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lauramcc7's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Animal cruelty, Animal death, Child death, Death, Sexual content, Toxic relationship, Violence, Blood, Vomit, Grief, Death of parent, Murder, Pregnancy, and Toxic friendship
briely's review against another edition
dark
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
3.75
It’s giving Romeo and Juliet levels of unnecessary drama with massive longstanding consequences
Content Warnings
Graphic: Animal death, Child death, Death, Blood, Murder, and Pregnancy
Moderate: Body shaming
atalea's review against another edition
dark
reflective
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
Content Warnings
Graphic: Animal death, Death, Blood, and Injury/Injury detail
Moderate: Violence, Murder, and Pregnancy
Minor: Infidelity, Grief, and Death of parent
nijo's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.75
Content Warnings
Moderate: Animal death, Child death, Death, Infidelity, Blood, and Pregnancy
divine529's review against another edition
challenging
emotional
reflective
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
November 2022 reread:
For those of you who know me, you know Robin Hobb is everything to me. I love everything I've read by her (in varying degrees) and this book is no different.
This is a novella in Hobb's Realm of the Elderlings series and while I know there are some out there who disagree with me, I'd say this is required reading in addition to the main series. It has so much important information in this, even some you don't realize is important until later, or on reread. Hobb's world is just chock full of so many layers and incredible storytelling.
This book is split into two parts, the story of The Willful Princess and the story of The Piebald Prince. They are linked and yet separate at the same time, but you can't have one without the other. It's told from a perspective many people might not expect, but that's part of the brilliance of it. Our narrator is Felicity, a servant whose life is intertwined with that of the Farseers. This explains some important aspects of how certain things came to be in the Six Duchies with regards to certain magics as well as the politics.
Technically you can read this at anytime after Farseer, but I'd highly recommend reading it after Liveship and before Tawny Man.
An absolutely fantastic novella and one that I will of course revisit whenever I reread the series.
For those of you who know me, you know Robin Hobb is everything to me. I love everything I've read by her (in varying degrees) and this book is no different.
This is a novella in Hobb's Realm of the Elderlings series and while I know there are some out there who disagree with me, I'd say this is required reading in addition to the main series. It has so much important information in this, even some you don't realize is important until later, or on reread. Hobb's world is just chock full of so many layers and incredible storytelling.
This book is split into two parts, the story of The Willful Princess and the story of The Piebald Prince. They are linked and yet separate at the same time, but you can't have one without the other. It's told from a perspective many people might not expect, but that's part of the brilliance of it. Our narrator is Felicity, a servant whose life is intertwined with that of the Farseers. This explains some important aspects of how certain things came to be in the Six Duchies with regards to certain magics as well as the politics.
Technically you can read this at anytime after Farseer, but I'd highly recommend reading it after Liveship and before Tawny Man.
An absolutely fantastic novella and one that I will of course revisit whenever I reread the series.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Animal death, Child death, Death, Genocide, Gore, Misogyny, Sexism, Violence, Blood, Grief, Death of parent, Murder, Pregnancy, and Injury/Injury detail
Minor: Infidelity and Sexual content
chattie_the_mad_chatter's review against another edition
dark
emotional
reflective
sad
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.75
A beautifully told folktale explaining a deep rooted prejudice within the Six Duchies regarding "The Wit"
Due to the telling I felt like I was watching or hearing the steps rather than being part of it, which suited the intention, but as I enjoy a character emotional connection it is not my favourite.
Due to the telling I felt like I was watching or hearing the steps rather than being part of it, which suited the intention, but as I enjoy a character emotional connection it is not my favourite.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Animal death, Bullying, Hate crime, Blood, Pregnancy, and Classism
Minor: Sexual content and Toxic friendship
plume_de_renarde's review against another edition
dark
emotional
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Animal death, Body shaming, and Murder
Moderate: Child death
kabrahams's review against another edition
4.25
We all know by now that I'll read anything Robin Hobb writes. I'm not always a short story person, but I was intrigued because this tale is often referenced in the Realm of Elderlings series. I knew of its tragic ending, so that wasn't a surprise but the way Robin Hobb does characters is amazing, even in shortened form. I was more interested in the first half about the willful princess and her serving woman (who is our narrator) than the second half. Lots of violence and murder at the end, but again, I expected that.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Animal cruelty, Animal death, Child death, and Murder
crufts's review against another edition
adventurous
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.25
This short novel written in a fairytale style captivated me.
Apparently it's a prequel to some of Robin Hobb's other books, intended as an origin story of the "Piebald Prince". Personally, I've never read any other books by Robin Hobb, had never heard of any "Piebald Prince", and had no prior reason to care who all these characters were. But Hobb's writing and characterization is so compelling that pretty soon, I too was intrigued to find out how this familial drama of kings and queens would play out.
At the encouragement of her mother, a perpetual wet nurse, our protagonist Felicity grows up as a servant to the wilful Princess Caution Farseer. (All of the royals in the book have oddly pointed given names like that.) Felicity intends to remain a silent, well-kept fixture in Caution's life, but before long, she's drawn into the familial drama generated by the wilful princess and must act to protect both the princess and her own livelihood.
A lot happens in ~180ish pages, giving the book a rapid pace. I was never bored while reading. However, this comes at a cost: while the most crucial scenes do play out for the reader, the majority of events are told, not shown. This gives the book more of a "light novel" or fairytale style, although it does miss out on some moments that could have been extended or slowed down to increase tension and atmosphere.
Overall the book was very entertaining to read and I'd recommend it, even if you haven't read the rest of the series. It gets a bit dark at times, but ends on a hopeful note.
Apparently it's a prequel to some of Robin Hobb's other books, intended as an origin story of the "Piebald Prince". Personally, I've never read any other books by Robin Hobb, had never heard of any "Piebald Prince", and had no prior reason to care who all these characters were. But Hobb's writing and characterization is so compelling that pretty soon, I too was intrigued to find out how this familial drama of kings and queens would play out.
At the encouragement of her mother, a perpetual wet nurse, our protagonist Felicity grows up as a servant to the wilful Princess Caution Farseer. (All of the royals in the book have oddly pointed given names like that.) Felicity intends to remain a silent, well-kept fixture in Caution's life, but before long, she's drawn into the familial drama generated by the wilful princess and must act to protect both the princess and her own livelihood.
A lot happens in ~180ish pages, giving the book a rapid pace. I was never bored while reading. However, this comes at a cost: while the most crucial scenes do play out for the reader, the majority of events are told, not shown. This gives the book more of a "light novel" or fairytale style, although it does miss out on some moments that could have been extended or slowed down to increase tension and atmosphere.
Overall the book was very entertaining to read and I'd recommend it, even if you haven't read the rest of the series. It gets a bit dark at times, but ends on a hopeful note.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Violence and Murder
Moderate: Animal death, Child death, and Pregnancy
Minor: Xenophobia
Animal death, murder, violence: A horse is killed in a fight. Assassins murder a man who opposes their politics.Poverty/Dubious pregnancy: Felicity and her mother belong to a long line of wet nurses. Rather coldly, Felicity's mother believes this job requires an occasional pregnancy as a strategic manoeuvre. While her actions are technically intentional, it's clear that Felicity's family has been pressed into this line of work due to their poverty and a lack of other options.
mariebrunelm's review against another edition
dark
emotional
reflective
medium-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
4.75
Are you sometimes frustrated not to know more about a fictional world you enjoy? Robin Hobb has the solution for you. In the Tawny Man Trilogy, without spoiling you, characters often refer to the legendary figure of the Piebald Prince, without his story being told in full. Ten years after the publication of the last tome, Fool's Fate, the author released this two-fold novella, The Wilful Princess and the Piebald Prince, exploring the history behind the folk tale. And while the Prince is the one most alluded to in Tawny Man, his story begins with a wilful princess whose fate is told in the first half of this little book adorned with beautiful illustrations in black and white by Jackie Morris.
You won't be surprised to know I love this addition to Hobb's worldbuilding. She tells these two stories in an oral tone quite different from what she has accustomed her readers, with the rhythm of a minstrel and sprinkled warnings by the narrator. Thanks to this little-known volume, we get to know more about the story of the Six Duchies and its people, and although you can very well enjoy Tawny Man without knowing about The Wilful Princess and the Piebald Prince, I highly recommend you pick this one up either before or after the trilogy to make the pleasure last that little bit longer.
Rep : lesbian MC, character with a disfigurement.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Animal death, Hate crime, and Death of parent