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katieinca's review against another edition
4.0
Volume 2, in which we meet The Black Knight, some other knights, the wolves of the forest (including Kira!), Angelica ("the beautiful one"), and a crazy ghost water lion thing. Action and hilarity ensues. Plots thicken. Mysteries are hinted at.
rollforlibrarian's review against another edition
4.0
Another graphic novel that was great fun to read, all while exploring some interesting ideas. A few things yet to come are a shade obvious, but I do believe that's intended, and seeing other characters have their moment of realisation should be very interesting indeed.
Generally I think I enjoyed reading the first book more, but this one's setting all sorts up and it's still very strong, so I'm looking forward to getting my hands on the next volume, though it looks like I'll have to be a little patient.
Generally I think I enjoyed reading the first book more, but this one's setting all sorts up and it's still very strong, so I'm looking forward to getting my hands on the next volume, though it looks like I'll have to be a little patient.
pizzamyheart's review against another edition
3.0
Well, this was a bit disappointing. I didn't care for the writing in this one. Felt stiffer and less fun than the previous volume. I did like the nod and appreciation of the arts, and found it funny that neither the princess nor her friend looked perfect in the morning. Still, they felt the need to beauty themself before the guy came back. The girls should be comfortable in their own skin, or make the changes for themselves, not to impress a guy.
I was also disappointed in the sister. The perfect Aphrodite princess. She was drawn beautifully, but a bit too beautiful IMO for the intended audience.
It just didn't grab me like the first volume. Still, they're short so I'll keep going.
I was also disappointed in the sister. The perfect Aphrodite princess. She was drawn beautifully, but a bit too beautiful IMO for the intended audience.
It just didn't grab me like the first volume. Still, they're short so I'll keep going.
sparklemaia's review against another edition
4.0
This volume explored normative beauty standards and femininity, but not with as much nuance and grace as I was hoping for, especially in regards to how race and racism relate to beauty. There was a particular scene where Adrienne and Bedelia wake up with frizzed-out hair (Adrienne) and a moustache (Bedelia, who is half dwarf), and it's handled awkwardly by the writers, especially within the context of a story that is purposefully trying to dismantle gender and beauty norms. It's still a fun, cute story that I would totally recommend to kids and anyone who likes fantasy, fairytales, or just cares about feminist responses to sexist media tropes. But I hope for more complexity and thoughtfulness in the next installment of this series.
saidtheraina's review against another edition
3.0
Super fun second volume of the Princeless tales. This one involves "rescuing" the Aphrodite-like "beautiful" sister of our fair protagonist. A cool new monster, some witty repartee, and an interesting subplot in the woods make this a breezy, fun read.
I appreciate the intentional nature of this series - Whitley's playing with gender norms in classic fairytales and bringing feminism and people of color front and center.
I do wish (all of) the characters weren't so traditionally hot, though. When you take on women's issues, body image issues shouldn't be far behind. There's some serious implicit sizeism going on, and it sticks out like a sore thumb in a comic that's so blatantly attempting to right wrongs and bring up the issues relating to many other isms.
There's a sequence in which the two main characters wake up in the morning and one has a mustache and the other's hair has frizzed out. These things are treated as bad and like things they want to hide from the boy in their company. There's a little discussion that makes me think that the creators thought about this exchange intentionally, but I'm not entirely satisfied with the result. I realize these things are tricky, but still...
All in all, though, I'm happy that a fun full-color comic exists with these kinds of ideals, even if it falls short on a few things.
Side note: The first collection was [edit: originally] printed in a much different size than this, and on less glossy paper - I imagine because the success of the first gave the company the resources to print this in a more ideal format for comics. It still feels[felt] odd that they're different, though.
I appreciate the intentional nature of this series - Whitley's playing with gender norms in classic fairytales and bringing feminism and people of color front and center.
I do wish (all of) the characters weren't so traditionally hot, though. When you take on women's issues, body image issues shouldn't be far behind. There's some serious implicit sizeism going on, and it sticks out like a sore thumb in a comic that's so blatantly attempting to right wrongs and bring up the issues relating to many other isms.
There's a sequence in which the two main characters wake up in the morning and one has a mustache and the other's hair has frizzed out. These things are treated as bad and like things they want to hide from the boy in their company. There's a little discussion that makes me think that the creators thought about this exchange intentionally, but I'm not entirely satisfied with the result. I realize these things are tricky, but still...
All in all, though, I'm happy that a fun full-color comic exists with these kinds of ideals, even if it falls short on a few things.
Side note: The first collection was [edit: originally] printed in a much different size than this, and on less glossy paper - I imagine because the success of the first gave the company the resources to print this in a more ideal format for comics. It still feels[felt] odd that they're different, though.
jennifermreads's review against another edition
4.0
I like where this spunky princess went in this volume. It was nice to have some serious action occur – and to finally meet a sister. A change in artist’s with this book but it seems fairly seamless to this untrained eye.
booksnorkel's review against another edition
4.0
Great for the next book in this series, I can't wait to see the other guardians and impossible tasks we have to face to free her other sisters. We get more of the father's backstory, and more about the surrounding areas.
sarahannkateri's review against another edition
4.0
In volume one of Princeless, Princess Adrienne, newly imprisoned in a tower by her father, decides she won't wait around for a man to save her. Instead, she'll save herself. In this story, the newly-free Adrienne, her dragon, and her best friend Bedelia, head off on a quest to save Adrienne's sister Angelica, the most beautiful girl in the entire kingdom. What Adrienne doesn't know is that her father, thinking her dead, has hired all the best hunters in the kingdom to find the person who took his daughter, and kill him.
I liked this one even better than the first. It's still a little preachy in parts, but the art is adorable, and I feel like younger girls would really like it.
I liked this one even better than the first. It's still a little preachy in parts, but the art is adorable, and I feel like younger girls would really like it.
avery_switch's review
adventurous
funny
lighthearted
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? N/A
- Loveable characters? N/A
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.25
murderbot42's review
adventurous
challenging
funny
hopeful
inspiring
lighthearted
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
So I feel this one was a bit of a let-down after the smashing success that was the first volume (for me, obviously). That being said, there's still a lot of cool stuff here and if you loved the first one, you'll only love where this series is going more, so stick around for the ride and you will not be disappointed.
Recommends it for: Anyone who wants to smash the patriarchy. (And likes fun goofy dragons.)
Recommends it for: Anyone who wants to smash the patriarchy. (And likes fun goofy dragons.)