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.