I didn't particularly like this book. It's sad, because the synopsis was good and the book has a lot of potential, but it feels unfinished and juvenile. I could see this book as a MG rather than a YA. I love rags to riches stories, but some parts of the book felt incoherent and could use some enhancements, like: 
- Tristan is over confident when he is a thief, but he's constantly stammering and whimpering in his new life. I wanted to shake him up! It's normal, in his situation, to feel insecure... But crying like he does for absolutely nothing? No excuses. 
- He is 20 years old, but he is acting like a 12 year old. Everyone is treating him like a 9 year old.
- The villain is so obviously mean, bullying everyone just because he wants to... It needs to be more subtile. 
- The plot is SO predictable and obvious. (Did I say it's obvious? Because it is.)

What I did like:
- His escaping attempts were really funny.
- The emerging romance that begins somewhat weirdly with Princess Aliona.
- Dorian and Elandra are adorable.
- I loved Meggin. I would have loved for her to have a bigger role in the book.
- The way Tristan learned about his parents was fabulous!!! 

In retrospect, the book isn't bad. It may be for younger readers rather than me.

Many thanks to Blue Gingham Publishing for the complimentary e-copy of this book through NetGalley. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.

I'm afraid to say I gave up on this book and didn't finish. This retelling of a classic story was far too predictable.

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for this copy in exchange for an honest review.

The Lost Prince is one of its kind. The storyline is not that extra-ordinary but the way Alonna Williams represents the whole story makes it a beautiful piece of work. I literally laughed, cried, and felt every mood the author tried to mention during the whole plot. 

The throne of Odsia is heirless, the king and the queen's son and his wife had been killed with the baby boy they had. Yet, King Dorian thinks that his grandson is alive and must be found out soon. Tristan had been living on the streets for eighteen years with his friends, mugging, and begging for food. His life takes a turn when the royal guards take him to the king realizing he is the lost prince. But, he is not ready for life as a royal and wishes to run away from the palace. 

WIll the throne of Odsia remain vacant? You really need to find out by reading the beautiful work! 
There are no parts of the book I did not enjoy! Kudos to the author for an amazing story.

Since the publisher has already taken feedback on this book about the age of the main character and language, I will stop reading this book and look forward to reading the revised version later in the year.

The "Prince and the Pauper," has long been a staple in fiction. This version tends to be over dramatic and lagging in areas. You can almost predict the next line of dialogue. Today's young adult audience will pick this up and quickly put it back for it lack luster story line.

Summary
A tale about a lost Prince, who spent 2 decades of his life thieving and surviving in the slums.
However, his life is turned around when the King announces his attempt at searching for his heir who was rumored to be assassinated 17 years ago...
Tristan considers himself a pro in his lifestyle and way of living, and when the fated announcement is made he does everything to avoid being detected but obviously that doesn't go to plan.
His entire word is turned over as soon as he steps into the palace...from rags to riches, the transition frightens him endlessly but Tristan might just be the key to find the person behind the assassinations all those years ago.

Thoughts
This book had so much potential it had a very intriguing concept of a boy going from literally rags to riches not just in clothing and food but mannerisms, outlook and so much more. But the way the story was presented, I think it would have better worked out a play since we weren't given any worldbuilding or adequate description of our character and his surroundings; we were told everything in internal monologue and intermittent flashbacks to the time around the assassination.

Another problem was the MC himself his mannerisms were way too juvenile for a 20-year-old especially the one who lived his life braving the streets. 
Fainting spells, hiding behind his guard out of shyness or uncertainty and everything was delivered in specific scenes and dialogues ( see what I meant by this having a greater chance at being a play)

What I liked, This book managed to realistically grasp the downside of the transition as he grappled to get his bearing s and his friend s consider him a traitor, and his court finds him akin to a fool.
We were even given attempts at sabotage as he tries to secure alliances and to final honor his family's legacy, furthermore, I liked how we uncover what really had happened that fateful day.


All in all, this book albeit full of potential to an enjoyable read fails to be entirely wholesome of a novel.

DNFed at 31%, unfortunately.

The scenes were flat, there was no conflict in the non-existent plot and it genuinely felt like this was some unedited draft a kid wrote.

The Lost Prince is an exciting and gripping read about a lost royal. It's extremely easy to connect to and enjoy. The only thing is the main protagonist acted and spoke in ways which seemed much younger than the age he was supposed to. Either he was written to be extremely immature for his age or it was slight oversight., but it doesn't make too much difference to the overall story.

An entertaining book that describes the drama and problems experienced within a royal family from a distant country. I have always liked books that include princes and princesses. This is no exception, the time has come for King Dorian Lockridge to find an heir to his country, Odsia. However, 18 years ago the kingdom suffered a heinous crime, King Dorian's only son was killed, along with his wife. But it is believed that Prince Tristan survived he must be found for the throne to be secured. I loved King Dorian's personality because he shows concern and responsibility towards his people. I also liked how the prince's story unfolds, I was intrigued so I want to be able to read book 2. I thank NetGalley, Blue Gingham Publishing, and Independent Book Publishers Association (IBPA), Members' Titles for providing me with a copy of the book in exchange for an honest review.

I read the synopsis and was instantly hooked by it. A story about a lost prince, oh I was so excited. I thought it would be a really fun reading but unfortunately I didn't like it. 
If this story was a disney movie maybe it would've been netter but not as YA. I was really disappointed.
I picked up this book for the review and also the cover is really pretty. But I DNF'ed it at 20% cz I really couldn't connect with the story. I didn't like the writing style nor the characters. I mean it wasn't a horrible book it's just my personal preference.

This book was good! It was a fun story and I did really enjoy the characters! Lost royalty isn’t my favourite trope but it did work well here. My only complaints are the MC seemed to act younger than he was and I’ve been reading a lot of fantasy lately and I don’t think this will be memorable for me.

I think this story was an interesting twist on a general story structure that readers have seen many times before.  I do think it will be a better fit for younger audiences, maybe 12-15 year olds. August was amazing and Aliona as well, these characters really added to the story. I personally found the culmination of the story was faster than the build-up. It was okay to get to know Tristan as a character because a majority of the book felt like it was laying down this foundation. I found that I had a good idea about his general nervous and naive personality and there wasn't really any development in that part of him as the story progressed. I think there were hints of a more confident Tristant at the end of the novel, with the proposal, and I can't wait to see how the story will continue to unfold.

Interesting tale with lots of twists and turns. Can I just go ahead and say that my favorite character here was August? I mean a knight/soldier who is good with dogs? 
So, the story introduces us to King Dorian who is looking for his grandson, 20 years after the murder of his son and daughter in law...and when he finds him, Tristan, or Tricks as he's known to his street family- is afraid, hasn't learned how to read or write and is scared of life as a royal.
I know the author had a plan for this plot- however something about Tristan's age does not mesh well with his personality and behavior, he seems more under the age of 16.
Thanks Netgalley for the eARC.

This was a clever story with unique twists and turns that kept the reader guessing. However, the way the mc was presented and his age didn't mesh well at all. He would have been better suited to have been at least 4 years younger to match his voice, intelligence and depth.

Sweet adorable story that felt like an old fashion fairy tale. 
My biggest critique is that it read more for a younger audience, such as middle grade. The main character Tristan is sensitive and loving. He’s very emotional and always speaks his mind. The characters around him treat him like a child despite being 20 years old and he often acts like one as well. It would have been more believable had he been five years younger. 
The plot was predictable but enjoyable. I was constantly looking forward to reading the story simply because it always put a smile on my face.

I struggled with the repetitiveness of the writing style and the overall youngness of this story. I think this might be great for younger readers that are interested in getting into fantasy or for fans of lost royalty troupes, but this is going to be a lot harder of a sell for avid fantasy fans.

The Lost Prince is a story which can be seen to be influenced by aspects of Disney's Aladdin, Hercules, The Lion King and maybe a little bit of Anastasia, knotted into a bow in the YA genre. 

The story begins with how King Dorian needs an heir and his belief that his grandson may still be alive somewhere. This then jumpstarts the search for the missing prince and whether there could be the possibility that he survived where his parents did not. He sends out a search with some of his men where they believe that it is less suspicious for them to say to the public that the royal family is one the search for a missing person, rather than the missing twenty year old prince. But doesn't this already make such a search by the royal family quite suspicious? Any search from a royal family rings some sort of alarm bells doesn't it? However, I find this part of the story to be less believable due to how there would always be some rational person seeing behind the veil of this deception. Luckily this is where the main protagonist steps in.

Throughout this book I felt like there were some places where I found the story to be far-fetched. For instance, there seemed to be some events which take place simply out of convenience to move the story forward, rather than to make conflict and throw in some twists which could have thrown the reader off track. This can be shown throughout the first half of the story where we discover Tristan and what he is to become and how this would relate to rest of the characters through out the story. It also seems like there is little conflict with the King and Queen themselves, they seem a little too good for my liking and very forgiving of Tristan. I know blood is thicker than water, but if it was me, I would have given Tristan a few stern talks or two! On the other hand, it seems as though the more the relationship progresses, the more that it is felt that these talks are easier to take place.

I have found that throughout the book there are some likeable characters. For instance, Queen Elandra, Princess Aliona and Meggin have kind and strong personalities that shine throughout. In fact, I find that Elandra is one of the better characters as it feels as if she is kind-hearted grandma who not only is a lovely grandma to Tristan, but she also feels as though she is coming through the pages and giving the reader a warm hug and telling that everything will be ok.

There were laugh out loud moments the more the story progresses, as it feels as if the author begins to settle into the story, rather than set up the scene. The villain in the story can be seen to be a little predictable, but the flashbacks were a joy to read with the love story that can be reflected in the present day.

Overall, the story feels as though I should give a three star rating, as there are some promising moments but at times it felt like there were something missing. It might have been how the narrative progressed, the voice of the author or the characters themselves. I just can’t seem to put my finger on it.

2.5- The Lost Prince stars Tristan, a long-lost prince to the kingdom of Odsia. Once identified, his grandparents take him to the palace to claim his place as heir. Tristan and his trusty dog Nork aren’t entirely sure that living in the palace is what they want to do. Meanwhile, not everyone is thrilled that Tristan survived the strange accident that killed his parents. Tristan meets neighboring princess Aliona and decides he might be interested in being the prince after all. As he learns more about the mysterious accident and adversaries circle the throne- does Tristan have what it takes to inherit? 

I think this book will be appreciated by young readers who enjoy books about long-lost royalty. It’s pitched as YA, but upper middle grade readers would also enjoy this. I appreciated the map at the beginning and found it useful. The writing is generally straightforward and accessible. Tristan is a lovable character, plus he has an adorable animal companion! 

However, the writing occasionally struggled with repetition and story consistency. For example, Tristan is supposed to be twenty, but is written as much younger. The dialogue tends toward simplistic and the style of writing wasn’t my personal favorite. If you’re familiar with the trope of lost royalty, there aren’t many surprises. Nonetheless, Williams’ passion and love for stories definitely shines through. The Lost Prince releases September 20, 2020. Thank you to Alonna Williams, Blue Gingham Press, and Netgalley for a free ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.

Tristan is the long lost prince of the kingdom of Odsia. We find out in the very beginning that Tristan’s parents were murder when he was very young and everyone assumed he was as well. However, they never found a body so king Dorian never gave up looking. Throughout the book we see Tristan go from loving on the streets to learning how to live and behave like a prince.

I will say that I liked the general plot line a lot! I did however not like how it was written. One of the things that bothered me lot was that Tristan is said to be 20 years old. However, the way he is written throughout the book makes me feel like he is around 15 so no matter how much I try, I can not picture him as a 20 year old man. The other main thing that bothered me was the writing style. This may just be a preference though and plenty of other people will like the way it is written. It was hard for me to stay engrossed with this book because the dialogue seemed really rushed and not like something that would ever actually happen anywhere. If you’ve ever read one of those stories that pop up on Facebook to get you to buy a story app, this book reminded me of that. 

For me, when I read books like this that takes place in another kingdom that doesn’t actually exist, I need a lot of background and history to go with it. While we do get little snippets of history as flashbacks in this book, to me they seem oddly placed and don’t really add to that specific part of the storyline at first. The ones later on are actually really nice and relevant but, you have to get more than halfway through the book to get to them. 

All in all, I liked the story. I liked the characters and the country. It had people to love and hate. It had an interesting plot that made me want to finish the book. The ending was very good and very satisfying.

4 stars

I picked this up because the long lost royalty trope is a favorite of mine, and the cover was pretty, but I decided to DNF @ 30% because I couldn't really connect to the writing style, and hence, the main character, Tristan, or anyone else. That's not to say it's an awful book - it's not - but it didn't really do anything new in the part I read with the trope I picked it up for, which I have admittedly read loads of books in. I think this book might work better for a newcomer to the long lost royalty sub-genre of fantasy. That said, it was funny at times, and Tristan was realistically portrayed in his reactions to the big revelation of becoming the heir to the throne. 2.5 stars.