The Other Princess is a historical fiction novel about Aina, a young African princess that is captured by another tribe and later saved by missionaries and chosen to be a ward of the Queen of England. She lives through terrors as a child and the book touches on her life in captivity in Africa and the slave trade.

When Aina makes the journey to England, she becomes Princess Sarah Bonetta Forbes, a proper English lady, and an African princess. She befriends princess Alice and spends her days learning to be a lady to fit into English society. She learns to speak English, play piano, and translate the Bible into many African languages. She is bright but doesn't form many attachments and her trauma makes it hard for her to make friends.

I enjoyed the ending and Sarah's spirit throughout the book. If you are looking for a historical fiction book about Africa or England, I think you will enjoy this book.

Thanks to netgalley for an eARC to review.

Novelist Denny S. Bryce is an accomplished time traveler. In WILD WOMEN AND THE BLUES, she transported us to Chicago during the birth of the blues. With IN THE FACE OF THE SUN, she immersed us on a family’s two-track journey deep into the civil rights struggles of both the 1920s and the 1960s. Her world building, in both macro-and microcosm is unparalleled.

Now, with THE OTHER PRINCESS, Ms. Bryce takes us inside the mid-Victorian arcana of Queen Victoria’s court and customs, as well as to the far-less known (to many readers of historical fiction) West African kingdom of Dahomey. There, the all-powerful King Gezo and his Agojie, his all-female army of Amazonian-like warriors, spare no one in Gezo’s bloodlust to capture and conquer neighboring kingdoms, massacring rival royal families and enslaving their subjects.

When THE OTHER PRINCESS opens, Aina is an Egbado princess, precocious and proud (though never precious, as limned by Ms. Bryce). Aina survived a difficult birth: hence the meaning of her name. Ms. Bryce unspools the first several pages of her narrative through the eyes of this young girl, who witnesses horrors and depredations no child should ever have to bear. But Aina has moxie. And she makes friends. Taken under the protective aegis of a Scots sea captain, Aina is renamed Sarah Forbes Bonetta and for the next few years undergoes something of a picaresque journey reminiscent (in the best way) of a Dickensian child, with good and evil, loving and self-serving adults on all sides.

Adopted as a ward by the Queen of England under the most unusual of circumstances, Sarah becomes fast friends with one of Her Majesty’s daughters, Princess Louise. Yet both girls soon learn the hard way that everyone in the kingdom, regardless of skin color (although it’s certainly truer for Sarah) is a royal political pawn. Even Sarah’s fierce insistence at all times that she, too, is a princess is used to benefit the queen politically. And when she discovers that her future is being mapped out for her against her wishes, no matter how hard she fights it, she makes a remarkable choice. Bryce’s Sarah grits her teeth and thinks of England in a way that readers might not see coming. She makes the situation hers to overcome.

Ms. Bryce has introduced us to a remarkable, real-life heroine, and taken us to a setting rarely found in historical fiction (it’s about time). In meticulous detail, her lush prose thoroughly engages our every sense, whether we are in a slave camp in Dahomey, below decks on a wooden sloop, or in Queen Victoria’s drawing room. I eagerly anticipate her next novel; and the next . . . and the next.

[** I received a complimentary copy of this novel from NetGalley in exchange for my review. My opinions are entirely my own.]

‘The Other Princess’ by Denny S. Bryce was impossible to put down. Seriously engrossing. I learned so much, and the writing was beautiful. I highly recommend this gripping novel.

When she was five years old, Aina, an African tribal princess, was enslaved after an enemy tribe slaughtered her family. When she was about seven, she was given by the enemy chieftain to an English sea captain as a gift for Queen Victoria. The captain changed her name to Sarah Forbes Bonetta. Impressed by the girl's intelligence, Queen Victoria made Sarah a goddaughter and sent her to live with a foster family, Sarah's life was not always happy. Although she lived a life of luxury, Sarah was never really a part of the royal family. Queen Victoria controlled her life from a distance. If she did not obey, Sarah risked losing the Queen's support.

I did not know about Sarah Forbes Bonetta before reading this fictionalized account of her life. I found it interesting. Thank you, William Morris and Net Galley for the advanced copy of this book. The opinions expressed are my own.

With this fictional depiction of the life of Queen Victoria’s African goddaughter, Sarah Forbes Bonetta, author William Morrow produces a rather enjoyable but ultimately lukewarm read. His writing is full of potential and based on impeccable research, but he stops short of including the robust elements of storytelling that are necessary to communicate the ugly truths of racism and colonialism in this tale. Readers get a sense that Sarah went through agony, but the nature of the hardships she endures in The Other Princess is minimized and whitewashed. To summarize, Morrow’s writing is mediocre when it could have been great.

3.5 ⭐️s rounded up. I learned a lot, and the story of Sarah Forbes Bonetta was fascinating, how she became the queen’s ward and I was surprised to learn how different England treated Africans and people of color in such stark contrast to America at the time.

I knew England didn’t utilize (African) slavery but I didn’t realize interracial marriage was no issue and an (almost) equal status was had by black people in Britain, and neither was restricted. Not that the white British attitude towards them wasn’t racist, believing they were the saviors to Africa, but looking back at how long it took America to abolish segregation alone, even after slavery, to see it not even a thing in Britain in the 1800s is crazy to me - and makes me enormously sad for America.

I did struggle a little with the writing; it felt stiff and the dialogue a little unnatural at times. And Sarah was so bitter and spiteful most of the book, I just didn’t care for her character. I liked her at the end though, when she was still candid and bold but not cutting and spiteful.

Thanks to Netgalley for the advanced copy of this book. All opinions are mine.

One of the princesses is Alice, the daughter of Queen Victoria. The other is Aina or Sarah, a 6- or 7-year-old (nobody knows) princess of the Yoruba people, gifted to the Queen. Her life in Africa was horrific, and everyone cannot help feeling sorry for her. But she and Alice know how to escape the very formal castle living, and they do so whenever they can.

Being sent back and forth from England to Africa several times means she really has two homes. But it is not until Sarah falls in love that she realizes how tied to the Queen she is. Even though that leads to heartbreak, it also helps keep her strong and allows her finally to find herself, her calling and where she really belongs.

Author Bryce has richly imagined Sarah’s life. The details of this very real person are told in first person. She is shown to have friends, good ones, in both her homelands, yet she comes across as selfish, spoiled and stubborn. It would be very interesting to find out why the author made her so selfish. Kudos to Bryce, though, for bringing Sarah to our attention.

The Other Princess, an historical history novel, was an engrossing read that sent me searching for additional historical facts concerning the people and events portrayed. The title refers to a young African girl, the daughter of a tribal king, who saw her family brutally slaughtered by a rival chieftain when she was just five years old. Aina, the daughter, was taken prisoner and held for two years until she was rescued by an English man, who persuaded the chieftain to release her as a "gift" to Queen Victoria. Renamed Sarah Forbes Bonetta, the young girl revealed herself to be charming and keenly intelligent with a particular aptitude for music and languages. Queen Victoria acted as a guardian of Sarah and provided abundantly for her upkeep, and directed her studies. The novel follows Sarah's life shifting from Africa to England and veering back and forth several times.
This book was an absorbing read with detailed descriptions of life in tribal nations and cities in Africa, residential schools run by missionary groups, and the missionaries' influence in Africa at the time. The book provides thorough accounts of life in Queen Victoria's residences and in upper-class homes and discloses some of Queen Victoria's imposing wealth and power in the world during that period. This fictional account of historical events is a provocative tale of Black people in many situations, including wealthy businessmen and being "given as a gift" to a white person. Although Queen Victoria considered Sarah her guardian rather than an enslaved person, the young woman was subject to Queen Victoria's wishes. However, many people in that era were subject to Queen Victoria's or other powerful rulers' demands. Highly thought-provoking.
Thank you to NetGalley and WIlliam Morrow for the ARC of this book.

3.5 Stars

The Other Princess by Denny S. Bryce is a meticulously researched and well-written novel about Sarah Forbes Bonetta, the African Princess that became the ward of Queen Victoria.

Written in first person point-of-view, the novel reads much like the diary of Sarah. It is rich in detail and spans her life from the age of five until after her death.

Sarah’s life is full of tragedy, beginning with the murder of her royal African family when she is about five years old. She is then held in a slave camp for two years before she is rescued from sacrifice by British Naval Commander Frederick Forbes who requests she be saved and presented to Queen Victoria as a gift instead. Sarah spends months on the ship Bonetta with the commander and his cabin boy William Bartholomew. Her name is changed from Aina to Sarah Forbes Bonetta. William is charged with protecting Sarah, teaching her to speak English and understand British customs. William is thrown overboard in a terrible storm and drowns just a few days shy of returning to England. Once they arrive, Sarah moves in with the Forbes family and is finally presented to Queen Victoria on November 9, 1850. From this date forward, Sarah is the ward of Queen Victoria who took responsibility for her education and well-being.

As a ward of the Queen, Sarah lived a life of luxury with trusted aristocratic families, but was not considered part of the royal family. Like royal family members, however, she was not allowed to make her own choices in life and was always subject to the wants of Queen Victoria, which often conflicted with Sarah’s own desires. She is often at odds with the Queen and defiant in spirit, but must do what she is told or risk being cutoff from the Queen’s support. Throughout her life, Sarah sacrifices her freedoms for the care and support of the Queen and suffers the loss of many close companions.

What I enjoyed most about this novel was the detailed history lesson of Sarah’s life. Her life was both extraordinary and tragic. Unfortunately, I never felt really connected to Sarah and even found myself disliking her throughout the book. Perhaps it is because she was so traumatized and emotionally closed off to even her most trusted confidants that I had difficulty feeling a connection with her. She also seemed to feel very entitled and unappreciative of any of the good fortune that did happen in her life. For example, when she is sent to the school in Sierra Leone, she makes a point to not make friends with any of the other girls. She believes her connection to the Queen makes her superior to the other girls, which I found off-putting.

Bryce does a fantastic job of packing her novel full of historical information and creating a real interest in the life of Sarah Forbes Bonetta. I enjoyed this novel for the history and rich detail of an extraordinary life, but I didn’t love it from a fictional perspective.

Many thanks to Denny S. Bryce, HaperCollins Publishers, and NetGalley for an advanced copy of this book for review

I received this e-book ARC through Net Galley from William Morrow, William Morrow Paperbacks in exchange for a truthful review.

Historical Fiction of the unique life of Aina (renamed Sarah Forbes Bonetta) an African princess who came to become the goddaughter of Queen Victoria of Great Britain.

I was a bit familiar with the Kingdom of Dahomey (a rival kingdom of Aina's father's) from the recent 2022 movie The Woman King. In that movie, the Agojie, the all-female army unit of Dahomey, are feared and respected.
In this novel, we get to see a different viewpoint: the Agojie and the Kingdom of Dahomey are the terrified villains.

I enjoyed learning about Sarah Forbes Bonetta through this fictionalized account of her life, a life filled with such loses after every turn, it seemed. The Sarah Forbes Bonetta character seems a bit internally whiney, but I guess that could be expected with the losses she experienced and with her being at the whim of her benefactors.

I wished that this novel could have expanded a bit on what happened to the important people in her life, notably Freddie Schoen, after Sarah married and went back to live in Africa.

Historical fiction is such a fun way to learn about history; especially when it keeps your attention. I had not heard about Princess Aina/Sarah so this was very eye opening. I started and never put it down until the last page. I want to know more about the nonfiction parts of her life. This book definitely intrigued me. The Other Princess is thoroughly written with descriptions of locations written very vividly.

Like many, my first introduction to Princess Sarah was through the Masterpiece show, Victoria. Naturally I read about here and found her story to be both tragic and interesting. I was excited to see this book in Netgalley and was pleased to read it.
These feelings remained while reading this book but I did wonder about the overall conflict in this book. It seemed more like a memoir than a story unfortunately--a series of events happening to someone. She processes her trauma the best way someone at that time could. She was, in a way, a walking contradiction--a princess of Africa, as described in the book, but wanted nothing to do with the continent. I felt the book started to get a bit more interesting towards the end but that's where it lacked some details, probably because there wasn't as much written about her during that time. The final time periods of her life also seemed a bit rushed where the beginning was so very detailed.

It's been a long time since i have read a book that kept me up until wee hours of the morning reading, but that is exactly how this book has done me. The story of Sarah,(Aina), A Princess from Africa, Is one of the best Historical novels Ive read in a long time, Sarahs family is slotered before her eyes when she is just a young child, but she is saved from it all when a deal is made with the Queen of England, who takes her as a Godchild and agrees to care for her needs, Sarah is always searching for a life without being hurt, Her life is filled with many different adventures, she endures a lot of heartache along to way, but she also ends up with a lot of love along the way. I think she had a beautiful life, I truley enjoyed every page of this book. I loved learning about the life of Sarah. The Author did an amazing job at researching the life of Sarah, I felt like i was a part of her daily life..
I look forward to reading more books by this Author

I received a free e-arc of this book through Netgalley. I was fascinated by the idea that Queen Victoria was godmother to an African princess. Based on a true story of Aina, renamed Sarah Forbes Bonetta who witnessed her entire family being slaughtered before being enslaved. This story is well-written and hard to put down. There are definitely pros and cons to being under the Queen's protection.

The Other Princess by Denny S. Bryce gives a vivid accounting and a superbly written novel. Not for the faint of heart, but a necessary read for everyone, with the historically accurate portrayal of slave traders and their practices, along with the heart-rending portrait of slaves daily life in Victorian times, even under the watch of a queen. The early childhood years are delved in much greater detail than after achieving adulthood and the decision to defy Queen Victoria before final acquiesce, yet this doesn't detract from in any way from the continuity or psychological trauma shown in later chapters.

This is not just a timely book, it's a well-told story of an incredible life, from the tone setting prologue to the end. Though the details were often quite shocking, I could picture Aina, aka Sarah, moving through life and captivity as a child, then showing amazing adaptability and aptitude, as well as just the right amount of stubbornness while she was in England. So many hard things happened to her, and yet she never gave up and never seemed bitter. This is the kind of based-on-truth story that needs telling right now, so good job to the publisher and to the author for this work. A definite recommended read.

Ms. Bryce did an excellent job of drawing the reader into the troubled life of Sarah Forbes Bonetta, from the loss of her innocent childhood and family and through her journeys to England. This character's story not only gives us the story of her background, but also makes you experience the pain and anguish she suffers throughout her life, until finally discovering a piece of happiness to call her own.

Several times I found myself on the edge of tears as I read through this story. I highly recommend it.

Sarah Forbes Bonetta's story is one that few people know about. I thought this novel was well written and caught my attention on the first page. It was difficult to put the book down. I'm so glad Sarah Forbes'story was written because now other people can learn about this impressive woman.

This was a piece of history that I knew nothing about so I absolutely love that this story is being shared! I learned so much. The story is heartbreaking and yet inspiring. It's so beautifully written. I hope historical fiction fans everywhere read it!

Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for the digital ARC in exchange for my honest review. All opinions expressed are completely my own.

The Other Princess by Denny S. Bryce

Yes, I need more! This is written so beautiful, the flow goes so well and it was worth grabbing this when it comes out. I'm recommending this book, you won't be disappointed, I promise.

I just reviewed The Other Princess by Denny S. Bryce. #TheOtherPrincess #NetGalley
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