The Prince & the Protester
What if Cinderella fought in a revolution against the prince’s kingdom?
A reimagined fairy tale
from award-winning author Alison Tracy
About The Prince & the Protester
Twenty-three-year-old stealth fighter Cindy has dedicated her life to the resistance against the State, a totalitarian regime that hoards the world’s resources and hunts anyone it deems a threat. But she still carries one piece of light from her past: a youthful romance with Bendran, a State noble. Now, after years apart, Cindy and Bendran find themselves in the same place again—except he’s the newly installed Prince of Hyo Bay, and she’s fighting to bring his kingdom down.
Cindy yearns for a life with Bendran beyond the conflict. But she can’t look away from the State’s atrocities, especially its plot to eradicate immigrants from the mysterious, powerful realm of Vesora. The State executed her parents when she was just a baby, and its tyranny won’t end on its own. Cindy chooses the revolution, even if it means never being with Bendran.
As the State’s colonialist expansion accelerates and its hunt for Vesoran blood intensifies, the resistance fights back with everything it has. Each mission throws Cindy and Bendran back into each other’s orbits, and when Cindy poses as a noblewoman to infiltrate one of Bendran’s royal balls, their undeniable chemistry threatens to unravel everything.
As their loyalties are tested, Bendran and Cindy must face the truth: Their worlds may be impossible to reconcile. Can they find their way to a fairy-tale ending—and a world at peace—or will their opposing allegiances keep them divided forever?
Start the journey now with The Prince & the Protester, book one of the Once Upon a Revolution series: modern fairy tales with a Shakespearean twist.
Cinderella meets Romeo & Juliet in this adventure-packed fantasy.
An incredible dystopian romance. … Well written and immersive, readers who enjoy a dystopian romance with revolution inside a royal setting will adore this.
— Jamie Michele for Readers’ Favorite, 5 star review
Cindy is a fantastic heroine whose revolutionary training makes her instantly convincing in the field. … I love Bendran, whose compassion is evident in the way he treats people around him.
– Jamie Michele for Readers’ Favorite, 5 star review
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THE GUARDIAN
Living in a corporate-run dystopia, directed by a God she doesn’t trust, can a young prophet overcome corporate greed, political assassins, and economic inequality to save the ones she loves?
Award-winning
2025 Georgia Independent Author of the Year Award Winner
in Dystopian FictionReaders’ Favorite silver medal in Dystopian Fiction
American Book Fest 2025 Best Book Award Finalist in New Age Fiction and Visionary Fiction
#1 best seller
in dystopian fiction, dystopian science fiction, and ebook metaphysical science fiction categories in the free store
About The Guardian
Fourteen-year-old Iliya Rusul only wants a job to keep her family from starvation. Instead, she’s pushed to leave everything she knows and loves to be a prophet, preparing the world for the returning Messiah. Worse, the God directing Iliya doesn’t seem to care about her family or potentially hurting people to strengthen Iliya’s miracles as holy propaganda.
And every miracle costs a portion of her life.
Upon discovering the corruption and suffering beyond her village, Iliya wants to save the world from the ruling political corporations. With help from inspired followers, she builds a coordinated relief program to redistribute wealth and power. But whenever her charitable focus strays from God’s clandestine plan, God raises the cost of miracles.
Losing money and credibility due to Iliya’s work and growing popularity, the global CEOs in power further consolidate world resources for themselves through hostile takeovers and send out their best assassins to stop Iliya. Can she save those she loves and prepare the world for salvation before she runs out of life?
The Guardian is expertly constructed.
— The BookLife Prize
A fantasy that’s brimming with clever ideas and a dense mythology.
– Kirkus Reviews
In the same vein as Philip Pullman’s classic His Dark Materials series, Tracy’s novel puts likable, plucky heroes into both exciting action sequences and complicated inner debates about philosophy and religion.
– Kirkus Reviews
A haunting dystopian tale … Tracy tells a gripping story that doesn’t just focus on themes of faith and power but also what it truly means to resist when the price might be everything you have.
- K.C. Finn for Readers’ Favorite, 5 star review
The Guardian is a riveting mystery thriller with well written characters and a compelling storyline. The novel manages to pose profound questions regarding religion, belief, spirituality, and morality, all while maintaining a tight and enjoyable plot.
— The BookLife Prize
I highly recommend The Guardian to readers who appreciate dystopian fiction that goes beyond surface-level entertainment to ask questions that make you think.
- K.C. Finn for Readers’ Favorite, 5 star review