The Prince and the Dressmaker by Jen Wang

The Prince and the Dressmaker by Jen Wang
Published by First Second on February 13 2018
Genres: Graphic Novels
Goodreads

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 received a copy of this book for review from the publisher. This does not influence my thoughts on the book or this review.

I am a huge fan of graphic novels so when I heard about this comic about a dress-wearing prince, I knew I had to read it.

Prince Sebastian’s parents are determined to find him a princess but Sebastian could care less about that, he just wants to keep up his nightly adventures as Lady Crystallia, a fashion icon taking Paris by storm. Sebastian’s aided by his new friend and dressmaker, Frances. As Frances’ reputation grows and Sebastian’s secret is on the verge of being revealed, their friendship will be tested. The Prince and the Dressmaker is a lovely story about friendship, identity and family.

The art style and writing definitely worked well together and I loved the way that the novel progressed. Both characters got their fair share of page time and I loved that they truly developed as the graphic novel went on.

Overall, The Prince and the Dressmaker was definitely a lovely historical fiction read. Despite its categorization as a YA book, I would say that this is also suitable for upper middle grade readers as well. I would also recommend it for people who don’t usually read graphic novels, as the story and writing worked so well together.