Category: Fantasy
The False Princess by Eilis O’Neal
(Cover picture courtesy of Goodreads.)
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.
This is technically YA but I’d definitely have to say it’s aimed at the younger demographic. Maybe that’s why I had a harder time connecting with the characters than I should have.
I can’t honestly fault the plot. It was fast-paced and interesting enough to keep me reading. There were lots of unexpected twists and turns and I like how Eilis O’Neal turns some old tropes on their heads. I thought The False Princess was just going to be another mash-up of fantasy tropes when I picked it up but I’m very glad I was wrong.
The only thing I was disappointed about was the characters. The main character Sinda seemed like she had everything going for her: she was fierce, determined and generally easy to relate to. Except, I had a really hard time connecting with her on an emotional level. Sure, I wanted her to succeed and unravel the mystery surrounding her role in the succession, but I really couldn’t feel her emotions. When she was sad I felt the same as when she was happy and in love. Part of it is that this is a first novel so O’Neal doesn’t quite have that ability to write emotion into the story but the other part may be the target demographic.
Basically, The False Princess is an average novel that I would recommend to teens in the 12-14 age group. O’Neal doesn’t talk down to her readers and the characters face some really terrifying obstacles on their way to uncovering the mystery. I think younger readers will find Sinda and the others far more sympathetic than I did. With all that said, this is not a bad novel and I’d even call it good. It just wasn’t for me.
I give this book 4/5 stars.
The Exiled Queen by Cinda Williams Chima
(Cover picture courtesy of Cinda Williams Chima’s site.)
Haunted by the loss of his mother and sister, Han Alister journeys south to begin his schooling at Mystwerk House in Oden’s Ford. But leaving the Fells doesn’t mean that danger isn’t far behind. Han is hunted every step of the way by the Bayars, a powerful wizarding family set on reclaiming the amulet Han stole from them. And Mystwerk House has dangers of its own. There, Han meets Crow, a mysterious wizard who agrees to tutor Han in the darker parts of sorcery—but the bargain they make is one Han may regret.
Meanwhile, Princess Raisa ana’Marianna runs from a forced marriage in the Fells, accompanied by her friend Amon and his triple of cadets. Now, the safest place for Raisa is Wein House, the military academy at Oden’s Ford. If Raisa can pass as a regular student, Wein House will offer both sanctuary and the education Raisa needs to succeed as the next Gray Wolf queen.
Everything changes when Han and Raisa’s paths cross, in this epic tale of uncertain friendships, cut-throat politics, and the irresistible power of attraction.
I felt rather ‘meh’ about the first book in this series, The Demon King and only gave it 3.5 stars. Still, I felt that I was sufficiently interested to buy the second book in the Seven Realms series. Why not give Cinda Williams Chima another try?
Good thing I did, though. It turns out that this second book in the series is actually quite a bit better than the first book. I felt that the plot was the weak point of the first novel because there were sections where it was really fast-paced and then it would drag on and on for several pages. That really wasn’t the case with The Exiled Queen, which was quite fast-paced throughout the nearly 600 pages of the story. There were places where the plot was slow, yes, but at least there was always that undercurrent of tension as both Raisa and Han were on the run.
I was really impressed with how the world-building was expanded. We learn so much more about the Demon King and his effects on the Seven Realms even a thousand years later. We also learn a lot more about magic: how it’s used, where it comes from, how flashpieces are created, etc. It’s really fascinating to see just how in depth the world-building in this story is. The first book gave me the impression it was an average fantasy world, but I’m definitely going to have to revise that opinion after reading this book.
The characters were just as good this time around. Raisa, for the first time in her life, is learning real hardship as she tries to make it as a soldier. It’s not easy for her because even though she’s not your stereotypical pampered princess, she has lived a life of luxury. Yes, she does a bit of complaining but she possesses enough self-awareness to tough it out and work just as hard as everyone else does at school. Han is definitely improving as a character as he becomes a true wizard. He’s powerful but is not above beginner mistakes and he’s well aware of his shortcomings compared to his peers at Mystwerk. I found myself liking Han more than Raisa this time around but both characters are very memorable.
Basically I’m not sure what went wrong with The Demon King, but The Exiled Queen is far better. Maybe it’s the change of scenery or the new maturity of the characters. Either way, this second book was way better and I can’t wait to read the third book.
I give this book 5/5 stars.
Mistress of the Wind by Michelle Diener
(Cover picture courtesy of Delighted Reader.)
Bjorn needs to find a very special woman . . .
The fate of his people, and his own life, depends on it. But when he does find her, she is nothing like he imagined, and may just harbor more secrets than he does himself.
Astrid has never taken well to commands. No matter who issues them . . .
She’s clashed her whole life with her father, and now her lover, the mysterious man who comes to her bedroom in darkness and disappears to guard his mountain by day as a bear, is finding it out the hard way. And when he’s taken by his enemies, no one is prepared for Astrid’s response.
It is never wise to anger the mistress of the wind . . .
A captivating and magical adult retelling of the fairy tale East of the Sun, West of the Moon.
[Full disclosure: I won this book in a giveaway by Michelle Diener and there was no expectation of review so as always this review is my honest opinion.]
I’d previously read a retelling of East of the Sun, West of the Moon in the form of Sun and Moon, Ice and Snow by Jessica Day George. It wasn’t really that memorable but I did enjoy learning about the original myth. Mistress of the Wind is a huge improvement on the original myth. Astrid is, of course, still as feisty as the girl in the original myth but Michelle Diener has given her world far much more depth.
Astrid is a very special girl with some pretty awesome abilities. Bjorn is powerful but Astrid is powerful in her own right and they’re both incredibly stubborn. It makes for an interesting dynamic in their relationship, that’s for sure! They both have their flaws and strengths but the thing that I liked the most was that unlike in the myth, they didn’t fall in Insta-Love. No, they slowly come to respect and eventually love each other and it’s only when things go wrong that Astrid truly realizes just how much she really loves Bjorn.
Michelle Diener has also taken creatures from Scandinavian myths to populate her world. There are both good and evil creatures and in the end both types of creatures contribute to the balance and therefore survival of the world. However, the balance has been thrown off and it’s up to Bjorn and Astrid to restore it together. So not only is there the main plot but there are plenty of these interesting little subplots that tie into the main conflict of Astrid and Bjorn’s relationship.
The plot isn’t break-neck but it was exciting enough for me not to want to put the book down. Like with all of Michelle Diener’s books, I quickly became invested not only in the plot but in the three dimensional characters. If you’re interested in fairytale retellings you can’t go wrong with Mistress of the Wind.
I give this book 5/5 stars.
The Curse by Jennifer Brassel
(Cover picture courtesy of Goodreads.)
His search for her has been timeless, eternal, and ultimately thwarted. Until now…
Seth Almose has spent countless lives trying to break the curse that robs him of his soul mate. Each time the cycle begins anew, he meets it with hope, and each time he is left with heartbreak. But as the cycle dawns again, with yet another incarnation, Seth can’t help himself. She is extraordinary; is she the one?
Julia Morrow has reason to be wary of men. After restarting her life to escape an increasingly dangerous stalker, she has no reason to believe Seth and his stories of reincarnation and curses. But his face haunts her dreams, and her canvasses. He claims that it is a matter of life and death — her death. Can she find it in herself to trust again, or will the cycle turn once again, leaving them both broken and alone?
[Full disclosure: I received a free ebook copy through NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.]
I really debated requesting The Curse on NetGalley but in the end my curiosity got the better of me. Despite the cliché-filled blurb I thought I’d give this one a chance and approach it with an open mind. After all, I did the same thing to Echo Prophecy by Lindsey Fairleigh and it turned out to be a great book. The Curse isn’t a great book, though. Don’t get me wrong—it’s far from a bad book. It’s simply an average novel with nothing really to distinguish it from similar reincarnation curse stories.
The characters were very well developed. I really felt for Julia having to move and change her name after being stalked for months before the story started. Her behaviour is obviously affected by this incident but with the help of Seth she does seem to recover at a natural pace. She’s strong and brave but at the same time isn’t an unrealistically kick-butt protagonist. Seth was surprising for a male lead in that he isn’t the type of guy to rush out immediately when his beloved is kidnapped. No, he called the police, something that normal human beings would do in that circumstance. That was probably the biggest surprise of the whole novel but in hindsight it fits with his character.
Other than some surprises with the characters, there weren’t really all that many plot surprises. The Curse followed a pretty typical reincarnation story arc where girl starts having dreams, meets boy, they get together after some initial misunderstandings and circumstances or evil forces try to pull them apart. I wish Jennifer Brassel had put more of a spin on the old story arc but she really didn’t. Her story is well-paced and the world-building is relatively good but it’s really just the same old thing I’ve read before.
I would have liked far more backstory not only for the villains of the story but also for Seth and Julia’s past lives. We get flashes of it so we know the basic sketch of the story but I personally would have liked more details. That’s probably just me so I can’t really fault the author for that, though. The only real criticism I have about the backstory is that we didn’t really know very much about the villains and their motivations. I wish the villains had more complex motives than they were presented as having because it would have made the climax far more exciting. Oh well.
So like I said this isn’t a great book but it’s not a bad book either. It’s somewhere in between and if you generally like this kind of stuff I’d recommend The Curse. It’s just that it’s not all that unique.
I give this book 3/5 stars.
Shattered Secrets by Krystal Wade
(Cover picture courtesy of Functioning Insanity.)
After being kidnapped, hogtied, and stuffed in the trunk of a car, seventeen-year-old Abigail Nichols’ boy problems seem unimportant.
She couldn’t be more wrong.The boy who saves her holds her heart.
But Derick Crawford also holds secrets.
Magical beings who guide human emotions are fighting an invisible war dating back to the dawn of time, and Abigail’s one of them. The more she learns of her heritage, the less she wants to know. Armed with a very old, very massive book to teach them about their history, Abigail and Derick run away to a place where they think they can be safe and happy, only to have their troubles secretly hitch a ride.
Her history book is in a sharing mood, and it tells her to keep a secret of her own.
But has she put her trust in the wrong place?
And will the world survive if she has?
[Full disclosure: I received a free ebook through NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.]
Way back I reviewed Krystal Wade’s debut trilogy Darkness Falls. I fell in love with her style of writing and have been eagerly awaiting her next work. Shattered Secrets didn’t really sound like what I’d normally pick up but since I enjoyed her previous work I requested it on NetGalley anyway. The world-building was just as good, the characters were reasonably well fleshed-out and the plot was very fast-paced but in the end I just didn’t like this one as much. It’s still good, mind you. But it’s not as good as the first series.
My only real ‘problem’ with the story was Abigail, the narrator. She’s rather naive and constantly screwing up her own life. She tends to run headfirst into danger and although she can be intelligent at times (observing her surroundings when she was kidnapped) there are times I wanted to slap her. To be fair she does get better as the book progresses but because of her early behaviour I wasn’t quite able to connect as well emotionally. I wasn’t a huge fan of either male lead or the love triangle but at least both characters were well fleshed-out. The love triangle is generally well done but I would have liked to see something different.
The plot was incredibly fast-paced, though. There were twists and turns around every corner as more and more information was revealed. What is Abigail really? And how can she stop an impending apocalypse when everyone is telling her to do something different? There are a fair amount of subplots that add tension to the main plot but it never really gets confusing. That’s good because if it was confusing you’d be totally lost by the time you got to the end of the book.
Since most of the book is about Derick and Abigail discovering who they are I can’t give a solid judgment on the world-building but so far it’s really good. Krystal Wade has actually thought up some unique ideas for her magical beings and mixed them in with existing ideas to create the type of rich fantasy world I’ve come to expect from her. You really can’t fault her world-building.
All in all, this book was pretty good. I’m definitely interested to see what happens next in the Book of Red series.
I give this book 4/5 stars.