The Prince of Neither Here Nor There by Sean Cullen

Summary: Delivered to an orphanage run by Nuns as a baby, Brendan has a mysterious past. The family he is adopted into is very loving and supportive, but one day Brendan learns that he is actually a Faerie. And not just any Faerie, but a Prince with several amazing powers. Finding out his true identity changes Brendan’s life, and Brendan is put in the position of having to decide who he can trust. Raised by Humans, Brendan is in a unique position to mend the rift between the two peoples and claim his place in the Faerie world.

Number of Pages: 384

Age Range: 13-14

Review: An action-packed fantasy story about the vastly different worlds of Humans and Faeries, The Prince of Neither Here Nor There by Seán Cullen is imaginative and detailed. I especially appreciated the Narrator’s footnotes to explain all of the aspects that I didn’t initially understand. It reads as adventure, but also as kind of an encyclopedia of sorts of key fantasy genre ideas and terms. I ended up learning a lot, which added to my enjoyment of the book.

The only part that put me a bit at odds with the story though because I loved the narrator right from the start, and while the voice of the narrator is strong in the beginning, in the end it kind of disappeared. After reading The Prince of Neither Here Nor There, what I was left with more than anything was a strong desire to read a whole book specifically about the narrator. What a fantastic and witty character!

The other star of the book is Cullen’s setting of Toronto. He really uses the city to set the scene, and I loved how he uses real life places for magical scenes. It’s a longer read for younger teens, but fans of adventure and fantasy books will not be disappointed.

Memorable Quotes:

“Certainly, sometimes we are all confused about who we are. For several days last moth I was convinced I was a little French girl named Colette, but that was after a sharp blow to the head I received during a bank robbery.” – Narrator from The Prince of Neither Here Nor There by Seán Cullen, page 3

“Still, as he looked around the table at the people he’d known all his life, he couldn’t suppress a feeling that things were going to change, that his life would never be the same. Something was coming that would alter the life he had known.” – Brendan from The Prince of Neither Here Nor There by Seán Cullen, page 99

“Brendan has already gone through a great deal of struggle, but there is always more struggling to do. Life is worthless without struggle. Struggling is also a good source of cardiovascular exercise. I struggle three times a week and I’m as fit as a horse.” – Narrator from The Prince of Neither Here Nor There by Seán Cullen, page 281

“Brendan shook his head. ‘I won’t join you. I’ve lived among Humans my whole life. I know they aren’t perfect. They can be selfish. They can be cruel. They don’t always do what’s best …’ His mind was full of the trip through the lake with Oona. ‘Maybe they don’t know how lucky they are to have such a beautiful world to call their own, but they are my people even though I’m not Human myself. My parents took me in and loved me, tried to make sure I was a good person. My friends helped me when I needed them and asked for nothing in return.’ As he spoke, Brendan’s voice became stronger, more sure. ‘Humans made a mess of the Earth, it’s true. I won’t give up on them, though. They just need to be shown how to change.'” – Brendan from The Prince of Neither Here Nor There by Seán Cullen, page 353

The Prince of Neither Here Nor There by Seán Cullen is published by Puffin Canada, (2009).