Book Review: The False Princess by Eilis O'Neal

Title: The False Princess
Author: Eilis O'Neal
Series: None
Publisher: Egmont USA
Released: January 25, 2011
Author's Website: www.eilisoneal.com

Book Summary:

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'll be giving this one to my daughter to read.  The False Princess is a great book for tweens, teens & adults.  This book had a little bit of just about everything: romance, mystery, magic, history, adventure, fantasy.  Simply put it is just a great story that I enjoyed reading.

Rating: 4 Stars - Great Book

Content: Clean Read

Source: Download from Audible.com

Book Review: Dreaming Anastasia by Joy Preble

What really happened to Anastasia Romanov?


Anastasia Romanov thought she would never feel more alone than when the gunfire started and her family began to fall around her. Surely the bullets would come for her next. But they didn't. Instead, two gnarled old hands reached for her. When she wakes up she discovers that she is in the ancient hut of the witch Baba Yaga, and that some things are worse than being dead.


In modern-day Chicago, Anne doesn't know much about Russian history. She is more concerned about getting into a good college—until the dreams start. She is somewhere else. She is someone else. And she is sharing a small room with a very old woman. The vivid dreams startle her, but not until a handsome stranger offers to explain them does she realize her life is going to change forever. She is the only one who can save Anastasia. But, Anastasia is having her own dreams…

I accepted a review copy of Haunted which is the sequel to Anastasia Dreaming. As I don't read books out of order I quickly read this one so I can start Haunted.

Dreaming Anastasia is a book that is right up my alley... magic, fantasy, historical fiction, mystery, adventure, fairy tale with a little romance mixed in.  The legend of Anastasia Romanov mixed with the Russian folktale character Baga Yaga meets modern day Anne Michaelson for a unique story that I enjoyed.

Without reading the epilogue this book could have almost been a stand alone.  However after reading the prologue I'm intrigued and looking forward to reading the sequel tonight.

When I put this book down I was drawn back to it wondering how it was going to end.  The story is told from alternating narrators of Anne, Anastasia and Ethan which meant great character development for all of them.  Twists and turns kept this from being a predictable read.




Content: Language throughout, talk of boyfriend's groping hands, smoking

Rating: 4 Stars

Source: Library

Blog Tour: Book Review: The Peasant Queen by Cheri Chesley

After running away from home, Krystal is transported to a faraway kingdom where an evil tyrant is bent on taking the crown - and Krystal's hand in marriage. But when she falls in love with the rightful heir to the throne, she must make an impossible choice: sacrifice her one chance at happiness or face the destruction of an entire kingdom.

The Peasant Queen is a light, easy, sweet read.  The story contains a good mix of adventure and romance with a strong heroine and a little magic.  This is a book I really enjoyed and can easily recommend to readers of all ages, especially those who enjoy fairy tales.  I was summarizing the book to my husband who commented it sound a lot like a Disney movie.  Also reminded me a little of The Princess Bride.

Lovers of Shannon Hale's Goose Girls series are sure to enjoy this book.  I wish the ending hadn't wrapped up quite so quickly and there was one other plot point that I felt wasn't adequately explained but still a wonderful story I would recommend.

http://cherichesley.blogspot.com/
http://www.cherichesley.com/


Content: Clean

Rating: 4 Stars

Source: From Author For Review

Book Review: Spells (Wings #2) by Aprilynne Pike

Six months have passed since Laurel saved the gateway to the faerie realm of Avalon. Now she must spend her summer there, honing her skills as a Fall faerie. But her human family and friends are still in mortal danger--and the gateway to Avalon is more compromised than ever.

When it comes time to protect those she loves, will she depend on David, her human boyfriend, for help? Or will she turn to Tamani, the electrifying faerie with whom her connection is undeniable?

Spells is book #2 in the Wings Series by Aprilynne Pike. I had assumed this was a trilogy since it seems like every young adult book that comes out lately is part of a trilogy but alas it's a quartet so there will be 2 more yet to be released books. Illusions comes out in May and the final book in 2012. Oh how I hate waiting for sequels.  This book had a great ending.  It wrapped up enough to leave me satisfied yet opened things up for something new.

I think I enjoyed Spells even more than then book 1, Wings. I love the character Tamani, seriously Laurel wake up and see what is before you!  You're a faerie, he's a faerie, David's a human.  Easy decision - so don't make it so hard.

This is a sweet, clean series that I recommend to those who enjoy faerie stories. I really enjoyed learning more about the faerie mythology, much of which was very unique. A good mix of faerie mythology, adventure and romance.



Content: Clean for older teens - a couple of the mildest of swearwords that are swear words in my home but aren't in some homes, a reference to sex in the faerie world, etc.

Rating: 4.5 Stars

Source: Download from Audible.com

Book Review: My Unfair Godmother by Janette Rallison

Tansy Miller has always felt that her divorced father has never had enough time for her. But mistakenly getting caught on the wrong side of the law wasn't exactly how she wanted to get his attention. Enter Chrysanthemum "Chrissy" Everstar, Tansy's fairy in shining, er, high heels. Chrissy is only a fair godmother, of course, so Tansy's three wishes don't exactly go according to plan. And if bringing Robin Hood to the twenty-first century isn't bad enough for Tansy, being transported back to the Middle Ages to deal with Rumpelstiltskin certainly is. She'll need the help of her blended family, her wits, and especially the cute police chief 's son to stop the gold-spinning story from spinning wildly out of control. Janette Rallison pulls out all the stops in this fresh, fun-filled follow-up to the popular My Fair Godmother.

I really enjoyed the first book in this series My Fair Godmother. It's unusual for a sequel to be better than the original book but Janette Rallison managed this amazing feat with My Unfair Godmother.

This book is cute, clean and fun. I laughed out loud more times than I can remember. The references Janette makes to popular culture are hysterical. References from everything from Twilight to popular music are sprinkled throughout. I'm not sure if this book was supposed to make me cry but there is one scene near the end were I had tears in my eyes.

Well done Janette! My Unfair Godmother is a hilarious twisted tale that combined elements from Robin Hood and Rumplestiltskin into one fabulous adventure. If you enjoyed My Fair Godmother I'm sure you'll love this one. It can be read as a stand alone but I highly recommend reading My Fair Godmother first.

My Unfair Godmother is scheduled for release on April 12. 2011.

Content: Clean

Rating: 5 Stars

Source: Around the World ARC tour

Review: The Fairy Folk and She: A Tale of Friendship and Love by Mary-Anne Grosse Ivie

Through the Petrified Forest, into the dark cave and up past the Black Pool is a land called Tranquility. In a wondrous and enchanted land where the fairy folk live, a young woman—whose mother is the old woman who lives in a shoe—finds the virtues she learned at home to be very handy. She arrives in Tranquility to be a witch’s maid, innocent and inexperienced. In time, both the fairy folk and the young woman discover that she is destined to be a part of the struggle between good and evil in the fairy world that erupts shortly after her arrival. Elves and witches, sorcerers and warlocks, pixies and sorceresses—all will come into Lisa’s life and she into theirs; some to their good, some to their destruction. In Tranquility and its neighboring lands, honesty, loyalty, truth and goodness are rewarded happily, dare it be said, ever after.

Once in a while my husband will tell our children a bedtime story. A story he has made up full of adventure and magical creatures. A story that my children look forward to and beg him to tell. This book reminded me of the bedtime tales my children love.

While reading I could picture a mother or grandmother gathering her children or grandchildren around her to tell an engaging, heartfelt, wholesome, fun bedtime story.

The Fairy Folk and She is author Mary-Anne Grosse Ivie's first book. The tale begins:

Once upon a time there was an old woman who lived in a shoe, she had so many children she didn't know what to do...

From there Mary-Anne tells an original and imaginative tale. The old woman is unable to care for all her children so she turns to the Razzlewitch for help. Her oldest daughter Lisa agrees to live as Razzlewitch's servant to save her family from starvation.

What follows is a coming of age story as Lisa learns that she has unknown powers and strength to lead out in a battle of good verses evil.

This is an enjoyable story for the young and young at heart. The book does read a little like a bedtime story instead of a polished manuscript. Since I am one who reads for story and pleasure I was able to enjoy this delightful story.

Content: A Clean Read

Rating: 4 Stars

Source: From Author for Review

Dust City by Robert Paul Weston

Who's afraid of the big bad wolf?

His son, that's who.

Ever since his father's arrest for the murder of Little Red Riding Hood, teen wolf Henry Whelp has kept a low profile in a Home for Wayward Wolves . . . until a murder at the Home leads Henry to believe his father may have been framed.

Now, with the help of his kleptomaniac roommate, Jack, and a daring she-wolf named Fiona, Henry will have to venture deep into the heart of Dust City: a rundown, gritty metropolis where fairydust is craved by everyone and controlled by a dangerous mob of Water Nixies and their crime boss leader, Skinner.

When your dad is the wolf who killed little red riding hood, life is no picnic.

So many of the young adult books that I read are so similar. Shortly after finishing them I can't remember which story went with which title or which characters belonged in which book. This is not the case with Dust City. I'm giving a huge shout out to author Robert Paul Weston for creating such an original story. Dust City definitely scores points for creativity.

Henry Whelp is the son of the big bad wolf who killed Red Riding Hood and her grandmother. Unfortunately there was no woodsman with an ax to rescue them thus landing the big bad wolf in jail for committing brutal murder. Henry ends up at St. Remus a home for wayward youth. Beginning to suspect that his father may have been framed for the murders leads Henry to set out on a quest to uncover the truth about what really happened the night Red Riding Hood and her grandmother died.

One of my favorite things about Dust City is the fairytale characters that make appearances. From Jack and his beanstalk to Snow White, from the Frog Prince to King Midas with the golden touch, twisted versions of these classic fairytale characters play a role in this story.

This imaginative story is one I would highly recommend.

Dust City will be released next week on 9/30/10.

Content: A handful of swear words and some violence, fairly mild compared to most YA books.

Rating: 4 Stars

Rapunzel's Revenge by Shannon Hale

Escaping from the enchanted tree where Mother Gothel imprisoned her, Rapunzel sets off alone through the ghost towns and Badlands of Gothel’s Reach. She is determined to find Gothel’s Villa and teach Mother Gothel a long-overdue lesson for her years of treachery and lies, and help her real mother get out of the mine camps where Mother Gothel has kept her enslaved.

Rapunzel’s adventures take her across a country much akin to the Wild Wild West, where she is soon wanted – dead or alive – for horse thieving, kidnapping, jail breaking and using her hair in a manner other than nature intended!

In this highly original take on the familiar story of Rapunzel, Shannon and Dean Hale introduce us to a feisty and dynamic heroine and Nathan Hale’s illustrations offer a striking visual feast, ensuring this is a truly unforgettable reading experience.

I'm a huge fan of Shannon Hale. I've read all her novels and loved them all. I figured to be a true fan I better take the plunge and read her graphic novels to say I've read all her books. I admit to being skeptical about graphic novels. My children have read and enjoyed Rapunzel's Revenge but it really didn't interest me.

Since I had some free time yesterday and was looking for a quick read that I could finish in an afternoon I picked up Rapunzel's Revenge. I'm delighted to report that I thoroughly enjoyed it. Shannon Hale came up with an original take on Rapunzel and wove several fairy tales together to make a very entertaining read. Pictures that tell a story, lots of humor and a great ending make this a book worth reading. I'm still not completely converted to the graphic novel genre but I will be picking up the sequel Calamity Jack the next time I'm at the library.

Content: A clean read

Rating: 4 Stars

The Amaranth Enchantment by Julie Berry

When Lucinda Chapdelaine was a small child, her parents left for the royal ball and never returned. Ever since, Lucinda has been stuck in perpetual servitude at her evil aunt’s jewelry store.

Then, on the very same day, a mysterious visitor and an even more bizarre piece of jewelry both enter the shop, setting in motion a string of twists and turns that will forever alter Lucinda’s path.

In this magical story filled with delightful surprises, Lucinda will dance at the royal ball, fall under the Amaranth Witch’s spell, avenge her parents’ death, and maybe — just maybe — capture the heart of a prince.

The Amaranth Enchantment by Julie Berry is a story perfect for those who love fairy tales. This books has been on my to read list for quite a while. I noticed it was available to listen on audio from NetLibrary so I downloaded it. Glad I did because it was a very entertaining, fun book to listen to. It's full of all the stuff you find in a typical fairytale but also contains lots of original material.

Content: A clean read. My 10 year old overheard part of the book and wants to listen to it now. Although classified as Young Adult I'm letting her listen to it because there is nothing objectionable.

Rating: 4.5 Stars

Beastly by Alex Flinn

I am a beast. A beast. Not quite wolf or bear, gorilla or dog, but a horrible new creature who walks upright – a creature with fangs and claws and hair springing from every pore. I am a monster.

You think I’m talking fairy tales? No way. The place is New York City. The time is now. It’s no deformity, no disease. And I’ll stay this way forever – ruined – unless I can break the spell.

Yes, the spell, the one the witch in my English class cast on me. Why did she turn me into a beast who hides by day and prowls by night? I’ll tell you. I’ll tell you how I used to be Kyle Kingsbury, the guy you wished you were, with money, perfect looks, and a perfect life. And then, I’ll tell you how I became perfectly beastly.

Beastly is a modern-day Beauty & the Beast retelling told from the Beast's perspective. It moved along at a fairly fast pace and held my interest. Beauty & the Beast is one of my favorite fairytales and I enjoy retellings of this story.

Interspersed through the story there is a support "chat" group that the Beast joined with the frog prince, the little mermaid and several other fairy tale characters that I found to be quite humorous.

Alex Flinn did a great job writing this book that shows that ultimately it is what is on the inside that matters most.

Content: This book does contain some language throughout. There is also a few crude sexual references. Age 16+

Rating: 4 Stars - I enjoyed this retelling from the Beast's perspective.

Princess of Glass by Jessica Day George

Hoping to escape the troubles in her kingdom, Princess Poppy reluctantly agrees to take part in a royal exchange program, whereby young princes and princesses travel to each other’s countries in the name of better political alliances—and potential marriages. It’s got the makings of a fairy tale—until a hapless servant named Eleanor is tricked by a vengeful fairy godmother into competing with Poppy for the eligible prince. Ballgowns, cinders, and enchanted glass slippers fly in this romantic and action-packed happily-ever-after quest from an author with a flair for embroidering tales in her own delightful way.

Princess of Glass is a very original retelling of Cinderella. Just the bare basics of the Cinderella story were there: a prince, a ball, soot, a glass slipper, a Godmother. Jessica Day George took those basic elements and created a very unique retelling of Cinderella. 2 princesses, a curse, glass feet, and a witch combined with characters from Day's novel Princess of the Midnight Ball made this a darker version of the classic Cinderella story.

Although the ultimate outcome was predictable there were lots of twists and turns along the way. For me the ending wrapped up way too quickly leaving me feeling a little cheated.

Content: This is a clean read with nothing objectionable.

Rating: 4 Stars - I debated between giving this 3.5 or 4 stars but decided to go with 4 stars for originality. It was a good book, but not quite as good as Princess of the Midnight Ball.

Wild Orchid by Cameron Dokey

Wielding a sword as deftly as an embroidery needle, Mulan is unlike any other girl in China. When the emperor summons a great army, each family must send a male to fight. Tomboyish Mulan is determined to spare her aging father and bring her family honor, so she disguises herself and answers the call. But Mulan never expects to find a friend, let alone a soul mate, in the commander of her division, Prince Jian. For all of Mulan's courage with a bow and arrow, is she brave enough to share her true identity and feelings with Prince Jian?

When Disney's Mulan came out years ago I thought it was an original story. Little did I know that it was based on a Chinese legend from the Poem called Ballad of Mulan. Wild Orchid by Cameron Dokey is the first story I have ever read about Mulan. Since it was new to me it held my attention throughout. The entire first half of the story takes place before Mulan answers the summons to fight and I appreciated getting to know Mulan prior to her leaving for battle.

I admit while reading Wild Orchid I kept hearing Donny Osmond singing "I'll Make a Man Out of You". While not technically a fairytale this story would be enjoyed by those who like fairytale retellings.

Content: This is a clean read with no objectionable content. Catergorized as young adult is is appropriate for ages 10+.

Rating: 4 Stars to this Once Upon A Time tale.

My Fair Godmother by Janette Rallison

Finding your one true love can be a Grimm experience!
After her boyfriend dumps her for her older sister, sophomore Savannah Delano wishes she could find a true prince to take her to the prom. Enter Chrissy (Chrysanthemum) Everstar: Savannah’s gum-chewing, cell phone–carrying, high heel-wearing Fair Godmother. Showing why she’s only Fair—because she’s not a very good fairy student—Chrissy mistakenly sends Savannah back in time to the Middle Ages, first as Cinderella, then as Snow White. Finally she sends Tristan, a boy in Savannah’s class, back instead to turn him into her prom-worthy prince. When Savannah returns to the Middle Ages to save Tristan, they must team up to defeat a troll, a dragon, and the mysterious and undeniably sexy Black Knight. Laughs abound in this clever fairy tale twist from a master of romantic comedy.

I absolutely loved Janette Rallison's book Just One Wish. Being the fairytale lover that I am I decided to give her book My Fair Godmother a try. I shouldn't have been surprised that it was a delightful & totally entertaining read. This was a wonderful fractured fairytale with a teenage fairy who takes wishes quite literally.

Couldn't help but laugh at Rallison's humor including memoir elves who return to the magical realm with atrocious grammar and "write things in text message form (e.g., R U going 2 the mall?) and for no apparent reason occasionally call out the name Edward Cullen."

Content: Totally cute and clean! Nothing objectionable. My library shelved it as a young adult book but I would let my 10 year old read it.

Rating: 4.5 Stars. A great book by Janette Rallison.

Princess of the Midnight Ball by Jessica Day George

A tale of twelve princesses doomed to dance until dawn… Galen is a young soldier returning from war; Rose is one of twelve princesses condemned to dance each night for the King Under Stone. Together Galen and Rose will search for a way to break the curse that forces the princesses to dance at the midnight balls. All they need is one invisibility cloak, a black wool chain knit with enchanted silver needles, and that most critical ingredient of all—true love—to conquer their foes in the dark halls below. But malevolent forces are working against them above ground as well, and as cruel as the King Under Stone has seemed, his wrath is mere irritation compared to the evil that awaits Galen and Rose in the brighter world above. Captivating from start to finish, Jessica Day George’s take on the Grimms’ tale The Twelve Dancing Princesses demonstrates yet again her mastery at spinning something entirely fresh out of a story you thought you knew.

The 12 Dancing Princesses has long been one of my favorite fairytales. I was raised watching Shelley Duval's Faerie Tale Theatre. The Dancing Princesses was one of my favorite stories so I was excited to read this fairytale retelling.

I love the cover used for Princess of the Midnight Ball. It is so elegant. There are so many cheesy book covers now days I'm glad this one had such a beautiful cover.

I really enjoyed this retelling. All the classic elements of the story were there from the worn out dance slippers to the silver trees to the invisibility cloak. Jessica Day George took this classic story and gave us a reason for the dancing... The princesses are cursed. Add a hero who knits into the mix and you have an excellent book.

Content: This is a clean read. There is no objectionable content. Labeled as a young adult book this would be appropriate for ages 10+.

Rating: 4 Stars. A fun read that held my interest throughout.

I Am A Reader, Not A Writer

I've thought a lot about starting a book review blog but here's the problem... I am not a writer. I love, love, love to read and I can edit and critique other people's work. But when it comes to coming up with something original on my own I fall flat.

I have a personal blog where I post about my day to day life and I use goodreads to keep track of books I have read and books want to read. But I thought I'd create a separate blog for things I'm reading and as a place to share a few of my thoughts, likes, dislikes, etc.

I consider myself an avid reader. I've read 126 books so far this year the year isn't even half over yet. I try to read clean, uplifting books. Here are the kinds of books I like & dislike:

I couldn't finish The Time Traveler's Wife - Loved the concept and story line but it just had too much sex and language in it for me.

I read the first of The Outlander series but quit part way into book 2. I enjoyed Outlander but it was a little too much for me.

I loved Poison Study, Magic Study & Fire Study. I am a little more liberal when it comes to an "adult" book having sexual content than I am when sex is part of a young adult book. As long as it isn't too graphic or steamy I will read a book that has immoral content as long as that isn't the focus of the book. It sickens me when young adult books are filled with language and immoral content.

For about 18 months I was obsessed with The Twilight Series by Stephenie Meyer. Still one of my favorite series of books. I also loved The Host.

I love a good clean romance! Currently my absolute favorite author is Marcia Lynn McClure. Why? Her books are clean but oh so romantic. I rarely buy books but I've bought dozens of her books because I adore them (and her). I also enjoy romance novels like the ones written by Nicholas Sparks.

I love fairytale and fairytale retellings done by authors like Shannon Hale, Robin McKinley, Gail Carson Levine & Jessica Day George. I love classics like Jane Eyre and all of Jane Austen's books. I love young adult books that have crossover appeal to adults, books like Harry Potter, the Hunger Games, Artemis Fowl & The Mortal Instruments.

I am LDS and enjoy many LDS books. When the Deseret Book catalog comes I add dozens of new books to my list. Whether it's doctrinal or a good sappy LDS romance novel I usually enjoy it.

I enjoy reading great picture books to my children. I love great audio books. It's amazing how a book comes to life when read by the likes of Jim Dale.

So that's a starting place. If your taste in books is like mine then you might find some great recommendations or warnings as far as content from the books I'm reading. I follow about a dozen books blogs where I find recommendations for books to read. I wish more of those sites had content rating for books. I also look at all the 4 & 5 star rated books my friends read on goodreads.

If you've read any great clean reads, uplifting reads or just great books let me know!

So many books, so little time!