The Summer Prince

Summer Prince Summary & review

After the success of Wicked City a novel what could only loosely be described as urban fantasy,Alaya Dawn Johnson decided to try her hand at young adult fiction. The outcome was a futuristic dystopian story set in the cultural backdrop of brazil. I have honestly never read her work before which is no surprise for i do not ever venture into the young adult fiction section of Barnes & Nobles. This is not because i am an elitist or anything, it is more akin to the idea that i have simply never thought of seeing what it has to offer. I have read in all honestly young adult fiction within the urban fantasy genre but don't recall ever reading or coming across such as one within the sci fi dystopian genre before. Most writers that i have come across within fiction dont emphasis cultural backdrop to the extent Ms. Johnson does and i was pleasantly surprised to see what i can only believe is genuine brazilian culture, language, and places mentioned. I personally love a story where the world itself has time and detail, where its living and breathing with cultural identity that makes it believable. If this was still not the case with Ms. Johnson's novel i may just find it interesting due to a few story concepts i'm not all that familiar with. Unfortunately i have little to compare this novel to but overall thought it well written & deserving of its nomination and certainly worth reading. I think if this novel had been written outside the young adult section & the limitations that genre pertains it may have rode what it gives its readers all the way to greater nominations.

The novel is set in a future Palmeres within post apocalyptic Brazil where most major hubs of civilization have been destroyed and a plague (maybe virus?) that only affects the Y chromosome wipes out nearly the entire planets population of men. After this the male population does recuperate but as a result Matriarchal societies replace what we would consider our modern patriarchal. Our protagonist - June an artist excitedly goes to see who will be selected to be the next summer king along with her best friend Gil.. Apparently they live in a futuristic society in which every year a King is voted on and after the year is up he allows himself to be willingly sacrificed shortly after selecting the next queen. It is repeatedly hammered in that the reason for this is to reinforce that the Matriarchal society that is in power must remain so in order to "right the wrongs" of the man dominated world before that has caused the vast majority if not all the world problems. This sacrifice left me confused as they live in a futuristic society in which the average lifespan is more than tripled, there's no food shortages, and people select their genetic makeup - yet the still actively participate in something as primitive as ritual sacrifice. While not impossible i found it unusual and in most cases i think unlikely considering the amount of freedom, knowledge, & communication within their society.

The story revolves around the love triangle between June and the Summer Prince (King) Enki and June's friend Gil who also has a thing for Enki. It should be noted that Enki is dark skinned; which i would usually not find so interesting or unusual except the author & characters continually draw attention to this detail for unexplained reasons. Story wise it is an unusual trait in their society as it indicates he is not genetically altered & he hails from a destitute background - making him the champion of the people and at least the appearance of an underdog. As far as what i can tell it seems that these elected kings are their celebrities as much as they are their political & religious leaders. June soon enough resents her friend Gil for not only "abandoning" her but stealing Enki the fantasy of her dreams away. This occurs during a ball/gathering of sorts where Enki and Gil dance together and end their joint performance with a kiss. It is made clear moments later than multiple partners,underage sex, & homosexual relationships within the city are not only accepted but are a norm but somewhat encouraged. A major theme besides a love triangle that became apparent was that this is very much as story about youth and the issues they have with the elderly or in this books case the waka and the grande. The elderly continue living well into 200 plus years & due to this their society incidentally suppresses the gifts, talents, and opportunities of the young. For example Gil's mother is only 16 years older than he himself & yet 30-50 years separate is the norm and due to this she is not taken seriously within her profession as a tailor. June decides that she'd rather not have to wait till shes old to be given a opportunity for her art so she makes a plan to meet Enki & go about with the most amazing project ever, as he is like her, an artist at heart or so she believes.

As Enki continues to help June with her artistic endeavors they become more and more politically and socially driven and although the two are liked a lot by the government, Enki being King & June for being 1 of the ten top artists of choice in the city; continue to push the boundaries of what is societally acceptable. They go as far to reveal the underhanded work of the Queen and her advisers. Soon enough Enki and Junes relationship becomes no longer about art as she begins to see past what he shows the world and even Gil. They kiss & its stated that they love each other shortly after Enki reveals some of his bio modifications; one of particular interest is that they remove his ability to hate. The city itself begins falling apart as some of the robots in place can no longer self repair & it is revealed that Enki's bio enhancements come from sleeping with a foreign dignitary of japan. June is angry and horrified at this, showing that although their society is inherently liberal on such matters as the human heart is not. It should be noted though that Enki's act of sleeping with an much older foreign diplomat for illegal modifications doesn't bother June nearly as much as the risk he took by enhancing himself with the modifications. They save the city by warning everyone in it making a split decision to reveal they've been working together and that Enki can control the city to a massive degree due to his mods that allow him to communicate with its AI. Overall these events continuously build and build the rising tension between June & Enki but also do so for his eventual and climactic death that we have known has been coming from page one.

Soon enough the queen imprisons June due to her and Enki's actions but as the queen sacrifices him but Enki chooses June and although the queen denies it the people demand his choice be honored and June is made queen. The book ends with Enki's voice speaking through the city AI and June is comforted to know that although he is gone, he is forever part of the city and the man she loves is still with her even after his death and sacrifice.

Overall i enjoyed this book. I will not say i was overjoyed by the beginning chapters as i found the story rather uninteresting until about a quarter in. I'm rather glad i kept reading as overall i found the plot interesting, the characters captivating and the unusualness of the story as whole easily keeping my interest until the last page. The dialogue was a bit confusing for a while but in truth it was rather realistic to how people would actually speak. I found Enki's thoughts/journals before each chapter insightful and endearing to his character. Not only that but i found that this story's concepts were worthwhile as they included things that i personally identify with such as; finding one's place in the world, friendship, love, and sacrifice. I would most certainly recommend this book to other readers but perhaps would keep it from younger teens as the sexually permiscuity although carefree & guiltless and some steamy scenes are not things i'd personally expose them to. My opinion a ? stars for Alaya Dawn Johnsons' "The Summer Prince".

Book Details

Title: The Summer Prince

Author: Arthur A. Levine Books; First Edition edition

Publisher: Arthur A. Levine Books

Pages: 304

Year: 2014

Language: English

Format: Hardcover

ISBN: 978-0545417792

First published: March 1, 2013