When exploring a genre as diverse as manga (which is really a publishing type rather than a genre), it's worth checking out key authors. Keiko Ishihara is one.

Beautiful illustration but I had some issues with the formatting. I don’t think I will continue with this series.

With beautiful artwork and an interesting story, I was sad when I finished reading this and couldn't immediately pick up volume 2! Couldn't put it down. I would definitely recommend this and continue reading. Thank you for the opportunity.

Another girl disguises herself as a boy trope! Love this art and storyline. Freya takes the place of her brother to keep the monarchy alive. She has to learn a lot to be like her brother but shines all the same. Can't wait for the rest of the series!

This was such a different and intriguing manga! The characters were well developed, the plot was fast-paced and I really enjoyed reading this volume.

gorgeous fantasy about a simple girl who has been taken to play the part of a newly dead prince to help her kingdom. I love watching her growth as she learns to be the "prince" in her own way. Plus there is a lovely slow boiling romance.

I enjoyed the art style, but overall, this has the popular tropes with a shoujo manga. Shoujo reminds me of YA, which is excellent for people who love Holly Black and Sara Maas. I look forward to the next volume.

This didn’t seem like any other manga I’ve read before. And believe me, I’ve read a lot of manga.
The synopsis and the cover were what drew me in but I’ve been burned before. I wield the scars still.
So I was a bit reluctant at first. I was weary. But finally I got over it - I threw my fears aside and I dove in

And I haven’t looked back yall ...I’m still swimming in greatness.

Sorry, long night. With wine. 2020 amirite?

This manga is pretty great though and I am definitely looking forward to reading book 2 when it comes out! There are tiny issues with pacing and character development but I give leeway since it’s literally the first volume.

I love the Norse mythology scattered throughout. It was definitely a factor that set the manga apart.

I’m really glad to see so much great manga coming out of Netgalley. Now that i’m recovered from my pandemic breakdown I’ve been dying for some good books like air.

Thank you again for this copy of my ARC.

Freya is an overly-emotional (re: crybaby) country girl living in Tyr, trying to get by and get enough food for her sick mother. A visit from her adopted older brothers, who are both knights serving the Prince, leaves Freya worried about Sigurd, the neighboring kingdom, invading. When she overhears of a Sigurdian plot to kill her older "brother," Freya rushes to the palace to warn them. Here, she learns the true reason her knights came to visit - the prince is dying from Sigurdian poison, and Freya resembles the prince almost identically! She agrees to take on the persona of the prince, but how can she hope to embody a confident, cunning prince when she can't stop crying?

While at its core, we have seen this story before (*cough* Man in the Iron Mask *cough*), Prince Freya does have its own intricacies to set it apart from other similar switcheroo stories. There is an absolute shock in the middle of this volume that I had to go back and re-read several times because I didn't believe it. The mangaka admits to some interesting information in the side panels throughout the story, including struggling with how to help Freya grow out of her crybaby ways. There are several characters undergoing transformations, and I am invested in their journeys. There are also some interesting supporting characters whose loyalties I have not quite figured out by the end of this volume. This story would be popular with readers who enjoy fantasies like Yona of the Dawn.

The art style of this manga series is rather detailed and beautiful. Fantasy stories tend to require more detail from mangakas, and Ishihara doesn't disappoint. Backgrounds are lush and rich, while clothing is original and detailed.

VIZ rates this as Teen Plus, and I would attribute that to the violence in volume 1. There may be something later that elevates this as well, but for now, it's bloodshed.

Sara's Rating: 8/10
Suitability Level: Grades 10-12

Okay, so you know in the first volume of a manga, you'll get a taste of the story, a set-up, that leaves you with a lot of questions to keep you interested, right? Just so we know what we're dealing with here. We have a young girl (woman? not sure about her age honestly) named Freya who has grown up in a small village in the kingdom of Tyr, which is in danger of being taken over by a powerful neighbor kingdom, Sigurd. She's grown up with two foster brothers, Aaron and Aleksi, who are now one of the Prince Edvard of Tyr's personal knights and a soldier in the Prince's army respectively. Well, it turns out Freya is a doppelganger of the Prince, and must pretend to be him after he dies from being poisoned to protect the kingdom. We also get introduced to Julius, the Prince's advisor, who vows to help Freya learn to be the Prince, and two more of his personal knights, Yngvi and Mikal, so now we have the main cast. All kinds of action happens, there's some political intrigue going on, a few inner monologues and some flashbacks to show the Prince and Freya/Aaron/Aleksi growing up, and a great big gut punch, that just, wow. Oh, and a cliffhanger at the end, because duh! how could you not have a cliffhanger? So many questions I want answered, but the main one? How did a girl just the right age end up looking just like the Prince, and hidden away in a remote village? On to Volume 2!

#PrinceFreyaVol1 #NetGalley

I picked this up since it looked like it had good art and it's a shojo. Overall, I was fairly pleased with the first volume where it sets up the stage for "pretend" with Freya becoming the prince after he passes away. There was a bit of action along with the intrigue, so I'm looking forward to the next volume a lot! It will be a valuable addition to any manga collection. ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Thanks to Viz and Netgalley for giving me a copy in exchange for a fair review.

We've been looking to expand our manga collection at my branch, and I really appreciated this opportunity to get my hands on the first volumes of a few new series! We have a lot of fantasy fans at my branch, and I know that Prince Freya will hold appeal for many of them, especially those who like Tamora Pierce's works. I submitted a request to add this to our collection!

This volume had a lot of pleasant surprises! I did not expect it to get as dark as it did and I was happily surprised by the turns it took. Freya's bravery is respectable and I look forward to her becoming more established in her own right. The characters may need more time to be fleshed out but I think the potential for an interesting adventure is there.

Not really my thing. I'm not a huge historical fiction fan, and I just didn't find this really drawing me in and making me want to keep reading and continue with the series. The illustrations are fantastic, though. Some of the best manga art I've seen; very pleasing to the eye.

*I voluntarily read and reviewed an ARC of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.*

Wow, this one starts off with a shock -- I honestly was not expecting it. I went into this because I like reading about cross-dressing girls and got so, so much drama. I love how pretending to be the prince is actual work for her because even if their looks are the same, their personalities are different. I think it shows that she has growth and will develop over the series. 


This series is looking to be action-packed, dramatic, and gripping story. I'm looking forward to reading more.

Thank you to the publisher and to Netgalley for the advance copy of this book!

The art was so cute in this. I loved this book. I loved the plot and storyline in the book. I loved the characters in this story. It gave me all the feels I was looking for when I started reading this. I highly recommend this author. I loved the writing. I will be looking for other works in the future from this author.

Freya is a girl who lives in a small village with her sick mother. Her adoptive brothers work with the prince in the kingdom. They visit one day and Freya finds out that she is needed to impersonate the prince. Prince Edvard is dying and Freya looks exactly like him, so she has to become the prince. Freya has to leave her own life behind and transform into Prince Edvard.

This story was fast paced. I found that there was so much happening that it was difficult to process the information. Even the characters had to move along quickly to new changes, without really thinking about what happened. There were deaths and changes, like Freya becoming the prince, which they didn’t really have time to think about.

There wasn’t enough background on the story. I had so many questions about the world and the history of the characters that weren’t answered. We didn’t find out much about Prince Edvard and why they would need Freya, a country girl, to impersonate a prince who was dying. There wasn’t a reason that a young girl looked exactly like the prince, enough to be able to fool all of his friends. This background information wasn’t given, so I was left with a lot of questions about the story.

Freya was also an unlikeable character. She cried constantly. The other characters even told her to stop crying because people would guess that she wasn’t the prince. The way she was always crying and whining made me question again why she was chosen to impersonate the prince, since she didn’t behave like him at all.

This story was a little disappointing and cheesy. I don’t think I’ll be continue with this series.

Thank you VIZ Media for providing a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

I've been a fan of genderswapping pants roles since I first studied Shakespeare's Twelph Night in Junior High. From "Mulan" to "She's the Man", the girl, for whatever reason, dons the disguise of a male to blend in or save the day (or both). But one thing is pretty universal in these stories - the girl is wily, strong willed, and eager to prove themselves. This is where "Prince Freya" stands out. Freya is a girly crybaby and happy to be a loved young lady in her small and prosperous village. She isn't looking to better herself, nor is she dissatisfied with her role in the world. It is only by happenstance that she looks remarkably like the prince of her country who is dying from a lethal dose of poison. She only agrees to literally step into his shoes to protect her two 'adoptive brothers' and the people of her village.

Even though this title is aimed at the young and new adult female demographic, it pulls no punches. Back room deals, politicking, class inequality, betrayal, jealousy, and the travesties of war are all blatant and integral to the story. Death is violent and grief is overwhelming. There is definitely more "Yona of the Dawn" than "Sailor Moon" to this Shojo manga. I identified with the characters quickly because they had so much to deal with so quickly, and each of them dealt with it in their own way - rather than cookie-cutter reactions shared by all. Alek's single-minded determination is in sharp contrast to Freya's mental collapse. They both must overcome their own personal weaknesses to grow stronger for the other - and this story has given them many ways that they might accomplish it. I am sincerely looking forward to reading the next volume.

I recommend this series to fans of Robin McKinley, Mizuho Kusanagi, and Tamora Pierce.

*Special thanks to NetGalley and Viz Media for granting me an eARC in return for my honest review*

I didn't get to finish this manga before it was archived, but from what I read I enjoyed it. I look forward to getting a copy so I can finish it.

I was presently surprised by this manga. The art is beautifully drawn with a lot of detail. The story was addictive, making me excited to read the next volume.

The story focuses on Freya, a young girl in the country of Tyr. She becomes drawn into the position of impersonating the prince when attack is unleashed upon the empires knight's.

The kingdom's Prince Edvard lays dying, poisoned and the only way to save her country is for her to take his position as the Prince.

I absolutely adore Prince Freya and look forward to following the series. I give it a well earned 5 stars! This is a not to miss series.