The False Princess [Hardcover]

Eilis O'Neal (Author)

Book Description

Release date: January 25, 2011

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.

Editorial Reviews

About the Author

Eilis O'Neal is the Managing Editor of the literary magazine Nimrod International Journal. She started writing at the age of three (though the story was only four sentences long and not very good), but she hopes that she's improved a great deal since then.

She lives in Tulsa, Oklahoma, with her husband, Matt, and two dogs, Nemo and Zuul.  The False Princess is her first novel.  You can visit her online at www.eilisoneal.com.

Product Details

• Age Range: 12 and up
  
• Hardcover: 336 pages
• Publisher: EgmontUSA (January 25, 2011)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1606840797
• ISBN-13: 978-1606840795
• Product Dimensions: 6.2 x 1.2 x 8.5 inches
• Shipping Weight: 15.2 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.4 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (107 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #331,492 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Eilis O'Neal is a writer of fantasy and the Managing Editor of the literary magazine Nimrod International Journal. She started writing at the age of three (though the story was only four sentences long). Her short fantasy has been published in various print and online journals, including Realms of Fantasy, Strange Horizons, and Fantasy Magazine. She lives in Tulsa with her husband and two obnoxious dogs.

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

42 of 44 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars Magical January 25, 2011

By SciFiChick TOP 1000 REVIEWERVINE™ VOICE

Format:Hardcover

Nalia has led a privileged life as princess and heir to the throne of Thorvaldor, until her sixteenth birthday. Nalia is then told that she is not really the princess. She has simply been a stand-in for the real princess, living in hiding until she came of age. Now known as Sinda, the false princess is shipped back to an aunt that she doesn't know to live a poor, meager life. But Sinda has a latent talent for magic. When she returns to the city to study magic, Sinda reunites with her childhood friend and discovers an incredible secret that will affect the entire kingdom.

Nalia/Sinda is a complicated girl, who faces adversity with strength and humility. She's easy to like, and though at first naďve, Sinda learns from her mistakes and always tries to do the right thing, even at the sake of her own safety. Her friendship-turned-romance with her childhood friend Keirnan is sweet and endearing.

The story is completely engaging from the very beginning, and proves impossible to put down. Full of drama, magic, suspense, and romance, this is an impressive debut. Though marketed for young adults, fantasy fans of all ages should enjoy. O'Neal's vibrant characters are matched with a fast-paced adventure and intrigue that was over too soon.

26 of 27 people found the following review helpful

4.0 out of 5 stars highly recommended May 2, 2011

By Courtney

Format:Hardcover

What if you found out were not a princess like you thought you were but instead you were practically a nobody? This is the story of Sinda (Princess Nalia first), she lives in a palace and has a life any girl would dream about but that suddenly changes when she finds out she isn't the princess but just her decoy. They traded Sinda with the real princess to keep the princess safe from the tale that said she would be killed before her 16th birthday. I almost cried when they kicked her out with only a few belongings and told her it was best to just sever the relationship fast so it would heal quicker. How could anybody do this I thought?! This story sounds familiar but it doesn't end like you would imagine!

I decided to pick this book up to enjoy a simple and fun read and I was not disappointed. I really enjoyed this cute story! The False Princess is jammed packed with a unique plot, delightful characters, action/adventure, mystery and of course romance! The story line is unpredictable and unique and I was sucked in to the drama right from page one. I thought at times I could figure out how it was going to end but I never did.

I loved the characters; Sinda was quirky, clumsy, and a bit dreary and she reminded me of a typical teenage girl. She was so full of anger at times that you just couldn't help but to relate to her, very realistic character. Kiernan was also wonderful, he was always sarcastic but I just loved that he made an effort to continue to encourage Sinda to be the best and not beat herself up.

Some of the story was not as good as I would have hoped; like cheesy lines and not enough dialogue between the characters but this was still a great book. Very clean romance scenes that I would let my daughter read at any age. Very good story!

27 of 33 people found the following review helpful

3.0 out of 5 stars Great concept, February 7, 2011

By Jamagan

Format:Hardcover|Amazon Verified Purchase

I love the concept of the False Princess. It's intriguing and devious and devastating, and that's just the idea. With quite a few glowing, 5-star reviews, I was ready to be knocked over and wowed by this book. Instead it was lukewarm. It wasn't at all bad. There wasn't anything horrible or upsetting. But there also wasn't anything spectacular. I feel like the book barely skimmed the surface of its potential. I wanted to see more depth to everything: more of the world and how magic plays a part in day-to-day life, more romance and heat between the main characters.

I think in the end part of the problem was that the book is heavy on exposition. The MC tells us everything that's happening, but doesn't show us. We weren't often involved in the scene, but hearing about it later or skimming over it to move onto something else. There were pages and pages of exposition without a lot of dialogue and in-scene interactions.

My favorite part of the book was two of the secondary character, which I think says a lot.

Overall, it was a quick and pleasant read, but pretty forgettable.