Nobody’s Princess by Esther Friesner

Description:


She is beautiful, she is a princess, and Aphrodite is her favorite goddess, but something in Helen of Sparta just itches for more out of life. Not one to count on the gods—or her looks—to take care of her, Helen sets out to get what she wants with steely determination and a sassy attitude. That same attitude makes Helen a few enemies—such as the self-proclaimed "son of Zeus" Theseus—but it also intrigues, charms, and amuses those who become her friends, from the famed huntress Atalanta to the young priestess who is the Oracle of Delphi.
In Nobody's Princess, author Esther Friesner deftly weaves together history and myth as she takes a new look at the girl who will become Helen of Troy. The resulting story offers up adventure, humor, and a fresh and engaging heroine you cannot help but root for.




Epic Wins:

• I must address the issue of Greek myth awesomeness!!! I love, love, loved Percy Jackson because it was a mix of Greek myth awesomeness and modern day life. (I know you are asking yourselves what has that got to do with this book?) Honestly, nothing but GMA. So now you know that I love GMA. This book is rooted in GMA. :D you can assume that I loved it.
• The MC: I loved Helen because she wanted to be tough and be a princess (more so the first). She had such determination it couldn’t be held down. She wasn’t your cookie cutter princess, the lost and confused I need a prince to save me type, she held her own.
• Always something happening. If she wasn’t learning to ride a horse or dressing like a boy, she was sneaking away from her guards or learning to hunt.
• The cover!!! I thought it was really cool looking. (also, sadly, a fail)
• Atalanta: A cool Greek woman Helen meets. She is very much a hunter/warrior and happens to be a princess. Her story is very interesting. Best role model/friend a girl could have.
• Eunike- Another character that I adored. She’s the Oracle of Delphi and a great friend. There are only so many people Helen considers friends and I’m glad she is one of them.
• MILO- He is the potential love story. A slave freed by Helen herself. They are only friends right now but I predict more for the future.
• The Cliff-hanger- Gah! I hate these but they are what keep you hanging on to the story. I advise you to have the second book close at hand. I don’t and I wish I did.

Epic Fails:

• The story was slow. Not to compare literature (something I feel is as bad if not worse than rating a book) in the Percy Jackson series everything is go, go, go. In this book everything took too much time.
• No love story (YET!!!). This was probably due to the age, by the end she is only fourteen but she is ten for most of the book. The author was trying to recreate Helen’s life, slightly like her diary, so it started at a young age. (this is why I am hanging on for the second book)
• The adventure stuff hasn't really started; I guess it was more of a starter book. You need the background to understand the other stuff later.
• The cover shows Helen a lot older then fourteen, she almost look sixteen or seventeen. Slightly misleading. (She is suppose to be tall but she is also suppose to be stick-thin, almost lanky. The girl on the cover wasn't lanky, she was normal.)

Overall:


I enjoyed this book it was the kind of book that was slow but interesting. I love GMA ( my new acronym for Greek myth awesomeness) and for anybody who enjoys it as much as me take comfort in knowing this is an amazing book! (GMA ROCKS) :D


just sayin,
-Kare