The Prince and the Dressmaker by Jen Wang

When a ball is thrown to find a wife for a young prince, obviously young women are going to go nuts. But there will be girls who couldn’t care less, including a spoilt young woman who specifically says to young dressmaker Frances “You know what, just make it ghastly.” The startling dress not only causes a stir among the guests, but also catches the attention of young Prince Sebastian.

Prince Sebastian has a secret: he doesn’t always dress as a boy. Sometimes he feels more comfortable putting on dresses and being a girl. As soon as he sees the dress Frances made, he knew she was the right person to create dresses just for him.

The prince sends the only person who knows his secret to employ the talented young Frances and bring her to the palace. By day, he has an image to uphold as a member of the royal family. By night, he dazzles crowds as latest fashion icon Lady Crystallia, taking Paris by storm.

The Prince and the Dressmaker is a beautifully illustrated graphic novel for teens and grown-ups alike, and was the first story for quite a while to hook me in so much I couldn’t put it down. While also fitting into the romance genre, the book focuses on getting to know yourself and following your dreams.

This story certainly puts a new spin on classic fairytales, which is possibly what makes it so enjoyable. And it’s also not your traditional love story, yet the building romance between the characters is just so sweet. The whole thing flows as you read it, and you can’t help falling in love with the characters.

Jen Wang is a very talented cartoonist, writer and illustrator based in Los Angeles. I have also read another graphic novel of hers called In Real Life which focuses on video gaming, but this story beats it by a mile. Full of humour and emotion, I’d recommend this to anyone with a fondness for beautiful illustrations, graphic novels in general or simply memorable stories.

Posted by Rhiannon

Catalogue link: The Prince and the Dressmaker