Do you remember “Groundhog Day”? It’s a movie where one cynical weatherman finds himself stuck in a never-ending loop of time, reliving the same day (Groundhog Day) over and over again. Revert by Camille Peters took that concept and ran with it… resulting in a page-turning fairy tale novel full of suspense, mystery, and surprisingly, love. Let’s jump into this review!
After her important mission goes terribly wrong, Princess Bernice finds herself killed. Yet rather than die as she expected, she somehow wakes up several months in the past retaining all her memories of the events leading to her demise. As she carefully navigates her second chance and the secrets filling the formidable Thorndale court, she finds herself forced to get closer to the one man she despises—her fiancé, Crown Prince Castiel of Thorndale…the very man who murdered her.
World, Character, and Plot
I should start by saying that I was super excited to read this book. The concept of a resurrected princess and her murderer is really unique and I couldn’t wait to see what Camille Peters did with the concept.
To keep this review spoiler-free, I won’t go too far into the plot. The best way I can think to describe both my positive and negative feelings about the plot is by comparing it to a puzzle. When the book began, I was as confused as a person can be. I was in the same boat as our narrator, who woke up with absolutely no clue about anything going on, but as a reader I found that I knew even less than she did. That confusion remained for a good portion of the beginning of the book. However, as the puzzle pieces came together, I began to figure out what was going on… and it was so cool! The plot twists were unexpected and interesting, and I loved how each character (good and evil) had secrets to unfold.
The main character, Bernice, was fun to follow. I liked that, while in her POV, we knew just as much (and as little) as she knew. It certainly set up a fun unreliable narrator situation. The prince’s POV, while unexpected, was also super fun and helped reveal the secrets of Thorndale from a different angle. His point of view is actually part of how I managed to understand some of the more confusing worldbuilding.
I wish I could say more, but I want to keep this review free of any and all spoilers. You should go and experience all the plot twists and surprises yourself!
PAGED IN: As with all of Camille Peters’ books, Revert is completely clean. I should note that (as you could probably guess from the premise), this story has some YA-level fantasy violence.
Conclusion
Revert is a page-turner complete with plot twists, secrets, and a kingdom full of magic. The spin on the “Groundhog Day” concept was engaging and fun. I was hooked, even when I wasn’t sure what was going on! This story is great for anyone looking for a slightly spooky, cute story, just in time for fall.
Special thanks to Camille Peters for the ARC copy. All opinions are my own. You can buy Revert here.
Marie