The Aristocrat and the Desert Prince by Haruhi Tono
Title: The Aristocrat and the Desert Prince
Author: Haruhi Tono
Illustrator: Ai Hasukawa
English Publisher: June Manga
Original Publisher: Taiyoh Tosho
ISBN: 978-1-56970-072-3
Translator: Karen McGillicuddy
Available At: AkadotRetail
Summary from back of book
In his young life, Takeyuki has never really known hardship. The youngest son of a wealthy family, he has never had any difficulty getting anything he desired. Now, though, Takeyuki is enjoying his last month of freedom before he begins working at his father's import company in Tokyo, and he has decided to spend that time with his brother and his sister-in-law in Cassina, a small country in the Middle East.
Little does Takeyuki know that his prideful manner will soon land him in hot water! In Cassina, some dangers are very real and some people are not who they seem. For example, who exactly is the charming, majestic man who won't stop staring at Takeyuki during their flight to Cassina, and why do his blue eyes make Takeyuki feel like his chest will burst?
The Aristocrat and Desert Prince explores one boy's journey of self-discovery in the deserts of the Middle East, following him as he discovers his sensual side and finds true love while escaping his humdrum destiny.
My Thoughts
Well, where do I begin? By the time this novel was in my hands, I actually didn't have much in terms of expectation. All that really mattered to me, was the fact that it was a story involving a prince and a desert and that was more than enough to motivate me. I guess that would make me kind of biased. Haha.
Before I get to the plot, I'll get this over with as well. June Manga's translating and editing has gotten several times better. Although I did catch a few grammatical errors, there was only one that slightly bothered me, which was the typo of Takeyuki's name (spelled Tajeyuki). Other than that, I was very pleased with the quality of translation and grammar, overall.
At the beginning of the novel, Takeyuki is kind of your ordinary spoiled brat. All his life, he's gotten whatever he wanted from whomever he wanted it from. You learn quite a bit about his personality and his constant self-centered style of thinking. As the story progresses, he retains his stubbornness and his pride is still sky high, which isn't so bad in and of itself. You can see his character develop nicely and even though he continues to show his old personality later in the story, you figure it's mostly for show. He's kind of a bratty cutie. I found myself liking him quite a bit, I must admit.
To counter the bratty Takeyuki, we have Zayid, a sarcastic desert wanderer known to desert nomadic tribes as the "Desert Hawk." He's always full of cruel remarks toward Takeyuki, making fun of almost every single aspect of him. Yet, through his cruelty, you can also definitely tell how much he truly cares for Takeyuki as well. His sarcastic remarks and Takeyuki's immature reactions make for a wonderful comedic romance drama. And to make things worse for Takeyuki, Zayid really was all that. It's hard not to like this snarky mysterious man.
Plot wise, it's got a very predictable storyline. By chapter two, I was able to guess nearly everything that was going to happen, which was slightly disappointing. Even so, I found myself enjoying the book quite a bit. It's filled with of lots of teasing, whining and love. Although predictable, it still gave me the warm and fuzzy feeling deep down inside, so I do recommend it. ♥ And, whether good or bad for you sex crazed yaoi fans, there's only one sex scene between the two all throughout the entire novel, but it is a hefty 10+ pages. Haha.
Story Snippet
Chapter Six; Pages 98-99
"What are you going to do to me?" Takeyuki repeated the question he had asked the night before.
"What do you want me to do to you?" Zayid shot Takeyuki a sidelong glance as he turned the question back on him.
Takeyuki got angry. Zayid had been completely ignoring his questions since the night before and didn't show even a hint of anything he was thinking. Takeyuki was very nearly at the limits of his patience. It was just like being provoked in the plane, but when he was taunted here, it angered him much more deeply. He wasn't in the mood to banter back and forth jokingly. Takeyuki was utterly powerless now. Only a few steps ahead lay a shadowy future that Zayid was carrying him into. It depended entirely upon Zayid's whim whether Takeyuki lived or died. Zayid knew that and still needled Takeyuki for fun. There was nothing crueler than that. He looked regal enough, but that seemed to conceal a rotten interior. When Takeyuki realized that Zayid might be the very same sort of person as the band of thieves, he felt self-loathing rising up at his superficiality and naivete in believing in the man. He was hurt by Zayid's heartlessness.
"I want you to take me back to the Japanese embassy in Ras of course!" When Zayid heard the anger in Takeyuki's voice, he chortled coldly.
"You want to forget you ever came to Cassina already? The little boy wants to run back to his sheltered little country as fast as his legs will carry him."
"Why do you...why do you always have to say such mean things? I'm not a little boy. And I'm not trying to run away."
Illustration Samples
