Stephanie S. (skywriter319) -
Helpful Score: 2
Princess Nalia gets the worst sixteenth-birthday surprise ever when it is revealed that she is not the real princess, but a commoner decoy for the real princess, placed in the castle because of a prophecy that foretold of the danger befalling the princess before her sixteenth birthday. Stripped of everything she has ever known, including her name and her best friend Kiernan, the girl now known as Sinda tries to adjust to her new commoner life with her aunt, who is not at all happy about her new family member.
When the emergence of a long repressed magic within her forces Sinda to return to the royal city, she stumbles upon a dark conspiracy behind the throne that only she can stop. With Kiernans help, Sinda undergoes dangerous journeys and evades the hands of powerful enemies in order to save her countrys future.
Reading the jacket synopsis, I thought this book was going to be yet another princess finds out shes not the real princess and attempts to make a new life for herself tale. Happily, however, THE FALSE PRINCESS is all that, and more. It is an engaging light fantasy that will charm you no matter how well read you think you are in the genre.
Past the first chapter, the plot of THE FALSE PRINCESS moves at an entertainingly brisk pace, as it follows Sinda into the country, back into the city, and in and out of nervewracking situations. The time that Sinda spends with her aunt feels a little forced, her attempt to fit into her new life glossed over, but this makes sense when you consider that the most exciting part of the book occurs when Sinda returns to the city and discovers the conspiracy.
THE FALSE PRINCESS is at its core a fairly standard quest tale, but contains so much spunk and personality from its characters that it transcends the trope and makes it appealing to even readers who dont usually read fantasy, who typically prefer character-driven novels. Sinda changes from a timid royal into an initiative-taking heroine, a brave girl who takes on tasks even knowing that the odds are stacked against her. Kiernan is a wonderful supporting character, utterly dedicated to Sinda, with a playfulness that offsets the darker tones of Sindas quest.
THE FALSE PRINCESS is a friendly fantasy read that would be a perfect gift for younger readers whove enjoyed the works of Gail Carson Levine, Diana Wynne Jones, and Margaret Peterson Haddixs fantasy novels. Its definitely a cut above other light fantasies Ive read recently, and I would definitely recommend it to a readers looking for exactly that!
When the emergence of a long repressed magic within her forces Sinda to return to the royal city, she stumbles upon a dark conspiracy behind the throne that only she can stop. With Kiernans help, Sinda undergoes dangerous journeys and evades the hands of powerful enemies in order to save her countrys future.
Reading the jacket synopsis, I thought this book was going to be yet another princess finds out shes not the real princess and attempts to make a new life for herself tale. Happily, however, THE FALSE PRINCESS is all that, and more. It is an engaging light fantasy that will charm you no matter how well read you think you are in the genre.
Past the first chapter, the plot of THE FALSE PRINCESS moves at an entertainingly brisk pace, as it follows Sinda into the country, back into the city, and in and out of nervewracking situations. The time that Sinda spends with her aunt feels a little forced, her attempt to fit into her new life glossed over, but this makes sense when you consider that the most exciting part of the book occurs when Sinda returns to the city and discovers the conspiracy.
THE FALSE PRINCESS is at its core a fairly standard quest tale, but contains so much spunk and personality from its characters that it transcends the trope and makes it appealing to even readers who dont usually read fantasy, who typically prefer character-driven novels. Sinda changes from a timid royal into an initiative-taking heroine, a brave girl who takes on tasks even knowing that the odds are stacked against her. Kiernan is a wonderful supporting character, utterly dedicated to Sinda, with a playfulness that offsets the darker tones of Sindas quest.
THE FALSE PRINCESS is a friendly fantasy read that would be a perfect gift for younger readers whove enjoyed the works of Gail Carson Levine, Diana Wynne Jones, and Margaret Peterson Haddixs fantasy novels. Its definitely a cut above other light fantasies Ive read recently, and I would definitely recommend it to a readers looking for exactly that!
Karissa E. (ophelia99) reviewed The False Princess (False Princess, Bk 1) on + 2527 more book reviews
Helpful Score: 1
I had been wanting to read this book forever and was excited to finally get a chance to read it. This is Eilis O'Neal's debut book and she did a great job on it. This is a wonderful fantasy full of mystery, numerous plot twists, magic, and a touch of romance.
Nalia has lead a sheltered and well-educated life as the Princess set to inherit the Throne of Thorvaldor. Nalia's world comes crashing down around her when on her sixteenth birthday she is told that she is not the princess, she is in fact a false princess raised in the real princess's place in order to save the real princess from a horrible prophecy. Nalia is told her name is actually Sinda and she is sent away from everything she has ever known and loved to live with an aunt in the country. Her best friend Kiernan tries to visit to console her, but Sinda is desolate. That is until she finds out that she has powerful magic and begins to unweave a number of mysteries surrounding the false princess and the magic that surrounds her.
This is one of those very sweet princess type stories but kind of in reverse...the girl finds out she's not a princess instead of finding out she is one. I loved watching Sinda's journey from being a Princess to being a "no one" and then her struggle to figure out who she wanted to be. Sinda is smart girl and a gentle girl, but she has a little bit of fire in her and as she learns to kindle the fire and believe in herself she becomes a force to be reckoned with.
Many of the side characters are fascinating too. Kiernan is a wonderful male lead; he has so many conflicting interests but is determined to remain a true friend to Sinda no matter what her situation. Kieran and Sinda have a romance based on a lifetime of support and love and it is a very sweet romance to read about.
There is a lot of magic in this book as well and I enjoyed watching Sinda as she struggled to control her magic powers. The plot is paced very well and has plenty of twists and turns so you are constantly left trying to guess what will happen next and trying to put together the pieces of the mystery before Sinda does.
This was on of those books that everytime I sat down I had a little trouble getting into it for the first few minutes, then once I got into the story I couldn't put it down.
Overall I really enjoyed this story. It is full of wonderful characters, a sweet and subtle romance between the two main characters, magic, and a wonderful mystery. Fans of Brightly Woven, Tamora Pierce's Books, or Kristin Cashore's book should check this book out. I look forward to O'Neal's next book.
Nalia has lead a sheltered and well-educated life as the Princess set to inherit the Throne of Thorvaldor. Nalia's world comes crashing down around her when on her sixteenth birthday she is told that she is not the princess, she is in fact a false princess raised in the real princess's place in order to save the real princess from a horrible prophecy. Nalia is told her name is actually Sinda and she is sent away from everything she has ever known and loved to live with an aunt in the country. Her best friend Kiernan tries to visit to console her, but Sinda is desolate. That is until she finds out that she has powerful magic and begins to unweave a number of mysteries surrounding the false princess and the magic that surrounds her.
This is one of those very sweet princess type stories but kind of in reverse...the girl finds out she's not a princess instead of finding out she is one. I loved watching Sinda's journey from being a Princess to being a "no one" and then her struggle to figure out who she wanted to be. Sinda is smart girl and a gentle girl, but she has a little bit of fire in her and as she learns to kindle the fire and believe in herself she becomes a force to be reckoned with.
Many of the side characters are fascinating too. Kiernan is a wonderful male lead; he has so many conflicting interests but is determined to remain a true friend to Sinda no matter what her situation. Kieran and Sinda have a romance based on a lifetime of support and love and it is a very sweet romance to read about.
There is a lot of magic in this book as well and I enjoyed watching Sinda as she struggled to control her magic powers. The plot is paced very well and has plenty of twists and turns so you are constantly left trying to guess what will happen next and trying to put together the pieces of the mystery before Sinda does.
This was on of those books that everytime I sat down I had a little trouble getting into it for the first few minutes, then once I got into the story I couldn't put it down.
Overall I really enjoyed this story. It is full of wonderful characters, a sweet and subtle romance between the two main characters, magic, and a wonderful mystery. Fans of Brightly Woven, Tamora Pierce's Books, or Kristin Cashore's book should check this book out. I look forward to O'Neal's next book.
