The Oddling Prince Release Day!
It's release day for The Oddling Prince! And in order to celebrate... I'm doing a little wrap up post so that you all can know a little more about the book that might be your next favorite read! We have the Goodreads summary, About the Author (from Goodreads), and then my old review posted wayyyy back in April (which was not that long ago, I know).
~Goodreads Summary~
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 (the Books of Isle series) explores the darkness of the human heart as well as its unceasing capacity for love
~About the Author~
(From Goodreads)
Nancy Springer has passed the fifty-book milestone, having written that many novels for adults, young adults and children, in genres including mythic fantasy, contemporary fiction, magical realism, horror, and mystery -- although she did not realize she wrote mystery until she won the Edgar Allan Poe Award from the Mystery Writers of America two years in succession. DARK LIE, recently released from NAL, is her first venture into mass-market psychological suspense. Born in Montclair, New Jersey, Nancy Springer moved with her family to Gettysburg, of Civil War fame, when she was thirteen. She spent the next forty-six years in Pennsylvania, raising two children (Jonathan, now 38, and Nora, 34), writing, horseback riding, fishing, and birdwatching. In 2007 she surprised her friends and herself by moving with her second husband to an isolated area of the Florida panhandle, where the birdwatching is spectacular and where, when fishing, she occasionally catches an alligator.
~My Review~
Originally posted on April 10th, 2018
It's really hard for me to sort out all of my feelings about this book because I am still pretty confused. And a little frustrated. But mostly confused. I was super excited to read this book, I may or may not have done a happy dance when I got approved. But the story was pretty much nothing like what I expected from the blurb.
Extremely minor spoilers follow, this twist is revealed within the first 20 pages or so of the book but impossible to not talk about.
The Oddling Prince opens with the king, Aric's father, lying on his deathbed, wearing a mysterious ring that is slowly killing him. When a mysterious fey stranger shows up and saves the king's life, Aric's world is turned upside down when he realizes that this stranger is actually his half brother. Instantly connected to his newfound sibling, Aric must fight to find a place for Albaric in a world where there is none.
I loved the fey aspect of this book, especially the history part since I'm a sucker for fantasy history. I would actually say that the mini history lesson within the first 50 pages or so of the book was my favorite part of the whole thing. That, or Bluefire, because I have an insane soft spot for horses. But I really did love the fey backstory that Springer managed to weave into the novel, because it was unique (loving the sky horses here) and didn't really remind me of any other fey books I had read lately.
Also, I would like to extend an A++ for magical item use to this novel, because the creativity was real here. Magic hair, animal telepathy, music... sign me up. I wholeheartedly approved of this aspect, and loved it. I wish I could say more but I'm trying to keep spoilers to a minimum here.
The part that I really didn't like, and what brought the rating down so much, was that this book was like a giant circle. There was a point in there, but the story just kept circling the point and repeating certain plot structures/elements, and I feel like we never fully reached that point of understanding or meaningful conflict. There was one major conflict that just kept repeating in a circle and never went away, which bothered me a ton.
Also, the ending. I was not a huge fan of that ending. It was confusing, and kind of weird quite frankly. Points for originality, but it was really not my thing.
3/5 Stars
Disclaimer: I received an eARC of this book through NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. This has in no way affected my feelings towards, review of, or opinions on the book.