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.

So, disclosure. This was not at ALL what I thought it was going to be. But, apparently, it is what I needed.

This book was a lovely surprise in every way. A graphic novel, it was a quick read, and I truly wish it could’ve continued on longer.

The art itself was beautiful. Every character was different and gorgeous. Like, seriously, it’s been a long time since I’ve read any sort of comic that was so unique and intricate with its design. Every character had a reflection of their personality in their design, and it was GORGEOUS.

The writing itself was also beautiful. Like, sincerely, this story was so unique and had the potential to seem very overbearing with its message. However, the world presented its moral with such an underlying ‘these are just the facts of this world, and should be of ours’ message that it was impossible to find any grievances with it. The plot presented very pertinent controversy in such a classy and compelling way. I was thoroughly impressed.

This book showed us kindness and acceptance in characters in a way that came so naturally–it was incredibly thought provoking, and presented ideas that are much needed in our hate ridden world. Also, it had a very interesting dynamic involving consumerism taking over the fairytale land that was also super intriguing but was not the central focus of the novel (sequel, anyone?).

This book 100% threw me back into a fantasy kick. I love nothing more than a good fairy tale, and this new take on the classic style really got me in the mood for some princes and castles. This is, sincerely, one of my favorite reads this year (read in 2017).

As I said, very different and very surprising. However, I adored it, and if you’re willing to try something new and different with an open mind, I can’t recommend it enough.

5 stars out of 5.

Maddie