Review : Nobody’s Princess
Nobody’s Princess by Esther Friesner
Pages : 305
Genre : YA, Historical Fiction
First of 2 books
My Rating : 
From the back of the book :
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.
I have mentioned more than once that when it comes to historical fiction, ancient history is my favorite period. I am just fascinated by anything related to ancient Rome, Greece, Egypt, etc. and by mythology, yet my reading doesn’t really show that. Therefore, I was more than excited when I discovered Esther Friesner’s Nobody’s Princess.
It wasn’t a bad book, it just wasn’t a great one for me. Sadly, my main problem with it was Helen, who I found to be a bit self-centered and spoiled. More than that, I didn’t find she was really progressing through the story, but more like her stubbornness was supposed to be a sign of how strong a character she was. It didn’t work for me, and I kept hoping I would see some change in her, but it never really happened the way I wished it to.
As for the plot, I thought it took a while before anything really happened. When it gets moving though, the story is fairly interesting, and it was fun to encounter characters of ancient history, even when only briefly. The end came a bit abruptly, but despite its faults, the book intrigued me enough to want to read the second one, Nobody’s Prize.
For some reason, I have had a hard time, so far, finding a really good piece of young adult historical fiction. Surely it’s somewhere out there; anyone has a suggestion?
I recently read Cleopatra’s daughter by Michelle Moran and I thought it was excellent, it’s everything you are asking for: ya, historical and I found myself refreshing my knowledge of ancient rome’s history.
If you haven’t read this one I think you will love it.
Thank you! The worst thing is, I have it on my TBR pile, so now all I have to do is to move it up the pile.
I am definitely like you – I love my historical fiction. And while I love most periods of history, ancient history especially intrigues me. This sounds like an interesting book, featuring some great historical figures. And I love that it is a series. I love discovering series – when a book ends, you don’t really have to let go of the characters that you have fallen in love with.
I don’t have any YA historical fiction to recommend right now. But I’ll keep an eye out.
Exactly why I love series too! If you do read this one, I would love to hear your thoughts on it. It had some good points and I will definitely read the second book!
I feel like YA historical fiction certainly exists, but the focus isn’t on it right now, sadly.
Great book! Just read it for shcool & fell in love with it!
I also love historical fiction and I really loved this book. Nobody’s Prize wasn’t quite as good if I remember correctly, but still worth reading.