The False Princess by Eilis O' Neal

Summary/Cover Image from Publisher's Website:

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.

Review:

It's as simple as this: I LOVED (and I mean LOVED) The False Princess. It's one of those books that has it all- an intriguing plot that constantly leaves you guessing, a strong, relateable main character, swoon-worthy romance, and fantastic writing.

The False Princess starts on the day when Nalia, princess of and heir to the throne of Thorvaldor, finds out the most unsettling news of her life. For one, she isn't the princess of Thorvaldor, instead she's the false princess, put in place to keep the real princess safe for the first sixteen years of her life. Her real name is Sinda. And to top everything off, she's sent away from everything she knows (and her best friend) to live with an aunt she doesn't know. Her new life is filled with loneliness and longing for the life and and friends she's left behind, but she soon finds out a secret- one that puts her life and the whole kingdom's in danger. Soon enough, her and her friend Kiernan are off to fix everything. But can she truly fix everything before it's too late? Especially when an old acquaintance stands in her way? And what about her friend Kiernan? Does she like him as more than a friend? Only time will tell in this deeply engrossing tale that fans of Kristin Cashore and Gail Carson Levine will gobble right up.

One of the favorite parts of The False Princess was the setting and the plot and how they worked together to make the book fabulous. The setting was the classic fairytale one. It had the queen, the king, and the usual commoners associated, and what I liked most about it was seeing how it played along with the plot. And with saying that, the plot of this was made of awesome. I loved the idea of a false princess and the deceit and lies that came with it. I adored seeing how Kiernan and Sinda worked together to piece every little secret together to save their world, as well as how during this time something more began to form between them.

Moving on, as I'm sure you can already guess, I loved the characters! Sinda was someone who was strong and smart... someone who would go to the end of the world to save everything, no matter how she may feel about it at the time. And best of all, she felt real to me. Her emotions were ones I feel anyone in her place would experience... loneliness, anger, and sadness about how everything in her life turned out. And best of all, instead of letting those feeling consume her, she moved on and change everything. I also loved her relationship with the sweet and charming Kiernan because it truly was the perfect topping to this book.

In all, Eilis O' Neal has a real winner within The False Princess, and I truly can't wait for its release date so that everyone can see how well-written and addicting this novel is. I can only hope Eilis will have the chance to revisit this world in future novels.

Grade: A+

The False Princess is now out!

Source: Publicist at Goodman Media. Thanks, Jenny!