It's been many years since I've read Nancy Springer but have fond memories of reading her folk lore inspired fantasy,. I was delighted to spot a new story in Netgalley and read this in just under a couple of days. All the magic I remember from her earlier books is still there - a well crafted example of fairytale influenced writing (that is so in vogue right now even though Springer and others have been doing this for years!) with a strong celtic folklore influence. I shall certainly be looking out for more!

This book could have been so much better than it was. The beginning was very slow and I almost gave up on it. The Prince Aric gushes far too much over Albaric. The story could have moved along so much better without that excess. My favorite character could have made this into a successful trilogy instead of rushing everything into the end of this book. Without giving away the plotting that character will become the hostage and that would have been a great point to set up a second book. Instead everything is rushed into the end. The personality shift of a certain character was never well explained or well done.

I had trouble getting through this book. The writing style was very detailed oriented and characters were very developed but I felt at times it was too much detail and not enough action for me. I think those looking for a Fae novel chronocialing self discover and family bonds this would be for you.

**Thank you to NetGalley and the publishers for providing me with this ARC in exchange for an honest review**

I feel like this is going to be a book that people either love or dislike, and sadly this book was not for me.

On one hand, I adored the writing. Nancy Springer's writing is eloquent and flows smoothly throughout the whole book. Honestly, her prose is incredibly unique and one of the most beautiful I've ever come across. However, there was an insta-love/connection between two of the main characters which didn't feel authentic or realistic to me. That being said, this book is definitely meant to be read as more of a fairytale type story. You can't go in expecting huge character development or relationships forming and deepening as the novel goes on. I'm not saying that is a bad thing, it just isn't what I was personally expecting and it held me back from being able to fully connect with the characters and the story.

DNFd
I am sad to report i did not finish this one. I tried for so long! Unfortunately, it just wasn't; for me!

My rating is 4,5 stars.
I loved this book. Granted there are things that I didn't particularly understand or agree with, still I loved that book. There's the story where you have magic, kingdom in Scotland, rivalry, fear of rivalry, fathers sons relationships, brotherhood.
I loved Marissa, such a funny charcter. I so often hated the King which I think speaks positively of the book if it could produce such emotions. It's hard to describe the book without spoilers, so I won't do it, but I absolutely recommend to read it.

In the ancient moors of Scotland, the king of Calidon lies on his deathbed, cursed by a ring that cannot be removed from his finger. When a mysterious fey stranger appears to save the king, he also carries a secret that could tear the royal family apart.

The kingdom’s only hope will lie with two young men raised worlds apart. Aric is the beloved heir to the throne of Calidon; Albaric is clearly of noble origin yet strangely out of place.

Although a fairly short book it is epic-best book I have read so far this year!!!

Being a huge fan of fantasy, I was intrigued with this premise. Unfortunately this book missed it's mark for me. Springer's writing is very descriptive, and definitely has a lot of fantasy elements to it, but more often than not I was confused with her wordings. Same with the relationship with the brothers. Through out the book it felt like there was confusion on if they were brothers or something more than that. There were various elements to this book that if they were developed more, I think I could have liked the book, but it was a little too all over the place for me to connect with it at all.

**A copy of this book was provided by the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.**

The Oddling Prince struck an odd chord, and I wish I could have finished the entire book. It’s a story about family, two brothers to be exact, and their journey to become family. The setting is the ancient moors of Scotland where the current king is dying of a mysterious illness. The beginning of this book was interesting and it kept me excited for the first few chapters, but unfortunately I just couldn’t read past chapter eleven. For me the details are so important and the characters did not feel Scottish to me. The setting didn’t feel Scottish either. This made it hard to concentrate on the actual story itself, which is disappointing, because the writing is very well done and the story has so much potential. If the accents were correct and the setting detailed with more depth, those details would have added to the story, therefore, been less distracting. I’ve never read anything by Nancy Springer previously but I look forward to reading more of her work in the future, just a different series.

I did enjoy this book but not as much as I though. I would, the plot sounded very interesting but something about it wasn't for me. The plot was so well thought out and executed great with amazing characters so I would still recommend it.

4.25 stars
"My king," said Albaric, "Aric will not die. For if he does, I will go with him, and he knows it."

In a land, far far away, two complete strangers meet on a tragic day when the life of the king seems to be doomed, and with just a glance an unbreakable bound of love, loyalty and brotherhood is born.
This is the story of Aric, heir of the king and prince of Calidon, and Albaric, the oddling prince. A story that shows the power of brotherly love, such a great power able to defy even the love felt for one's parents. Such a great power able to defy even death.
"We were mistaken," I told her. "I was not a marvel, to be so transparent like glass. I was merely incomplete."

I don't even know where to begin explaining this heartwarming/heartbreaking novel, but I do know one thing: Aric and Albaric are one of the most well-written brotps I've ever read about. They're so different in their origins and their "race", one human and one half Elf, but what keeps them together is the trust they have in each other, that sharing of thoughts and feeling, that mutual brotherly love that nothing can break, not even a father. It was truly moving to witness how much they take care of each other, how they can understand with just a glance when something's off, how words are not necessary to convey what they feel.
Sometimes I felt like they were simply two faces of the same coin, two halves of the same painting, two sides of the same personality.
This is why, despite my tears, I couldn't help by being happy when reading the ending, SPOILER when these two separated halves finally become one with that moving image of Albaric transforming into a wave that soaks Aric merging two souls in one single body. END OF SPOILER
"A king is a man who wears a crown, but after a while the crown begins to wear the man."

Despite the brotp being the main reason for my high rating, there's something else that left me fascinated: the depiction of human corruption represented by the king. Or better, how human souls can be corrupted by greed, envy, fear, jealousy, mistrust and... shame. That's right, being ashamed of themselves is the first step for starting envying and even fearing others because we think they're better than us, and the second step is hating them. Wanting them to disappear. Shame can lead to madness even the kindest man, as the story shows. But it also shows that there's always place for redemption and forgiveness.

There's no doubt that Albaric was the one who's stolen my heart with his innocence and yet his cleverness, his courage and strenght and yet his need of love. He's truly an oddling prince, but oddling as "mysterious, heavenly, pure, special, lacking of any vice and sin".
But there was somebody else who caught my attention and, unfortunately, didn't get the space she deserved: Marissa. She's also an "oddling princess", in a certain way. She's different from the other people because she does actually pay attention to the people around her and can understand things that superficiality hids to mortal eyes. And, exactly like Albaric, she's hated because of her "diversity" by one of those people who should cherish her the most: her fater. Despite this and her young age, she proves to be a brave, clever young woman who does not fear to speak the truth to make the good prevail.
"There is poetry in him now," Mother said serenely. "And, I hope, music."

Last but not least, I'd like to take a moment to appreciate the writing style. It had a song-like quality like the old tales, like the ballads sung during the XVII century, full of poetry and beauty and music. As a non-native English speaker, it's been hard sometimes to understand the meaning of some rather unconventional words, but this did nothing but enhance the magical atmosphere of the whole story. I was enraptured. I was fascinated. I was in love.

Thanks to Netgalley for an ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.

Hmm, even after flying through this book, I’m not entirely sure how I feel about it. It’s possibly because I’ve been having a rather anxious few days, and so I’ve been trying to plough through my to be read pile in the hopes of feeling productive, but something about this book just didn’t work for me. The plot ticked along just fine, and the characters seemed okay, but it just felt a little lifeless for me.

While I liked the idea of a novel which concentrated on the bonds of brotherhood rather than romance, I just didn’t quite feel the connection to Aric or Albaric. The two characters didn’t have anything wrong with them exactly, I simply couldn’t connect to them.

I think maybe there wasn’t enough fleshing out there, and the story felt a little rushed at times. The book skims over a lot of events too quickly, meaning the novel didn’t have enough of a foundation. There were some events, such as the king’s mood swings, which could have been done better, with more time for the reader to adjust to it, and perhaps more time in the build up showing the good side of his personality too, not just the bad. It was gripping to open the novel and immediately see him on the brink of death, but never at any point throughout the novel did I particularly care if his son saved him or not, because I never got to see him as a good character. Which is a pity, because there was some great potential to add a lot of depth there.

Furthermore, there were elements of the book which I found troubling. Of course, it is set in medieval Britain, so it doesn’t surprise me that things are different, and I’m not against authors highlighting these differences, but I just felt like the whole thing was a bit… icky? The love interest of the novel is a fourteen year-old girl, who the main character admits is too young to marry, and yet despite him frequently suggesting it is just an engagement to see where things go when she grows up, meaning the ball is in her court, I still felt a bit gross when I saw him describing her as ‘my little love.’ Mostly because the things he described about her as being beautiful, usually referred back to her age and her coming into maturity, which doesn’t sit right with me.

With all of this in consideration, I’d give The Oddling Prince a 5.5/10. It was a quick read, and there were some enjoyable parts hidden in it, but between the disturbing romance and the too-fast pace, I can’t really rate it highly.

If you’re a fan of Robin Hobb’s Assassin’s… series, you’ll probably like this novel. It will be released in the UK on May 15th, [according to Netgalley and Goodreads. Waterstones, Book Depository and Amazon seem to be showing different dates].

How long has it been since the last time I read such an idealistic fantasy book with notions like chivalry, friendship and honour? The starry-eyed narrative would remind me of children's or middle-school fantasy stories, if it weren't for the interspersed hints of rather adult themes, which took me by surprise sometimes, though other than that, very little happens in this starry-eyed narrative:

Albaric, prince Aric's fey half-brother born of the mortal king Baldaric's forced affair with the Queen of Elfland, arrives just in time to save their father and forfeits his own immortality by doing so, barring him from the Otherworld. What follows is a lot of redundant Celtic family drama and a (short) roadtrip between brothers to find a new, accepting place for Albaric in this world.

While I appreciated the immersive writing style and the exploration of the brothers' utter devotion to each other (that would be unmistakably romantic in any other constellation), the novel felt long-winded, yet at the same time too simplistic for an adult audience. It's a pity, because I thoroughly enjoyed Springer's classic fantasy voice! It was the unexpected end that got me around to a three-star rating after all, and the originality of the work on the whole. But lord do I need a grimdark story right now.

I have a very soft spot for fae-related mythology and this story was a great fit. It's a cute YA fantasy novel about two brothers, one fae, one human. The writing felt very much like a classic faerie tale, which was perfect for the story (but occasionally distracted a bit from the content). Overall, I quite enjoyed it.

I received an ARC from the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. Thank you!

Well, I really wanted to like this book given the title and the topic. I love fae stories and I thought this one sounded really good. For starters what I did like was the way the story was written. I loved the language that was used and the terminology the author used throughout the story. The commitment to the time period and location was phenomenal. The thing I did not really enjoy was the speed of the story. It was very slow and often times the plot got lost and I wasn't sure what I was even reading about. The one thing that kept me reading was the language, it is just unfortunate that the plot was lackluster...

Unfortunately, I couldn’t finish this book. It was way to slow for me, and I couldn’t get into it. But I do love the cover.

I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for the chance to read this book.

This is an odd one for me, and not just for the title. I didn't realize it would be written the way it was, all in old English with troths and ye oldes etc etc and I was super thrown for a long time. I read this in small parts, the writing completely overshadowing any other aspect of the book. I was also slightly obsessed with the brothers' relationship; it was too overwhelming, although now that ending makes more sense. But there were times when I was sure they were the romantic pairing, haha.

I did sort of like the story, which was why I pushed my rating from a two to a three in the end. If you can handle the writing and the general oddness, this isn't a bad book. Just different. Three stars.

“One knows not with mind but with gut and spine.”

I received a free e-ARC through NetGalley from the publishers at Tachyon Publications. If I had realized who the author was, I might have been more hesitant to request this title. I read Springer’s I Am Mordred and I Am Morgan le Fay some years ago. I don’t remember much except that I didn’t really care for them, and I’m not sure I would have volunteered to read another of her books had I been paying better attention. (What is the point of keeping track of everything I read on Goodreads and index cards if I never even look at them? You got me.)

The King of Calidon has been cursed by a ring he cannot remove. As he lies on his deathbed, a mysterious stranger arrives to save him. Albaric is fae and a son of the king, but he wants nothing except his father’s affection. Aric is the prince and heir, and from the moment the two meet, they share an unshakable bond. But the king can hardly tolerate the sight of his fae son, and before long, his disapproval spreads to Aric as well, threatening the peace and well-being of the entire kingdom. I would place it somewhere in the realm between middle grade and young adult.

I’m not a big fan of medieval fantasy. I nope out of most things pretty quickly as soon as there’s no electricity. I don’t know if it’s that I have trouble connecting with stories outside my century or if I feel like that story has been told ad nauseam. So, I wasn’t the biggest fan of Springer’s world. It’s a pretty standard medieval world with castles and tiresome royalty, plus the addition of a pretty standard fae world and a magic ring. The language makes an attempt to reflect the time period with words like “forsooth” and “troth”, which is off-putting at first, but I admire the effort. There was an actual definition for “troth” that I promptly forgot and spent the rest of the novel wondering about, which is more of a comment on my laziness than Springer’s writing. That aside, the descriptions are often lovely.

The brother relationship between Aric and Albaric is really strong, and it’s what kept me going through the book. Aric is straight-forwardly good, but surprisingly not boring the way purely good characters sometimes are. He’s also funny and kind, and his commitment to his oddling brother despite all the problems it causes is admirable. Albaric is a little more bland for me, but there are worse things. The relationship among Aric, Albaric, and Marissa is interesting (and sweet), and I wish she hadn’t arrived so late in the novel. There are way too few female characters as it is, and while Marissa ends up playing a strong role, they’re constantly being undercut just for being female.

Which leads me to some of the novel’s problems. More than once, someone comments that the queen would have made a great king if she were a man, like that’s some kind of compliment. There’s some hand-waving on the fact that Marissa is fourteen and expected to marry. (I don’t care if this was cool in medieval times. It’s creepy now.) There are also far too frequent references to Albaric being effeminate and how there’s no “shameful” love between him and Aric. It’s like the book is constantly flashing a “no homo” sign because these two guys love each other. This needs to stop in fiction as a whole. I don’t understand how it’s possible to imagine a medieval world where faeries are possible, but not one where sexism and homophobia don’t exist. It killed a lot of the momentum the novel had managed to build for me.

The plot is fairly fast-moving, and there’s a lot of character development among Aric, Albaric, and the king (but the women get none, go figure). The end takes a surprising turn, but I liked the way Springer wrapped things up. It’s strange but fitting. All in all, it’s a fine fairytale but not something I’d ever care to return to.

I review regularly at brightbeautifulthings.tumblr.com.

Unfortunately, I don't think this book is for me. I will not be finishing it. However, I won't post any reviews on Goodreads or Amazon, since I didn't get very far. NetGalley forced me to choose a star rating, so I gave it a "neutral" 3-star rating.

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.