I found Heartless Prince while browsing new middle grades releases on Goodreads last month. I was intrigued by the cover and interested in the fact that it was the start of a new fantasy graphic novel series. Thinking that my students would like to check it out too, I decided to give it a try.
The plot of the novel follows Princess Evony, a young woman orphaned as a baby when her kingdom was attacked by a witch. She has been taken in by a neighboring royal family and grown up alongside their son, Prince Ammon (who she is not-so-secretly in love with). Her new kingdom is still plagued by witches, but this one is protected by a magical shield that keeps malevolent forces at bay. This shield has been weakening over time, however, and tensions are high as the royal family struggles to keep everyone in their kingdom safe.
Evony has a mysterious ability to sense when familiars (creatures that serve witches) are approaching, so her and Ammon start venturing outside their magical bubble to go on the offensive and cut these creatures down before they can do any harm to the townspeople. This plan works well for a while, but before long, a powerful witch named Aradia appears and steals Ammon's heart. Without his heart, Ammon begins the slow process of turning into a familiar. Now, Evony must move quickly to find Aradia, take back Ammon's heart, and restore it to his body before he is lost forever.
Heartless Prince is the first book in a new trilogy, and it was definitely a solid start to the series. I was entertained and engaged while reading it, and I think middle grades readers would definitely feel the same. Princess Evony, in particular, was a strong character. She's a true warrior--she cuts down monsters with a pair of scythes and is tough as nails while doing it. Her action scenes were the best part of the story. These was a little bit of complexity to her character as well - she discovers some secrets about herself throughout the plot that she will definitely have to grapple with later. The illustrations were also very good, with the art style complementing the fantasy elements perfectly. It ends on a bit of a cliffhanger that will definitely have fans looking forward to the next installment.
That being said though, there was nothing super memorable or amazing about this novel for me. I've already forgotten most of the details, and it's only been a week or so since I finished it. This is one of those books that is good for its intended audience, but doesn't have much in it that would stand out to adults. Again, it was well done and there was nothing wrong with it. I have no criticisms. It was just...fine. I'll read the sequels if I remember to buy them, and I know this book will be read over and over again in my classroom library (not just because it's a graphic novel, but because it has the added bonus of being short too). It's a solid read, but just not one that I will remember.
Challenge Tally
Middle Grade Mission: 7/24
Total Books Read in 2022: 18
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So, what do you think?