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.

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.

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

-- 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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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

This book wasn't for me, sadly. The writing style was very confusing to me. A lot of times I had to go back and reread a passage because I realized I read it wrong or didn't understand what was going on. This made my reading slow, and after a while it became frustrating to me.
Another thing that made me stop reading was the relationship between Aric and Albaric. For me it felt like Aric was in love with Albaric from the moment he saw him, it didn't feel like a brotherly relationship to me at all.

It is said that the Elfqueen Theena was en evil ruler and all, but Albaric said that she fell in love with the King from the moment he put that ring on and wasn't eveli anymore. Then WHY does she still force him to sleep with her? And why is that seen as a normal thing? At that point she's not supposed to be evil at all.

I decided to DNF this book around 30%, I wasn't enjoying myself.

I obtained a complementary copy of this book through NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.
The Oddling Prince tells the tale of Aric, a young prince whose father (the King of Calidon) lays dying from an inexplicable curse. When a stranger called Albaric comes into Aric’s life and miraculously breaks the curse, Aric finds himself instantly attached to the new comer. But Albaric is not of this world, he is the fruit of the unrequited love between Queen Theena of Elfland and the King, and therefore Aric’s half-brother.
This is a beautifully written historical fiction (historical in the sense that the story is set in the past, but all characters are fictional) mixed with elements of magic and fantasy.
It is the tale of a stranger who has come to a new land, renounced his origins and is now trying to fit in and be accepted into the mortal realm. It is something that I can oddly relate to as someone who has moved away from their mother country and is trying to find their place in a different one.
The brotherly love and mutual understanding between Aric and Albaric is beautiful and I feel like, as an only child myself, should someone have come into my life declaring to be my sibling, I would have welcomed them with open arms in the same way that Aric does Albaric.
The only person that Albaric cannot seem to please is the King himself, his father, who has no recollection of ever being involved with the Queen of Elfland (because he was under a spell) and completely rejects Albaric, seeing him as an intruder come to usurp his throne. The character of the King is interesting because the more the story goes on, the crazier he gets and he starts seeing conspiracy theories everywhere. He also starts making crazy and dangerous decisions and because he is the King and has all the power, no one can stop him. Funnily enough, this reminded me of Trump: another idiot in a position of power who thinks he can do all he wants because he is on top of everyone else. Although, unlike Trump, the King does regain his senses in the end and love wins.
I really enjoyed this book: the writing is beautiful, the story is consistent and it does transport you back to times past. Oddly enough, I had never heard of Nancy Springer before, but I will be making sure to check out some of her other books as she has written loads! This is definitely an author that I will remember.

I really thought I was going to love this book, but more than anything I just was a little disappointed. It was really good at first, the writing style was so unique, but it really slowed down and very little was happening.

There was just so much potential with how the story started but I really had pacing issues with it. I also just have to point out the lack of world-building in the book too, it really could have used some more thought and maybe a sequel could fix the missing elements (I'd maybe consider trying a sequel tbh if it was better paced!)

Thank you to Net Galley & Tachyon Publications for providing me with this arc in exchange for my honest review.

I was drawn to this one because of the stunning cover and I was super excited to read a story that wasn’t 2 guys fighting over a girl, a bromance if you will. Sadly it wasn’t a bromance it was a strange obsession that felt on the verge of a romantic relationship but the author didn’t want to go there. I honestly might have enjoyed that story more. The relationship between Aric and Albaric felt forced from the beginning and although their connection is explained it never felt natural.

I was NOT a fan of the King. Although his nasty attitude is explained I never felt the “greatness” that is talked about throughout the book.

I did enjoy the 2 main ladies were my favorite part. The Queen and Marissa who is a ball of strength and joy. The Queen does her best to support her husband while also being there for her son and his “friend” (I out that in quotes to not give anything away). Again the relationship between Marissa and Aric felt forced to move the story forward I loved their interactions.

The style of writing did not bother me as much as I thought it would however it did slow me down at times.

In the end, this one was not for me but I would recommend it to readers who enjoy similar stories.

Back when I started reading SFF, longer ago than I care to remember, there really weren't that many writers to choose from in that genre represented in my local small-town library. However, Nancy Springer was one of those writers and I remember going through her Book of the Isle series avidly. As a result, I suppose I was borne away by a wave of nostalgia when I saw her name pop up on Netgalley with a new book - apologies to Ms Springer, I didn't realise she was still writing! Although she's subsequently written a number of Arthurian books, which are my absolute Kryptonite to be perfectly honest, the blurb for this sounded promising so I asked and duly received.

The basic premise of The Oddling Prince is that it's set in a vague post-Roman period bit of Scotland where our main character Aric is the only son of a king who (we later discover) fought his way to the throne by killing his older brothers. At the time the story starts, Aric and his father have gone out hunting and his father has been kidnapped by fae and spent a number of years with the Queen of Elfland, only to return exactly as he disappeared so nobody remembers it. He has, however, in that time away been busy doing problematic things with the Queen and produced a son called Albaric who is the spitting image of Aric, just prettier.

One thing I liked about this book was that it dealt with the dubious consent around the whole 'whisked away by the fae and made to fall in love with the Queen by magic' trope, which often gets hand-waved over when it's a guy who's on the receiving end of it. On the other hand, because of the time differential nobody on this side gets to think about the fact the king has been away at all and also it pretty much never gets mentioned again. So, for example, when the king is acting like a jackass towards his new-found son, nobody goes 'hey, maybe being raped by the Queen of Elfland has had an effect on the king!', which felt like a missed opportunity.

Anyway, beyond this, The Oddling Prince is a book where a lot of words are expended to support a fairly meagre plot. Aric and Albaric become besties, there's an ongoing threat to the kingdom from a moustache-twirling duke, while Aric turns out to be the heavily-foreshadowed White King who is going to magically make life better for everyone. All in all, this book felt very much like the books I was reading from this author back in the 1980's and I was a little disappointed by that. Another throwback were the comments about how pretty Albaric was and how people would think he was gay, questioning the relationship between the brothers as a result - though those are coming from the king (exclusively, I think) and he's not the most reliable character throughout, those kind of comments made me feel like I was reading something from the 80's and not in a good way.

I have to be honest, I loved the cover and being a Nancy Springer reader, naturally I clicked the request button on this title but this was different. It took me a while to get into the story, the writing made it a little difficult for me to really get sucked into the storyline. Nevertheless, I persisted.

The king is on his death bed with a strange sickness, which seems to be caused by the ring that he is wearing and cannot be removed. The king's only saviour is a stranger, Albaric, who happens to be his long lost son from the Fey Queen. The catch is that the king ends up having an extreme hatred for Albaric, but his human son, Aric, builds an equally strong relationship with his half-brother.

What I enjoyed most about this book was the relationships that Nancy Springer built between the brothers. It was so refreshing to read a story where siblings don't turn on each other and is not centered on rivalling brothers fighting for their father's attention. Instead it is a story of growth and finding happiness even with all the negativity that surrounds the characters and the story.

However, I do have to point out that there was a severe lack in world-building that really did, eventually, take from the story. I think that if there is a sequel, Nancy Springer can most definitely iron out any missing elements. That being said, this book was one that I liked, though it was long-winded at times and was paced slowly.

When a mysterious ring appears on King Bardaric's hand, the king falls ill and approaches the door of death. Prince Aric is a true-hearted and faithful son, not yet ready to become king of Calidon. He rejoices when an elfin figure calling himself Albaric removes the ring with his magic and saves the king's life. The prince feels a kinship with the stranger, and an inseparable friendship develops between the two. But when Albaric claims to be Aric's brother, begotten and forgotten by the king in the timeless realm of faerie land, the newly healed King Bardaric rejects his savior and becomes angry and vengeful. A sequence of adventures follow, with danger lurking when least expected and love and hate snarled into a tangled web throughout the court of Calidon. Aric is pushed to choose between his loyalty to his father and his troth to his friend. In the end, he must decide whether he will trust the trickery of the magic ring when all else seems lost.

This book fascinated me from beginning to end. The plot concept of Alabaric's origins felt wholly original and yet, at the same time, wholly mythological and ancient. The characters of Aric and Albaric reminded me of Jonathan and David from the Bible, and Albaric even had the detail of being a harper to solidify the comparison. The language was written in an old style reminiscent of Howard Pyle's books about King Arthur and the Knights of the Round Table, a style which I happen to enjoy immensely. This book has received many mixed reviews, so it may not be for everyone, but I found it wondrous, gripping, and thought-provoking.

For my complete review, visit my blog: https://vicsense.wordpress.com/2018/06/29/arc-the-oddling-prince/

SUMMARY
Alric is the only son and heir to the throne of Dun Caltor, until a mysterious, otherworldly being appears one night, claiming to be the king's other son. Albaric, born from the queen of fey and king Baldric (Alric's father), he develops a fierce love for his half-brother and vows to protect him and follow him to the ends of the earth, if need be. Meanwhile, their father grows to hate his second son, more and more with each passing day, until he starts to hate his first son and his wife for wanting to protect Albaric. The more the king hates Albaric, the more the latter loves his brother and follows him everywhere, never leaving his side.

REVIEW
This novel reads like a long fairy tale, with elements of magic interspersed throughout the narrative, blending with the very real day-to-day life in medieval Scotland. I thought the characters were well thought out and I especially loved the intense and unshakable brotherly love. I thought that the king was downright mad because of his incessant hatred of Albaric, despite him not doing anything to be hated for (on the contrary, he is the most useful, capable, and skilful person in the castle). Albaric was sweet and utterly devoted to his half-brother, which made the pair very endearing. I wanted Albaric to be loved by his father, the way that he loved him. His innocent fey personality made him vulnerable and warranted protection and love from those around him. Luckily, Alric loved him as fiercely as he did, so at least he wasn’t completely alone in the human world.

The narrative flowed beautifully and was very lyrical. I loved the way old medieval Scotland came to life and was painted so vividly. The characters described very realistic and historically accurate things that they encountered in their daily lives. The writing style might be a turn-off for some readers, but personally, I really enjoyed the ‘old English’-ness of the text. It added to the overall feeling that I was reading an ancient fairy tale.

If you like fairy tales, old Scotish legends and a fierce brotherly love, you should give this one a shot. I was pleasantly surprised and I'm happy I picked it up to read while on holiday.

I’ll be honest, The Oddling Prince was mostly a cover based request… It was just so pretty and the synopsis did intrigue me a bit too. I wasn’t sure what to expect going in to this one since I’d seen both rave reviews and others that described it as boring. I can see both sides of the argument here and didn’t feel strongly either way.

Aric a prince in Northern Scotland and his father is laying upon his deathbed, at least until a mysterious stranger rides into the castle yard. This stranger is Albaric, who is a prince of the fae and Aric’s half-brother. Albaric saves the king (his father) from the enchantment put upon him by the slighted fae queen and all should be well. Except it is not. While Aric and Albaric immediately click, their father dislikes Albaric immensely and is hostile to the point of violence in some cases. This book primarily focuses on Aric and Albaric’s growing brotherhood and how they handle their father’s treatment of them and his changed personality since his miraculous recovery.

The Oddling Prince is written in a very classic fantasy style – think a style similar to Tolkein- rather than the more modern prose that most fantasy authors are using. Also, while not lacking in action, it’s certainly not the main focus of this book, which focuses far more on the relationships between our characters. I think these two factors are the biggest reasons why people are less than happy with this book. I personally didn’t mind that there was less action than in many fantasy books and this ended up being a leisurely read. My gripe with this book wasn’t so much the book, but rather Aric’s father. I couldn’t stand his character and felt like he was being a jealous a-hole and super paranoid, especially since both Aric and Albaric were clearly good hearted.

I liked that this book defied my expectations for Aric and Albaric’s meeting. I expected the usual immediate rivalry between the half siblings, but to my pleasant surprise they hit it off and became inseparable. Their interactions tended to be melodramatic at times but it worked with the storytelling. The Oddling Prince had a strong Celtic lore influence and it ended just as strangely as these tales tend to do.

This was a book that I liked but it didn’t grip me the way other books have in the past. That being said, it was well written and quite different from what’s being published in the mainstream fantasy field presently. The ocean scene at the end has quite a few people puzzled, but I thought it was a nice ending and a scene that I would like to see illustrated. This is a great book to break up the monotony of reading the same ol’ stuff all the time, but it definitely won’t be a good fit for everyone.