Review: The Prince and the Dressmaker by Jen Wang

Title: The Prince and The Dressmaker

Author: Jen Wang

Series/Standalone: Standalone

Genre: Graphic Novel, Young Adult, Fantasy,

Pages: 277

Publisher: First Second

Year Published: 2018

Format: Paperback Copy (Library)

"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 is his brilliant dressmaker, Frances- his best friend and 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 her friend?

Jen Wang weaves an exuberantly romantic tale of identity, young love, are, and family. A fairy tale for any age."

My Rating: 5/5

This was a perfect refresher of a graphic novel for me. It was light, it was fun, but it also had a beautiful coming-of-age story. The way the artist tells the story is beautiful and the ending had me smiling. I would gladly read something else by the author. A perfect palate cleanser for an older audience or a coming-of-age story for young adults. 

Thanks for reading,

Sidny

Review: In Real Life by Cory Doctorow and Jen Wang

Title: In Real Life
Author: Cory Doctorow
Illustrator: Jen Wang
Series/Standalone: Standalone
Genre: Graphic Novel, Middle Grade
Pages: 175
Publisher: Fir Second
Year Published: 2014
Format: Paperback Copy (Library)

"Anda loves Coarsegold Online, the massively-multiplayer role-playing game where she spends most of her free time. It's a place where she can be a leader, a fighter, a hero. It's a place where she can meet people from all over the world, and make friends.

But things become a lot more complicated when Anda befriends a gold farmer-- a poor Chinese kid whose avatar in the game illegally collects valuable objects and then sells them to players from developed countries with money to burn. This behaviour is strictly against the rules in Coarsegold, but Anda soon comes to realize the questions of right and wrong are a lot less straightforward when a real person's real livelihood is at stake."

My Rating: 3.5/5

This graphic novel is a great quick read about the changes in economics and their relation to the internet and gaming. It was interesting to see how these things correlated as well as watching someone expand their horizons through gaming. That being said the story was short and just seemed like the slightest glimpse into the lives of the characters. I wish that we had gotten a little more. I would recommend this for the middle-grade age range rather than young adult.

Thanks for reading,
Sidny