Song of Princes

This is a perfect case of “It's not you, it's me.” when it comes to books. So let me start out by stating that Janell Rhiannon has done her research. It's apparent, from the moment that you open this book, that Song of Princes is prepared to take you deep into the Homeric legends. Although this is absolutely a retelling, the broad strokes of legend are vivid and spot on. The reader is pulled into a story of the ages. A story surrounding would be Kings and warriors, all leading up to the fall of Troy. If that sounds like your cup of tea, you're in for a treat.

What I really enjoyed about this story, more than anything, was the detailed characterization that Rhiannon put into each and every character. From the moment that Paris is born, the story that is woven around him brings every aspect of his character to life. I was so impressed at how quickly I fell into step with him, especially since I'm not much of a study in Homeric legends. The same was true of Achilles, of Hektor, and of Odysseus. I wasn't allowed to feel lost while reading this, despite my lack of previous knowledge. The story took my hand, and led me into this world of gods and goddesses.

The story itself is, quite honestly, a little dense. I'm not generally a reader of things historically based though so, again, this will probably very much suit anyone who is. The pacing is definitely spot on, however. Events are laid out in this pace that lies in that perfect space where nothing is ever boring. There's always something new coming to light, or a new character to meet. I have to say that the dialogue is what I really had the most difficult time with. It feels stilted, and unnatural. I've read books from different time periods before, and I know how easy it is to fall into that trap. Especially because, as I mentioned above, there's a lot of information to fit into a smaller amount of pages. Still, this was the one thing that really kept me from falling as deeply into the story as I wish I could have.

Truth be told, I know that this is a series that many readers are going to love. I don't blame them one bit. It's tough to take something that's already a legend, and mold it to your own devices. Rhiannon has accomplished just that. Readers who love this kind of book, filled with fate and fortune, will likely fall in love with Song of Princes as well.