I struggled with this book. It took me a long time to finish.. I didn't really get dragged into this story at all. The wording of the book was all in all sometimes hard to read, and it did make me confused. Now mind you, I'm not English - I'm Norwegian so this could have affected my overall challenge with this book but usually I get on fine with books. This ended up with me struggling again to read it, and it took some time. I've done it now, and I can say that I think this book is for someone who is into very very very flowery writing.

The story itself seemed interesting, but felt short and flat to me. I love faeries as much as the next girl who is into YA at the moment but this felt nothing like fae to me. However, the books redeeming point was the characters itself. I could enjoy them when the writing wasn't getting in the way.

I'd recommend this to people who love flowery writing and family.

I enjoyed this book- read it in one sitting- to me, it was like a cross between The Princess Bride and Poe’s The Raven. It’s written in that old school fantasy lens where even real world problems come across as fantasy, which I found it to be an excellent way to address real-world problems, the main one being loss of love within he family unit, and hatred of the unknown. I loved the instant bond between the brothers and how nothing can break their love for each other, and how even in historical times where women were not allowed any power, Queen Evalin is not one to be trifled with. She’s regal and powerful in her own right, regardless of husband or son. I recommend this to anyone who enjoys light fantasy.

I’ll be leaving reviews on Amazon and Goodreads.

The Oddling Prince, by Nancy Springer (Tachyon Publications) is pure, classical Nancy Springer. In a faroff land, not unlike northern England, a king returns from a mysterious absence, wearing a magical ring that rapidly drains his life force. Just as he is about to perish, a young man appears, riding a steed of untamed light, and lifts the curse. The narrator, the king’s son and heir, befriends this stranger, his half-fae half-brother. But all is not well, as residual evil poisons the king’s mind and danger lurks just beyond the borders. Springer’s style sometimes reminds me of Tanith Lee, yet is completely her own. The love and fidelity of the two brothers, the steadfast discernment of the queen, the twists and turns and unexpected character developments, all kept me enchanted, page after page. Springer is in fine style!

First off, I would like to thank the publisher and author for providing me this ARC to review. Please note that the version I read was an advanced copy, and certain events/language may be changed in the published edition.

Stars (Out of 10): 5/10 Stars

Favorite Character: Albaric

Spoiler Free: When I checked out the Goodreads reviews after being accepted for this book, I was quite worried. It was sitting around a 3.06, and that’s probably the lowest scored book on Goodreads I’ve ever read. While in the end I did like it more than expected, there were many things I agreed with in some of the negative reviews I read.

Let’s start at the premise. The main selling point of this book will be the Faerie influence, as that’s a hot subject in YA Fantasy at the moment. Unfortunately, I have to say that this book fails to deliver much of anything on that front. The main purpose of the Faerie/Elfland was to give a backstory to Albaric, but besides that, it doesn’t mean anything at all. In fact, the entire “plot” of the book revolves instead around an entirely unrelated set of lore, and therefore I don’t classify this book as a Fae one at all.

When it comes to the writing, this seems to be a hit or a miss with most readers. While I enjoyed it stylistically, it made everything take ten times as long, since no sentence was ever simple. However, without it, I doubt I would’ve even liked the book at all.

In terms of the characters, this is where I feel the book succeeded the most. The main reason this book wasn’t a DNF was due to the interesting relationship between Aric and Albaric, and while it feels like insta-love but a sibling version, it does get explained later. Additionally, the pure love and caring between these two brothers was just interesting to read, since sibling rivalry is much more common in YA. Additionally, when it came to other characters, most played into the story quite well, and the complex relationships between everyone was where this book truly shined.

However, that did not fully make up for the lackluster plot and under explained world. While the world being weakly developed wasn’t that much of a problem due to its irrelevance to most of the plot, it was a bit frustrating not understanding the situation the book takes place in. We get hints here and there of Vikings and weaker civilizations outside of Calidon, but not much more than that. Even the inner workings of Calidon itself isn’t truly explained, and this leaves the plot unsupported and dull.

Additionally, the plot itself is rather overshadowed by the characters themselves. Aric doesn’t care about much besides Albaric, and therefore really only feels through Albaric, instead of feeling himself for the actions going on around him. We see his worry for his mother and father at times, but it is always overshadowed by the bond between Aric and Albaric. Lastly, the plot itself isn’t actually a tough thing to solve, and when the characters actually are forced to face the problem, it gets solved in a chapter. This ended up making the middle of the book feel very boring, with most of it consisting of Aric and Albaric frolicking around with occasional plot heavy chapters here and there.

All in all, I’m not sure if I’d recommend this book. It is an interesting tale about family and kinship, and an emotional one at times, but not much more than that.

I would give this 3.5 stars. Like it's title, it is an oddling book. I feel as if it is a fairy tale and a moral tale as well. There are contradictions but I found it enchanting. It touched my heart. Reviewers will not rave over this one. People will pick it apart. I am sorry for that because I thought it was a beautiful tale. The kind of tale a bard would tell. That is what this book is to me. A heroic song of a long ago bard. With treachery and nobility and romance from a time long ago and far away

*I received this book as an ARC in exchange for an honest review.*
**review may include spoilers**
While I think that the premise of this book is interesting, the book itself didn’t grasp my attention. Honestly, it was hard to get into and I marked it as DNF almost halfway through. The author borrows a lot from Lord of the Rings - especially when talking about the ‘ring of power’ - and the writing style seemed a bit immature. The descriptions were beautiful, but he world-building was lacking. I also didn’t feel any sort of attachment to the characters whatsoever. I think that this author is talented, however, the world building and character dynamics need improvement. It overall lacks the depth and emotional attachment that keeps me coming back to read page after page.

Having never read any of the author's previous works, I wasn't sure what to expect of this medieval-esque fantasy book. Especially since it's written in an old-fashioned prose reminiscent of old folktales and legends. While it did take me a few pages to get used to the writing, overall I ended up quite enjoying the prose and the imagery the author so beautifully evoked.

Plot-wise, the story is rather slow but that's not necessarily a bad thing. Given the book's overall medieval style, I thought the slower pacing worked well with the story. That being said, some people might find the pacing a bit daunting.

And although I think the story worked its way to a rather satisfying conclusion, I can see how some people would find the story a bit rushed. The book is indeed on the shorter side.

With regards to the characters, I do think that the characters were not fleshed out enough and that there was not much room for satisfying character growths. While I loved both of our main characters, Aric and Albaric, I would have wanted their character arcs to be developed a bit more.

If your preference leans more towards action-heavy and plot-driven stories, this might not be the book for you. Would I still recommend this book? Absolutely. If you're in the mood for a mystical, fae story reminiscent of classic fairy tales and old medieval stories, you'll probably really enjoy this book.

Good premise, but the writing made the story seem slow and boring. It felt forced and too formal.

I received an ARC copy from netgalley for my honest review,  so thank you netgalley and publishers for offering me this book! ♡
This story is about two brothers, one fae and one human, It is basically about their journey and how they get along.
This was my first book by this author, It was okay. It was slow paced but it was alltogether an easy read. ♡ I give this book a
2 star rating!

The writing seems like it would be wonderful, but all in all its airy fairy at best and the characters are probably some of the dimmest characters I've read in such a long time. This is quite surprising as the author has seemingly written better books with higher ratings and praises. I'm a tad disappointed with this book and I'm not finishing it, 7 chapters in and I can't continue. Sorry. received as an ARC via NetGalley.

The premise is interesting and the language is very period-accurate, but this book is not an easy read, and consequently, not an enjoyable read. The relationship between the two brothers felt unrealistic and romantic at times and honestly the language and descriptions were so heavy I couldn't really get into the plot. The story is well written and well planned out, but its not for me.

The Oddling Prince is a beautiful story about two brothers, one fae and one mortal and their unwavering love for each other. Beautifully written, Nancy Springer creates a rich and magical world that is so easy to get wrapped up in to. I had a very hard time putting this book down! The story was so unique and the characters were genuine. A perfect book for fantasy lovers.

The Oddling Prince by Nancy Springer and Tachyon Publications is available May 15, 2018.

Thank you to Netgalley for the opportunity to read and review this book.

The Oddling Prince tells the story of Aric and Albaric, brothers who are born on different sides of the veil. While out hunting with his son and guards, Bardaric, the King of Calidan is noticed by the Queen Theena of the Fey. Because she desired him, she brought him over to the fey side of the veil. Unfortunately for the Fey Queen, while their relationship produced a child, it did not produce mutual love. The Queen allowed King Bardaric to leave, but he left with no memory of his time as a father and lover of the Queen. After becoming mysteriously ill from a magical ring that the King has no recollection of putting on, a mysterious man saves his life. This man turns out to be Albaric, the son of the King and Fey Queen and now brother to the Prince Aric. From here, the two brothers work together to restore the love that Bardaric once felt for Albaric while fending off castle invasions, potential wives, magic, and bitterness.

While there seemed to be a lot going on in the story, it all felt flat and forced. Aric was instantly on the side of Albaric before he knew who he truly was. In fact, their relationship seemed less brotherly and more romantic on more than one occasion. King Bardaric’s wife, Queen Evalin took the entire story in stride like it was perfectly normal for her husband to have a relationship with another woman and then just make nice with the offspring. King Bardaric’s character felt very uneven-he had to act like a King, but ended up throwing multiple tantrums. And Aric, he just seemed unable to see the bad in anyone. This story was not for me.

This is a slow paced fantasy set in scotland about two brothers, one fae, one mortal, and how they get along.

The Oddling Prince is the story of brotherly love. Aric, the prince is watching his father, The king of Calidon, on his deathbed. A mysterious stranger shows up to save the king. Right away we find out that this stranger is actually the son of the king. The king doesn't remember this son. He was charmed by a fey. The king, though saved by the son, doesn't want anything to do him. Aric, wants to love his brother. He feels a kinship with him right away. He feels torn between his brother and his king. The story is lovely. I have a little brother and love him so much. I could understand the brothers love. Great little book!

I almost wanted to say I disliked this book. The first part was difficult to get through, stilted, and frankly boring. As the plot developed it improved, but it just never made it all the way to likeable. "the world's okayest fantasy book" would be a good title. The world setting wasn't bad, but I felt most of the characters were underdeveloped and it could have done with being twice as long. The end was a bit of a bust too - 2 seconds and it was over once everyone got their "feelings" out. I was at least hoping for a dark witches curse or something to lead into the next book.

The book is slowly building and it’s has some interesting parts. So in the end it had me hooked and I want to know more.

Gorgeous and magical! Nancy’s early fantasy was always full of love, friendship and heroism and at the core of her stories, acceptance and being true to yourself. Doing what is right, even when what is right, isn’t always what is going to make you happy. This was an beautifully done call-back to her beginnings, and everything I fell in love with thirty-plus years ago, is present here.

If you’re unfamiliar with her early fantasy you may find the writing awkward at first until you get used to the style. It’s not that it’s overly complicated but it is more like poetry or a ballad, in the way it rises and falls in rhythm. It’s beautiful and is as much a part of the story, as the setting and the characters, lending it a feeling similar to an old folk tale.

The story tells of the deep friendship and love between the found brothers and their willingness to do anything for one another which contrasts the relationship that the king had with his own brothers, and their willingness to sacrifice one another to get what they want. Much like in a folktale there is a quietness to the underlying message of greed and putting yourself first and how unhappy you can become because of it.

The book isn’t perfect by any means, there were some confusing moments with the Why’s of the ring, and a few plot points that are a bit hand-wavy- but my last star is always about enjoyment before it’s about perfection, and I enjoyed the heck out of this book. Five stars from me and a hope that Nancy Springer will continue to visit her early fantasy.

Other notes-
Princess Marissa was utterly charming. I fell in love with her spunky cute self in a matter of a few paragraphs.

This book was unique and a thrilling ride. The novel, set in Scotland, is a fast paced tale of two brothers whose deep, familial love has to defy the odds to overcome just about every obstacle that could be thrown there way. I could not put this book down -- the story line drags you in, holds you tight, and will not let you go until you've come to the beautiful conclusion of the book. I found the two main characters to be very three dimensional and we get an excellent viewpoint into Aric (the main character) and his thoughts and feelings. I gave the book four stars instead of five for two reasons; first is sometimes the book was a little too fast paced. As in, I was sometimes a little surprised that the plot had taken a turn and I hadn't quite caught up yet. The second reason is I felt that the secondary characters (Albaric, Queen Evalin, Marissa) weren't quite as three dimensional as the main character. While I understand that this is the norm, I felt slightly despondent in that I wasn't given the chance to know them quite as well as Aric. They came too close to falling flat on the page for comfort.

Overall, this book is a wonderful, fast paced read that lovers of fantasy will enjoy.

This beautiful story follows our main character Aric (Yes! Finally a male protagonist in YA fantasy) and he is the young prince of a lonely kingdom in Northern Scotland. His father, the king, is dying because of a strange and spooky ring around his finger but luckily, a fae (that's right! Faeries!) suddenly appears and saves the king by removing this ring. Well, not all is what it seems when history reveals itself. I really don't want to spoil anymore than that.

The writing style is easy and straightforward. Nancy's choice of words just roll off the tongue which also allows it to be a very quick read. Aric is a freaking teddy bear and is too precious for this world. I'm so tired of mean angsty princes but we get the opposite with Aric. He's honest and forgiving. Actually, I fell in love with all of the characters. There are so many great friendships.

For a fantasy setting, this book will ease you into a very atmospheric world with a homey feel and it'll leave you wanting more. I know when I'm stressed out, this story will have my back.