Toni Shiloh’s In Search of a Prince is just a rehash of a classic tale.  You know the one where a regular person discovers that she is actually a princess of a far-off land and will become queen one day, if she accepts the offer. That summarizes this story rather succinctly.  There are some notable differences in this story that make it more interesting.

Brielle Bayo, the main character and princess to be is African American and her new country is in Africa, not Europe.  This made an interesting cultural twist.  The author had added many words in the new language, but honestly sometimes this made the story a bit harder to read.  The read was interrupted by one trying to figure out how to say things.

One of the highlights of the story was that the main character does not suffer from any obvious emotional trauma from her past.  She is not so distressed by post-traumatic stress issues that she can’t function normally.  This is very refreshing as almost all Christian fiction involves characters who have personal issues that make it hard for them to function and thrive.  That becomes the main plot for most stories.  Not this one.

The main characters are already Christians with a firm faith in God and a desire to follow His will.  This is a nice change from so many stories where one’s faith is in question and thus contributes to their emotional issues.  Although, a couple of scenes seem a bit unrealistic for a person of faith as certain things are handled in ways that seem inconsistent with Christian values and focus.

One thing I expected was for Brielle to come up with something she is passionate about and use that to solidify her position in the kingdom.  Instead, she spends more of her efforts on choosing a man.  I hoped for a bigger platform for her to use.  In fact, her friend Iris’ idea was one I felt Brielle should have used to further her plans to improve her new land. 

Review of an Advanced Reader Copy provided by the Publisher

Content Analysis:

Profanity/Language:  None

Violence/Gore:   A character’s things are slashed and threatening notes are left.

Sex/Nudity:  Multiple mentions of illegitimate children; married characters have a very clearly implied sexual encounter, but no details are given; a character indicates that he has slept with someone; characters embrace and hold hands.

Mature Subjects:   

Death of a parent, terminal illness, sexual bias.

Drug/Alcohol Use:  

None