Blog Tour: The Prince and the Dressmaker by Jen Wang

 Organized by Fierce Reads

See the full schedule HERE

The Prince and the Dressmaker

by Jen Wang

Read: February 9, 2018
Published: February 13, 2018 by First Second
Source: Galley from publisher (TY!)
Category: YA, Graphic Novel, Historical Fiction, Dresses, Prince, 
Find: Goodreads | Amazon | B&N | Book Depository | Indiebound

Book Description: 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.

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The Prince and the Dressmaker is a lovely, happy book about embracing who you are and not settling for what everyone else thinks is right for you. I was completely delighted by this story, especially, it's lovable characters and gorgeous dresses. The graphic novel format was perfect to tell the tale of seamstress Frances and Prince Sebastian, aka Lady Crystallia! I zipped right though this on a plane ride and am impressed with all the details, from the sewing patters at the start of each chapter to the intricate dress designs throughout. I wish I could have an outfit designed by Frances and spend a night on the town with Lady Crystallia. 

As part of this blog tour I get to share my favorite panel in this book and it was so hard to pick just one. Impossible, actually. You should definitely go through the rest of the blog tour to see the images everyone else picked because I love all of those too. Now to my choice:

All throughout this book Jen Wang is the master of combining many different emotions into one scene and this page is one of my favorite examples of that.

(I apologize for any differences in coloring due to my photographing this page)

Through facial expression and body language Wang captures the hilarity of when a character - usually Sebastian - is trapped in a moment that they can't avoid. Sebastian's facial expressions in this panel are especially good. I love the humor in this book and you can see it here as Sebastian is being forced to play prince when he'd rather be doing something else. And all of that is juxtaposed by this eager girl and her mom that he's being forced to entertain. 

But even more, I am always a romantic and what I love the most about this scene is the longing in Sebastian's face as he watches Frances off screen. It is here that he begins to really consider what he wants and doesn't, and he takes action towards that. It's a bit of a reality check for Sebastian, and I love the way Jen Wang captures that moment. It is something that only he and the reader sees. A quiet second while he's in the middle of something else entirely. 

There are so many other great examples of humor and heart in The Prince and the Dressmaker, as well as the wow scenes of Lady Crystallia's dresses that had me falling more in love with Sebastian and Frances. I love these two and the way they support each other. They are the perfect way to celebrate Valentine's Day! 

Love Triangle Factor: None

Cliffhanger Scale: Standalone

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About the Author

Jen Wang is a cartoonist and illustrator currently living in Los Angeles. Her works have appeared in the Adventure Time comics and LA Magazine. She recently illustrated Tom Angleberger's Fake Mustache.  Her graphic novels Koko Be Good and In Real Life (with author Cory Doctorow) were published by First Second. jenwang.net

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Happy Valentines Day from Sebastian and Frances!