I’m a sucker for fantasy and especially when it’s faerie/fae themed so I was really excited to dive into this book. Despite the lesser rating reviews, I really thought this was a well written book and loved it! The writing style was really my kind of thing; beautiful, whimsical and elaborated writing!

The storyline was wonderful and I really like the characters present as well. I would’ve loved it more though if this wasn’t a standalone book to be honest. I think there was a lot more possible in this world and with this particular story and these characters.

But the thing about standalone often is, that it keeps you going after you finish the book. This was the case for my with this story as well. The ending was a kind of happy thing but it also left me feeling all kinds of different feelings and had me continue thinking about it long after I finished.

I really liked this world, the writing, the characters… I definitely recommend to pick it up if you’re looking for a standalone fantasy read that has an elaborate writing style!

This one wasn’t really for me. I did really love the friendship between the two main characters, but parts of the plot fell flat and I wished there was romance.

Oh god this was just not for me.
I guess I just didn't really like anything about this... the characters were flat and very superficial, the story strange and not really coherent and yeah.. not my cup of tea but I won't rant about this.

As a fan of everything Scottish, I knew this book was a must read. I'm so glad that I was able to read a copy because this book was wipe me off my feet FANTASTIC. If you're after an adventure of your lifetime look no further than this incredible historical fic.

I received a copy of this book via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

I gave this book a few tries but I really couldn’t get into it. The story felt like it skipped and meandered around and never really grabbed and ran off with me. I had difficulty connecting with any of the characters. It seemed like an interesting premise, but just wasn’t for me.

The Oddling Prince follows brothers Aric and Albaric who have recently discovered each other. Albaric is a fae child who has given up his immortal life to live mortally with his father the King of Calidon. However, something has come over the one just and kind king. The book focuses on Aric and Albaric's immediate brotherly love for one another and the lengths Aric will go to to insure happiness for his brother and kingdom.

If you are a fan of classic literature such as Sir Gawain and the Green Knight or John Keats La Belle Dame sans Merci, you might like this. It seemed as though the author looked to older poems about chivalric knights and the Legend of King Arthur for inspiration for this book. It is a young adult fantasy but is unique in the way the story is represented.

I felt somewhat of a disconnect from the characters. For much of the book I wondered why I should care at all about anything that was happening. This could be because it felt a lot like a classical epic story. The writing made me feel distant to the characters. Personally, this was not a book for me. I want to feel completely taken in by my characters, but others may find this book enjoyable.

I don't think this book was for me. I could not get into this one. The cover is gorgeous and I really wanted to like this book. But even the bromance couldn't keep interested.

Sadly this just wasn’t the book for me. I was unable to finish it, so I won’t be writing a full review. I think the concept was interesting, but the execution fell a bit flat for me.

I enjoy the lyrical nature of Springer's writing style. It really adds to the fairy tale aspect of the narrative. The story's got a flavour of Stardust in it, which is always a good comparator to have! With that said, it's far from playing with any new concepts, and I wish it would push the conventions a little more in a more unique way. I do find the punctuation a little off-putting. I understand it's trying to mimic the natural breaks in someone's speech, but sometimes this gets awkward and jarring.

A review of this title is avaliable through Goodreads - and later through my blog. The Goodreads link is available below!

I enjoyed the story. It won't be an all time favorite but it had some really interesting concepts. The author writes really well which I think helped get through some of the more boring aspects. But overall a good fantasy read!;

Interesting reads, it had its up and downs I was expecting the ending we got but wow... thoroughly enjoyed even if it took me awhile to pick it up I’m blown away

So close to 5-stars. If not for two major plot points that really annoyed me near the end it might have made the coveted 5-star list. The Oddling Prince is compelling and has lovely writing; as I would expect from someone as experienced as Nancy Springer. There are some trips along the way in the story; but overall this is a great little book. Perfect to start a middle-grade reader off in the fantasy genre.

Plot Points
There are a few moments in this book that really irritated me. The first is that we start off with a lot happening and no clue what is really going on. It takes about the first 20% of the book to really give context to why on earth some random elf comes and saves a king that he does not answer to (not a spoiler as it happens in the opening chapters).
Then we are led into the typical 'back story' fill-in to catch us up. And it's done as flashback story being told to us. For those not aware this is a terrible way to give major plot points out! Yes even though Tolkien did it a lot; that doesn't mean it's a good literary choice.
The final plot point that annoyed me I can't tell you about... it's a major spoiler. But, if you know my pet peeves in writing, you'll know that anything that's convenient or 'too easy' in plot really bugs me. Unfortunately Springer copes out and nearly ruins the whole book for me. But I got over it and would gladly continue on with the subsequent books in the series after getting to the end. It may also be that Springer chose to 'dumb-down' the story because of the age group it's geared at. I don't agree with this tactic (as kids are way smarter than we give them credit for usually); but it would make sense given the target age group.

Characters
Springer has always excelled at great character development and The Oddling Prince is no exception. Our two lead males are so well defined that even though their names are so close to one another (Aric and Albaric) I managed to keep them distinctly apart in my head. Normally I would be annoyed by the similarities in their names (regardless of the reason) but because they are so clearly separate people with distinct personalities and dialogue I did okay.

Not a Romance!
Now you may laugh at my assertion that this is not a romantic story. It's actually quite emotional and has a lot of loyalty and love involved in it; but it's between two brothers and their parents, as opposed to with a romantic partner. I liked that the focus was on family and how it's sometimes difficult to reconcile people's actions with our love for them. This is really the core of what makes this a great book, there is no annoying or messy love interest; just a good clean story with a slightly weird family set-up that any child can likely relate to. Even the best of homes has its flaws and I think there would be a lot of things younger readers would be able to identify with in The Oddling Prince.

Overall
While not the best book in the world, The Oddling Prince is a solid read. It's quick for the avid reader and has some cute little moments. It can be a bit Lord of the Rings-ish at times--and there isn't anything mind shattering here for plot or characters--but it's perfect for any little boy or girl to read and get a flavour of fantasy. It would also be great read-aloud by a child or adult to a child. Springer has delivered exactly what I hope for from this level of story.

Please note: I received an eARC of this book from the publisher via NetGalley. This is an honest and unbiased review.

I am sorry but this was not my cup of tea. The writing was very archaic and hard to follow along with. It was extremely repetitive and I just could not get myself interested enough in it because it irritated me to no end.

Huge thank you to Tachyon Publications and NetGalley for giving me the opportunity to review this book!

I think I gave this book more of a shot than I felt like it deserved. I wanted to stop reading pretty much as soon as I realised the entire thing was written in old English style but I kept going because I hate DNFing books that I plan to leave reviews for. But the more I read, the more I wished I had followed my first instinct.

Full (spoiler-y) review here: https://wmsreads.tumblr.com/post/184425024317/

Well, that was disappointing.

Let's be honest here: one of the biggest thing that caught our attention as readers is that cover. I mean look at it (it's gorgeous). Whoever designed this cover needs a raise. It so successfully convinced the high-fantasy/young adult vibe but with the best taste possible - it doesn't feel "indie" and is just...really well designed. The designer deserves a raise.

I normally hate instant-love. It's always one of the biggest dealbreakers for me in a book, because I hate fast -paced relationships because those are extremely unrealistic. However, this book worked for me because Albaric and Aric's instant "hit-off" friendship is more realistic, which actually made this book better for me. But what really ruined this book for me was this book felt so...lost. It feels like each section is a different short story because this book had so many subplots with no central conflict. If only the story was as good as the cover. Such a shame.

I received a free copy for an honest review.

Extremely tedious and slow paced, however, I think it could be fun for the right reader which unfortunately is not me. I love stories with fae and magic and this was interesting with the medieval Scottish setting, but I just couldn't get into it. The characters weren't very developed and felt really flat to me, I couldn't bring myself to truly care about them. I loved the idea behind the story but the execution was very off.

This story was beyond beautiful and so well written it was a first for me from the author and I’m so glad I took the chance to read this , exceeded all my expectations definitely need to re read it
Stroy🤩🤩🤩🤩🤩
Characters 🤩🤩🤩🤩🤩
Writing style 🤩🤩🤩

This was such a lovely and enjoyable read! The story follows a young prince who meets his half Fey brother. I won’t spoil anything else for you. The writing is reminiscent of an old fairytale and the relationship between brothers is truly beautiful. If you’re looking for a whimsical fairytale in a medieval but gentle time, you’ll love this.

Thank you to the publisher for giving me an ARC of this book, all opinions and thoughts about the book are my own.

The Oddling Prince is a fantasy fiction tale of two brothers, from different worlds, who must work together to save the father they both love. Aric is the heir to the throne of Calidon; Albaric is also the son of the king (born when the king was under an enchantment). Albaric, who has always longed to be loved and accepted by his father, willingly sacrificed much to come to Calidon and work alongside his brother for the good of the King. Scorned by his father and loved and accepted by his brother, Albaric, alongside Aric, must work to continue to protect the throne from the growing darkness.

I wasn't super impressed by the novel. Although the beginning is exciting, the rest of the book never drew me in. To me, it seemed a little shallow. Admittedly, the prose and style was unique, but the characters weren't deep (falling instantaneously into brotherly love), and the plot wasn't engaging in my opinion. Honestly, I'm a sucker for any interesting story, but this one didn't capture my attention.

I received a free copy of this book through Netgalley in exchange for an honest review. Thank you to Netgalley and Tachyon Publications for the ARC!