Review: The Prince & The Dressmaker by Jen Wang

The Prince & The Dressmaker

Author: Jen Wang

Publisher: First Second Press

Genre/Themes/Demo: YA, Graphic Novel, LGBTQIA+

Release Date: February 13th 2018

Page Count: 288

Format: Paperback

ISBN: 9781626723634

Synopsis

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.

What I Liked

Beautiful Story Of Acceptance. The best thing about this story was the story itself. It is an important story of acceptance that everyone needs to read immediately. Of course, there are some hiccups along the way and not everything is always easy for Prince Sebastian, but the fact that he has a friend in Frances who is there for him and who treats him no differently than she would treat anyone else is the highlight of this story. Through Frances, others begin to see that Prince Sebastian may be different and something that they are not used to, but still learn to accept him for who he is.

The Pacing. This story is so quickly paced. Once I started it, I could not put it down. Some may think that it was quick because it is a graphic novel, but believe me…I have read some graphic novels and comics that were so dry and slow that I couldn’t wait to be done with reading them. That was not the case with The Prince and The Dressmaker! It was beautifully written and the story flowed seamlessly.

The Artwork. I really enjoyed the art style within The Prince and the Dressmaker! It felt really different from the comics and graphic novels that I normally read. I tend to go for art and stories with a darker feel to them whereas this story was a lot lighter and playful. I really enjoyed how the art style worked with the story!

Meeting Jen Wang! I had kept hearing about The Prince and The Dressmaker throughout the online bookish community, so when I heard that Jen Wang was going to be at TCAF (The Toronto Comic Arts Festival) I knew I had to meet her and pick up this graphic novel! She was very kind and I made sure to let her know that everyone has been talking about this story online!

What I Didn’t Like

It’s Obvious Isn’t It? I clearly liked absolutely everything about this graphic novel! I highly recommend that everyone check this one out!

About The Author

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.

Thank you for reading!