Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
I first heard about this book from Hannah at A Clockwork Reader. I was interested in what she said about it, that it was a graphic novel about a prince that wears dresses and had LGBTQ+ rep in it. Usually I'm not drawn in by graphic novels, but this was one of the first that pulled me in.
Summary
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.
I am so incredibly glad that I picked this up! I chose it for my BiblioGames Readathon for my class Gym, which is a book that is in a format that I don't typically read. I read a few graphic novels in elementary school but none of them were as quality as this one, so I'm going to say this is my first graphic novel! And I loved it.
The artwork/drawings (I'm not sure the correct terminology yet) were phenomenal, they were very detailed and it was very easy to detect expressions from the characters (without looking at the words).
THE STORY WAS SO CUTE THOUGH. Ah I loved it so much. I loved the secrecy at first that he was her client but he didn't want to reveal himself to her because he was afraid. Then as the story went on he became more and more comfortable in his own skin. Frances & Sebastian's friendship was precious, I couldn't tell if they were really more than friends... like they kissed but I'm not really sure what that means. It doesn't really make a difference to me because I just loved their dynamic. Also the ending where the King joins in the fashion show type thing was truly incredible and I honestly wasn't expecting it. I was expecting more just a support from the audience type of vibe but no, it was all out "I am doing this with you because you're my son and I love you."
This was just overall so adorable of a story. It was a perfect first graphic novel for me and a great Pride Month read 🏳️🌈
Comments