I am so excited to be a part of The Prince and The Dressmaker blog tour. The Prince and the Dressmaker is a wonderful graphic novel that celebrates love in all it’s forms – and thereby perfect for Valentine’s Day!
Summary
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?
Review
(Disclaimer: I received this free book from the tour company. This has not impacted my review which is unbiased and honest.)
With any graphic novel, I find it’s important to review the drawing style first. Often if I am put off by its style there is just no easy way to get around it. But Wang’s style is cute, colorful, and dynamic. The pages absolutely fly by because I found myself sucked in. It was so easy to become immersed in the wonderful scenes of Paris.
What I loved most about The Prince and the Dressmaker were the themes. Sebastian’s gender non-conformity is refreshing to see. She does not judge his habits and he does not immediately think down upon her due to her lack of status or money. Frances’ understanding and acceptance is soothing, not only because of her compassion, but because of her desire to balance her friendship with her own future.
Themes
I think The Prince and The Dressmaker asks us a crucial question: how do you succeed while maintaining the essence of yourself? We live in a world that socializes us from before birth and the pressure is overwhelming. So how do we balance expectations of ourselves, our future, and others while remaining true to ourselves?
This is such a great graphic novel for younger audiences to encourage them to go against the mold, to find their inner strength, and to figure out what is most important. It has characters who are brave, strong, smart, self-destructive, non-trusting, and lovable – all at once. It’s an ode to learning not to closet ourselves away, but to embrace who we are. It gave me all the heart warming feels to my toes and is perfect for Valentine’s day as it celebrates friendship, family, and love above all else – for ourselves.
Get yourself a special treat of The Prince and the Dressmaker on Goodreads.
And make sure to check out these wonderful Valentine’s Images for the blog tour!
