In my previous review for Deception's Princess, I did mention Frienser's writing's lack of completely amazing qualities, but I have returned to finish off the story of Helen of Sparta! You might wish to read Nobody's Princess before proceeding to read this review.
Helen, hearing of Prince Jason's voyage to seek the legendary Golden Fleece, has disguised herself as a boy named Glaucus, and she and her friend Milo, a former slave, are sailing to Iolkos, where the Argo is supposed to be setting off from. They get work as weapons-bearers for a hero named Iolaus, and soon begin their adventure. But it's not nearly as easy as they had hoped--Helen has to avoid her older brothers, Castor and Polydeucus, lest they should get a good look in and recognize her for who she really is. On top of that, Helen's growing up, and passing as a boy becomes harder and harder with each day. As if that wasn't bad enough, she gets caught up in a horrible love triangle--she has fallen for a beautiful weapons-bearer named Hylas, who loves his master Herakles, who loves Helen's boy identity. More and more people are taken into Helen and Milo's confidence, and the secret is bound to come out soon. Some characters from Nobody's Princess reappear, such as the hero Iolaus and the famous Athenian king Theseus, along with Helen's family, and new characters are introduced, including the Argonauts, mad Princess Medea of Colchis, and the unfortunate Athenian guard Telys--and of course Menelaus, the man who will become Helen's husband, enters the picture near the end.
Again, like with Deception's Princess, there's nothing really to criticize about Friesner's books. She's good--nothing much to praise, nothing much to complain about. But there was one little thing that I found odd about Nobody's Prize. Near the end, Helen is about to be reunited with her twin sister Clytemnestra, and she's thinking how she wants to run through the gates and fling her arms around Clytemnestra--wait, wait. I distinctly remember Helen and Clytemnestra not having the best of relations when they were young girls. Clytemnestra was girly and likes sewing and weaving; those pastimes made Helen impatient and she preferred learning how to use weapons. The two girls often argued, I recalled. So what's Helen doing, thinking these wildly loving thoughts about her sister? Well, maybe she's had a change of heart while on the Argo, I reasoned, and I continued reading. The next chapter rolled around, and there were Helen and Clytemnestra, eating together. Clytemnestra makes a remark that Helen takes issue with, and Helen "striv[es] to keep from shouting in Clytemnestra's face." (p. 285). Back to the old arguing again, are we? And then a page later, Helen is desperately concerned with Clytemnestra's happiness as the wife of King Agamemnon. Confusion abounded. I understand that sibling relationships can be rocky, but a pair of teenage sisters just don't change their feelings towards each other quite that rapidly, and it doesn't matter where and when the book is set. Friesner can craft a remarkable plot, but sometimes she doesn't quite understand how people behave.
In short, Nobody's Prize is another good book from Esther Frienser, and I would recommend it to fans of ancient historical fiction looking for a short and fun read, especially if they have already read Nobody's Prize.