The Traitor Prince is a retelling of The False Prince and The Prince and the Pauper. But Redwine's retellings are very loose. This one, like the others, is action-packed and filled with quite a bit of violence.
Javan, the real prince, has been away at school for ten years. While there, his father, the king, is being slowly poisoned by his uncle. The uncle has been training his son to take the prince's place. The plan is to kill the prince before he returns home after his graduation.
But Javan survives, although he is thrown into a brutal, deadly prison. He must figure out a way to survive, escape, and convince his father that he is the true prince. With the help of a prison slave, Sadja, he works toward this goal. But the obstacles seem insurmountable, given that Javan must survive the powerful beasts in the annual tournament. The prize is an audience with the King. But the beasts are terrifying and nothing like anything Javan has ever faced.
Javan is a good guy. You can't help but root for him, given that he has been treated so unfairly. Sadja is also a sympathetic character, given that she has been enslaved since she was a child. She has magical powers that she can't use, but she's tough. The romance is inevitable but doesn't overpower the story.
I did think the middle part of the book, when Javan is in prison, goes on a bit long. But there is a lot of action, so I guess I just wanted Javan and Sadja to get to the happy ending. Mostly just impatience on my part.
Even if you aren't a fan of retellings, this is an enjoyable fantasy/adventure. And if you do like retellings, I would highly recommend The Traitor Prince, as well as the entire Ravenspire Series.
Published by Balzer + Bray, February 13, 2018
eARC obtained from Edelweiss
416 pages
Rating: 4/5
Retellings can be fun, especially when you know the original story. I wonder if students often miss the "retelling" part since they probably don't know the original
ReplyDeleteI'm sure they do. And sometimes, I play down the retelling thing. I think it turns some of them off when they hear "fairy tale." It depends on the kid. This series is great for boys and girls, so, like I said "fairy tale" might not grab them!
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