05 December 2012

Willow Reads: The False Princess


Princess and heir to the throne of Thorvaldor, Nalia's led a privileged life at court.  But everything changes when it's revealed, just after her sixteenth birthday, that she is a false princess, a stand-in for the real Nalia, who has been hidden away for her protection.  Cast out with little more than the clothes on her back, the girl now called Sinda must leave behind the city of Vivaskari, her best friend, Keirnan, and the only life she's ever known.

Sinda is sent to live with her only surviving relative, an aunt who is a dyer in a distant village. She is a cold, scornful woman with little patience for her newfound niece, and Sinda proves inept at even the simplest tasks.  But when Sinda discovers that magic runs through her veins - long-suppressed, dangerous magic that she must learn to control - she realizes that she can never learn to be a simple village girl.

Returning to Vivaskari for answers, Sinda finds her purpose as a wizard scribe, rediscovers the boy who saw her all along, and uncovers a secret that could change the course of Thorvaldor's history, forever.

A dazzling first novel, The False Princess is an engrossing fantasy full of mystery, action, and romance.

Spoilers- but not very many.

Title: The False Princess
Author: Eilis O'Neal
Page Count: 319 pages
Book Website: http://www.eilisoneal.com/
Published: January 25, 2011
Source: Goodreads suggestion

This is one of those books Goodreads suggested that I didn't really care for. I gave it only two stars on Goodreads, which by definition means that it was ok. Nothing spectacular, not in any sense.

First, I felt that the book could be better researched. You really don't get the time period out of the whole thing, but with how the outfits were described and how the royal system came about... People didn't talk like they do today way back when. Sure, magic and such wasn't involved back then, but people still didn't talk that way.

Second... The whole false princess idea was ok, but then when they switched Sinda with Orrianne, then Sinda goes and says that Orrianne isn't the real princess, and goes on this hunt for the real princess... It's too much.

Maybe it's just a little too young for me. Normally I'm more than happy with the books my younger friends who range from 12-15 might actually read... But this just wasn't very good, even for that age range. If you're just looking for a kind of dumbed down, no thought read, then this is for you.

Anyway, happy reading!

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