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Rating: 4.75/5 Stars
Title: The Prince and the Dressmaker
Author: Jen Wang
Synopsis:
Paris at the dawn of the modern age:
Prince Sebastian is looking for a bride―or rather, his parents are looking for one for him. Sebastian is too busy hiding his secret life from everyone. At night he puts on daring dresses and takes Paris by storm as the fabulous Lady Crystallia―the hottest fashion icon in the world capital of fashion!
Sebastian’s secret weapon (and best friend) is the brilliant dressmaker Frances―one of only two people who know the truth: sometimes this boy wears dresses. But Frances dreams of greatness, and being someone’s secret weapon means being a secret. Forever. How long can Frances defer her dreams to protect a friend? Jen Wang weaves an exuberantly romantic tale of identity, young love, art, and family. A fairy tale for any age, The Prince and the Dressmaker will steal your heart.
Initial thoughts:
I did not read the book synopsis before reading this book and because of that I was surprised by the amazing plot of the story. I had been seeing this book around on other blogs and online and I thought that it looked like a wonderful read. The cover was beautifully illustrated and I have read Jen Wang’s book ‘In Real Life’ so I had a feeling that this was going to be a graphic novel.
Plot:
What I liked:
The illustrations were phenomenal. They really captured the emotions of the characters and what was being expressed within the story. And the story was beautiful and heart touching. I found myself. The concept was beautiful and is certainly for a wide range of audiences. I loved the characters and how they responded to certain situations as well. The story progressed wonderfully and displayed the realistic issues that people face when coming out to anyone in any form. Even the explanation of someone who is genderfluid was spot on and I found myself relating to Sebastian. The dynamics between Sebastian and Frances was touching and they were such good friends within the book.
What I didn't like:
I felt as though the ending was a little rushed within the last few pages. I felt as though we only got a part of the information on what was going on. Like how Sebastian wasn’t going home and was living in Paris. I also wanted to know more about how much acceptance he got while becoming Lady Crystallia in the end.
Characters:
Prince Sebastian of Belgium: I love how he knew who he was and what he wanted to be. He was realistic though as he was scared of what people would think if they knew what he was doing and who he really was.
Frances: I loved how accepting she was and how she wanted to go and catch her dream. She was very strong and tried to put her work and dream above her own feelings though.
Emile: He was a good friend who cared about Sebastian and wanted him to stay safe. He never judged him for what he did.
King of Belgium: Father of the year award. Though he might not have understood what his son was going through he did everything in his power to support him and make him feel welcome and loved.
Queen of Belgium: We didn’t get to see a lot of her, but she loved her son and wanted him to know that even after what happened and that was sweet.
Peter: He was a businessman and knew what to do to market a sale, but he encouraged Frances to do work that she wasn’t particularly proud of.
Princess Juliana: She was sweet and innocent and I believe that she felt lied to. I did like her and wish that she would have been in the conclusion.
Prince Marcel: I didn’t like him at all. At one point I thought that he was going to help Sebastian out, but then he publicly shamed him and that pissed me off.
Overall:
I highly Recommend this book to everyone who wants to read a beautiful and touching fairy tale with lgbtq elements. It was a fantastic read with wonderful illustrations and a little bit of information on Jen’s writing and drawing process when it came to making her graphic novel. It was a very quick read and is light enough for someone who just wants to get through a good book in a short amount of time.