Rizkaland Readalong: Water Princess, Fire Prince - Part 1: The Water

Welcome, one and all, and I'm so glad to have you join us for this adventure through Rizkaland. 

First off, if you don't have the book already, Water Princess, Fire Prince is free TODAY ONLY so you have a chance to pick it up and jump right in.  

Water Princess, Fire Prince started with a crazy random idea I had one evening when I was stepping into my shower, utterly done with my life, and wondered if I closed my eyes long enough, could I maybe open them again to find that I'd transported myself underneath a waterfall in another world where I could be a Waterfall Princess and my life would be so much better.

That never happened, but the idea stayed with me, growing and evolving. The shower turned into a water curtain thing that we have at our local swimming pool, then a water slide in Hawaii, and then it went back to the swimming pool, but this time it involved the diving board. The Waterfall Princess became the Water Princess, and she gained ... a personality. 

I will say, one of the biggest surprises about WPFP's reception by readers is how universally disliked that personality is? I mean, she is pretty opinionated, and she gets pretty prickly in her powerlessness, but it all made sense to me?

Now, it's been about two years since I read the book straight through (not since my overhaul in 2018), so how has the book held up? Let's get into it.

Ze Summary

Why am I trying to be French??? I don't know. Let's keep moving. 

TLDR: 
Clara, the daughter of a martial arts instructor and a fencing instructor, falls into another world while diving and is declared the Water Princess. Supposedly, she's supposed to fight a Lady Dragon, but she doesn't trust these people and thus decides to not tell them that she's a tae quon do blackbelt, pretty good with a sword, and not half-bad with a bow. Meanwhile, she befriends her handmaid, Jasmine, a seamstress, Jill Anna, and the Lord's son, Lor'Son Jakob. Slowly, she falls in love with this world, but now she's feeling trapped in her lie and doesn't know how to come clean about the fact that she's actually a decent fighter. Jakob has found out, though, and takes her to visit his sister, who the Lady Dragon had turned into an ice statue. While there, they're attacked by the Lady Dragon's minions, and she's spurred into action. Now that the cat's out of the bag, all that's left is to wait for spring so they can travel Down to meet with the Fire Prince!

*Down being the Rizkan equivalent of South.

Other things of note:

Clara has two friends in our world, and one of them, Kath, has it in her head that Clara likes redheads, and she specifically points out Rhoda's redheaded cousin. (Rhoda being the other friend.) As a result, Clara is determined to not like redheads. I'm sure this won't be at all relevant.

There is a prophecy that says that she's supposed to marry the Fire Prince. She is not keen on this idea.

Jasmine and Jill Anna are sisters, but for some reason, I decided to hold that back until halfway through? I really don't know why I did this, but Jasmine didn't feel the need to tell us about their relationship!

Jill Anna apparently likes a nobleman, but won't tell us who it is.

Clara gets a pretty sweet sword from an elf.

She also has a chat with a woman who may or may not be Amber. 

TBH, I think, reading back, the problem with readers connecting with Clara is that the first couple chapters are kinda rushed? I was trying to cram a lot in. 

Favorite scenes/other stuff in this part:

All of the scenes where Clara quotes, and especially when she uses them to deflect comments.

Whatever anyone might say, I loved writing the chapter where they tried to teach her swordplay, martial arts, and archery, and she just would have nothing of it, and it's one of my favorites to read. Like, she's not malicious about it. She's just spent her whole life boxed in, trying to live up to expectations, and suddenly, she threw a switch in her head and said "Nope, not going to do that. I do not need to be what these people expect of me!" and she just had fun. 

The room of stuff was fun, but - confession here - I didn't originally plot the book with the room of stuff in mind, and so I wound up introducing a lot of stuff there that didn't get a payoff. But Fairly Fun Short Stories was a fun nod to a certain other book of mine. Does this confirm connection to Bookania? I mean, most of my stuff is connected on some level...

Clara gradually growing more and more protective of Jasmine. She definitely adopted the girl as the younger sister she never had and was more than willing to take Jill Anna as the packaged set. 

The fight with the Eir is one of my favorite battles I've written. 

Favorite Quotes:

Oh, please. “Do you really expect me, a young girl, to know how to use a weapon?” she asked. “Besides, where I come from, we barely even use those sorts of weapons anymore.” She paused a moment, then added, “I can throw my shoe at mouse kings, but that’s probably about it.”

“Unfortunately, our problem is a bit bigger than a mouse king,” said Lord Erik, sounding a trifle confused as he narrowed his eyes.

“Really? Because mouse kings can be huge problems, eating all of the sweets and chewing holes in dresses,” said Clara in her best shocked voice, layering in plenty of concern. “What could be worse than that?”

“Oh, Water Princess!” cried Jasmine, as soon as everyone else had left the room. “Are you all right?”

Clara sat up, dropping the pathetic damsel act all at once. “I think so,” she assured the girl. “I only cut myself just hard enough to draw blood. It’ll heal soon.”

“Oh.” The girl looked thoughtful for a moment. “Did it hurt, Water Princess?” she asked. “It must have since you fainted.”

“No worse than cutting one’s finger usually is,” Clara stared at her finger a moment, and then shrugged. “I’m not sure why I fainted. I never have before. Then again, I’ve never cut my finger as a princess before. That might change things.”

“Does it?” asked Jasmine.

“Of course,” Clara answered.

The girl set the box on the table. “But do hurry. Dinner will be starting soon, and if we don’t hurry, all the mistletoe muffins will be gone.”

Clara glanced up from the jewels. “The what? Isn’t mistletoe, like, poisonous?”

“Oh, of course,” the girl admitted. “But not if they’re specially prepared – and don’t ask me how, because that’s something kitchen girls learn, and I’m a lady’s maid.” She was clearly quite proud of her position.

“You learn how to do hair instead?” Clara asked. 

“Time to start believing impossible things. I’ve a ways to go if I’m to catch up to six.”

An uncomfortable scratch rose in the back of her throat, and she felt the unmistakable prick of tears. Swallowing and taking several deep breaths, she squeezed her eyes shut.

“Get ahold of yourself, Clair!” she scolded herself. “Winners don’t cry. Olympic champions don’t cry. A true master is in control of her emotions at all times.”

She lay there, repeating those words for several minutes, and then sat up.

“I’ve got to get back home.”

Behind the Scenes and Other Thoughts

I wrote Clara to be the opposite of what people expect of Water, and yet still personify it. When she likes her path, she goes with the flow, but when something is against her/flares her temper, she's a rushing typhoon that will crash through all boundaries. 

Her becoming a quarter Chinese was a convoluted series of events, plotting wise, that no longer even make sense due to other things that changed in the plotting. But I can't imagine her any other way. 

The term Li'Daughter happened because I forgot how you spell Lady when I was writing my name on a cup for a party. (Because I can never write just my name on a cup). And I didn't like the look of La'Daughter, so I stuck with it. 

The one thing I would change if I could go back and completely rewrite this book is to make it clearer the loyalty that Clara has to the people she cares about and the drive she has to meet their expectations. Because, tbh, that's what drives most of her conflict in this book. 

On the flipside of that, she takes it very hard when her trust is betrayed, which ... will be coming into play. 

Discussion Questions:

(Every question you answer in the comments below is an entry to win one of the Rizkaland Legends in paperback, or all four - for a total of five winners. Giveaway is U.S. only.)

1. How would you personify water?

2. What was your favorite thing that Clara found in the Room of Stuff?

3. What's the weirdest thought you ever had in the shower? (Keep it clean!)

4. How would you react to being torn from your life and being tossed into another world?

5. Any favorite quotes?