Long ago in the highlands of Northern Scotland there lived a kind and just king. However, one day he returned home from a hunting trip with his son Prince Aric and found that a cursed ring had suddenly appeared on his finger. With no way of removing it, the ring quickly caused the king to sicken until he was close to death. But just as his father was about to slip away, Prince Aric noticed a mysterious young man riding hard for the castle. Using his magic, this newcomer was able to remove the ring just in time to save the king’s life. He then introduced himself as Prince Albaric from the Faerie realm, revealing that he was also Prince Aric’s half-brother, conceived when the Fae queen seduced the king and transported him to the otherworld. His story also explained how the enchanted ring first came to be on the king’s finger.

But rather than feel grateful towards Albaric, the king refused to even acknowledge him as his son. Worse, as Aric and Albaric grew closer, their brotherly bond only caused their father’s hostility to worsen. No longer good and just, the king became bitter, paranoid, and angry. Concerned for his father and troubled by the changes wrought on the kingdom, Aric also started to worry for his half-brother. Exiled from the land of the Fae and with no home to return to, Albaric’s only hope was to be accepted by his mortal father, but sadly, the king’s mind would not be easily swayed.

In order to save the kingdom, Aric must somehow find a way to help Albaric make peace with their father before the king’s resentment can bring ruin upon them all. In essence, this familial conflict serves as the backbone of The Oddling Prince. A fantasy inspired by folklore and mythology, the novel lends itself to be compared to stories of Arthurian legend, as it is written in a style that evokes that same kind of quaintness and sentimentality. Much of this is due to the book’s somewhat archaic tone and language, which was elegant and lyrical but also served to bog down the prose. As a result, it took me quite a while to get into the flow of the story, for the same elements used to impart an old-fashioned flavor also made it very awkward and slow to read.

Tales of this type are also often heavy in metaphor and deep in meaning, but lighter in terms of character and story development. So even though I found The Oddling Prince to be a sweet and charming little book, I was not surprised to feel little to no connection to the characters. Like a Disney movie, you just knew deep in your heart everything would work out fine, despite all the seemingly insurmountable challenges thrown in the protagonists’ way. While I wouldn’t go as far as to say this novel was completely devoid of surprises, there were simply no genuine threats or high stakes to make you feel any real concern. There was also this thick layer of idealism in the depiction of Aric and Albaric’s relationship—which was intentional, I am sure, given the sentimental nature of this story. But again, this just made them feel like cardboard heroes out of a fairy tale, not real enough to relate to.

Still, there were a lot of aspects I really liked. Despite the book’s fanciful tones, there were some powerful tensions between Aric and his father. I wouldn’t say this story had a real antagonist, but with the king being such a huge jerk, I would say he came the closest. In the face of his irrational fury and jealousies though, Aric remained steadfastly on Albaric’s side, refusing to be cowed. This loyalty to his brother was heartwarming and beautiful, and ended up being the highlight of this book. And even though she was a rather late introduction, I also loved the character of Marissa. The portrayal of her relationship with Aric may have left a lot to be desired, but her personality was so lovable that she immediately became a favorite.

In the end, I thought The Oddling Prince was an enjoyable read, though at times it felt a little too light and lacking in substance. However, if you like reading fantasy stories that are heavily inspired by fae-related folktales or mythological influences, this one might be worth checking out. The underlying wistfulness and dated feel of the writing may take some getting used to, but all the same, these elements might prove to be the novel’s biggest selling point for those seeking an evocative tale told in an old-timey, sentimental style.

Did not like the style of writing or the story. There was no goal to the plot, it just went wherever, which is not a type of story I enjoy reading.

I honestly just found the language to stilted and occasionally hard to comprehend. I understood the feel that Springer was going for, and at times it was successful, but for the most part I just found myself getting frustrated, particularly with the dialogue and the way Albaric was written. I may revisit Springer's work at another time, though, as it definitely has potential.

This was absolutely beautiful. What got me first was the writing style. It was quite prosaic, elements of older English mixed in, as well as poems and songs. It seemed to flow in a tranquil way, calm. I don’t know another way to describe it, but I fell in love with that writing style.

I have to admit, that in the beginning I had some problems finding into the story. But the more I read, the deeper I got sucked into it, understanding the characters more and more. The setting is a war-torn Scotland, but in the beginning the reader does not realize this completely. We get an introduction to the fey first, and while they are beautiful and wicked, they are not evil. Yes, they manipulate humans but they can also feel for them, though not like them. So this makes for some tension between some of the characters.
The king is on his death bed, a strange sickness taking him over. The source seems to be a ring he is wearing but that does not come off his hand. He can only be saved by a stranger, a fey named Albaric, who is the king’s son from the Queen of the fey. While the king does not accept him, even loathes him, the king’s human son, Aric, finally feels complete. The two brothers become inseperable, even defying the king. I loved the relationship between the two of them. It was so wonderful, the two boys love each other unconditionally, they are two parts of a medal. Where one has a weakness, the other has his strengths.

To be honest, I loved the relationships in general. I also loved to see how they change (or don’t change), when the king gets sucked into the madness of the cursed ring, when he starts seeing treason everywhere, wanting to get rid of everyone and everything. But despite everything, the people around him try to save him and his kingdom, all the while finding happiness on their own.

I also liked how the story was centered around the two brothers and their relationship with their father. Even though there is a love story as well, it only has a small part, but a beautiful one nonetheless. Even this relationship is pure gold.

While I thought this was going to be a hard read, I enjoyed it all the more. The writing style, the story, the characters. I came to love everything in the end.

When I heard that Nancy Springer was releasing a YA fantasy book, I was thrilled. If you didn't know I absolutely love her book, I Am Morgan le Fay. It is about the King Arthur's half-sister. It was one of the books that solidified my love for fantasy back in grade school before Harry Potter came out. I loved her writing and the dark, atmospheric setting. Morgan is a fascinating morally-gray character and it is still one of my favorite standalone fantasy books to this day. I will put up my review of the book on my blog soon. It's up on Goodreads already if you are interested. Can you tell how I'm subtly (not-so-subtly) trying to push this book on you? Read it. 

If you aren't familiar with Nancy Springer's writing, you might be a little confused when you read The Oddling Prince. This is not like present-day YA fantasy books. Nancy Springer has a very classic way of writing, and this is enhanced even more in The Oddling Prince because of the Old English that is used. The story takes place in Ancient Scotland so expect a more classic, almost-Shakespearish writing style. 

Synopsis
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.

The Oddling Prince is a tale of brothers whose love and loyalty to each other is such that it defies impending warfare, sundering seas, fated hatred, and the very course of time itself. In her long-awaited new fantasy novel, Nancy Springer (theBooks of Isle series) explores the darkness of the human heart as well as its unceasing capacity for love.

Writing Style
I love Nancy Springer's writing and this was her "coming out of retirement" book. She is pretty famous in the fantasy world for her children's fantasy books. The writing and characters are just so...pretty. I'm not sure how to explain it. While I Am Morgan le Fay was dark and foreboding, the writing in The Oddling Prince is delicate and light. This reads like a fairy tale but not like the fairy tales where the hero/heroine gets raped or someone has to dance until they die. This is more like the otherworldy, pretty, fairy tales you read as a child. Enchanted forests, queens and kings, fey, elves, and pretty maidens. It almost reminds me of Stardust by Neil Gaiman. 

The world-building is a little lacking in this one. We get hints at the fey world, but no specific details on how their magic works or how they live. We simply accept the world as it's given to the reader. 

Background Info
Now, I can't explain the story without sharing small spoilers. However, these spoilers reveal themselves very early on. Read on if you are still interested. 

The story is about two brothers, Aric and Albaric. Aric is the prince of King and has a wonderful relationship with his parents. In fact, this whole book is all about loyalty to family and to the crown. This is Ancient Scotland so fealty is important. The book starts off with Aric worried about his father. During a hunting event, the King found a magical ring appear on his finger. Since then, he has slowly become ill. At the beginning of the book, the King is on his deathbed when suddenly a fey being, an elf, appears in the courtyard. He claims to be there to help the king. Aric feels an immediate connection with this person and accepts his help. Turns out this elf, is actually half human-half elf. He has a strand of his mother's hair, Queen Theena of the Fey. This strand contains his mother's powerful magic and with it, he is able to remove the ring. This person is Albaric and he is half-brother to Aric. That's right. The King of Calidon and the Queen Theena of the Fey had a romantic affair. 

Unfortunately, the King had no idea this happened. The Queen tricked and kidnapped the King. During their time together, the Queen commanded the "trickster" ring to make the King stay with her. But it only made the Queen fall in love with the King. She ended up getting pregnant with Albaric, and Albaric and the King had a great relationship. However, the King was very unhappy as his thoughts kept going to his son Aric and his mortal wife, Queen of Calidon. In the end, the Fey Queen releases the King and allows him to go back home, but he returns with no memory of any of this happening. Time runs differently in the fey land so no time has passed in Scotland. 

"He possessed to the fullest an Elf's carefree, feckless, thoughtless beauty, yet he possessed also a heart; he knew affection and loneliness and longing."

Whew! That's the backstory. I know, it's long but I had to share it so you get an idea of the relationship between Aric and Albaric. Albaric is the Oddling Prince, since technically, he is prince in both lands. His mother is the Queen of the Fey and his father is King of Calidon. However, he is rejected in both lands so he is the oddling prince. Even though he gives up his immortality to save his father, his father rejects him as his son and hates him. 

The Brothers
Aric and Albaric have a really strange relationship. It almost seemed romantic at first because they are so connected to each other. Like Rhysand and Feyre mate connection status. When one is alert and nervous, the other feels it. They both attribute it to being brothers and the fact that Albaric is half-fey. As their father becomes more and more scornful towards Albaric, the brothers' relationship become more close. Aric for the first time in his life is unable to recognize his father. Albaric has no other family who loves him except for Aric. They make oaths to protect each other no matter what. There is a reason for their connection, but it isn't revealed until the end. 

Overall Thoughts
I enjoyed this book. I loved being back in NS' writing, but the story was a little lacking for me. The pacing was steady and kept me engaged. The first half of the book is very good and starts to get a little slower towards the end but no prolonged dragging of the story. The side characters were a little flat for me. They all seemed a bit like caricatures of characters you see in fairy tales. This somewhat contributes to the fairy tale vibe of the story, though, so perhaps it was intentional. The only side character I loved was Marissa. She represents the sweet maiden, but she was also very wise and is a seeress! 

I gave it 3.5 stars since I was expecting an amazing read. I feel like I hyped myself up too much because of my love for I Am Morgan le Fay.  I still really enjoyed it. I think it will be great for those who are a bit tired of the YA fantasy books out on the market right now and are looking for something different. Also, this is labeled YA but I feel it's totally fine for middle-grade readers too. I have a feeling it was given the YA label because of the Old English.

I posted the wrong review on this book unfortunately. I still have yet to write one for this but I really enjoyed it.

The Oddling Prince was a bit of a sleeper surprise for me. I enjoy King Arthur tales and this had the same feel as those legends of lore. Much like when Aric first set eyes on Albaric, I was attached to this book from the start. So many YA fantasy titles today have a love triangle and spends too much time on "does s/he love for me the way that I love them." There was none of that nonsense here. It's a story of true friendship, brotherhood, and loyalty. A story of reflection of the demons we each have in our soul and how to overcome them. I haven't read anything else by Nancy Springer, but I will definitely be checking out her other titles.

This was such an interesting read! It's different from my normal fantasy reads as it doesn't have that much romance in it, but I wanted to read more about siblings and royals, and this seemed perfect. Then I read that there were faeries involved and I just /knew/ it would be perfect.

The plot was enjoyable, plenty of twists to keep me turning the page, and it was well-written. I found the writing to be intricate and beautiful in most parts (confusing in some), which helped absorb me in to the story and historical setting. The only thing I found jarring was the pacing, as it bounced around a lot of the time. Slow in some places, then it picked up, then I wasn't sure how long the course of the narrative took place. Little things like that don't tend to bother me that much if the plot isn't overly boring, and luckily it wasn't! I really enjoyed the narrative.

I loved the characters the most! It was too easy to read into Aric and Albaric's relationship as brothers as something more, but I did enjoy their brotherly bond. Aric is kind and generous, and the two have an instant connection and understanding between them. Although it felt quite sexually charged between the brothers, it subsided easily when Marissa was introduced. Sadly, I enjoyed the brothers' relationship far more than Marissa's contribution to the romance, but I liked her as an individual. It didn't matter to me that the romance wasn't heavily present because I felt the characters bonded well. I also loved Queen Evalin because she was such an enjoyable character. She was strong and level-headed, and I needed that.
And Albaric! The journey of how he came to be was so admirable. A journey I truly enjoyed reading. His bond with his brother felt so genuine, and the two of them seemed like wholesome, good people.

Although the writing seemed difficult to digest sometimes, this was a good read. I was engrossed and the characters were easy to empathise with. I was quite pleased when I finished it, finding that I enjoyed it. It's very different to my normal reads, but it was a pleasant book.

Sadly, I was really not a fan of this one. What stopped me from getting into this story and from connecting with any of the characters was the writing style. It tries to sound like it's written in Old English which might sound like a good idea in theory, but the execution of it felt kind of clunky and awkward and puts a barrier up between the reader and the main character. For example, the way a lot of the sentences were constructed felt quite strange - "only let me touch once more your face" - and there were random repetitions of words that didn't make much sense. There were also 'old' words thrown in to make it sound more legit I guess (?) such as "perforce" which did nothing for the world-building. There were also unfortunate instances of queerbaiting in parts which really put me off reading this. It's a relatively short book so I did consider attempting to finish it but I would have ended up disliking it more and just giving it an in-depth rant review and rated it really low, so I thought I'd save myself the trouble!

I am such a sucker for anything resembling a retelling of a fairytale or with Celtic/Scottish/Greek/Italian mythology linked to the storyline! In this case, it was Scottish folklore that drew me in as well as that gorgeous cover that I could just stare at for long periods of time to appreciate all the intricate designs!
This story takes place in the kingdom of Calidon in long forgotten ancient Scotland. Two brothers five for the throne one human and one fey. After the king falls ill from a mysterious illness and appears to lie dying, the kingdom is aghast when a fey child shows up claiming to be the son of the king and heir to the throne as well. Everyone is wary of Albaric except his brother Aric who finds a kinship with his long-lost sibling. The brothers vow to overcome the evil that has crept into the king thus causing him to fall ill.
It was so easy to become emotionally connected to this book and its characters. I immediately loved Aric because he is written as a humble well-liked character who strives to be great as his father but doubts his own abilities to fill the role that he will one day step into. Aric immediately connects with his new brother and feels his brothers sense of hopelessness and rejection when their father doesn’t seem to recognize him. Albraic is completely heartbroken when his father doesn’t recognize him after being his companion in the fey realm. Albraic is ready to embrace the mortal world and take up the crown if that means destroying the threat that hovers over his father. The rest of the cast is also very in-depth and multi-layered.
I became so engrossed in the story that I could not put it down! I totally empathized with the characters and felt like I was there seeing the world through their eyes. I would totally recommend this reading money who loves fantasy and middle-grade stories!
Thank you Netgalley and Tachyon Publications for allowing me access to this title exchange for an honest review.

This is a story about two brothers, one brother coming into his own, learning to adapt to his role; while the other no different than a new babe in this world, adapting to life and his surroundings. It is a story about their bond to one another and the tribulations that come their way. There is adventure, usurping and so many other things like fey and an insidious magic ring with a mind of its own. As well as a strand of magic hair and the wonders it can accomplish. I had initially requested this Arc because the cover, title and summary seemed interesting, and I am glad I did.

I enjoyed the authors writing style, because the words felt and sounded beautiful as I read through this tale. Almost like how on a waterslide the water smoothly delivers the inflatable doughnut like floats to the water pool at the end of the ride in an amusement park; that’s how the words seemed to flow from my tongue as I read through to the end. It’s what I enjoy about reading the different writing styles and how every word differs in each story, even if written by the same author.

There were some characters I liked very much in this story (not giving away any spoilers as to why), while others I was thoroughly annoyed by. I enjoyed seeing Aric, Albaric and Bluefire’s bond. I especially enjoyed moments when Queen Evaline was present.

Overall I gave this story I 3.9 star rating as I do all the stories I grow fond of.

In a fantasy version of historical Scotland, the king of Calidon lies on his deathbed, cursed by a ring that cannot be removed from his finger. His son Albaric manages to save him, and suddenly gets a fey brother whom the king doesn’t remember, and takes a sudden, violent hatred to.

But Albaric takes just as sudden a violent love for his fey half-brother.

And so begins a fairy tale novel that in the early chapters contained graceful, even elegiac descriptions that evoke Lord Dunsany, but as it developed gradually became less graceful and more studied, with sometimes abrupt transitions as facts come out of nowhere (we suddenly learn that the king had had a slew of brothers, all of whom he’d hated, before one of them pops up) and outmoded words are used awkwardly, that is not quite in the manner those words once were used.

But at the heart the story is about the brothers, written in such homoerotic language that one could be forgiven for assuming that this is a m/m romance, only without the sex. Let’s say, everything but the sex. A romance does occur, but the young lady is fourteen, so being told that her kiss “was that of a woman” and suchlike was kind of stomach-turning for me. (I do not give a novel written today for modern readers a pass for the fact that girls were often married off at fourteen in days of old.)

The ring and its trickster magic was intriguing at first, but about halfway through it began to feel more and more like a plot device to keep the angst on the boil.

There is a glimpse of the weird fey, and a castle attack with murky strategy and tactics, led by a one-dimensional baddy, until the end, with a weird magical turn that confirmed the feel of m/m.

I think the audience for this would be those who like a fairy tale feel, with all the dream-like sudden twists and turns that so often drive fairy tales. And of course those who like brotherly love. Lots of it, up close and personal.

Hello, hello! It’s the last Wednesday in May, which means it’s time for another book review. This time, I decided to get into a fantasy novel to mix things up a bit. Cozies and thrillers are great, but sometimes you just need a break. So, I requested a copy of The Oddling Prince by Nancy Springer from NetGalley. It came out earlier this month from Tachyon Publications. As usual, I must thank them and NetGalley for sending me an advanced copy in exchange for an honest and unbiased review. With that out of the way, let’s get on with it!

The Oddling Prince opens with Aric’s father, the king of Calidon, on his deathbed. A ring of unknown origins is sucking the life from him, and no one can figure out how to remove it short of cutting off the appendage, which no one dares to do. At least not until a stranger arrives on a horse that disappears when he dismounts. The stranger saves the king without mutilating him and reveals a secret that only Aric immediately accepts as true. This leads to adventure and arguments and secrets and a level of brotherly love that verges on the incestuous at times.

I fully admit that this book caused my inner yaoi fangirl to come out. If you don’t know what yaoi is, the best way I’ve heard it described is that it’s beautiful boys kissing beautiful boys. Granted, it tends to go much farther than that, but I won’t go there because the book doesn’t. So, if you’re reading it and get some strange vibes that make you want to put it down, don’t worry. It’s really just creepy levels of brotherly love. For the yaoi fanpeople, you will be slightly disappointed. But hey! At least Aric and Albaric came together in the end. *winkwinknudgenudge* Just in a completely different, but equally satisfying way.

But seriously, I found this story quite enjoyable. The characters were relatable despite being royalty. The plot was fun and had a lot of twists. My only complaint with this one is that the pacing is awkward. It feels like everything happens over the course of a few days, maybe weeks, but there are lines that suggest months have passed by. Honestly, I wouldn’t be able make a timeline for it even after finishing it, because I’m still not entirely sure whether days or weeks or months passed. That issue screws with a couple of other things, such as the relationship arc between Aric and Marissa. There wasn’t a sense of love at first sight, so when it seemed like they randomly fell in love after a couple of days, it felt like an afterthought. But if months passed, it makes a bit more sense.

As far as the writing goes, be prepared for older language and a rhythm reminiscent of fairy tales. It’s a little jarring at first, but it’s interesting. I learned things like a believable difference between calling a king “Sire,” “Liege,” and other things. Whether the information is entirely correct, I don’t know. I haven’t researched it yet. But it made sense in the story. And the author made the information feel like a natural part of the story instead of an infodump. It was really interesting

Ultimately, The Oddling Prince was a fun read. It seems like it’s going to be a standalone, but on the off chance there are more, I’ll pick them up. I also plan on looking for other books by Springer.

Overall, I’d give it four out of five stars. It’s a quick and amusing read. If you’re into fantasy or fairy tales or just looking for something light to read between things, I’d definitely suggest giving it a shot.

This was an arc that I received from Netgalley, but also a library book as well. I read the paperback edition instead of the PDF file version, but plan on reading that as well sometime in the future to build upon this review. This is my first read from Nancy Springer, a rather prolific author who generally writes fantasy and young adult. While I really enjoyed this, enough to give it five stars, I’m not entirely sure it’s my most favorite book of the year.

Let me explain.

This book was odd, in the fact that it had beautiful prose, epic battles, family in distress, fey, a magical ring that causes a lot of trouble, and brothers who love one another but are worlds apart. It’s a cleverly told fantasy story that builds up to a happy ending.

It comes from the title ‘odd’, due to the fey characters. The way the characters speak seems so strange sometimes, “Forsooth” and “Troth” are two of the many words throughout the book that seemed strange to me. I understand it comes from that time period, from the Scottish Highlands a place that I love to read about. Though it didn’t feel like it was of the scottish moors, rather it felt like an entirely different world that this book took place in, with a different language structure. While not at all unpleasant, it was definitely odd and unusual.

I did like all of the characters, aside from King Bardaric who seemed to be a bit of an ass for reasons unknown towards his two sons. While it was explained later on towards the end why he was so hateful and cruel towards them, I was still unsatisfied with those explanations. And his constant worry for others attempting to overthrow him to take the throne-what of it? It’s just a throne, it’s not like it’s the most important thing in your life, which is actually that of your wife and sons. You need to pay attention to them, not that chair that holds such power. Power isn’t the best thing ever, you know.

I did like how the women were represented in the book, though there was one instance where women who were close to thirty were represented as ‘old maids’ whereas it was perfectly logical to marry a 13/14 year old girl instead. I get that in that time period, people died closer to their 50’s, than they did nowadays towards their 70s/80s, but I still didn’t care for that at all.

The two main characters, Aric and Aldaric, were both interesting and unusual. I liked both well enough, but I felt that Aric could be a bit dense from time to time, while Aldaric was a bit strange, due to having been raised with the fey. I also liked their horse, Bluefire, who was pretty badass for a horse towards the end of the book.

The story was entertaining, and I definitely want to own my own copy eventually, preferably in a nice hardback edition that will sit with the rest of my favored fantasies. It’s a beautiful, unique, and gorgeous story that should be read by all ages. Nancy Springer has shot up high onto my list of favorites, and I am determined to go out and find more of her books, and devour them.

Final rating is 5/5 stars.

Until next time,
-Pass Me That Book.

I thought this book was kind of boring?!
All the action that happened was really short, or the tension was just building up and then the scene stopped..
I did enjoy the bond between the brothers!
A more extended review is on my blog.

I’m giving The Oddling Prince a 2/5 stars. I had many high hopes for this book. A premise about two brothers, one mortal and the other fae, uniting and crushing evil had me enticed. However, the actual book fell flat for me. The writing, an older form of technically modern English, was boring and very confusing. It was almost as if the author was trying to be someone they were not. It just didn’t feel genuine. The writing might have fit the story well, but it did not do the story justice. I also found the plot to be rather confusing, not well paced, and overall very boring. Things would happen out of the blue and hardly anything was properly explained. The only reason I gave this book two stars was because of the brothers’ relationship. It was clear that they cared very much for each other, but even that was not very fleshed out and at times was awkward. So much could have been done with the premise that the reality of the book has left me disappointed.

The fact that the protagonist is a guy is awesome... story was amazing. I couldn’t put this book down! I fell in love with the characters, all the attributes and hated others lol but that’s the beauty of books.. definitely connected with this one.

I really want to love this book, if you follow me for a while you know how much I love my fey books. However, this one just doesn't work for me. Despite the intriguing first chapter, the story then fell flat. The pacing just lags and nothing happened. It is written in old english, epic-poetic ways and while it helps at first, as the plot lags the writing dragged it even more. The relationship between Aric and Aldaric also really weird. It should be a bromance, but instead it felt like a romance. The way they touch, stare, even the weight of their words. And it's not my feeling only, a quick scroll will show you that other reviewers felt the same. Usually I'm all for queer romance but I don't know why, in this book it's putting me off.

It's just a really weird book overall, and not in a good way.

The King of Calidon, cursed by a ring which cannot be removed from his finger, lies dying, until a mysterious stranger appears to save him. But the young man may also be the catalyst responsible for bringing down the entire royal family and pitching Scotland into turmoil.

The “plight thee my troth” style of writing made it difficult to initially get into The Oddling Prince. There is a sense of a fantasy mashup of Ulysses and the Faerie Queen set in a Victorian romantic version of the Middle Ages (there are references to Vikings and King Arthur). Nancy Springer is using a style that can push the story away from the readers so they feel as if they are viewing the world from a distance. This has the potential to make connection with the characters’ inner emotional landscapes very difficult.

But hang in there with the story and acclimatise to this approach because, bit by bit, the author wins you over. There is a very skilled hand at work here. Springer does know what she is doing with this approach to storytelling.

This tale is told very simply, and the connections between the reader and the characters are made through their actions and the dialogue which carries more weight than is immediately obvious. Another interesting feature is that although the women are dependent on the men for protection and very much in the role of consorts, they managed to wield quite a considerable amount of authority through wise decisions and persuasion.

The half-brother Albaric, the product of Aric’s father the king and Albaric’s Faerie Queen mother,is presented to us in the same way as Aric sees him. There is an instant connection and understanding between them, allowed by Aric’s generous heart. What you see is writing which relates to two characters who have the same purity of heart as the knight in the Faerie Queen.

Aric’s mother, Queen Evalin, is a character I really warmed to because she was not only fair, but able to stand her ground with her husband and quick thinking when it comes to a crisis. The father behaves very much like a man caught out by the obvious result of an affair he is in denial of although, like Ulysses, he had been held captive and appears to have acted against his will. But there is more to his psychological turmoil than this and like peeling an onion there are many layers to this story.

The style of writing also takes into account its intended readers which is the young adult audience. Although given that many teenagers are happily consuming A Games of Thrones, today’s teenager might find this story a little tame particularly with regards to the sexual content. Personally, I found The Oddling Prince a refreshing take on fantasy writing and became quite taken up by the story and the eventual fate of its characters.

*looks left*
*looks right*
*whispers* If you're looking for a great fantasy where the central focus belongs to two brothers, look elsewhere.
I hate that I have to write this review, but quite simply put, this was a boring fantasy novel with little to no stakes, plot or point.
First off, I hesitate tremendously to call this a young adult novel. The flowery yet overly simple writing, with words like "perforce" and "whence" put me off right from the get-go. Thank god for the dictionary feature on my Kindle, but I shouldn't need one. Not to mention this reads far younger than you would expect. Like The Chronicles of Narnia, but without evoking any joy or magic.
The characters were ridiculous, with each one making me roll my eyes at some point. I thought the brother focus would be interesting, but it was without any merit. Aric, the prince, takes to the sudden appearance of a half-brother, who is half-elf by the way, like a six year old kid who decides the boy in the corner of the classroom with a red truck is his best friend. It was kind of sickening.
Likewise, the plot was non-existent. It was more of a bunch of sub-plots that really didn't do anything. Anytime something exciting happened, it was over within a paragraph, or was ruined by terrible dialogue. I pushed through this, just to move on to something else since I despise DNF'ing anything.
Considering this is from an author boasting of writing fifty novels, one I've never before read, I'm highly disappointed. As an amateur writer, this is not a story I would be proud of.