The Prince and the Dressmaker by Jen Wang
Genre: YA Graphic Novel
Blurb (on back of book):
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.
MY OPINION: ****
This book was such a heartwarming story of finding yourself and becoming who you are. I realize that this book has had a lot of controversy from reviews I've read but I personally loved how it was written.
PROS:
-The characters were so adorable! I read the end comments from the author and learned about how teenagers were chosen because they are still in the process of finding themselves. I loved that idea and I loved how Sebastian does learn to express himself freely.
-The ending was AMAZING. Simply amazing. The king, who disapproved of his son at first, broke out of those stereotypes and participated in the drag-queen-like fashion show that I loved! (I don't know if it qualifies as "drag" so please feel free to tell me if it doesn't!)
-Sebastian. He knew who he was and even though he kept it a secret at first, he learned that he should just stand up for himself and be who he was.
-The entire message of the book. I loved how it was promoting the differences in people and how you should stand up for yourself and be who you want to be. Sebastian is "gender-fluid" meaning that some days he feels like Prince Sebastian and others he feels like Lady Crystallia. (Again, I don't know if "gender-fluid" is the correct term so please feel free to correct me!) I know that the whole idea of a boy dressing up as a girl can be controversial but to me, I thought it was beautifully portrayed in this graphic novel.
-I loved them together! As us modern people would say, "I SHIP IT!"
CONS:
-Not really too much, other than the pacing of the book. I thought it could have been more drawn-out overall so that we really got to see the characters grow, mature, and learn throughout the story. However, I did need a shorter book so it all worked out in the end!
-The way that Sebastian was found out. I suppose it had to happen because to be honest, I don't think Sebastian would have ever had the strength to open up about his dress-loving side of himself, but I didn't like how he got drunk and was found out.
I have been starting to branch out to books that I would normally never read, such as this one. I'm not the hugest fan of graphic novels but this one really emphasized the beauty that art and words as a mutual relationship of sorts could bring. I loved how it was written and I thought that the art style was unique and creative. The colors were exuberant and the landscapes were pretty and the people looked different, making it easy for me to tell them apart, which was a problem that I had in the last graphic novel that I read.
This book was absolutely adorable. It will make you smile forever and ever and ever. I loved it and I would recommend it to readers looking for a heartwarming tale full of individuals who are strong and exuberant and courageous!
Main Character: Prince Sebastian, Frances
Sidekick(s): Parents, Peter, et
Villain(s): Being yourself, being different, etc
Graphic Novel Elements: This book was in a graphic novel format.
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