BOOK REVIEW: Nobody's Princess
Title: Nobody's Princess
Author: Esther M. Friesner
Series: Nobody's Princess (Book 1)
In Greek Mythology, Helen is known as the most beautiful woman in the world. After falling in love with Paris, the two run away together, thus starting the Trojan War. Nobody's Princess recasts her as the headstrong young princess of Sparta. Helen has no desire to acquire the skills expected of all women, wanting instead to learn how to fight. As Helen begins to grow up, she'll find her new skills put to the test as she begins an adventure that will bring her from Sparta, to Calydon, and later Delphi.
Perhaps because one of the first fantasy authors I feel in love with was Tamora Pierce, but I've always had a soft spot for stories about willful girls who reject tradition, and learn how to fight. Unfortunately, the Helen of Sparta we meet at the beginning of Nobody's Princess is no Alanna of Trebond. Instead, she is a complete brat, and her attempts at defying tradition often come off as annoying. As a result, I almost put this book down within the first fifty pages. Fortunately, as Helen grows from childhood and into adolescence, she becomes a more likable character, and the book becomes a lot more fun to read. This makes me happy that I decided to stick with it. Admittedly, Nobody's Princess remains a flawed book. This isn't exactly the place to go for nuanced characterization, and the dialogue can feel really awkward and heavy handed at times. Still, the book has enough positive elements to outweigh the negative.
There was a lot I enjoyed about Nobody's Princess. I liked getting to meet Helen's teachers, and the fact that Helen really has to really work to gain her skills. As someone who has enjoyed other young adult/middle grade books about Greek Mythology, especially Rick Riordan's Percy Jackson series, it was fun to see Friesner's take on classic characters, the most notable being Theseus, who is presented in far from a positive light. I thought it was interesting that unlike the Percy Jackson series, this really isn't a fantasy book. We do not encounter gods or monsters and many of the fantastic elements have been removed. In fact, one of the points of the book is to encourage skepticism, and point out how these larger than life stories often are completely false (such as the rumors that Helen is the daughter of Zeus), or find their truth in more mundane elements (Hercules didn't really kill the hydra, but that was one big snake).
Final Thoughts: Nobody's Princess is not a perfect book, as can be seen by the fact that I almost didn't finish it. Still, I found enough to keep me going and ultimately enjoyed Helen's tale. It's worth noting that Nobody's Princess is not self-contained. There is a follow up book, Nobody's Prize, that finishes up her adventures. I know I will pick that up in the future, although I have no immediate plans to read it. Three and a half Stars
Next I will be reviewing Fables, vol 10: The Good Prince by Bill Willingham
Author: Esther M. Friesner
Series: Nobody's Princess (Book 1)
In Greek Mythology, Helen is known as the most beautiful woman in the world. After falling in love with Paris, the two run away together, thus starting the Trojan War. Nobody's Princess recasts her as the headstrong young princess of Sparta. Helen has no desire to acquire the skills expected of all women, wanting instead to learn how to fight. As Helen begins to grow up, she'll find her new skills put to the test as she begins an adventure that will bring her from Sparta, to Calydon, and later Delphi.
Perhaps because one of the first fantasy authors I feel in love with was Tamora Pierce, but I've always had a soft spot for stories about willful girls who reject tradition, and learn how to fight. Unfortunately, the Helen of Sparta we meet at the beginning of Nobody's Princess is no Alanna of Trebond. Instead, she is a complete brat, and her attempts at defying tradition often come off as annoying. As a result, I almost put this book down within the first fifty pages. Fortunately, as Helen grows from childhood and into adolescence, she becomes a more likable character, and the book becomes a lot more fun to read. This makes me happy that I decided to stick with it. Admittedly, Nobody's Princess remains a flawed book. This isn't exactly the place to go for nuanced characterization, and the dialogue can feel really awkward and heavy handed at times. Still, the book has enough positive elements to outweigh the negative.
There was a lot I enjoyed about Nobody's Princess. I liked getting to meet Helen's teachers, and the fact that Helen really has to really work to gain her skills. As someone who has enjoyed other young adult/middle grade books about Greek Mythology, especially Rick Riordan's Percy Jackson series, it was fun to see Friesner's take on classic characters, the most notable being Theseus, who is presented in far from a positive light. I thought it was interesting that unlike the Percy Jackson series, this really isn't a fantasy book. We do not encounter gods or monsters and many of the fantastic elements have been removed. In fact, one of the points of the book is to encourage skepticism, and point out how these larger than life stories often are completely false (such as the rumors that Helen is the daughter of Zeus), or find their truth in more mundane elements (Hercules didn't really kill the hydra, but that was one big snake).
Final Thoughts: Nobody's Princess is not a perfect book, as can be seen by the fact that I almost didn't finish it. Still, I found enough to keep me going and ultimately enjoyed Helen's tale. It's worth noting that Nobody's Princess is not self-contained. There is a follow up book, Nobody's Prize, that finishes up her adventures. I know I will pick that up in the future, although I have no immediate plans to read it. Three and a half Stars
Next I will be reviewing Fables, vol 10: The Good Prince by Bill Willingham