Review: The False Princess

Title: The False Princess
Author: Eilis O’Neal
Published: 2011 by Egmont
Obtained: Library

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.

Alright. This book is so stinkin’ fantastic. It’s adorable, exciting, addicting, and involves magic.

So the story goes of the girl, she thinks she’s the princess then she finds out that she isn’t. So she goes WITHOUT ANY PROTESTING, to an obscure village to live with her aunt who hates her. Discovers she has magic, goes back to the city to learn to control it, and discovers a secret. (I’m not going to spoil that) and from there it is a whirlwind of new people, places, ideas, and a lot of Keirnan (my favorite character).

All in all, this book is just amazing for many reasons. First, the characters are all so well crafted. Sinda seems like this huge push-over in the beginning and you want to yell at her to stand up for herself. Then some of the characters point this out to her, and you realize this was just a character flaw, not an annoying characteristic. Even the side characters are complex, from Tyr (you’ll find out who he is… :)) to the queen and king. Also, Sinda isn’t this weak and whiney heroine, she has her flaws, but she gets over them and moves on.

The plot is crazy. I’m doing this review kind of late, so I don’t remember EVERYTHING, but it really is a whirlwind once Sinda “discovers the secret.”

So, I loved this book a lot. A lot a lot. Go read it.

Rating: 10/10

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Content Warnings: A few kisses. It really had nothing objectionable in it.