Nobody's Prize

This is the sequel to the first book called Nobody's Princess. These are books about the younger days of Helen of Troy. Helen has many adventures continued from the last book and finds many more. The book is mainly based to the sea in the beginning, then it changes into other struggles to just get home and fix all the trouble she has made by following her dreams.

Helen is under disguise of a boy when she takes her journey. There is no other option for her to accomplish what she wants and not have her brothers or parents at home worrying about her. She travels to many different cities along the way and her disguise soon changes to different characters. Along the trip is her friend Milo, which she had earlier bought his freedom.

They all take a trip across the sea in search for a golden fleece. The men that are all on the adventure are there to try to be part of this quest and be an important hero. They all are searching for their own glory. Helen and milo are taken along by a friend as weapons bearers on the ship called the Argo. This way they can keep low. Helen mainly needs to keep away from her brothers who had decided to journey and test their well trained skills.

As Helen travels on the ship, she discovers that one of the men have a very strong attraction to her, even though she is disguised as a boy. His own weapons bearer is one that Helen herself is attracted to, but has to keep her feelings inside of her. Soon enough that boy becomes jealous of his masters attraction towards Helen.

The Argo travels closer and closer to their destination to find the golden fleece. Helen starts to develop into a woman. She is soon discovered to be a girl, but now everyone thinks she is Atalanta instead of the princess Helen. At the new city, Helen gets in trouble with the Queen that is in rule there. She uses herbs as almost a medicine woman. Not all of her knowledge is used for good. The Queen becomes obsessed with the man who put the entire voyage together. She starts to think that he is infatuated with Helen instead of her and becomes jealous. Helen is supposed to get the man to be attracted to the Queen. There is soon weird occurances and Helen is almost killed with poison from the Queen. At the last minute Helen and Milo escape and try to go back home.

Even though they have escaped this danger there is still danger that lies ahead. Helen gets in trouble with a man from her past. She is taken captive and forced to become her soon to be Queen. Just like she always does, Helen finds a way to escape. Then there is word from where her sister is supposed to be queen, has said that another has moved in to take the throne. What happens to her sister and the outcome of Helen's journey and lies is resolved.

Nobody's Princess

As I picked up this book, I realized it would be set in the roman times. I started to read the book, as it began with the intro of Helen of Troy as a young girl. You start to get the point of view from the author as to how she grew up. She had very independent views and didn't want to be told what to do. She wanted to make her own life and own decisions without being checked up on. This leads her through troubles of doing what everyone else wants her to do and doing what her heart wants to do.

Her family gives thanks and believes in Gods and Goddesses. The main one her father and mother give thanks to is Aphrodite. In one of the opening passages, there is a ceremony to give thanks to her. Helen says that her mother is as pretty if not prettier than Aphrodite herself. This gets her in trouble, since no human can be prettier than a Goddess like Aphrodite.

She is born as a twin and since she came out of her mother's womb first she is the heir to the throne. She grows up in a life of luxury while her sister, Clytemnestra, despises everything that is given to Helen. She grows up the center of attention and is watched carefully by all, while her sister loathes Helens beauty and future that gets her all the attention and importance. Soon though, Clytemnestra is set up with her own arranged marriage to another kingdom. This brings her to the limelight and all the focus is set on her, and getting her prepared for the life of a Queen in another kingdom.

As Helen grows up, she has a mind of her own. This ends up taking her to do what she wants instead of doing what a girl who is the heir to the throne should do. Since everyone starts to focus on Clytemnestra and her soon to be marriage, it becomes easier for Helen to focus on her wants. She ends up sneaking out and training with her two older brothers, Castor and Polydueces, in fighting. Their training master, Glaucus, challenges Helen several different times. She still pulls through and meets those challenges so she can continue learning how to fight.

Soon Clytemnestra is on her way to the other kingdom and Castor, Polydueces, and Helen go along. Helen convinces her father that Clytemnestra needs someone to be there for her to make the transition in the unknown land. Castor and Polydueces are there for protection also. This arranged marriage is supposed to keep peace between the kingdoms. Soon after arriving though the King tries to get another one of his sons married off to Helen herself. She is afraid of offending him and starting a war, but soon there is trouble in their mothers original homeland that they use as an excuse to get away.

There is a wild boar in their mother's homeland that is destroying land and animals. There is a hunt being organized to try and kill it. Here Helen meets Atalanta. She can't believe she finds a girl who is all she wants to be, and has all the freedom she longs for. Soon she sneaks out to watch Atalanta ride her horse and train, but she is a good warrior and discovers Helens hiding spot in the trees. Helen gets rough training in riding from Atalanta, but it consumes her life. On the wild boar hunt she sneaks in and finds Atalanta. There she helps her spear the boar using her crafty thinking, but it is Helens relative that ends up killing it, therefore getting credit for it. This aggravates Helen, because she knows Atalanta weakened the boar enough, but she didn't finish him off in time.

As Helen struggles with wanting a warriors lifestyle and independence, she tries to cope with the fact that things don't always appear to be the way they are told. She soon plays her brothers and kingdom to go off on a voyage where maybe she can have that adventure to herself, but from a boys point of view, rather than the princess of Sparta.