Amazing art and SUCH a fun story! Highly recommend this one!

This story is a whimsical and refreshing tale. Its a fun, easy, and a quick read. Prince Sebastian is hiding a secret life and Frances the dressmaker helps him to live his dreams. This is an interesting tale of friendship and family. Fashion is at the front of the story with many beautiful pages of color. This book plays with gender norms in an amazing way. I want more progressive stories like this. I give this book a 5/5 and highly recommed it.

Frances, a young and ambitious seamstress, is hired to work as a personal seamstress for a mysterious client who turns out to be the young prince Sebastian. Together, they both get to live out their dreams, but must tread carefully so as not to reveal Sebastian's secret and embarrass the royal family. It's a beautiful coming-of-age stories about living outside of the binaries that may hold you back. While Sebastian does wear dresses, he also uses he/him pronouns and is most likely considered gender fluid.

The story of a young dressmaker who dreams of success and a Prince who knows who he is, but is afraid what the world will think when they meet the real him.

I want to be completely honest I didn't think I'd like this book at all. But I wanted something new to read and this seemed lots of fun... Full Review to Come soon

This was such an adorable and beautiful graphic novel with an amazing story to go with it. Both the main characters were compelling and complex and the story was such a delight to read. To be able to see a character who is gender fluid portrayed for children fills me with hope as this is something that most kids don't get to see.

The illustrations complimented the story perfectly and I found my self feeling tons of emotions in such a short period of time. It did seems as though everything worked out a little too perfectly in the end, but as a children's story I understand it.

I LOVED this book. I loved the light historicism. I loved the fashion. I loved the independent women. I loved the Miyazaki-esque art. I loved the glamour. But most of all, I loved the wonderful portrayal of a gender-fluid character and Sebastian's very real struggle with identity, family, and leadership. Everything about this is great. I read it in one sitting.

Lively, beautiful, warm art to bring to life a story about deciding who you are and how you want to live your life.

This was a really adorable graphic novel and I'm so glad that it exists. The art was very colourful and cute. It was slightly pixelated since it was sent to me as a PDF so if you're reading I'd definitely recommend buying a paperback or hardback. I can imagine the art looks a letter better in printed format!

Lovely and positive story. Full colour comic that would be suitable for YA and up. Reminiscent of Princess Jellyfish and Ouran High School Host Club.

The Prince and the Dressmaker is visually charming and makes a fun treat for all ages. The story glances at the possibility of a bad outcome, but nothing truly awful comes to pass. This keeps the story light and adorable, though given its historical setting rings a little false. I do think it may have served credulity a bit to set the story, or at least Sebastian and family, in a fictive kingdom. However, this may only be an issue with cynical or older readers.

The art is pleasing to look at and provides an additional layer of detail to the story - the two protagonists love clothes and believe in their transformative power. We can see this ourselves in Wang's vibrant brush work. If the reader isn't a regular reader of graphic novels, the flow of TPATD is smooth and simple.

Plot wise, TPATD has the potential to begin a discussion of gender identity for younger readers. It's never explicitly stated how Sebastian identifies, he almost seems closer to a modern drag queen - finding power through an alternate and fearless persona - rather than someone experiencing dysphoria. This opens Sebastian up as a character people from many backgrounds can identify with.

I really have only nit pick-y complaints about this book, and certainly not ones that would impact my recommending it freely and often. I wish there was a bit more humor - there is a general positivity that does the work of humor, but I always feel a few genuinely surprising and well placed jokes elevate anything. I also wished for a little more depth, or maybe even length. The journey from the beginning to the end flows very easily and even the bumps in the road are quickly smoothed. Again, I think for this book that's not strictly to its detriment - just a personal feeling. I think a few details not specifically related to the plot but that serve the purpose of fleshing out the world or the characters would have taken a solid 10 to an 11.

I'd recommend anyone with a even a passing interest in graphic novels, history, gender identity, drawing, fashion, or any combination of the above to check out this book! It's a truly pleasant experience.

This is an adorable graphic novel about the blossoming friendship between a seamstress and a prince who wants to wear dresses.

Through Prince Sebastian and his alternate identity (Lady Crystallia), the story explores themes of self acceptance and identity exploration. The friendship between Sebastian and Frances shows the importance of supporting your friends in their choices, their passions, and in being exactly who they are. They also show the relationship between Prince Sebastian and his father and what the bonds of family are when put to the test. And there is a immensely satisfying climax.

Loved this! Very important book for young readers to encounter.

Welp, I cried. This is a beautiful book about being yourself and acceptance even when it's hard to do so. Can First Second do no wrong? I always look forward to whatever they publish and this is no exception. This should be required reading.

This book was absolutely wonderful! The fashion was divine! I loved the character of Sebastian and I also loved how accepting his parents were. Even the fashion show allowed for the story to come full circle. I would recommend this as a read for most teens.

What a delight! Jen Wang is such a fabulous illustrator (her art was the main thing I liked about In Real Life by Cory Doctorow) and now I know she's a great writer, too. She really brings this story about an ambitious seamstress and a prince who moonlights as Lady Crystallia, the most talked about fashion maven in town, to life. Some might find it to be a bit twee, but I thought it was heartwarming and just all-around adorable.

A delightful stor.y, filled with whimsical imagery and a heartfelt plot. My only quibble was that I didn't want it to end, the characters were simply wonderful and felt like friends to me by the end!

This was absolutely stunning. The art was so cute and so was the story. It was all about being who you are but also standing up for yourself. A quick, but adorable read.

A wonderful book with a powerful premise of love and understanding. Inspiring for those who are hiding their true self.

An utterly charming and delightful graphic novel. The vivid and sparkling art brings to life the world of a dressmaker and a prince who likes to wear dresses, as they become friends. The characters are engaging and the story focuses on nuances of identity, gender, self-expression, and expectation and duty. I absolutely love seeing such a positive and optimistic portrayal of gender non-conformity.