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The Oddling Prince

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Book Review
Title: The Oddling Prince
Author: Nancy Springer
Genre: Mythology/Historical/Fantasy
Rating: ****
Review: The opening to The Oddling Prince was great, we are introduced to Aric and his father the King of Calidon who lays dying after a cursed ring appears on his finger. His son is not ready to be King but despite everything no one can remove the ring. However, when a mysterious fey named Albaric arrives at the castle, he does the impossible restoring the King to health but there seems to be more to his relationship with the King as he asks if the King knows who he is. Aric seems to notice this as he has a strange emotional connection to Albaric and wants to know all about him. Albaric seems to have come from the fey world as he doesn’t understand the concept of time or mortal things like sleeping and death.
As we approach the ¼ mark in the novel, I was really enjoying the story despite not being a huge fan of historical fiction. After the King’s recovery Albaric tells the story of how he came to be there. It turns out that he is also a Prince, the son of the King of Calidon and the fey Queen. However, being half-human, he didn’t feel welcome in the fey kingdom and came to help his father in his time of need. However, the King doesn’t seem happy to have another son and treats Albaric poorly, Aric and his mother try to get to the source of the King’s problem, but I have a feeling that Albaric won’t be at home in the human world or the fey world.
As we cross the ¼ mark in the novel, Albaric finds no live in the mortal lands except from his brother. It is Aric that comes up with the idea to find a place where the people don’t know about fey and wonders, a place that Albaric can be happy. He asks his father to let them both go to find this place under the guise of Aric looking for a wife. Despite, this I don’t think the brothers will be happy unless they are together as they seem to completely understand the other in ways no one else can understand. The language in this novel seems old-fashioned it is very easy to read which I was very thankful for. As they reach their first destination Aric immediately finds a girl who would make a great political match, yet she is too young to wed, however, she makes the remark that Albaric should be a Prince and Aric agrees. Another strange thing is that the Lord of this kingdom tells Albaric the story of the White King and his blue horse that rose from the sea, which has a striking resemblance to Albaric.
As we approach the halfway mark in the novel, I was curious to see what would happen to the brothers. However, soon the brothers are ambushed again but this time they learn that their home is to be attacked and immediately head back in order to warn the King and both pray they aren’t too late. Against all the odds, the brothers and Bluefire seem to overcome almost any task they are presented with, but something seems off about the situation they find themselves in at the moment.
As we cross into the second half of the novel, the brothers are beginning to show to everyone how well they work together. One challenge the brothers constantly face is their quest to win their father’s approval for Albaric but no matter how hard they try it seems to King refuses to acknowledge Albaric or Elfland. Meanwhile, the ring that started the story seems to be conveying a message to the brothers although they don’t yet know what it is.
As we approach the ¾ mark in the novel, the problems only grow for the brothers and Aric isn’t faring well. However, he makes a full recovery as expected but the wedges the King is driving between them is beginning to show. Marissa ends this when she arrives as she is the one Aric intends to marry when she is old enough. However, like the brothers she is different, she knows things that no one else does, she can even tell that Albaric is fey just by looking at him. When Aric receives the ring’s message they all understand that something large is coming, something bad.
I can’t really talk about the last section of the novel without giving away the ending, but everything comes together and all the things that didn’t really make sense earlier in the novel really comes together. Overall, I really enjoyed the Oddling Prince, it wasn’t the best historical fantasy I’m sure but it was a quick, easy and fun read.

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3 stars--I liked the book.

I can't believe I've never read Nancy Springer before! But at least I've remedied that now. This charming book reminds me very much of a folk tale--like I'm reading about Beowulf or Cú Chulainn. And I think that tone is intentional. This is a story of two princes on a remote Scottish isle--one human, one fey--and the bond that ties them together.

Characters aren't deep and the story progresses in an unsurprising manner (as I said before, it reads like a folk tale), but the message is uplifting and the plot satisfying.

I received this review copy from the publisher on NetGalley. Thanks for the opportunity to read and review; I appreciate it!

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I wasn't really impressed with this book. I had such high hopes and then the writing style just threw me off and sort of ruined my experience of the story.

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I'm at about 35% done with no desire to read it to completion seeing as I'm having trouble finding a plot. The language and phrasing is very Tolkienesque, which I adore, but the novel itself seems to go absolutely nowhere. It's like the author is just writing down things that are happening in the day-to-day life of Aric and Albaric - there's no actual intriguing story here. If I do happen to pick this book up again and finish it, I will leave a review on GR and my blog talking about it as a whole - right now, I'm getting my Masters in Education and co-teaching full-time - so I don't have any extra hours to spare reading a book that hasn't hooked me a third of the way in.

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I absolutely love love love this book! There are some stories that read like a fairytale that doesn't really sell, this was not like that at all. You are immediately drawn in to the world with a serious situation that tugs at your compassion. The protagonist, Aric, is a seventeen year old Prince whom isn't anything like you would expect and holds on to his greatest qualities even as his father tests him left and right. He stays so completely to his character that you find yourself on his side no matter the outcome and wish him the best in all things that come his way. A true embodiment of what little girls dream princes should be. His brother, Albaric, is a bit of a mystery and ethereal in his beauty but he also faces a lot of trials and doesn't always succeed in being kind hearted as his first is seen by saving their father. But it's kinda hard to give up everything and the one you love doesn't remember you and furthermore sees you as a threat. It's hard to stay to one's own moral high ground under such circumstances. There is so much emotional connection between the characters that it's hard to go into significant detail, you would really have to read the book to understand. I also love the idea of the main antagonist is a ring. It's impossible to sway it or possess it in any kind of way. It has its own agenda and it changes people like night goes to day. This really was an amazing read. I absolutely love a book that the words read so smoothly that I feel it's like seducing me.

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I am highly disappointed with The Oddling Prince. I'm sum it up: nothing major was happening. It felt like I had to read several chapters in order to see progress happen in this book. I did love the bond between the characters, but other than that, it was bland. The world building was weak, and average...it had fae elements, but nothing that made me want to continue on.

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I received an ARC from NetGalley for my honest review, all opinions are my own.

Historically the fey are nothing but trouble for humankind. In this case, the fey started the trouble, but didn't necessarily end it. Why do the fey always cause problems? Because they're immortal and we're not is the simple answer. Maybe the more complex answer is that they can't really understand love. So, the moral is when the fey fall in love, mortal better watch out. The whole time while reading The Oddling Prince, I felt like I was hearing a dream while underwater. In other words, it's strange, but I liked it.

It has a mystical quality from the very beginning when we realize the king is dying not because of a war, assassin or other plague, but from a ring on his hand - a ring that won't come off and we can guess that's because it's from another place, the fairyland.

I love to talk about characters in books, because the most interesting setting will still cause us to yawn if we don't have someone to read about. I guess we're fundamentally egocentric and want to read about ourselves in a book by identifying with the characters.

The two young men are different from one another, but fully accepting of each other. Aric, the protagonist, has been raised to be the heir. He feels unprepared to carry on the role with the demise of his father imminent. When he sees a supernatural event, which brings him a young man - obviously someone more than from this world because he is too beautiful - Aric must decide if he should allow the stranger to see his ailing father. The stranger frees the king from the vice-like hold the ring has held over him, but  the king of Calidon doesn't know who the young man is and dismisses him from his mind. Aric, on the other hand, feels profoundly grateful and seeks out this misplaced youth. He learns that Albaric and he have a strong connection, and he would be willing to die to preserve his life. What could cause such an intense reaction?

Warning!!! Big Spoiler Alert - do not read this short paragraph if you want a surprise!!! -----------I enjoyed their relationship, because they are willing to try to understand each other and express loyalty to each other as brothers. There was nothing sexual in their relationship. It is a very simple relationship, but complicated by their raging father, the king of Calidon. Both brothers are completely transparent and honest. The one is worldly and the other is naive.

Spoiler alert is finished.

The queen also recognizes the value that Albaric brings to the kingdom. Not only has he saved Calidon, the king, but he supports Aric as the heir. He proves his loyalty time and again without expecting a reward, but hopes that the king will remember him. The king of Calidon is obtuse and refuses to acknowledge Albaric and his goodness, but instead, sees him as a threat to his son. The king not only sees Albaric as a threat, but also other shadows and ghosts from the past - including his own son, Aric, as a potential enemy. The madness that shapes the king of Calidon defines this book as being different than other tales about fairies. If the father had just accepted and loved Albaric for all the good he had done the story would have been flat.

It is more of a psychological fantasy than an action fantasy. There are action scenes, arrows and swords, political maneuvering, but I think these are all overshadowed by the psychological exploration of characters between Aric, Albaric and the king of Calidon.

It's very small complaint, but I thought the word "troth" was over used. Springer uses some beautiful language that adds to the other-wordly feel. Just too much troth for me.

Aric does mention casually that he could visit the girls in the kitchen to fulfill his desires as needed. There isn't really much more than that in a sexual nature in the book.

I ended up liking this book and recommend it.

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Not gonna lie, this book was terrible in my opinion. It was soooo superficial, no emotions, a strange plot, strange characters and nothing I ever could relate to. The style was a super strange combination between 16th century or so and a normal narrating style which I really didn't like. The whole story was face paced but super superficial and I just didn't like anything about this. The relationship between the brothers was so awkward?? I mean?? You two just know each other since like two days but he already says things like "I love my brother"... "I couldn't live without him"?? This book just wasn't for me.

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I have read other works by this author and enjoyed them, but this just didn't work for me, unfortunately.

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-- I received a free e-review copy of this novel via NetGalley. All opinions are my own. --

What happens if a mysterious fairy prince suddenly shows up in a human realm and claims to be the king's son? This is the question Nancy Springer addresses in this novel, when Albaric shows up just in time to save his father's life. A central theme is the relationship between the two princes, which is interesting, as well as the complicated relationship with their respective parents. What I really enjoyed is the way this actually does read like a medieval romance in it's style and content.
However, the story seems to stay on the surface of things, and would have done better in a novella form rather than a full length novel. It drags at times, and the tale progresses slowly.

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I found the writing style difficult to read and comprehend at times. There were really no characters I could identify with, not that it is something necessary to have in a book. The pace was pretty slow for my taste, that could just be because of the writing style. Also I found the relationship between Albaric and Aric quite odd and off putting at times.

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The Oddling Prince started as a foreign novel. The writing style is completely different from the ones I read and it is narrated through a 3rd person in the old English language. The introduction was hard to pick up. I was shaking my head and dragging myself to finish it because I kept on staring at the word “whence” repeatedly. The book sure has it’s own magic too, what I did like about is the writing style grows on you. It sticks. I don’t know but it does. It will be enough to get you until the end.

The plot a.k.a the part it confuses me; it was so brief, The Oddling Prince is a character-driven plot. (Still brief,) But I say it as, it’s all over the place, it doesn’t show where it should mainly focus in, it shows more of the journey of the two siblings’ journey. After Albaric saved king Bardic from his imminent death, the king was never been the same. Then it connects with the king Bardic’s past from his own family experiences. And that it didn’t showcase much of the mythical magic touch I was looking for only shown literally in the end. POOF!

The setting a.k.a what confuses me too. It wasn’t that insane of a world building it has its highs and lows. There were flashes of vivid setting they’re but aside from those it wasn’t that specified much.

The characters: We have seventeen-year-old Aric, he’s way too transparent, his thoughts in every chapter was clear as day. I sure know that everyone would grow to love. Albaric a tad enigmatic of character that too will draw you in. But the brotherly chemistry between Aric and Albaric was both familiar and peculiarly off. It appears too intense then it isn’t and hurried. Whom I admire most is Marissa! Portrayed as a fourteen-year-old who’s wiser beyond her age. She’s candid and completely unapologetic character. A kind of woman they truly needed.

The Oddling Prince isn’t a knock your socks off amazing read but I sure liked the values of it.

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I am so excited that finally we have a male protaganist in YA! Aric's father is lying on his deathbed with a ring on his finger that nobody can get off of him. Lucky for him the fae come to save his life! This book was so good. I want to read everything by the author! This is so hard to review without giving it away but I will say this. If you don't read this you will regret it. Thank you NetGalley for allowing me to review this.

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IWhile I liked the story well enough with her interpretation of the fey, the setting of ancient Scotland, and the idea of ring which totally reminds me the lord of the rings. I had issues with the writing style and language, which was often whimsical and at times a bit awkward for me to understand, I also had a hard time keeping the characters straight in my head and had issue remembers who was who.

Overall, there are many elements I liked about this new story , but it didn't quite live up to my expectations. I didn't find myself invested in the either of the leading characters but i kept trying. Having been a fan of Nancy's past offerings i was a tad bit disappointed....but then again, maybe i was just expecting more from her.

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I found this book intriguing on many different levels. 1) There is an incredibly deep love that is a well-written platonic relationships. Few books have ever really captured this well for me, and this one does it superbly. I enjoyed this aspect of the book. 2) The language of the book is unique, it was very olde- English, fantasy language which was interesting and engaging as a reader, even though I probably mispronounced words in my head or completely misunderstood (audio book would be incredibly helpful in regards to this. I also love all things fey and fairy so I enjoyed having a fey centered book that really dug deep and fleshed the (to me) enigmatic fey.

I would have loved if the romance aspect of this novel, though not dominant, was fleshed out a bit more. It would have been interesting to see more interactions etc. etc. Also, the plot wasn't as linear as my mind would have liked, what made it fascinating was that by the ending, I was not sure which avenue the author would take which was refreshing but also frustrating as a reader. I also was not as completely invested in the main characters as I would have liked but the plot line itself engaged me more. Overall, I did like this book and recommend to lovers of fey and high-fantasy books.

Thank you Netgalley, Tachyon Publications, and Nancy Springer for the opportunity to review this book.

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I received this eARC from Tachyon Publications on NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. My review below is honest and the views are completely my own.

Despite the synopsis being up my alley, The Oddling Prince wasn't what I expected it to be. The writing style and purple prose wasn’t for me and kept me from getting into the plot. If you like flowery wording, you might have an easier time with this one!

As a big fan of LGBT+ books, I must admit I was disappointed that Aric and Albric were brothers, considering the love-at-first-sight that Aric talked about incessantly. The bromance felt more like a romance, and could have been toned down because of the nature of their bond. I'm all for bromance, like in Michael Sullivan's Riyria Revelations, but I felt as thought this was dangled in front of me and yanked away despite finding out they were brothers within the first few chapters.

Though the book reads like a fairy tale, it felt rushed. The connection for me just wasn't there with this book.

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I received a free e-copy of this book from NetGalley for review purposes.

I have apparently never read any Nancy Springer before, and what a pity, because this book was wonderfully beautiful in all the best ways. Her writing reminds me of a combination of Dahlov Ipcar (A Dark Horn Blowing) with a dash of Peter Beagle. No, there were no unicorns in this book, but the utter dreaminess of the story took me back to The Last Unicorn.

In this story, Prince Aric of Calidon (at one point there seems to have been a typo of Caldor and it made me giggle a bit) is about to lose his father the king, Bardaric, to the power of a supposedly evil ring. No one knows where the ring came from or why it is wasting him. As the moment of his death arrives, a man blazing white shows up at the castle and, amid a huge spectacle, saves the king's life. He reveals himself to be Albaric, the half-fey son of the king, conceived while the king had been held prisoner by the queen of Elfland. Bardaric doesn't remember this because the queen sent him back to the moment she had stolen him, with the ring she had placed on his hand. The king refuses to accept Albaric as his son, instead choosing to believe he is a "fetch," or evil fey thing come to steal his own son and possibly the throne.

Aric, on the other hand, immediately and intensely loves his new half-brother. The two share a connection almost unbelievable, but it is so real that neither can deny they are brothers and bound to one another. Meanwhile, King Bardaric grows ever more distrustful and sinister. The brothers must find a way to return him to himself, a previously generous and good king, before he kills everyone around him. Intertwined with this story is the legend of the White King, the one who will come and restore the kingdom to peace. Bardaric is more and more afraid of someone, anyone trying to steal his throne that he even begins to loathe his own son.

I enjoyed the story, the pacing, and the characterization. At times the relationship between Aric and Albaric was a bit over-the-top, and I pretty much saw something of what was coming at the end as soon as the White King was mentioned. But this is absolutely a fey story - it draws you in slowly, entrances you as if you're in a dream, and then knocks you over the head with how beautifully it's written.

Highly recommended for fantasy readers of all ages - especially those who love the dreamy quality of Peter Beagle and others. I loved every minute of this and plan to add more Nancy Springer to my (constantly growing) TBR pile.

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* Thank you to NetGalley for providing me with this ebook."

I don't really know what to think about this book. It wasn't a bad book, but it doesn't have anything particularly memorable.
It very much read like a classic fairytale which was pretty nice. Also, I liked the beautiful relationship between the two main characters.
My main issue was probably the story that felt a bit hollow and bland.
Also, it felt weird to me to read about a 14-year-old girl as a love interest for our main character, even with all the caution that was used to explain that he wouldn't force her into anything until she'd come of age. I don't know, it was a bit strange.
To be quite honest, I almost DNF The Oddling Prince but I found the audiobook on Scribd and decided to give it a second chance. I definitely recommend the audio version, it was well narrated.

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Thoroughly enjoyed this old-school fantasy novel.! It's probably been ten years since I've read a Nancy Springer book, but I always liked her books and figured this would be no exception, and I was right. It's narrated by a prince whose father is on his deathbed, poisoned by a magical ring no one can remove. The king is saved by an ethereal young man who claims to be his son by the faerie queen. While the two princes bond over their shared father, the king himself is suspicious and disturbed.

The plot is engagingly complex without being overwhelming, and the characters are well drawn. Springer combines familiar elements into an original, entertaining story.

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Thank you for the arc netgalley <3

I really enjoyed the first half but from around 55% it was a struggle to get through. I loved the setting and the brotherhood aspect, it was so refreshing it not being a romance novel

Things I didn’t like- fey! I’m just to old for fairytale type YA now but even when I was a young adult I really didn’t enjoy it much then either. I also didn’t like that old English fairytale style of writing, it’s 2018! If I wanted to read that kind of style I’d pick up some Shakespeare...

The story wasn’t terrible and I’m sure lots of people would love it but the writing style just put me off massively. Glad this was just under 300 pages or I may have DNFed it

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