The Prince of Mirrors: Queen Victoria's Grandson's Return

The Prince of Mirrors by Alan Robert Clark

Published by Fairlight Books.

Release Date 7th June2018

What a stunning gem of a book The Prince of Mirrors is. Part fact, part fiction, as Clark explains at the end of this novel, The Prince Of Mirrors explores the tragically short life of Queen Victoria's grandson Prince Albert Victor, or Eddy, and his relationship with Jem Stephen (Virginia Woolf's much older cousin). This is a quietly powerful novel that is heartbreakingly tragic and beautifully written even if sometimes slightly overwritten. After reading Clark's words I am utterly devastated that these two figures have been lost to history. What made this novel unique and the reason I will be recommending it to all my friends is the diversity this novel holds. From Eddy's bisexuality to Jem's struggle with bipolar disorder. Clark never breaks out of the era and handles these issues with the knowledge of a great historian understanding how society viewed diversity in the 1800s. The only reason I am giving The Prince of Mirrors four stars rather than five is that I would have loved an epilogue chapter from Jem's perspective or maybe George that gave this novel a little more closure which I feel the reader needs.

Overall though I loved this book and will be purchasing a copy when it is released in June.