SOLVED. epic fantasy/princess on a ship/homeland ruined/returns to reclaim throne/male love interest dies at end/dog on ship [s]

[Kimberley]

I read this book when I was 11, so probably some time in 2006. It is epic fantasy and a stand alone novel if I remember correctly, but it definitely was not a children's book. The main character is a young girl (a princess I believe) and she somehow ends up leaving her home town on a ship; I think she sneaks on. Anyways while she's away her home city is decimated and she ends up having to stay aboard the ship with a crew that includes her love interest and a saint bernard/big-ass dog. I keep thinking the title has something to do with a rose but I could be wrong. I do know that at one point she is kidnapped and forced into some sort of slavery but she escapes. The male love interest dies in the end and she returns home to rebuild the city and reclaim her throne. I know for a fact the ending paragraph is the opening paragraph, meaning the author intended for the book to be 'written' by the main character. I think the cover had a ship on it but I'm not too sure.

I've been looking for this book forever and I'd be super grateful if someone knew what it is!

[Samantha The Escapist]

La Princetta

http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/16...

In english it's called The Princess and the Captain.


Though I forget the dog, this sounds exactly like the book. The slavery, was it a sort of harem? And do you remember an odd area of the ocean where they encountered some strange dream-like monsters? (Seagulls with human faces all lined up to receive them might spark your memory) "The Archipelago" is what they called the area.

[Samantha The Escapist]

PS if I'm right, I hope this goes down in history as the fastest answer anyone has received in this group. I hope I get a gold star :)

[Kimberley]

That's it!!! I've literally been looking for this book for years! THANK YOU SO SO MUCH! This is the first book I ever read of my own free will so you can imagine how badly I want to read it again :P This is wonderful!

[Lee Anne]

Dang it! I recognized this from the description too. Great job Samantha!

[Samantha The Escapist]

Awesome! Glad to help, it's a nice read actually. Depressed me a bit, but I might give it another read soon too actually.