Prince Iggy is off to the Kingdom of Rose to reclaim his rightful place as heir to the throne after being rescued by his father’s loyal subjects.
Aldo Fynn’s sequel to his Prince Iggy and the King of Naysayer picks up after the long-lost prince has been rescued from the taunts and torments he endured while living at Naysayer Academy. Iggy and his rescuers, a group of colorful characters who dabble in science and magic, board their ship and sail through the ocean and skies to the Kingdom of Rose. En route, after switching places with the Rose Star, Iggy learns a lesson or two about appreciation for what you have, being a loyal friend and self-confidence. But his true test comes when he must battle his aunt, the Queen Victoria who claimed the throne through diabolical methods, in the Tower of Decisions.
Once again Iggy continues to be filled with self-doubt –always discouraged by all his mistakes and not sure he will be a good prince; but learns some valuable life lessons, such as this one from the professor: “It’s good to think about your mistakes so you can learn from them, but I don’t recommend thinking about them too much.”
The pace is a little weighed down at times, as information-heavy dialogue tries to get the reader up to speed with story thus far; but the adventure still offers excitement and surprises to keep young readers engaged. The evocative dreamy, tonal illustrations of varying sizes that are scattered throughout the book are visually enticing and complement the narrative by effectively capturing the emotions of the characters – for example, Iggy when he is faced with a test in the Tower and must learn: “You can try to change that which cannot be changed . . .or you can move forward and keep their memory close to you.”
PRINCE IGGY and THE TOWER OF DECISION offers a magical adventure and some wonderful lessons for young children.
Reviewed by Maya Fleischmann for IndieReader.