I am so excited to be a part of the blog tour for The Prince & The Dressmaker by Jen Wang today! Before I share my thoughts I want to tell you a bit about the book!
The Prince and the Dressmaker by Jen Wang (Website, Twitter, Goodreads)Published by First Second on February 13th 2018
Genres: Comics & Graphic Novels, Historical, Romance, Young Adult Fiction
Pages: 288
Format: Paperback
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.
Admittedly I’m still a newbie when it comes to graphic novels, but one of my reading goals this year was to delve into them more and I knew this would be the perfect place to start!
Without getting too spoilery, Prince Sebastian is in need of a wife… his parents are determined to find him a perfect match, but all he wants to do is spend his time as his alter ego, Lady Crystallia, the biggest fashion icon of the time.
His best friend and dressmaker, Frances has helped him create this larger than life persona, but at a cost to herself. Because of who Sebastian is, her talents have to remain hidden and no one can know she is the one who has created these amazing dresses and so her dreams are dashed.
Wang does an amazing job of conveying so much feeling and emotion within her images, and I was blown away by the depth to each panel. One of the things we were asked to do for this tour was share one of our favorite panels and this was so much harder than I thought it was going to be because I found myself loving just about everyone! That said, I managed to narrow it down to one of my favorite themes… friendship.
In these frames Sebastian and Frances are discussing the success they’ve had, but Sebastian is also explaining to Frances that she is more than just her sewing, she is his friend and it was just one of the many lovely moments in this story.
Ultimately, this is a story about love, and expectations, and family, and friendship… but I think the biggest message it has is about acceptance and being comfortable in our own skin and embracing who you are.
If you’re new to graphic novels or someone who has been reading them for ages, or even fall somewhere in between, you’re going find something to love about this story. Filled with gorgeous art, a heartwarming and lovely story this is something you truly don’t want to miss out on.
Follow The Full Tour HERE
About Jen Wang
Hi, I’m a cartoonist, writer, and illustrator based in Los Angeles. I’m also a co-founder and organizer for Los Angeles based comics festival Comic Arts LA.
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