic character, and I was excited to learn more about him along with Linetta, but I confess that at first I was a little disappointed, as Daethys sometimes seemed to be on the sidelines of his own story. Fortunately, he gradually gained more prominence in the narrative, and his love for Linetta developed appropriately; Daethys is a prince in every sense of the word, and he and Linetta were truly made for each other.
Cornelius, the court jester, is actually the heart of the story. At first, he seemed to be simply a comical sidekick who befuddled Linetta, but helped her along the way, as well as being a trusted advisor and friend of the prince. But throughout the story, the role he plays changes, transforming him from a comic figure into a tragic one. Cornelius is such a complex and well-developed character that he almost overshadows the prince of chandeliers; his ending completely surprised and shocked me, as I wasn't expecting that revelation, but now that I've reread some passages, it seems so obvious that I don't know how that notion didn't occur to me before.
Prince of Chandeliers is, in fact, as the author herself stated, a love letter to fairy tales, and upon finishing the book, I was left with a bittersweet feeling and a desire to revisit soon this magical world.
November 9, 2025
This amazing book felt like walking in a dream world as I read! The whole story was clean and uplifting , had an amazing growth arc for the characters, and there were even some quests that came about in several ways that helped integrate some of the multitude of fairytales that were included in this retelling (mostly of Beauty and the Beast, but also including East of the Sun, West of the Moon, The Snow Queen, Sleeping Beauty, and Snow White among others)! My favorite part was the use of language to paint the beautiful world within and the feelings that were drawn from the words! Such artistry!
Displaying 1 - 5 of 5 reviews