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偽りのフレイヤ [Itsuwari no Freja] #1
Prince Freya, Vol. 1
Freya thinks of herself as a simple village girl, but her idyllic life is shattered when she is caught up in the aftermath of a treacherous Sigurdian plot. She bears a striking resemblance to her country’s beloved Prince Edvard, who lays dying from poison. Without its ruler, all of Tyr will quickly be engulfed by Sigurdian violence. Now Freya must take Prince Edvard’s place and lead his valiant knights in defending the realm!
192 pages, Kindle Edition
First published April 5, 2018
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 286 reviews
August 10, 2020
If you love Yona of the Dawn you're gonna absolutely love this!! This was such a good first volume!! Only 3 chapters but so much happened in even just chapter one and I loved it!! It was a really good start and I can't wait to see where this series goes!!
September 29, 2021
I think my biggest problem with Prince Freya is that I didn’t know what shoujo was when I picked up this manga. I was expecting more of an epic fantasy with a Mulan storyline, so was shocked when it turned out to be a creepy romance that sacrifices plot coherency and consistent world building for the sake of said creepy romance.
When I say creepy, it’s because her romantic interests have lines like “It’s my nature to want more when you hold back.” And this is from the guy she seems to be halfway interested in. The other one is almost worse because he keeps coming on to her despite the fact she clearly isn’t interested and is currently grieving. The third love interest is definitely the one she will end up with, which is illustrated by the fact he is the least creepy. It doesn’t help that Freya herself is a Mary Sue whose chief personality trait is crying nonstop. All three love interests are always hanging onto her and fawning over her, and it’s yucky. It just isn’t my kind of genre. So even ignoring my misguided idea that this would be an epic fantasy with cohesive world building and a plot that makes sense, this wasn’t satisfying as a romance either.
When I say the plot is incoherent, I mean that the plot flits from one event to another with absolutely no regard for continuity or character motivation. I was almost constantly asking “What just happened?” and “Why would they do that?” To the point that I wrote down every single question that didn’t make sense to me. If you don’t care about spoilers and are feeling masochistic, you can read them below.
After this point, I realized the plot wasn’t getting any clearer by writing down all my questions, so I stopped. But as these questions demonstrate, the story bounces from one scene to the next with very little care for continuity or coherency. Things just kind of happen without any explanation of why, which doesn’t make for a particularly engaging story. Maybe this is a shoujo thing where nothing really matters except the romance? I’m not sure, but if I had known this would be the focus of this manga, I wouldn’t have picked it up.
When I say creepy, it’s because her romantic interests have lines like “It’s my nature to want more when you hold back.” And this is from the guy she seems to be halfway interested in. The other one is almost worse because he keeps coming on to her despite the fact she clearly isn’t interested and is currently grieving. The third love interest is definitely the one she will end up with, which is illustrated by the fact he is the least creepy. It doesn’t help that Freya herself is a Mary Sue whose chief personality trait is crying nonstop. All three love interests are always hanging onto her and fawning over her, and it’s yucky. It just isn’t my kind of genre. So even ignoring my misguided idea that this would be an epic fantasy with cohesive world building and a plot that makes sense, this wasn’t satisfying as a romance either.
When I say the plot is incoherent, I mean that the plot flits from one event to another with absolutely no regard for continuity or character motivation. I was almost constantly asking “What just happened?” and “Why would they do that?” To the point that I wrote down every single question that didn’t make sense to me. If you don’t care about spoilers and are feeling masochistic, you can read them below.
After this point, I realized the plot wasn’t getting any clearer by writing down all my questions, so I stopped. But as these questions demonstrate, the story bounces from one scene to the next with very little care for continuity or coherency. Things just kind of happen without any explanation of why, which doesn’t make for a particularly engaging story. Maybe this is a shoujo thing where nothing really matters except the romance? I’m not sure, but if I had known this would be the focus of this manga, I wouldn’t have picked it up.
August 21, 2021
This was well-drawn and I like the doppelganger concept. The political worldbuilding a a bit weak so far, as are the characters. I'll read at least one more and hope that Freya develops some moxie.
March 30, 2020
Freya is a simple village girl whose foster brothers have joined Prince Edvard against Sigurd. When the prince is poisoned she becomes him to save one of her brothers. Now she’ll have to pretend to be the cunning prince and lead her loyal knights to save Tyr.
I love cross dressing girls in a world of men. Prince Edvard couldn’t be more different from Freya. I really loved that and feel like it’s key to Freya being able to pull off being the prince. She’s willing to act but is a bit of a emotional wreck doing so. It makes each encounter an anxious affair, but also satisfying when Freya manages to do good.
I liked the art. It’s a bit typical manga style, but it does suit the medieval European setting and story. The prince and Freya are the best designs. I liked how her appearance transitioned so well, the visuals really made me buy that they could be switched.
I’m on the fence about Julius. No, I’m not. I’m pretty sure he’s loyal to the prince. I do think it fascinating how jealous he is of Freya and Alek’s relationship. That will be fascinating to see develop. And I was shocked at what happened with Aaron. It makes me really hopeful for the coming volumes.
Prince Freya vol 1 is the start to a new cross dressing manga with a pretty prince and his loyal knights as they battle a large invading country. If you’re a fan of Snow White with the Red Hair you’ll probably enjoy Prince Freya too.
I love cross dressing girls in a world of men. Prince Edvard couldn’t be more different from Freya. I really loved that and feel like it’s key to Freya being able to pull off being the prince. She’s willing to act but is a bit of a emotional wreck doing so. It makes each encounter an anxious affair, but also satisfying when Freya manages to do good.
I liked the art. It’s a bit typical manga style, but it does suit the medieval European setting and story. The prince and Freya are the best designs. I liked how her appearance transitioned so well, the visuals really made me buy that they could be switched.
I’m on the fence about Julius. No, I’m not. I’m pretty sure he’s loyal to the prince. I do think it fascinating how jealous he is of Freya and Alek’s relationship. That will be fascinating to see develop. And I was shocked at what happened with Aaron. It makes me really hopeful for the coming volumes.
Prince Freya vol 1 is the start to a new cross dressing manga with a pretty prince and his loyal knights as they battle a large invading country. If you’re a fan of Snow White with the Red Hair you’ll probably enjoy Prince Freya too.
January 17, 2021
Woow this was so enjoyable 😍
These was my first time reading Fantasy manga I was only reading fantasy books and woow this was a totally different experience I loved loved seeing the costumes, the world building and the characters, the art style was incredibly amazing it boost the atmosphere up to the top ✨ and I like that the story has a glimpse of Mulan, I always love stories about girl who masquerade as a boy to protect her kingdom this trope is a jam to me 😍
And I’ve a strong feeling that this manga series going to break my heart because there are already a lot of sadness in the air specially at the beginning of it !
These was my first time reading Fantasy manga I was only reading fantasy books and woow this was a totally different experience I loved loved seeing the costumes, the world building and the characters, the art style was incredibly amazing it boost the atmosphere up to the top ✨ and I like that the story has a glimpse of Mulan, I always love stories about girl who masquerade as a boy to protect her kingdom this trope is a jam to me 😍
And I’ve a strong feeling that this manga series going to break my heart because there are already a lot of sadness in the air specially at the beginning of it !
September 7, 2020
I can see why people have compared this to Yona of the Dawn which is my favorite series ever. Even though it has some similarities this is much more darker and bloodier. I loved it!
March 3, 2020
The art is lovely. Some of my favorite from the manga world. It's got an almost otherworldly feel to it. It's detailed and just light and pretty.
The story is another matter.... I don't hate the story but there's just some parts that make no sense to me and kinda threw me out of the story but as I've found, don't judge the first volume in a series like this. Why? So much set up is done so the story can actually move forward.
There's a nice little cliffhanger that really does make me want to pick up the next volume. So I can't wait to see where this goes. I just hope the story can live up to the art!
***I received this title in exchange for an honest review***
The story is another matter.... I don't hate the story but there's just some parts that make no sense to me and kinda threw me out of the story but as I've found, don't judge the first volume in a series like this. Why? So much set up is done so the story can actually move forward.
There's a nice little cliffhanger that really does make me want to pick up the next volume. So I can't wait to see where this goes. I just hope the story can live up to the art!
***I received this title in exchange for an honest review***
September 21, 2025
I really like the art in this one! The world building was minimal and there’s almost no background on any of the characters. So hopefully the next volume will go into the backstory of our FMC and her childhood friends. But I give it 4 stars for the art.
July 5, 2020
I really do think that if you are a fan of Yona of the Dawn, you will love this!
Prince Freya focuses on a village girl who is forced to disguise herself as the late Prince Edvard, ruler of Tyr, since the two look ridiculously alike. Freya is a girl who lives with and tends to her very sick mother. Her two childhood friends, Aaron and Aleksi, arrive on the scene with the former being a member of the royal Prince's personal guard!
However, after their village is attacked, Freya needs to confront the terrifying reality of a country without a ruler, and decides to masquerade as Prince Edvard. I don't want to give too much away as this opening volume has quite a few unexpected moments...all I will say is that I'm rooting for Aleksi <3
A superb start to what promises to be a fantastic new series! <3
Prince Freya focuses on a village girl who is forced to disguise herself as the late Prince Edvard, ruler of Tyr, since the two look ridiculously alike. Freya is a girl who lives with and tends to her very sick mother. Her two childhood friends, Aaron and Aleksi, arrive on the scene with the former being a member of the royal Prince's personal guard!
However, after their village is attacked, Freya needs to confront the terrifying reality of a country without a ruler, and decides to masquerade as Prince Edvard. I don't want to give too much away as this opening volume has quite a few unexpected moments...all I will say is that I'm rooting for Aleksi <3
A superb start to what promises to be a fantastic new series! <3
February 7, 2021
The start of this series seems a bit rocky, and rushed. The lightning-fast attempt at world building made the plotting feel almost cerebral. You already know the "prince-and-the-pauper" scenario, so why give it any attention? Unfortunately, this lack of attention doesn't lend itself to developing a character's emotional depth. It's feeling a bit flat at the moment.
The art is really pretty. And I do think that if the plotting can get under control it will turn into a fun series.
Also, did anyone else think that the reveal of the typical droopy-eyed insomniac villain seems a bit early?
The art is really pretty. And I do think that if the plotting can get under control it will turn into a fun series.
Also, did anyone else think that the reveal of the typical droopy-eyed insomniac villain seems a bit early?
February 28, 2020
e-copy provided by publisher for review. All opinions are my own.
The cover for this one definitely captured my attention. I also was intrigued by the idea of Freya dressing up like the prince and taking over his position. I really didn’t know what to expect when it came to the plot. There were definitely a lot of surprises that I wasn’t anticipating.
Freya is thrown into this mess of warring kingdoms but it wasn’t specifically mentioned why she decided to run and take the prince’s place. She didn’t have much development and most of the time she was crying. I didn’t understand why a few of the male characters seemed to fall all over her.
I did like the brother because I just love when brothers are in stories! They were charming but again, lacked much development.
I am still curious to see where book two goes when it comes to the plot and hopefully there will be more development for the characters.
Rating: 3.5
Continue?: Yes, I will check out book two whenever it is published.
The cover for this one definitely captured my attention. I also was intrigued by the idea of Freya dressing up like the prince and taking over his position. I really didn’t know what to expect when it came to the plot. There were definitely a lot of surprises that I wasn’t anticipating.
Freya is thrown into this mess of warring kingdoms but it wasn’t specifically mentioned why she decided to run and take the prince’s place. She didn’t have much development and most of the time she was crying. I didn’t understand why a few of the male characters seemed to fall all over her.
I did like the brother because I just love when brothers are in stories! They were charming but again, lacked much development.
I am still curious to see where book two goes when it comes to the plot and hopefully there will be more development for the characters.
Rating: 3.5
Continue?: Yes, I will check out book two whenever it is published.
April 19, 2022
*More like 3.5 stars than 3.*
A concept with potential and beautiful art, however the execution was lacking. If not for the few shocking twists present, the plot would have been entirely made up of weeping.
Freya was a weak protagonist, constantly weeping about one thing or another. It was understandable when she was overcome by grief, but there was nothing more annoying than her recognising her own weakness of constantly crying, saying she was going to fix it by stopping, and then continuing to cry anyway. Her doppelgänger, the Prince, had 10 times more personality than her and the only remotely interesting parts featuring her was when she was pretending to be him.
The character dynamics were all very odd. There were not one, but two, young adult men being inappropriately intimate with Freya who was surely young enough to be only 13 or 14. Even the boy closer to her age had a romantic edge to all their conversations, as if the only interactions Freya was able to have were romantic ones.
The world-building was generic and one of the few vaguely interesting aspects of the manga, the politics, was touched upon but mostly overlooked in favour of the dreaded weeping.
The ending promised interesting things in store for Freya in Prince Freya, Vol. 2, so it will be interesting to see if this manga can live up to its potential in future instalments in the series.
A concept with potential and beautiful art, however the execution was lacking. If not for the few shocking twists present, the plot would have been entirely made up of weeping.
Freya was a weak protagonist, constantly weeping about one thing or another. It was understandable when she was overcome by grief, but there was nothing more annoying than her recognising her own weakness of constantly crying, saying she was going to fix it by stopping, and then continuing to cry anyway. Her doppelgänger, the Prince, had 10 times more personality than her and the only remotely interesting parts featuring her was when she was pretending to be him.
The character dynamics were all very odd. There were not one, but two, young adult men being inappropriately intimate with Freya who was surely young enough to be only 13 or 14. Even the boy closer to her age had a romantic edge to all their conversations, as if the only interactions Freya was able to have were romantic ones.
The world-building was generic and one of the few vaguely interesting aspects of the manga, the politics, was touched upon but mostly overlooked in favour of the dreaded weeping.
The ending promised interesting things in store for Freya in Prince Freya, Vol. 2, so it will be interesting to see if this manga can live up to its potential in future instalments in the series.
April 6, 2022
Not me falling in love with a character and he dies in the first chapter 😐😐
July 18, 2020
Thank you to Netgalley and Viz Media for giving me the opportunity to read and review this manga. I'm a little late on my review, as I did read this when it was first released but after reading volume 2, I think I can give a clear review on the manga series.
I absolutely adore this manga. I've heard some reviewers mention that this is similar to Yona of the Dawn. I can see where some would say this, but let me be clear when I say, it's not the same.
This is definitely among the darker shoujo mangas, there are surprisingly violent twists that will unfold while reading this, but don't worry. It's a part of the charm! I love that this doesn't shy away from darker themes, especially because it is a fantasy shoujo!
Freya is a young village girl who's life gets suddenly turned upside down when in order to save her village, she needs to take the place of Prince Edvard after he is poisoned and cannot keep his position any longer (due to death... if I have to say it. Don't worry, it's not really a spoiler!)
Freya learns that she has to become strong if she wants to protect the kingdom in a world that is filled with betrayal, killings and secrets. With the help of her knights, Freya takes on the role of the Prince to help lead the kingdom and protect all that is important to her.
I love Freya. I think that she is going to become one of my favorite heroines! Alek is adorable, doing everything that he can to train and protect Freya while she figures out her way through the challenges of becoming the Prince. The white knight, Julius was a little suspect to me at first, but I quickly learned to love his character...although... I still don't trust him completely.
I really am looking forward to reading the rest of this series and watching the characters grow!
I absolutely adore this manga. I've heard some reviewers mention that this is similar to Yona of the Dawn. I can see where some would say this, but let me be clear when I say, it's not the same.
This is definitely among the darker shoujo mangas, there are surprisingly violent twists that will unfold while reading this, but don't worry. It's a part of the charm! I love that this doesn't shy away from darker themes, especially because it is a fantasy shoujo!
Freya is a young village girl who's life gets suddenly turned upside down when in order to save her village, she needs to take the place of Prince Edvard after he is poisoned and cannot keep his position any longer (due to death... if I have to say it. Don't worry, it's not really a spoiler!)
Freya learns that she has to become strong if she wants to protect the kingdom in a world that is filled with betrayal, killings and secrets. With the help of her knights, Freya takes on the role of the Prince to help lead the kingdom and protect all that is important to her.
I love Freya. I think that she is going to become one of my favorite heroines! Alek is adorable, doing everything that he can to train and protect Freya while she figures out her way through the challenges of becoming the Prince. The white knight, Julius was a little suspect to me at first, but I quickly learned to love his character...although... I still don't trust him completely.
I really am looking forward to reading the rest of this series and watching the characters grow!
May 16, 2020
Prince Freya is a manga about a girl who has to pretend to be a dead prince in order to save his kingdom from chaos. It's exactly the kind of premise I love, but I was a bit frustrated with the execution. There's a good story in there somewhere, but Ishihara introduces too many characters too fast, and throws them right into the drama without the protagonist's personality really being established... other than she cries a lot but is good at climbing? I think the life swap should have happened at the end of this first volume rather than a third of the way through, basically. That said, I do think this series has potential and it took a few turns I wasn't expecting so I might give it another few books before I write it off. Last note: my copy has a printing error where the spine kind of bleeds onto the cover art. Doesn't make the book worse but it is annoying. >:(
April 5, 2020
2020 Read #318
I was not impressed with this first volume. While I know this is only the beginning, there’s just not an adept feel to this manga. Nothing feels emotionally resonant either — just empty. I felt like I was reading a fantasy-lite YA novel, and while that’s not necessarily a bad thing I just didn’t care for much about the story so far. It just...rubbed me the wrong way. I’m on the fence about continuing.
I was not impressed with this first volume. While I know this is only the beginning, there’s just not an adept feel to this manga. Nothing feels emotionally resonant either — just empty. I felt like I was reading a fantasy-lite YA novel, and while that’s not necessarily a bad thing I just didn’t care for much about the story so far. It just...rubbed me the wrong way. I’m on the fence about continuing.
July 24, 2021
3.5 stars
I'm not even sure what to say because Prince Freya was not what I expected, though I do not mean this in a bad way! It was different then I imagined because it was more intense I think?
I did come in bracing myself not to get attached to any characters as my friends had warned, but I feel that even when certain events happened, I was still quite shocked! Like I had to rub my eyes there for a moment because it was so unexpected!
I will say that when Alek came on the page, I was shipping him and Freya ASAP! LOL! He is so kind and I really really like his character a lot even though we don't see A LOT of him on page. He's a great character and I'm very thankful he's in Freya's life!
The story was great! I liked the European setting as well as the world itself. It gives me a little bit of The Knight's Tale vibes and in my book, that's always a good thing!
Overall, this was good! I'm hesitant if I would pick up book two because I like my stories a little bit less intense, but I would be curious to see where the story goes next. I truly hope Freya can be the Prince she needs to live up to be!
I'm not even sure what to say because Prince Freya was not what I expected, though I do not mean this in a bad way! It was different then I imagined because it was more intense I think?
I did come in bracing myself not to get attached to any characters as my friends had warned, but I feel that even when certain events happened, I was still quite shocked! Like I had to rub my eyes there for a moment because it was so unexpected!
I will say that when Alek came on the page, I was shipping him and Freya ASAP! LOL! He is so kind and I really really like his character a lot even though we don't see A LOT of him on page. He's a great character and I'm very thankful he's in Freya's life!
The story was great! I liked the European setting as well as the world itself. It gives me a little bit of The Knight's Tale vibes and in my book, that's always a good thing!
Overall, this was good! I'm hesitant if I would pick up book two because I like my stories a little bit less intense, but I would be curious to see where the story goes next. I truly hope Freya can be the Prince she needs to live up to be!
March 12, 2020
*ARC received from Netgalley in return for an honest review*
If there is one way to grab my attention and suck me into wanting to read a story, it is the timeless trope of a girl needing to disguise herself as a boy. So right away I knew I needed to read this first volume.
It is hard to judge how this story arc is going to go but just this first part but it was intriguing enough that I breezed through it quickly and enjoyed what was there. My only set back is that I did not become as invested in the story as I wanted to. Most of the characters did not have enough page time to solidify into anything I wanted to grasp onto and the setting felt to European generic.
I am interested in seeing where some of the relationship dynamics go and hope to see the characters become more flushed out in later volumes.
If there is one way to grab my attention and suck me into wanting to read a story, it is the timeless trope of a girl needing to disguise herself as a boy. So right away I knew I needed to read this first volume.
It is hard to judge how this story arc is going to go but just this first part but it was intriguing enough that I breezed through it quickly and enjoyed what was there. My only set back is that I did not become as invested in the story as I wanted to. Most of the characters did not have enough page time to solidify into anything I wanted to grasp onto and the setting felt to European generic.
I am interested in seeing where some of the relationship dynamics go and hope to see the characters become more flushed out in later volumes.
June 28, 2021
On todella kiinnostavaa, kuinka vaatimattomasta pienen kylän tytöstä Freyasta tulee prinssi. Freyan äiti otti 10 vuotta aikaisemmin hoidettavakseen veljekset Aaronin ja Aleksin, jotka ovat nyt prinssin turvamies ja rivisotilas. Isoja tunteita oli tässä ensimmäisessä osassa. Pitää lukea lisää, mitä hahmoille mahtaa seuraavaksi tapahtua. Kiehtova pseudokeskiaikainen, muinaisskandinaviaa muistuttava maailma.
June 18, 2020
A pretty decent start to a series, though admittedly it's a bit lacking in areas. The major twist in this was pretty shocking, though the major plot hook of Freya impersonating the prince was kind of flat. I loved the anxiety that went into her trying to be a completely different person but found her overall appeal somewhat lacking through most of it.
Nevertheless, I may pick up the second volume when I can to see how it progresses.
Nevertheless, I may pick up the second volume when I can to see how it progresses.
July 6, 2022
A solid start to the series, and engaging enough that I’ll definitely keep reading on, but there was anything that REALLY stood out to me. I like the overall concept, just a little bored by all the macho-y dude knights swaggering around and swearing their undying commitment. The ending promises a bigger adventure and I hope that turns the plot into something more exciting.
May 12, 2020
So I'm super interested to see where this story is going... I did feel a little bit let down at the heartbreaking plot twist, although I knew it was going to happen (I've read enough of these to be able to see what twist they might take.) However, I held a tiny hope that I might have been wrong. Nope. Not wrong. Oh well. I can't wait until vol. 2 comes out so I can see the characters grow and see how things continue to play out.
May 18, 2023
No thank you! <3
September 12, 2023
The trope in this manga is my guilty pleasure🍵 Gender bender, royalty, a possible love triangle(?), and secret identity!! No questions asked I devoured this shoujo💕 (and the author did aaron dirty😭)
January 29, 2020
Prince Freya is a really fun story and I was instantly caught up in the world and the characters. I liked the premise and I can see there will be many great opportunities to develop Freya's character as the tale continues. The artwork in this series is stunning, and for me that was as big a draw as the story itself. This is a book that captured my interest enough that I would be keen to read on, given the opportunity. I would like to see how things go for Freya and the others as the adventure continues.
I received this book as a free eBook ARC via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.
I received this book as a free eBook ARC via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.
October 29, 2021
4.5 stars
May 14, 2020
Very well done.
The story seems familiar to me but it was super enjoyable. This girl, Freya, has two childhood friends who are soldiers under Prince Edvard. They visit her in their hometown village. But things begin to go downhill when Freya overhears some evil plan.
The art is GORGEOUS!!! Everyone looks great. It is gory (a head gets cut off. It's fairly graphic).
Characterwise it's not the most original but it does have its own twists, which is appreciated.
• Freya is super sweet and fairly shy.
• Alek. Brave and protective in a healthy way.
• Aaron. Pretty cool. A little creepy though. Wish I could know more backstory.
• Prince Edvard. I wish I knew more about him. He seems like an epic guy.
• Julius. Something about him gives off this vibe of "I'm so gorgeous and I'm a spy for your enemy~." His hair must be a pain to draw. It looks great, though. He's kind of creepy.
This was published in Japan pretty recently (2018), which surprised me a little.
Cannot wait for the second one!!
The story seems familiar to me but it was super enjoyable. This girl, Freya, has two childhood friends who are soldiers under Prince Edvard. They visit her in their hometown village. But things begin to go downhill when Freya overhears some evil plan.
The art is GORGEOUS!!! Everyone looks great. It is gory (a head gets cut off. It's fairly graphic).
Characterwise it's not the most original but it does have its own twists, which is appreciated.
• Freya is super sweet and fairly shy.
• Alek. Brave and protective in a healthy way.
• Aaron. Pretty cool. A little creepy though. Wish I could know more backstory.
• Prince Edvard. I wish I knew more about him. He seems like an epic guy.
• Julius. Something about him gives off this vibe of "I'm so gorgeous and I'm a spy for your enemy~." His hair must be a pain to draw. It looks great, though. He's kind of creepy.
This was published in Japan pretty recently (2018), which surprised me a little.
Cannot wait for the second one!!
February 5, 2020
More reviews (and no fluff) on the blog http://surrealtalvi.wordpress.com/
This one hit about every hoary cliche in the medieval historical milieu and had very little to recommend it in terms of originality or uniqueness. We have the bog standard clean peasants who all help each other out and pat cute kids on the head, a harem of young good looking noblemen to ensure our heroine has lots of boys to protect her, a villain with heavy eyeliner and 'manga crazy eyes' to make sure you know he's eeeevil, and I'm sure there is a secret to our heroine's past that no one told her but will prove she's the true successor to the throne. It's all so trite, from recycled character designs to a plot we've seen a thousand times.Story: Freya is a crybaby (literally, cries nearly every page for some reason or other) who lives in a village with a sickly mother and two adopted brothers. The neighboring country is invading and her brothers help the young king to keep them from being overrun. But Freya hears the king has been poisoned and rushes to the prince's home to save her brothers! She finds out she looks exactly like the prince and when he dies, takes over for him so that the other kingdom doesn't immediately invade. But now she has to fight the politics, get stronger, and save her country!
I could list all the logic holes (she waltzes right in and meets the prince alone - in his castle, natch) and character recycling from other manga but it would get tedious. This plot is silly and bordering on insultingly simplistic. And while I suspect it is targeted at VERY young girls, that's still no excuse for the author not thinking through the plot better or coming up with better character designs.
Hardest was to feel any sympathy or reason to want to follow our main character, who spends most of the time in tears and clinging helplessly to the very manly chests of the various male characters who flirt outright with her in nearly every panel. Yes, the author wants to start with her from a weak place and take her to a place of strength by the end; but at least make the weakness be about character instead of being about crying all the time "like a girl". It's disingenuous in this time of modern women.
Perhaps if I was 10 year old or so and not well read, I might have enjoyed all the pretty boys and disregarded the anemic story. But sadly I'm not and this was a chore to slog through. Reviewed from an advance reader copy provided by the publisher.
July 17, 2020
I've had my eye on Prince Fraya for a long time now because l'm absolutely trash for gender-bend series like this! Looks like a standard medieval fantasy setting but some of the dark themes that came through in this volume kinda took me aback, there were more deaths than I thought there would be in this first volume!!
l'm excited to see where the romance goes because, even though this is a romance series, I'm not all that interested in the possible love interests we've seen so far.
My main gripe with this first volume is that it feels a little at conflict with itself as a series. It felt like I was getting whiplash on occasion! It seems at odds with it wanting to portray a strong heroine who is trying to overcome her weak and meek attitude to rise to the task she's been thrust into but, at the same time, the story feels dependent on the shojo tropes of old! I'm kind of concerned the series will want to show Freya becoming an independent ruler but sheʻll fall back and become dependent on her male counterparts when she's in need of protection and for a bit of fan service for the reader (I know you'll go through the series and eventually overcome being a crybaby Freya but please don't become the one being chased in the relationships, this is all I ask!!) l'd also like to point out that the crybaby aspect wasn't a bad thing, I like that she has this flaw and that she's showing an emotional side, especially after what happens in the middle of the volume ("wow I really like Aaron. He's my favourite!") because all to often we see characters in multiple series skipping over the grieving process due to time and panel constraints.
Overall, I am a little conflicted with the series, the first volume was okay but it did leave on a good cliffhanger so l'll probably be picking up the next one when it comes out and I’ll make my decision on if I want to pick up anymore then!
l'm excited to see where the romance goes because, even though this is a romance series, I'm not all that interested in the possible love interests we've seen so far.
My main gripe with this first volume is that it feels a little at conflict with itself as a series. It felt like I was getting whiplash on occasion! It seems at odds with it wanting to portray a strong heroine who is trying to overcome her weak and meek attitude to rise to the task she's been thrust into but, at the same time, the story feels dependent on the shojo tropes of old! I'm kind of concerned the series will want to show Freya becoming an independent ruler but sheʻll fall back and become dependent on her male counterparts when she's in need of protection and for a bit of fan service for the reader (I know you'll go through the series and eventually overcome being a crybaby Freya but please don't become the one being chased in the relationships, this is all I ask!!) l'd also like to point out that the crybaby aspect wasn't a bad thing, I like that she has this flaw and that she's showing an emotional side, especially after what happens in the middle of the volume ("wow I really like Aaron. He's my favourite!") because all to often we see characters in multiple series skipping over the grieving process due to time and panel constraints.
Overall, I am a little conflicted with the series, the first volume was okay but it did leave on a good cliffhanger so l'll probably be picking up the next one when it comes out and I’ll make my decision on if I want to pick up anymore then!
July 5, 2020
Freya is a girl who lives in a small village with her sick mother. Her adoptive brothers work with the prince in the kingdom. They visit one day and Freya finds out that she is needed to impersonate the prince. Prince Edvard is dying and Freya looks exactly like him, so she has to become the prince. Freya has to leave her own life behind and transform into Prince Edvard.
This story was fast paced. I found that there was so much happening that it was difficult to process the information. Even the characters had to move along quickly to new changes, without really thinking about what happened. There were deaths and changes, like Freya becoming the prince, which they didn’t really have time to think about.
There wasn’t enough background on the story. I had so many questions about the world and the history of the characters that weren’t answered. We didn’t find out much about Prince Edvard and why they would need Freya, a country girl, to impersonate a prince who was dying. There wasn’t a reason that a young girl looked exactly like the prince, enough to be able to fool all of his friends. This background information wasn’t given, so I was left with a lot of questions about the story.
Freya was also an unlikeable character. She cried constantly. The other characters even told her to stop crying because people would guess that she wasn’t the prince. The way she was always crying and whining made me question again why she was chosen to impersonate the prince, since she didn’t behave like him at all.
This story was a little disappointing and cheesy. I don’t think I’ll be continue with this series.
Thank you VIZ Media for providing a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.
This story was fast paced. I found that there was so much happening that it was difficult to process the information. Even the characters had to move along quickly to new changes, without really thinking about what happened. There were deaths and changes, like Freya becoming the prince, which they didn’t really have time to think about.
There wasn’t enough background on the story. I had so many questions about the world and the history of the characters that weren’t answered. We didn’t find out much about Prince Edvard and why they would need Freya, a country girl, to impersonate a prince who was dying. There wasn’t a reason that a young girl looked exactly like the prince, enough to be able to fool all of his friends. This background information wasn’t given, so I was left with a lot of questions about the story.
Freya was also an unlikeable character. She cried constantly. The other characters even told her to stop crying because people would guess that she wasn’t the prince. The way she was always crying and whining made me question again why she was chosen to impersonate the prince, since she didn’t behave like him at all.
This story was a little disappointing and cheesy. I don’t think I’ll be continue with this series.
Thank you VIZ Media for providing a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.
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