Customer Reviews

Nobody's Prize (Princesses of Myth)

5 star:		(4)
4 star:		(5)
3 star:		(2)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

Esther Friesner's NOBODY'S PRIZE is a sequel to NOBODY'S PRINCESS yet stands alone well: young Helen of Sparta refuses to be left behind when her brothers embark on an exciting quest for the Golden Fleece, and disguises herself as a boy to join the crew of the Argo, where she faces danger and adventures - and even falls in love.

With the help of her best friend Milo, Princess Helen of Sparta manages to make her way aboard The Argo disguised as a boy and hiding from her older brothers - who are also aboard the legendary ship. She forges new friendships, falls in love, discovers Hercules has fallen in love with her (as a boy), and suffers heart-wrenching tragedies. Along the way she discovers one painful truth: people aren't always what they seem.

Nobody's Prize is not a particularly long book, but there is so much action packed into it that I felt like I'd traveled so far, only to discover I was merely 20 pages into the book.

Helen seemed a little to unobservant at times for my taste, but at others she was quick witted and cunning. She nearly managed to think her way out of every problem she got herself into (which was a lot), and the ones she couldn't think her way out of, she just used her sword.

Helen seems a very capable and human heroine. She manages to wear many faces during the book and slips into each mask perfectly. She is truly a wonder.

There was one tiny detail about the ending that I was disappointed with, but I see why it had to be that way.

Good read. A little bit of language, some suggestive references, as well as very mild homosexuality.

My daughter loved the previous books in the series. After reading reviews I decided to purchase this book with the confidence that she would like this as well. Well the subject matter was more advanced for my daughter. Beware if your daughter is not ready for discussions about sexuality and alternative life styles.

Nobody's Prize is on par with its predecessor in terms of style and content and is not a disappointing sequel. The imagery is rich and one feels, despite some modern phrases, transported back into Ancient Greece. That said, I was a little disappointed at the lack of any real romance. Other men fall for Helen, but her own interests are quickly crushed somewhat early in the novel. Anyone reading this should not expect Paris to put in any real appearance, although the end of the novel alludes to events to come concerning Helen's more famous activities. All an all, an enjoyable and interesting read.

Not quite ready to tackle the classics? Friesner makes the classics and gives them a twist most young adults will love. Meet Helen of Troy back when she was Helen of Sparta and join her on the quest for the Golden Fleece.

Tamora Pierce recommended this book to me at a conference, I've recommended it to some others and all have liked it.

This book is the most exciting and funny book that I have read this entire year ( and I read a lot of books). I stated this book for book-club thinking " This book looks like a dud.", but then I started to read it. The beginning was slow, and so I though that my first instinct was right. Then when I got to the end of the first chapter I couldn't put the book down. Every time I had a free moment I would grab my book and start reading. In school, the second that I had finished my work I picked up the book and started reading again. My teachers would come over to look at my work and I had to tare myself away from it.


Anyway, Nobody's Prize is so great. The main character, Queen Helen of Sparta, is no ordinary Spartan princess. She wants to fight, and not have to do all the normal women's work. Her twin sister Cletemnestra is one of those ordinary girls. But Helen then goes to the training grounds and...

sorry I'm already telling you the book.

You have to read it!

This is the sequel to Nobody's Princess, read that first, simply because of character introduction. I got this book for my kindle and enjoyed it greatly. The ending is sweet...if not a little too mysterious, and sent me searching for a sequel. The only problem I had with this book was Helen's lack of awarness. This characterist, although annoying, builds her appeal and can be easily ignored.

If you want to get this book for a younger individual make sure to be avaliable to explain a bit about homosexuality.

I picked this book up from the library and I realized that I was lucky and got it when I did because it's been gone every time I've gone back.

I really liked this book because I felt I could realate to it well. The introduction restates who Helen is and why she's doing what she's doing without going on for a whole chapter that retells the first book (since this is the sequel). Even if you haven't read the first book (which I recommend!) this book will still make sense. It's an easy read but it's not easy enough to make it unenjoyable...I completed it in about 5 hours.

It never got boring but I felt like some of the events in the book were kept at a slow pace just to make the story longer....I didn't really mind but I got a bit tired of reading some of it in one sitting.

Maybe greek mythology isn't your thing but I still think this is a great story about a young woman fighting for her identity, rights, and freedom.

Esther Friesner did an amazing job creating three dimensional characters and an interesting plot, but it got a little bit repetitive during this book because it was adventure after adventure after adventure. Yes, we get the idea that Helen is a girl with extreme determination and confidence, and not only that but beautiful as well. She's growing up during the voyage and discovering new things. The plot does have s twists and turns, which keeps the story interesting, but what irked me the most was the her best friend Milo suddenly vanishes from the story. The ending is where things got a bit choppy and convoluted. She totally forgets about her old adventures and just moves on too quickly.

I was kind of annoyed by the fact that Milo, whom you can pretty much tell <SPOILER!> has a huge crush on Helen, suddenly disappers, and when he reappears in the story he's suddenly with this character whose not really so important, and all the while you're wishing that he's still in love with Helen. It was a huge twist for me and threw me off. I was kind of T.O.'d. But nevertheless, the story was, overall, a fun and entertaining read.

Received product quicker than I anticipated. A nice book to continue with the learning of the Greek gods at a younger age similar to Rick Riordan and the Percy Jackson series. Not as action paced.