The Prince and the Dressmaker by Jen Wang

I stumbled across The Prince and the Dressmaker on a Barnes and Noble trip a few weeks ago. I hadn't heard about this young adult graphic novel from any of my usual bookish news sources, but it looked incredibly cute, so I picked it up. As I knew it would be a quick read, I decided to use it as the first stop of my quest in the Book Junkie Trials - Dwarf Mount. This prompt requires participants to read a book with a hint of romance, and the back of this book revealed that romance is an element here. Excited to get started, I jumped into it this morning.

The plot of the novel follows Sebastian, the teenage prince of Brussels. His parents are starting to put pressure on him to get married and are actively looking for potential brides for him. Meanwhile, Sebastian actually has no interest in marriage. He is hiding a big secret from everyone; he enjoys dressing as a girl sometimes. To facilitate his desire to wear beautiful gowns and experience life as a woman, he hires a talented young seamstress from Paris named Frances.

At first, Frances is startled by Sebastian's request, but she quickly comes to accept him and begins designing modern, fashionable looks for him. They go out together in disguise, with Sebastian adopting the name Lady Crystallia. Before long, Lady Crystallia has become a fashion icon in the city and Frances is making a name for herself in the design world, which is what she has always dreamed of. The pair become extremely close and help support each other in their endeavors.

The strain of maintaining a double life. however, begins to wear on both Sebastian and Frances as they become more and more recognized. Sebastian does not believe that his father or his kingdom will accept him as he is, and is concerned about that will happen when he takes the throne. Frances begins to struggle with the idea that promoting her designs might inadvertently betray Sebastian's secret, if people begin to make the connection that a palace seamstress also hangs out with Lady Crystallia all the time. Together, they must find a way to make both of their dreams come true in a world where others aren't always accepting of those who are different.

This was an amazing start to my Book Junkie Trials because I  fell in love with The Prince and the Dressmaker. Why are more people not talking about this book? The illustrations were sweet and beautiful, the story contained wonderful themes about acceptance and personal growth, and the representation was wonderful. I hadn't read a novel that included a genderfluid character before today, and I really enjoyed learning more about what that type of identification means. The discussion of gender identity is portrayed in a calm and respectful way, making this an excellent choice for young readers. It would make a nice addition to my classroom library, but there's no way I'm letting this one leave my personal bookshelves.

While Sebastian/Lady Crystallia is the flashiest character, I definitely had a soft spot for Frances. She is a quiet, kind young woman with big ambitions. She is creative and a hard worker. Her design of Lady Crystallia's wardrobe was very reminiscent of Project Runway, which only raised her up even more in my estimation. It was nice to see her grow and come into her own throughout the course of the story. As a quiet, artsy person myself, I love seeing characters like her.

I was thoroughly entertained all throughout my reading of The Prince and the Dressmaker, and the ending of the story made this a five-star read for me. It was just so pure. It was probably unrealistic, but it was unrealistic in such a sweet way that I completely lost my heart to it. It was a perfect little story and it's now a new favorite for me. 


Challenge Tally
Book Junkie Trials (Dwarf Mount - Read a book with a hint of romance) 1/17
Finally in 2019: 21/6 Books Read - Complete!

Total Books Read in 2019: 39