Transient Insanity: The Stratagem of the Princess in 'The Princess Pretends to Be Crazy'

The unfolding narrative dips us into the tumultuous world of Lizvel - a seemingly ordinary princess leading a royal life. A cataclysmic turn of events set in motion by her power-hungry king father, pushes her into the deep abyss of a survival war against her own blood. The boundary separating the ruled and the ruler becomes blurred as he transitions from being a father to being the adversary, showing no remorse as his children tussle for survival, their lives hanging on a threadbare line. Lizvel narrowly escapes the gruesome fate that befalls her siblings, skirting around death's corners while retaining her invisibility - a life-saving skill in such perilous circumstances.

The narrative also paints the image of a megalomaniac tyrant in the form of the king, whose heart is an arid, virtually barren land devoid of familial affections. Such myopia renders his decisions rash and invariably lethal, as he effectively sets his own progeny on a collision course towards their doom. The siblings, now turned sworn enemies, are so caught up in the rat race of midair succession that they overlook the potential unity that could have collectively targeted their real foe: their oppressor father.

Lizvel, the eventual underdog of the power struggle, uses her second chance at life to devise an ingenious strategy to keep at bay those out to claw at her life. She feigns madness, a gambit that draws the deprecating gazes of others but simultaneously allows her to elude the murderous wrath of her power-driven siblings. Unpredictably, this stroke of genius lands her in close contact with a suspicious magic-wielder, leading her onto a path where she pays a hefty cost for the much-needed aid - a grossly miscalculated gamble. In the unfolding narrative, her life takes an unpaved detour to the realisation of being the long-awaited saviour of the continent, to the aftermath of unveiling her only ally- her full-blooded brother, gearing her for the costly decisions she is to make.

Embarking on a literary tour of Lizvel's life, we are introduced to the fifth princess of Valdimar. Turbulence sets in her life when her siblings' lustful thirst for the throne doesn't spare her. Being unarmed, she presents an easy target, leading to her apparent death, an anomaly that rather becomes an advantage as she's resurrected to have a second shot at life. This time, she builds her defence by feigning insanity, buying herself time and gaining the assistance of a dubious wizard. Unbeknownst to her, she is destined for much more - to be the saviour the continent desperately needs. However, with the unfolding of her brother's fate, she is faced with a tormenting choice - a choice that just might cost her her life.

In the prologue, we are introduced to the tyrant king Lucipe of Valdimar who ascends the throne by spilling his own kin's blood, the consequence of his actions rebounding in the form of the curse that slowly turns his body to stone. Yearning for a strong successor, he propels his children into a battle of supremacy and survival, largely demarcating the boundary separating the hunter from the hunted. With the death of her siblings on her fifteenth birthday, Lizvel is left alone with her then only brother, only to be poisoned and killed. However, destiny has other plans for her as she resurfaces alive and returns back in time. Gifted with the power of foresight, she opts to play the mad woman to dodge life-threatening bullets.

The plot takes an invigorating turn along the way that ensures to hook the readers to the very end. It transferably highlights the upshots of power hunger and the indiscriminately ruthless path it paves for the aspiring power gatherers. The narrative serves as a cautionary tale about the pitfalls of uncontrolled ambition, and the destructive potential of selfish desires.