by Ally CarterPrincess 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 read parts of The False Princess with fear in my heart. During the first 100 pages, it felt like I had a problem with a lot of different aspects of this book. Thankfully, this debut quickly turned around turned out to be a great fantasy read.
I think this book could have easily used about another 50 pages. The novel kicks off with Sinda finding out that she is the false princess and her leaving the palace, and the political intrigue drew me in right away. The first 100 pages flew by, but to be honest, a slower pacing would have felt more natural to me. A lot of the plot points seemed rushed, and I could imagine O’Neal at her computer thinking, “Let’s get this over so I can get to the good stuff.” A good writer will give you the exposition you need, but a great writer will do so in an engaging and expertly plotted fashion. In this respect, I found that O’Neal was only a good writer. However, after those first 100 pages this problem seemed to dissipate.
I also found that O’Neal was only a good writer in terms of the romance. It was sweet, but some of the lines the characters spouted seemed over the top and cliched at times. I still enjoyed it overall, though, it just had its iffy moments. I felt the same way about Sinda and her narration. Sinda starts off as a stubborn character, which initially frustrated. By the end of the novel I liked her a bit better, but she won’t stand out as beloved female protagonist.
My favorite part of this novel? Most definitely the magic. I enjoyed O’Neal’s descriptions of it, the magic itself and the entire world that encompassed it all. Well played. I also really liked Keirnan, because he was witty and sweet. I would mention another character I loved, but we’d be approaching spoiler territory.
I wanted to fall in love with The False Princess, and that didn’t quite happen. However, I definitely had fun reading it and getting to know O’Neal’s quirky but lovable characters. Lovers of magic and fantasy should definitely get a hold of this book.
I totally agree with this statement. It seems like we see the same few creatures over and over and a lot of similar formulas, like the classic murderous boy and girl who knows this but is drawn to him nonetheless. I spread out my paranormal reads so I don’t get sick of the genre, but by now, I can totally see why some people might resent the genre or go cold turkey. However, I think paranormal has its merits, especially among readers who might not pick up other genres.I agree about paranormal, they’re all the same and getting old. It's rare there's a really good one!
In this book you will find: Boggis an enormously fat man, a chicken farmer and a mean man. Bunce, a pot bellied dwarf, a duck-and-goose farmer and a nasty man. Bean, a thin man, a turkey-and-apple farmer and a beastly man. Badger, the most respectable and well-behaved animal in the district. Rat, a rude creature and a drunkard, and also a Mrs. Fox and her four children.
Freak. That's what her classmates call seventeen-year-old Donna Underwood. When she was seven, a horrific fey attack killed her father and drove her mother mad. Donna's own nearly fatal injuries from the assault were fixed by magic—the iron tattoos branding her hands and arms. The child of alchemists, Donna feels cursed by the magical heritage that destroyed her parents and any chance she had for a normal life. The only thing that keeps her sane and grounded is her relationship with her best friend, Navin Sharma.When the darkest outcasts of Faerie—the vicious wood elves—abduct Navin, Donna finally has to accept her role in the centuries old war between the humans and the fey. Assisted by Xan, a gorgeous half-fey dropout with secrets of his own, Donna races to save her friend—even if it means betraying everything her parents and the alchemist community fought to the death to protect.
I don't remember where, but I recently saw a finished copy of this in someone's IMM vlog and it was completely gorgeous. Plus, this novel sounds sort of like it has similar elements to Julie Kagawa's The Iron King and The Replacement by Brenna Yovanoff, and I loved both of those books. I'm eager to see Mahoney's take on fey.
What are you waiting on this Wednesday?
The same questions whirl round and round in my head:
What does he want from me?
How could I have let this happen?
AM I GOING TO DIE?
17-year-old Grace wakes up in a white room, with a table, pens and paper - and no clue how she got here.
As Grace pours her tangled life onto the page, she is forced to remember everything she's tried to forget. There's falling hopelessly in love with the gorgeous Nat, and the unravelling of her relationship with her best friend Sal. But there's something missing. As hard as she's trying to remember, is there something she just can't see?
Grace must face the most important question of all. Why is she here?
A story of dark secrets, intense friendship and electrifying attraction.
Elizabeth Eulberg was born and raised in Wisconsin before making a career in the New York City book biz. She is also the author of The Lonely Hearts Club and lives outside of New York City. Learn more at .
You can visit her facebook page .
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*Two winners, each of whom will receive one copy of Prom and Prejudice by Elizabeth Eulberg.
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The Van Helsing family has been hunting vampires for over one hundred years, but sixteen-year-old Daphne wishes her parents would take up an occupation that doesn’t involve decapitating vamps for cash. All Daphne wants is to settle down in one place, attend an actual school, and finally find a BFF to go to the mall with. Instead, Daphne has resigned herself to a life of fast food, cheap motels and buying garlic in bulk.I essentially picked up Slayed largely because it’s set in Maine, but also because I thought the fact that it’s about a vampire slayer interesting. It’s a short book and I started off thinking that it was a cheesy but fun paranormal novel. Unfortunately, by the end of the novel I was rolling my eyes at the extreme lack of development.
But when the Van Helsings are called to a coastal town in Maine, Daphne’s world is turned upside down. Not only do the Van Helsings find themselves hunting a terrifying new kind of vampire (one without fangs but with a taste for kindergarten cuisine), Daphne meets her first potential BF! The hitch? Her new crush is none other than Tyler Harker, AKA, the son of the rival slayer family.
What's a teen vampire slayer to do?
The Lion and the Swastika is a story of the brutalities of war brought home to a young girl by the fall of Mussolini in 1943 and the consequent Nazi occupation of the entire Veneto region. This is also a romantic story set against the backdrop of terrible war and of a beautiful ancient city – Venice, fascinating in all seasons, from the flowering of spring to the winter magic of snow and high tide. But it is also the story of the awakening of a young woman to the cruelty in the world and the necessity of taking radical action in defense of her ideals and the freedom of her beloved country. In Venice the emblem of the winged Lion of Saint Mark, for centuries the symbol of the glorious Venetian Republic, is still the symbol of the unyielding Venetian people. This story, based on my own experience, is one told here to inspire those who fight for love and freedom.
A gorgeously written fantasy about the friendship between a princess and her Pegasus.Because of a thousand-year-old alliance between humans and pagasi, Princess Sylviianel is ceremonially bound to Ebon, her own Pegasus, on her twelfth birthday. The two species coexist peacefully, despite the language barriers separating them. Humans and pegasi both rely on specially-trained Speaker magicians as the only means of real communication.
But its different for Sylvi and Ebon. They can understand each other. They quickly grow close-so close that their bond becomes a threat to the status quo-and possibly to the future safety of their two nations.
New York Times bestselling Robin McKinley weaves an unforgettable tale of unbreakable friendship, mythical creatures and courtly drama destined to become a classic.
I cannot think of a single other YA book that deal strictly with pegasi, so I have to applaud McKinley for the original premise of this novel. McKinley seems to be a pretty well acclaimed YA fantasy author, and I’ve only read one of her other books, so when my favorite tour site listed Pegasus I jumped at the chance to read it.
The pacing of this story just felt off. McKinely devoted a lot of time to world building, and to an extent that was really interesting. However, this novel is 400 pages and I felt like the plot didn’t really take off until about the last 100 pages.
A few other glitches made this story tricky to focus on. For example, a lot of the names were ridiculously difficult to pronounce, and if I can’t say a name aloud I tend to get distracted from the story, which is probably a flaw of mine as reader. I also felt as though McKinley would provide description in anticipation of something happening but barely touch on the actual event, and this kind of detached me from the story as a reader. McKinley didn't show me what happened, she just told me.
I wanted to like Pegasus, but couldn’t quite get past McKinley’s writing. Her world building held some serious appeal, and I have Spindle’s End on my shelf anyway, so I’ll be sure to give her another shot.
“I’ve left some clues for you. If you want them, turn the page. If you don’t, put the book back on the shelf, please.” So begins the latest whirlwind romance from the New York Times bestselling authors of Nick & Norah’s Infinite Playlist. Lily has left a red notebook full of challenges on a favorite bookstore shelf, waiting for just the right guy to come along and accept its dares. But is Dash that right guy? Or are Dash and Lily only destined to trade dares, dreams, and desires in the notebook they pass back and forth at locations across New York? Could their in-person selves possibly connect as well as their notebook versions? Or will they be a comic mismatch of disastrous proportions? Rachel Cohn and David Levithan have written a love story that will have readers perusing bookstore shelves, looking and longing for a love (and a red notebook) of their own.
Betrayal, loss, pain, fear. How many trials can love endure and still survive?
Colt and Julia were secretly together for an entire year, and no one—not even Julia's boyfriend— knew. They had nothing in common, with Julia in her country club world on Black Mountain and Colt from down on the flats, but it never mattered. Until Julia dies in a car accident, and Colt learns the price of secrecy. He can't mourn Julia openly, and he's tormented that he might have played a part in her death. When Julia's journal ends up in his hands, Colt relives their year together at the same time that he's desperately trying to forget her. But how do you get over someone who was never yours in the first place?
I loved the first cover. The kiss captures the attraction between the main characters. The darkness of the cover, and the fact that you can’t see their full faces, brings the right air of mystery and secrecy. I’ve blessed Sam Kim, the designer, a million times for that cover.
I also love the fact that I get the chance to see another interpretation, with the paperback cover. This time we get to see Julia’s face, and I have to say her expression really fits the character. The light-colored background will be a nice relief from all the dark covers in YA.
Seeing the covers was one of my favorite parts of the publication experience. It’s just so exciting to get to see a visual depiction of your work—a depiction that will represent it in bookstores and all over the internet.
NOTE: The cover I've shown above is the hardcover, and the one below is the paperback.
We see some aspects of The Secret Year through Julia, the eyes of dead girl. What inspired you to write from this perspective?
That grew naturally from the story. The fact that Colt got hold of her notebook was part of my original idea for the story, so—we definitely had to find out what was in it! And as I wrote, I realized that it’s a fantasy many of us probably have: to be able to find out what was going on in a romance through your partner’s eyes, with all the insight and discomfort and regret and nostalgia that can bring.
Colt has to cope with his grief over Julia’s death throughout the novel, and while he isn’t perfect I enjoyed reading about him. Can you tell us more about how his character was born?
I had the idea for the story: a secret relationship, a dead girl, a notebook left behind—but I didn’t start writing until I had Colt’s voice in my head. He started speaking to me, and I listened.
One thing I’ve noticed about grief in real life is the incredible spectrum of experiences people have. Most of the time, people do go on about their daily lives, and the emotions of mourning often come in bursts or waves, some of them delayed quite a bit. Some of Colt’s actions come from his own personality, his strengths and flaws. But a few of them are also products of the grieving process. He gets blindsided by some emotions late in the book that he had thought were behind him; he didn’t expect he would have more layers of loss to cope with.
Are you working on any projects right now that you can talk about?
The book I’m working on right now is also contemporary YA, also with a male narrator. This character’s problems are very different from Colt’s. His family and his financial situation are much more stable than Colt’s, but his inner resources are much shakier. He’s trying to come back from the brink of something. I’m very interested in how people put their lives back together after they’ve gone deep into trouble.
What books have had the strongest effect on you as a person and as a writer?
Jack Kerouac’s writing has influenced me a lot—the rhythm of it, his skill at picking out the most telling specifics, the way he describes even the most miserable settings in loving detail. But really, everything I’ve ever read has probably influenced me in some way.
How do you spend your time when you aren’t writing? Do you have any hobbies or activities that you enjoy? I see that you sometimes tweet about taking long walks.
Yes, hiking is one of my favorite activities, and I walk at least a mile every day. I love to read, of course. I go to gamelan concerts twice a year, and taiko concerts whenever I get the chance. Tennis is my favorite spectator sport, and I watch the Grand Slam tournaments. I also watch the Olympics whenever they’re on, and my husband has gotten me into watching the Tour de France. At various times in my life, I’ve played piano, done embroidery, played volleyball, and taken art classes.
You’re stranded on a desert island and you can choose five items to have with you. What do you select?
Well, let’s pretend I don’t have to worry about any of the practical items like medicine, a sunshade, and fish hooks, and something to catch rainwater, because it’s more fun this way. I’d say: some kind of solar-powered music device, something to write with, and something to read. (A solar-powered e-reader might come in handy here, if only it existed!)
Anything else you’d like to add?
Thanks for hosting me!
Thanks so much for stopping by, Jennifer! If you haven't already, be sure to check out The Secret Year.