Prince of Song and Sea Review

I was super excited to read this book, I mean if that gorgeous cover (by Brittany Jackson btw) wasn’t enough, the promise of whole line of books telling the movies from the POV from the Disney Princes was a big attention-grabber. The princes are important as many have pointed out that they often the save the day, they’re the end-goal but outside of some notable exceptions like Aladdin and Naveen, they don’t have much personality. At least in the earlier ones so now we can dive deep into who is Prince Eric and how did he fall in love with a mute girl after a few days?

First off Miller adds a special cavet to Prince Eric’s backstory. When his mother, Queen Eleanora of Vellona was pregnant and travelling down the coast of her kingdom, she came upon an unconscious girl being accosted by a witch. She wouldn’t let the witch take the child so the she cursed the Queen’s unborn child. If he were to kiss anyone other than his true love, he will die.

Now years later, Prince Eric is eighteen and has a huge problem on his hand. Since his mother’s death, lost at sea naturally, the kingdom has been beset by hurricanes, crop failure, a potential war with Sait and pirate attacks. His council is awashed with regents and cousins who want control of his throne and the only way to hold on to his claim and project strength for the weakened kingdom. As one can imagine, being cursed with death if he kisses the wrong person creates additional pressure when it comes to marriage negotiations.

It makes intimacy difficult for Eric in general who feels uncomfortable with the arranged dates Grimsby provides and just fears that if he allows himself to fall in love, it might be a mistake or it won’t be true, true love and then hell die. Really the curse is vague but it messes with your head when put like that. Especially as he can’t trust his gut that maybe love will creep up if he allows time to get to know the other person. Yet that is an obstacle when the young ladies find him odd for avoiding even the simplest of gestures like a kiss on the hand.

Eric primarily struggles with fear. Fear of love, fear of not being enough as a future ruler compared to his beloved mother. He feels uncomfortable in that role that makes other people hold him at arm’s length and he just wishes he could be like the prince’s in storybooks that he used to love and that he knows people expect him to be. He wants to be brave.

And then he gets his chance when he finds a hidden note from his mother, revealing why she went on that trip to sea long ago. She was heading for the Blood Tide and the mysterious Island of Sirens where she believed the witch keeps her lair so she could kill the witch and reverse the curse. She collect loads of information detailing the contracts and deals that this mysterious witch has made over the centuries and her hidden hand in all the disasters and missing persons across the kingdom. So now, Eric is determined to finish what his mother started and face the women who took away his choice to love, his mother, everything.

But Eric is not only characterized by his fear. He still has that laidback sailor man personality we see in hte movies with his love of music and the inclusion of his friend, Gabriella and Vanni who keep him grounded with their witty banter and treat him like a normal boy. Well a normal boy while mocking some of his more princely complaining about things like paperwork. Even so, it shows that Eric is very personable which is why his choice to help a mute girl who appears to know not even the most common things like pasta or dancing perfectly in character.

Many have made fun of Eric for falling for a mute girl, assuming that he was into her looks only as Ursula implied but Miller does a swell job in cretaing a connection. First some exasperation before Eric berates himself to being more helpful despite the various issues going on in his life because he’s the kind of guy who just helps a person in need. So charming, so princely right there. But that lack of communication is what makes him work even harder to try to understand Ariel (whom he briefly nicknames Pearl until she figures out a way to share her real name). They’re trying hard to listens and communicate and he appreciates how she does the same, listen and understand and not try to fix his problems.

Also in showing her around Vellona shows more of what Eric appreciates in her. Her enthusiasm for life, her kindness towards animals, her delight in music and dance which makes Eric stop for a moment and simply enjoy dancig and living. It is romantic and it’s easy to see why Eric starts to fall for her. It feels right and he feels the expectant flutter of his heart that he always believed would signal true love. But that’s also terrifying because he’s sure his real true love, his savior is out there. She with the beautifu voice and the kindness and courage to save him from a burning ship. His brave savior who he wants to be with is up against this girl who doesn’t know the language or customs of Vellona but bravely takes everything in stride. Why can’t he be brave like them?

I enjoyed the focus Miller puts on bravery since boys are conditioned to believe that they should be in control and confident all the time, that they can’t feel fear which is what Eric berates himself for especially in regards to how much he misses his mother. He wonders if he misses her for her or if he misses her so she can take care of all the big kindgom affairs that he can’t handle. It’s a little bit of both I believe but Eric is brave where it counts when his friends are in danger and just general survival instincts. Between witches as well as ghosts ships and pirates, there’s plenty of action to enjoy in between.

And it just made me really admire Eric as a person. He’s a romantic at heart, another thing he is at odds with others as he needs to marry but he wants it to be for love not diplomacy. He is also someone you could have a beach day with, he’d teach you to sail and he loves dogs, that’s always a plus in my book. Additionally, due to his laidback personality he is more open to accepting the help of pirates like Captain Sauer and Nora who help navigate the legends surrounding the Blood Tide and ghost ships. In fact, they play a vital part to a bigger mystery that takes awhile for him (and me) to figure out from losing the ocean to the waves.

Yep, lots of sea-related descriptions and chapter titles which add to the majesty. The descriptions are simply vivid just like the cover art that I will not stop raving about.

It’s just a wonderful new exploration of the Disney universe, delivering supernatural mysteries, romance, action and tackling the notions of bravery and romance from Prince Eric’s perspective. I can’t wait for the next one.