The False Princess

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mood: cheerful

 

The False Princess by Eilis O'Neal
Release Date: January 25, 2011
Publisher: EgmontUSA
Age Group: Young Adult
Pages: 336
Format: Hardcover
Source: Borrowed from the Library
Intrest:
Challenge: 2011 Reading Challenge, and YA Debut Author Challenge
Buy the Book: http://www.amazon.com/False-Princess-Eilis-ONeal/dp/1606840797/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1315680167&sr=8-1

  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.


I will admit that when I picked this book up at my local library, I wasn't expecting much. I especially was not expecting to fall totally in love with it! But fall in love I did!

This book captivated me, and I found myself unable to put it down! I read the entire book in one day! Which is a feat, as anyone who knows me well, knows that I am quite a slow reader!

This book has a little bit of everything! A royal princess, magic, deciet, adventure, friendship, and love.  It captivates you from the very begining, and holds your attention to the very end. I found myself biting my nails ( litteraly) at times, and constantly wondering what happenes next, and shocked when it did.

Set in Thorvaldor, Sinda has led a privelaged life as Nalia the princess. Shortly after her sixteenth birthday Sinda finds out she is not the true princess, Nalia, but instead the false princess, and her true name Sinda! A prophecy had been given, after Nalia's birth, revealing that she would die before her sixteenth birday. Afraid for her life, and the heir to the throne, her parents, the king and queen of Thorvaldor, have her safely hidden away, so they think! They switch Nalia, for baby Sinda, and raise her as the princess. Image her shock after 16 years, to find out she is not only a false princess, but has no mother and father at all, and is cast out from the castle, after fulfilling her duty to the throne, and risking her life!

SInda, is sent away to live with her only living relative, her Aunt, in a small village. There Sinda quickly finds that she doesn't fit in, not with her aunt, or anyone! All alone, with no friends, Sinda must learn to work and earn her place. Her training as a princess, and future queen, not preparing her for her true life! Sinda quickly learns that she has inherited something from her mother, the gift of magic!

Seemingly out of control, Sinda leaves her aunt's home and takes up residence with a wizard in another village. A bit of a misfit, the wizard sets about teaching her how to control her magic. Something Sinda feels she will never master! And this is when the adventure really begins!

I won't give away anymore, because I know you are dying to read it! I will just say that this is a truly captivating book that you won't be able to resist! It is full of romance, intrigue, mystery, lies and deciet, a secret map and a hidden passage, a princess ( or is she?) and so much more! Full of twist and turns that will keep you guessing right to the very end! I hope you will enjoy reading this book as much as I did! It is now one of my all time favorites! I can't wait to purchase this one, and add it to my collection!

Eilis O'Neal wrote a stunningly captivating debut novel! I truly hope that I will be reading more about Sinda in the near future, and can't wait to read more books by Eilis!