Africa and England - 19th Century

Aina, the youngest daughter of an Egbado king, is, at five years old, taken as a prisoner by a rival leader who murders her entire family. For two long years, she wonders what her fate will be until a British Navy captain rescues her by telling the king that the child will be a gift to Queen Victoria. Changing her name to Sarah Forbes Bonetta (Forbes being the last name of the Royal Navy officer, and Bonetta the name of his ship), the officer presents the child to the queen.

As the goddaughter of the Queen of Britain, Sarah flourishes, living in Captain Forbes' household, educated along with the family's children, and visiting Windsor Castle and Buckingham Palace at the queen's pleasure. Sarah and Princess Alice become good friends, getting into scrapes, and attending royal events. But during all of this complete change to her life, Sarah both hates and loves her African roots. When she is sent to live in a missionary compound in western Africa, Sarah struggles to deal with the horrors she witnessed as a child, and is desperate to return to England. After a few years, the queen relents, and Sarah is placed with another English family. All she wants is to find happiness, safety, and a permanent home.

THE OTHER PRINCESS is a novel based on the life of Queen Victoria's African goddaughter. Sarah is proficient in languages, and music, and wants nothing more but to be accepted and loved. Her life has considerable ups and downs as she navigates between her African roots and her English lifestyle. Beautifully written in Sarah's voice, THE OTHER PRINCESS is impeccably researched. A very enjoyable read, this is a Perfect 10 novel.

Note: A great-great granddaughter of Sarah's through her second daughter's line was the Ebola heroine Ameyo Adadevoh who prevented the spread of the disease by quarantining "patient zero", despite government pressure.

What an eye-opening story! It is based on real-life people during the Victorian era, from the mid-1800s to 1900! I never knew Queen Victoria took a Black goddaughter from Africa and included her in many royal family gatherings and events. Sarah Forbes Bonetta was taken from her African home after her family was murdered by war lords and was gifted to the Queen by an African king. Sarah had experienced so much loss at such a young age that it is hard to believe that she learned to adjust to life in England, foster families, and life adjacent to the royals. The Queen provided for her needs for years, until Sarah went against her wishes to marry a man whom she did not want. She was banished until she changed her mind and married Captain Davies per the Queen's wishes. The story covers her life from Africa to England and back to Africa.
How Sarah survived losing her family the way she did, learned to live with sponsor families, and then made a home for herself and her family, I will never truly understand! She was such a strong person and made an impact on the people she interacted with during her 37 years on this earth. She was treated with some kindnesses through the years but they always seemed to be tempered by loss or unfortunate event.
This book was well researched and well written, but was difficult to read at times due to the treatment of Sarah. I am so glad I read it and learned so much. If you are looking for a powerful Victorian-era story, I highly recommend this book.
Thank you William Morrow and Net Galley for a complimentary copy. All opinions are my own.

What a compelling book. I love historical fiction books like this that present a person from history to the reader that maybe they have never encountered. I personally had never heard of Sarah Forbes Bonetta before picking up this book. However, the impact that she had not only as being the god daughter to the queen, but coming to terms with how she could take her history as a child in Africa and as an adult come back and effect change in Africa. This is just a super compelling book. It is interesting to watch Sarah as she goes from being a princess in Africa, to being forced to become British and how she was able to come to terms with the different dynamics she is forced to face. This would be a great book club book.
Thank you to William Marrow and Netgalley for allowing me to read an advance copy of this book.

What an adventure Sarah (Aina was her given name) had. From the moment she was born this African Princess made sure she got her due. Travel with Sarah from Freetown South Africa to London and back time and again to see how each of her lives could be so different and see how she never lost herself. As Sarah goes thru life’s trials and how to come out the other side as a winner.! A truly captivating story.

What an amazingly written and well-researched historical fiction! I had never heard of this remarkable African and British princess, and the more she endured the more I cheered her spunk and bravery.
Fantastic work, highly recommend, especially to book clubs.

Thank you for giving me the opportunity to read this book! I was captured and captivated by the first chapter and adored the relationship between the two main leaders of the tribe. The graphic war/fight scenes were a bit too much for me, and the cover of the book didn't relate well to the story. I would have liked to see less violence and more love. This was a beautifully written story, but not for me.

The Other Princess is a work of historical fiction that lands an African princess in the heart of Queen Victoria's England. The novel explores the political unrest in Africa, the incursion of missionaries into the continent, and the exoticism and minimizing treatment of Black individuals in European society.

The Other Princess by Denny S Bryce tells the story of Aina an African Princess whose village is attacked and is taken prisoner. She is given to British commander Forbes as a gift for Queen Victoria. Her Christian name is Sarah Forbes Bonetta who goes on to live in British society and royalty as the Queen’s Goddaughter. It’s a very interesting story moving between African and British cultures and while reading thinking of American cultures too. The writing didn’t capture me or draw me into the story. I didn’t really like Sarah. I know she has a rough beginning but very angry for most of her life. I liked her better at the end of the story. Thank you to NetGallery and William Morrow for letting me read this book in exchange for an honest review.

The Other Princess opens with a girl’s birth and with her mother naming her Aina (difficult) due to the difficulty with her birth. Aina is the daughter of a local king inYoruba. Their village is attacked and she is torn from her family, most of whom were slaughtered. Her fate is to either be sold as a slave or be presented in sacrifice by the people who stole her. When the decision is made to sacrifice her, an Englishman present at the ceremony asks the king of the tribe for Aina. The Englishman, in turn, presents her to Queen Victoria, and the girl is raised in close companionship with Victoria’s children and renamed Princess Sarah Bonetta Forbes.

The book does a great job in capturing Aina’s feelings on seeing a White person for the first time, at experiencing racism, the ravages of war and and the many losses she endures along the way. She comes to love Queen Victoria—until the queen decides it’s time for Aina/Sarah to marry the man Victoria has chosen for her. Then, Sarah becomes rebellious and is exiled to live with a staid family far from the throne. The novel deals well with Sarah’s appetite for learning, her love of music, the complexities of life she must deal with while dealing with her own losses—especially since her marriage returns her to Africa, a place that launches dread in her heart.

The voice the novel starts in is appropriate for a child, but the voice doesn’t seem to age in a manner consistent with Sarah’s intellectual growth. Also, the ending seems a bit abrupt. Overall, Bryce does a great job filling in the details of a life about which little is truly known.

This was not what I expected in terms of the book. Consequently I was disappointed in it, The backstory seemed to go on and on.

Simply Amazing! I love a good period piece and so I’m shocked I hadn’t heard Aina’s, renamed Sarah Forbes Bonetta, story before now. She struggles and experiences severe loss at a very young age then is “gifted” to Queen Victoria as her goddaughter. The historical research the author did is very evident in the book and I’m so happy about that. The way Aina’s story is described really pulls you in and makes you experience the gravity of the situations she goes through. A definite must read! Thanks NetGalley for allowing me to experience this book!

Sarah Forbes Bonetta is a fascinating historical character, and I enjoyed learning about her challenging true journey. The incredible amount of research that goes into such books is surely evident here. With her ties to Queen Victoria, Sarah / Aina’s story was captured through news articles, her letters, and additional books through the years. With that knowledge, I wondered how much “tone” had been translated from the subject’s own writing, as Sarah walled herself off emotionally for many years in this novel. Raised as a young Princess, she also maintained high expectations for how others treated her, translating to an air of self-absorption. In this, she realizes she’s fortunate to have the Queen’s patronage, yet she also chafes against the limitations. With her tragic beginnings, one can understand how she might be molded through the years, plus empathize with the fact that she never would be truly “free.”

“The Other Princess,” by Denny S. Bryce is a true historical biography about black African Princess Sarah Forbes Bonetta, who at the age of seven was rescued from a tyrannical African regime and given as a ward to British Queen Victoria in the 1830s.

Raised as a child by several white British families, she was a playmate and confidant to Queen Victoria’s daughter, Princess Anne. Sarah received the best education possible—training to become a teacher and missionary— she was also a frequent guest at the British Court.

Although Sarah was passionately in love with the poor white son of one of her adoptive parents, she was forced by Queen Victoria to wed a much older, wealthy black shipping magnate with business interests and a home in Africa.

TheBookMaven graciously thanks NetGalley, Author Denny S. Burke, and Publisher William Morrow for this advanced reader’s copy (ARC) for review.

A stunning histfic novel of Sarah Forbes Bonetta, a true-life African princess raised as Queen Victoria’s goddaughter. From West Africa to Victorian England, Sarah struggles with racism and oppression as she seeks authentic love, home and identity. Gorgeously written, highly recommended!

Wow! What a fantastic and beautiful story!
I was glued to Sarah's story from the beginning til the end! Just wow!
I love history and for sure I've never heard of this lady!
This new to me author has done a marvelous job in bringing her to life and I will be thinking of her for days afterwards.
The cover is simply gorgeous and ot was what made me want to read it.
My heart broke for Sarah in many places of this book.
I will also happily give this book 5 stars
This is an In Verse book but still very good!
My favorite thing about this book was how love found Sarah. Love can find you in any given moment, place or time. Love is a gift. Love is patient and kind as well.
Biblical verse can be found in 1 Corinthians 13.
A well written story that left my heart feeling full and satisfied even though it was written in In Verse style.
My thanks for an awesome adventure and for a copy of this book. I was NOT required to write a positive review. All opinions expressed are my own.

Princess Ana was the sixth and final child of her parents who were king and queen of their tribe. She was a very precocious an independent child on the verge of being very contradictory she was five years old when her parents and siblings were killed by a rival tribe led by king Gallos she was the only survivor from her family but this was little consolation when King Gaos treated her like the rest of the slaves. On the day she thought she would be executed due to a British captain coming to talk to the kinginstead of being executed she was gifted to him. this is how she became a ward of Queen Victoria. A cabin boy named William with teach her English, about queen Victoria and her new home in Britain .during a fierce storm however William would be lost at sea another devastating blow for five year old Ana whose New name is now Sarah. She’s going to live with Captain Ford and his wife and four children at Wilton Place but she also goes to spend time with Queen Victoria and her children Queen Victoria comes to love princess Sarah and treats her as well as she does her own but when Sarah gets a cold do to the English Winters the doctor says her kind fare better in warm climates this is how she found her self ownership heading back to Africa but this time she was going to Sarah Lyons in Freetown to a missionary school with special instructions from Queen Victoria that she was to be treated at the station she was a costume unfortunately one of the teachers Mrs. Wilkerson didn’t like that at all and let little Sarah know it it didn’t help that Sarah wanted to wear her fancy dresses in the punishing heat of Africa and mostly kept to herself and although she would make it back to Britain her independent contrary nature persisted. Especially when she finds out Queen Victoria wants her to marry Captain Davis when she was already in love with Freddy. What will princess Sarah choose love or duty I usually do not like books that are mainly about children because most of the time they either make the children sound way older than their stated age or way younger and if this case it was much older I get that she was precocious but her forethought and quick intelligent responses seemed way too much for a six-year-old and her plotting and manipulation also seemed way above her age range but either way I found myself loving this little princess and the book I wasn’t surprised at Queen Victoria‘s actions because in all cases from back then in before children we’re just pawn pieces used to gain favor property and status and it seems princess Sarah was treated no different. I really enjoyed this book and highly recommend it it isn’t a very long book but it’s very entertaining than one any historical fiction fan should read. I want to thank not galley and William Morrow for my free arc copy please forgive any mistakes as I am blind and dictate my review.

I saw the episode of Victoria that featured Sarah Forbes Bonetta and have been intrigued by her story ever since as I hadn’t heard of her until that episode aired. However, I never could find much on her.

To say I was PSYCHED when this book came up in NetGalley is an understatement.

My goodness, Bryce nailed this novel. As extraordinary as Bonetta’s life was, it truly is so tragic. All she went through as a child. You want to feel like her life was transformed by the Queen and could her situation have been worse? Especially side by side with what was happening to slaves in the US but, truly, she was still imprisoned by expectations as both a black woman and a ward of the queen. Her choices were deeply limited, if you can call them that.

Above all else, I’m so grateful that her story is being told.

The best historical fiction novels tell stories that have been untold for far too long, and that is true of this novel. Aina is the princess daughter of an African King, and she is marked as royalty with cuttings on her cheeks. At a young age, she sees most of her family murdered by a neighboring warring tribe. It is only because she is a princess and as such is being saved for sacrifice by King Gezo that her life is spared. Members of the British Navy convince King Gezo to offer Aina as a "gift" to Queen Victoria. This begins the transition at age seven for Princess Aina, daughter of an African King to Sarah Forbes Bonetta, god daughter to Queen Victoria. Sarah is an intelligent young girl, and has an aptitude for languages and music. She becomes friends with Queen Victoria's daughter Alice, and the Queen herself finds Sarah amusing and enjoys listening to her play the piano. She also enjoys showing her off as her "compassion project".

Sarah struggles with being close to anyone, as that's always meant loss for her. Trying to balance the worlds of the royal court and the world of her African roots, she truly doesn't know where "home" is for her. As she grows older and Queen Victoria makes her wishes known for Sarah's future, Sarah must examine where she considers home, and if she is brave enough to go against the Queen's wishes and follow her heart.

Based on a true story, I couldn't put this one down! Despite hardship and loss in her life, Sarah is full of hope. I'm glad her story has finally been told so expertly by this author. Highly recommend this novel, pub date 10/3/23. Thanks to NetGalley for ARC of this book; all opinions are my own.

I had heard about Sarah Forbes Bonetta's existence, but had no details, therefore I was very interested in this book. Book was wonderful and based on a true story. Kept my interest to the end. Author really brought Sarah to life. Historical aspects well-handled even though often very grim. Highly recommended.

Also reviewed in my LibraryThing catalog - gmomaj.

A fascinating and sometimes heartbreaking tale of a real-life African princess who is given to Queen Victoria as a gift from slave traders. The tribulations she experienced after her family is killed and she is imprisoned and in fear for her life. Then to be miraculously sent to England and trained in English, reading, manners and all sorts of foreign activities. Then to experience the prejudice of white against black and be called an animal instead of a human. To find herself in the palace and raised with princesses, only to find that she is not free to make her own choices, after all. To be forced into an unwanted marriage only to find real love where she least expects it. What an intricate read. Well worth spending time with an unknown princess. Well researched, well written, and thought provoking.