Heartless Prince
by Angela De Vito, Leigh DragoonPublished by: Disney-Hyperion on November 2, 2021
Genres: Graphic Novel, Fantasy, Young Adult
Pages: 160
Format: Hardcover
Source: Publisher
Rating:
A fierce warrior must save the heart of her beloved prince before it's too late in the first book of a new YA fantasy-adventure graphic novel trilogy, perfect for fans of Noelle Stevenson's Nimona and Kazu Kibuishi's Amulet
Evony is an orphaned princess from a kingdom destroyed by a power-hungry witch. Prince Ammon has recently been drawn to her, or at least he’s drawn to her uncanny ability to sense when familiars—servants to the witches—are approaching his kingdom’s borders. And Evony, well Evony has always longed for something more with Ammon. Wanting to prove himself to his kingdom and parents, Ammon takes Evony outside the borders to fight the familiars head-to-head. All is well until they’re captured by witch Aradia, who steals Ammon’s heart and leaves his body to turn into one of her familiars. What’s worse, his sister Nissa has been taken hostage by Aradia’s daughter. Evony makes it her miss onto retrieve Ammon’s heart and save Nissa, taking her into the mysterious Witchlands. There, she will discover a secret about her past that will change everything.
Content Tags:
Perfect for readers who want:
- A fairy tale-esque graphic novel.
- Strong female leads saving the day.
- Good and bad witches fighting each other.
- Low-key horror vibe with mild violence.
- A dark, twisted fairy tale where a witch steals people’s hearts.
- Adorable little sister who’s more capable than she appears.
Many thanks to Disney-Hyperion and Rockstar Book Tours for a copy in exchange for an honest, unbiased review.
When I saw this cover, I just knew I had to read this book! I’m not entirely sure why. Something about it gave me kind of dark Frozen vibes (even though this book definitely isn’t particularly like Frozen). Still, there’s a prince and a princess and some adorable pining and lots of females kicking butt, so in the end, I obviously made the right decision.
Heartless Prince is a twisted fairy tale set in a dark world ravaged by witches, filled with strong female leads, plenty of dark magic, and an interesting cast of side characters that will surprise you!
This book was a lot of fun! I absolutely adored the dark fairy tale vibes. I mean, it opens with a witch ripping someone’s heart out, so you know it’s going to be good, right? I was a little concerned that it would be too gory, but it really isn’t. There’s violence, but it’s not portrayed in a ton of detail or anything. Best of all, the lead is a badass and so are the witches (yes, plural) and even the princess, and I am all for these girls both being vulnerable and having crushes but also kicking ass and taking names. More of this, please! (Also, that ending! Need book two now, please! *flails*)
I absolutely love the artwork in this book! It transports the reader to this dark, harsh world that has magic (but magic isn’t always a good thing!) and is currently at war to protect its citizens from the encroaching witch.
I am all for dark worlds, as I’m sure you well know by now. Doesn’t get much darker than this, where a witch literally rips a person’s heart out in the first pages. I knew I’d come to the right place.
De Vito does an amazing job with the artwork. It’s definitely got a dark fairy tale vibe to it, which I absolutely love. The atmosphere this artwork creates is amazing. The world is dark and scary, but we’ve also got this adorable little prince and princess and their friends/family just trying to do their best in a world that’s trying to kill them while still somehow being total marshmallow cinnamon rolls. The art somehow manages to perfectly balance these very different tones while feeling complete and whole, and my unartistic brain will never be able to grasp how this works.
This fairy tale is a little bit of a woman’s world in that the focus is on the female characters, who can be soft and adorable and utterly embarrassed because boys are cute and complicated, while still being able to pick up shiny stabby things and go chop off an enemy’s head. I am absolutely here for this dynamic.
The main character, Evony, obviously suffers from unrequited love for the prince she was raised with, which can be a little embarrassing for her but utterly adorable. Yet, she’s also a freaking badass with blades and more than willing to throw herself into the fray for the people she cares about. It’s a fantastic dynamic, and I really appreciated that the authors were able to make her a well-rounded character who can both fight and have feelings. Yes, please.
Then there are the witches, of course, who are also female and badass, but in different ways. Yes, witches plural. I can’t say much about them, but I definitely liked the one, who’s all sassy and sarcastic and just a teensy bit putout over needing Evony’s help.
Even Nissa, the prince’s sister, is strong in her own way. She’s not just giving in and accepting her fate. While it’s easy to underestimate her because she’s young and pampered and utterly adorable, that would be a grave mistake. She’s also quite wily and capable!
I’ll admit that I didn’t feel a whole lot for the prince (to be fair, he’s a little disposed for most of the book), but the side characters absolutely got me! I loved this little squad.
There’s Nissa, of course, the prince’s little sister, who is totally obsessed with getting her brother together with Evony. You know, like little sisters do. She also happens to be pretty resourceful and good at making things with her hands. Mix that with her innocent appearance and slight naivety, and that can be a deadly combination!
Then there’s . . . the creature pictured below. Which . . . I’m not entirely sure what he is, but I absolutely love him anyway. He’s very put out at his lot in life currently, while also clearly having given up and just accepted it. I really hope he makes an appearance in the second book!
About Angela De Vito
ANGELA DE VITO is a freelance animator, storyboard artist, and character designer working in NYC. She graduated from the School of Visual Arts with a BFA in Animation in 2014. Since then she has worked on animation for commercials and series pitches. Angela has worked for such studios as Hornet, Inc.; Titmouse, Inc.; Aardman Nathan Love; Click 3X; CHRLX; and Disney Digital Network. She also animation directed Comedy Central Digital’s Loafy, created by Bobby Moynihan. She lives with her family and her two adorable, rambunctious cats.
About Leigh Dragoon
LEIGH DRAGOON was raised in a log cabin in the Adirondacks, where she developed an early love of reading and writing. She became a fan of Little Women at age nine, after Beth’s demise made her bawl herself to sleep. This led to a lifelong appreciation of the book. After years of annual rereads, she became fascinated with learning about Louisa May and her family. She adapted both Richelle Mead’s Vampire Academy and Marie Lu’s Legend series into graphic novel scripts. She has also written two prose Adventure Time novels: Queen of Rogues and The Lonesome Outlaw.
3 winners will win a finished copy of HEARTLESS PRINCE, US Only.
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