Wednesday, December 30, 2020

Book Blog #277: Sebastian Darke: Prince of Fools by Philip Caveney

Title: Sebastian Darke: Prince of Fools

Author: Philip Caveney

# of Pages: 338 (paperback)

Genre: YA, Adventure, Humor

Rating: ★★★★☆

Synopsis: The Lord of Laughter, The Monarch of Mirth—if only the bumbling 17-year-old Sebastian Darke could be a successful jester like his father. The problem is, Sebastian’s not funny. But after his father’s death, with no choice but to beg in the streets, the half-human, half-elf teen sets off with Max, his father’s slightly cynical Buffalope, to offer his services as a jester to King Septimus of Keladon. On the way, they meet Captain Cornelius Drummel, small in stature, but the fiercest of fighters. The three rescue the fair princess Kerin, who’s being held captive by brigands, and happily escort her home. If only Sebastian knew the kidnapping was engineered by the evil King Septimus!

Review: The key to enjoying this book is to not take it too seriously. 

Yes, the plot is predictable, but as the saying goes, "it's about the journey, not the destination."Sebastian, Cornelius, and Max form a group of unexpected adventurers, and there is plenty of humor as they work to protect the princess from the evil King. The whole story was very Princessbride-esque to me, although with significantly less romance. The dialogue might not seem entirely natural, but this is fine for a book that is considered a comedy!

Despite the illustrations throughout, I would recommend this book to early YA readers and above. It's a light, quick read (and a lucky find hidden amongst my other books; I'm not sure exactly how I got this book but am glad to have read it).

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