Book Review: The False Prince

Title: The False Prince
Author: Jennifer A. Nielsen
Series: The Ascendance Trilogy
Genre: Fantasy/Adventure/Middle Grade
Goodreads rating: 4.23
My rating: 4

THE FALSE PRINCE is the thrilling first book in a brand-new trilogy filled with danger and deceit and hidden identities that will have readers rushing breathlessly to the end.

In a discontent kingdom, civil war is brewing. To unify the divided people, Conner, a nobleman of the court, devises a cunning plan to find an impersonator of the king's long-lost son and install him as a puppet prince. Four orphans are recruited to compete for the role, including a defiant boy named Sage. Sage knows that Conner's motives are more than questionable, yet his life balances on a sword's point -- he must be chosen to play the prince or he will certainly be killed. But Sage's rivals have their own agendas as well.

As Sage moves from a rundown orphanage to Conner's sumptuous palace, layer upon layer of treachery and deceit unfold, until finally, a truth is revealed that, in the end, may very well prove more dangerous than all of the lies taken together.

An extraordinary adventure filled with danger and action, lies and deadly truths that will have readers clinging to the edge of their seats.

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I really wanted to review this book because the third book in this trilogy comes out today.  In my opinion this book falls under the middle grade category but it's a little more mature than some middle grade I have read.  But then it's also pretty on par with some middle grade I have read.  So even though in my opinion this book fits under middle grade some people would put it in the YA category.  

I actually read this book a while ago, closer to when it first came out.  Before I read it I had read a book called The False Princess by Eilis O'Neal.  I really enjoyed The False Princess and when I saw The False Prince I wanted to give it a go.  I always like to read books telling the same story and finding which one I like best.  The False Prince, though a similar concept has a much different experience to offer than that of The False Princess.  They are very respectively their  own books.  

Sage is a very strong main character.  Something I find that middle grade literature does really well.  He has had many very trying experiences in his young life and he does everything he can to rise above it.  He is smart, clever and caring.  He is a young man with a purpose and focus.

There is definite mystery in this book and although you may predict the outcome before it happens it by no means takes away from the journey in getting there. What's even better is that Sage's story doesn't end there.  He's back for more adventure and mystery in The Runaway King and The Shadow Throne(available today!).

Don't judge a book by it's cover? Bonus Book Review

I love a beautiful book cover!  If I have a weakness when buying books it is buying a book based on the gorgeous cover.  I know "don't judge a book by it's cover" is a common phrase and I see it's applications but for me a book cover is the perfect opportunity to sell your book.  When perusing for books what is the first thing you learn about the book?  For me it is not the plot summary, that comes second.  The first thing I ever know about a book is it's cover.

A book I may not normally pick up based solely on it's plot has been known to sell me by it's cover.  And then more often then not I am glad that I bought the book.  A great book cover is the perfect opportunity to sell your audience on your book.  I can't tell you how many times I've been perusing and just skipped past a book because it's cover was drab, boring and held no appeal.  Then someone recommends the book so I read the plot summary and look again at the awful cover and still just can't convince myself to read it.  It really makes me wonder why people lose out on this invaluable opportunity.

Obviously not every book with a beautiful cover is gonna be a good book.  I have found that out plenty of times as well.  But props to the author or publisher or whoever chose the book cover because I still read the book.

One day a while ago I was just looking for something to read.  I was looking for bargain deals because let's be honest, when you read like I do you just can't afford to buy all the books you want to read at full price.  So I was casually perusing and came across this beauty



I was completely sold the moment I saw this.  After reading the plot I found out it was actually the second book in a series.  So I searched out the first book and was just as enchanted by the cover.  Even better, the book was free.  Thank you indie authors.  If I was unsure about buying the books before the whole free thing hooked me.

Title: Unenchanted
Author: Chanda Hahn
Series: An Unfortunate Fairy Tale
Genre: Fairy Tale/Romance/YA
Goodreads rating: 3.87
My rating: 4

Mina Grime is unlucky, unpopular and uncoordinated, that is until she saves her crush's life on a field trip, changing her High School status from loser to hero overnight. But with her newfound fame brings misfortune as an old family curse comes to light. For Mina is descended from the Brothers Grimm and has inherited all of their unfinished fairy tale business. Which includes trying to outwit a powerful Story from making her its next fairytale victim.

To break the fairy tale curse on her family and stop these deadly events, Mina must finish the tales until the very Grimm end.



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Chanda Hahn is an Indie author.  Not all Indie authors are created equal.  I have read many a crap book that was a waste of my time, simply because it was less than 3 dollars.  Ms. Hahn, in my opinion, is not one of those authors.  She has two incomplete series out and I have very much enjoyed both so far.  I find myself constantly thinking about when the next book will be out.

I have a lot of respect for Chanda Hahn.  She is a mom of twins and she writes in her spare time.  Her writing, though much anticipated to her fans, is not her priority.  She is a mom and doesn't want to miss out on the special times with her kids because she was too busy trying to finish a book and meet a deadline.  I also respect that one of her goals in writing her books is to write books that she would happily let her children read.  There is just so much crap out there and as parents I think we want to do our best in making sure our kids are reading things that are wholesome.  I think Hahn does a perfect job of writing an exciting and romantic story without compromising anything for the sake of selling the book.  As an LDS mom I wouldn't hesitate in letting my kids read these books.  I'm always a fan of books that you, as the adult can love, as well as your kids.

One thing I love about Mina is how much you can relate to her.  Poor Mina has it so hard.  Bad things are always happening to her.  No matter how early she wakes up to get ready she never gets to school on time.  Her backpack breaks at the most inopportune moment.  She has to chase the field trip bus down in order for it to stop for her and so on.  She is often overlooked and finds more comfort in NOT being noticed than the opposite.  She has this huge crush on Brody Carmichael, the already claimed, popular, water polo hottie.  On their field trip she becomes the lucky girl that saves Brody's life.  But Mina has a secret, she is the reason that Brody's life needed saving.  So why is Mina so unlucky?  It is quite simply that she is a descendant of the Grimm brothers and she has been chosen to finish their morbid quest.

The supporting characters in this series are great.  Mina's BFF Nan is a great foil to her.  Mina's brother is quite endearing and provides for a bit of comedy.  Jared and Brody provide interest in the romantic department but you'll have to form your own opinions on them :)

If you find a good indie author I recommend supporting them in all their endeavors cuz a lot of them have good stories to tell as well.  You may get some typos and you may not get the refinement in editing from the big named publishers but you can still get a great and enjoyable story and best of all you get it for an amazing price.  *I should add that the great prices are found in e-book form.  If you want a printed copy you will have to pay the average full price.

Hahn's series include:

An Unfortunate Fairy Tale series

Unenchanted
Fairest
Fable
Untitled 4th book

Iron Butterfly series

The Iron Butterfly
The Steele Wolf
The Silver Siren(release date TBA)

Book Review: Northanger Alibi

Title: Northanger Alibi
Author: Jenni James
Series: The Jane Austen Diaries
Genre: Romance/Contemporary/Retellings/YA
Goodreads rating: 3.74
My rating: 4

The Russo family and Seattle, Washington, are no match for Claire Hart and her savvy knowledge of all things vampire-related. Thanks to her obsession with the Twilight series, if there is anyone who would know a vampire when she saw one, it's Claire. And she's positive totally hot Tony Russo is a vampire - she just has to prove it!

In this modern retelling of Jane Austen's Northanger Abbey, follow Claire's hilarious journey on her first summer adventure away from home, where she learns everything isn't what it seems, and that in some instances, reality is way better than anything she'd ever find in a book.





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Jenni James is a Christian author who devotes her time to writing clean romance.  Something I respect and appreciate.  She is the author of the series' The Jane Austen Diaries and Jenni James Faerie Tale Collection, a series of novellas.  She is also the author of a handful of stand alone novels.  

Retellings can be really fun.  Especially Jane Austen ones, if they are done well.  Sometime a retelling is just a retelling.  The events are the same, the ways in which they happen are the same or similar and sometimes it's like just reading the original literature with a *plug in your genre here* twist.  But every once in a while an author will come out with a retelling that is just plain clever and a step beyond the average retelling.  For me, that is Northanger Alibi. 

Usually I would start with reviewing the first book in the series but Northanger Alibi, for me, was genius and it is my favorite book in this series.  A little info about the series, Northanger Alibi is the second book in the series but chronologically fits in between the 5th and 6th book in the series.  James decided to release the book sooner because the Twilight series plays a pretty big role in this book and she wanted to release the book during the Twilight "craze."  

For those of you who are curious here is a list of the books in the series;

Pride and Popularity
Northanger Alibi(read after Mansfield Ranch if you want to read it in chronological order)
Persuaded
Emmalee
Mansfield Ranch
Sensible and Sensational( Release date TBA)

Another fun fact about this series, a lot of the characters from previous books are used for more prevalent parts in the books that come after.  I would give examples except I think it would ruin some of the fun in reading the books for yourself.  

Now onto the characters.  I LOVE Claire as the main character.  In previous books she was young and often portrayed to be silly, which served it's purpose for other stories.  But her beauty and vivacity were able to shine in this book.  Northanger Abbey is amongst my favorites of Austen's novels and I found the use of Twilight a perfect way to recreate Catherine Morland in a modern way.  Catherine is a little silly and finds herself caught up in fantasies of murder.  Likewise Claire is a little silly and finds herself believing that the handsome Tony Russo is a Vampire.  It's really the perfect set up for retelling this story and I laughed so much at all the silliness.  

I would definitely recommend, if you choose to read this series, starting with Pride and Popularity and even though I didn't, hold off on reading Northanger Alibi til after Mansfield Ranch.  Things tend to make just a little more sense when read in chronological order.  The whole series is great but Pride and Popularity and Northanger Alibi are my favorite. 

Book Review: Wildwood Dancing

 

Title: Wildwood Dancing
Author: Juliette Mariller
Genre: Fantasy/Fairy Tale/ Romance/YA
Goodreads rating: 4.09
My rating: 4.25

High in the Transylvanian woods, at the castle Piscul Draculi, live five daughters and their doting father. It's an idyllic life for Jena, the second eldest, who spends her time exploring the mysterious forest with her constant companion, a most unusual frog. But best by far is the castle's hidden portal, known only to the sisters. Every Full Moon, they alone can pass through it into the enchanted world of the Other Kingdom. There they dance through the night with the fey creatures of this magical realm. 

But their peace is shattered when Father falls ill and must go to the southern parts to recover, for that is when cousin Cezar arrives. Though he's there to help the girls survive the brutal winter, Jena suspects he has darker motives in store. Meanwhile, Jena's sister has fallen in love with a dangerous creature of the Other Kingdom--an impossible union it's up to Jena to stop.

When Cezar's grip of power begins to tighten, at stake is everything Jena loves: her home, her family, and the Other Kingdom she has come to cherish. To save her world, Jena will be tested in ways she can't imagine--tests of trust, strength, and true love.

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How many of you love a good fairy tale retelling?  Wildwood Dancing is a retelling based off of one of my favorites, the under appreciated 12 Dancing Princesses.  It is not an exact retelling.  In fact we get a little Transylvanian vampire lore and a little Frog Prince as well.  It's definitely it's own very unique retelling. 

I wanna start by praising the author, Juliette Marillier.  Not only does she create a beautiful story but she also gives you beautiful words to read.  Some authors are good at telling a story but don't always have the talent to string words together in such a beautiful way.  Marillier really knows how to tell a beautiful story in a beautiful way.  

The setting is lush, the main character, Jena, is deep and well thought out.  She is the more practical and rational of her sisters and yet her best friend is her pet frog.  Her relationship with her frog is a really sweet one.  I never thought I'd find myself endeared to an amphibian but in here I thought he was the perfect supporting character to Jena.  

There are two small reasons why this book didn't get a higher rating from me.  One is that the beginning of the book doesn't immediately have you captivated.  I don't find that a real flaw just something that can make it harder for people who have trouble focusing.  The other reason is that I wasn't a fan of the way Jena's older sister dealt with her heartache.  I wont elaborate beyond that because my goal here isn't really to ruin the story by giving too much detail but to entice people into picking it up and reading.  But I also don't want my high rating of it giving people false expectations.  Thus my reason for offering the reasons why I didn't give this book a full 5 star rating.  

This book comes highly recommended by me and I hope any one of you can pick it up and enjoy it as much as I did.  It is a truly beautiful story filled with adventure, romance, conflict and a touch of the paranormal.  

Book Review: My Fair Godmother

Title: My Fair Godmother
Author: Janette Rallison
Genre: Teen Fiction/Romance/Humor/Fairy Tales
Goodreads rating: 3.96
My rating: 4


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.

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I LOVE Janette Rallison!  Her writing, in a nutshell, is hilarious.  Every time I am reading one of her books you'll find me giggling like a school girl.  She does awkward like no one else.  Sometimes awkward situations are poorly done and you end up disliking the book because there is just too much awkward and it's painful to read.  Rallison is so good at using the right amount of awkward and instead of making the situation painful it's always hilarious.  But it might just be me as I tend to deal with awkward by laughing a lot.  

My Fair Godmother is the first book in a likely 3 book series.  The common factor in all these books is the ever defunct Chrysanthemum Everstar.  She is a fairy fair godmother with a lot to learn.  You'll probably either love her or hate her, or maybe both.  She is a piece of work.  Little does the main character know what she is getting herself into when she makes a wish and Chrissy answers the call.  

I love how the book starts out reading like Savannah's sister will be the poor Cinderella in this story.  But then she steal's Savannah's boyfriend and Savannah becomes the real Cinderella in this story.  I really liked how originally you don't see Savannah for anything but what's on the outside but as you read on you realize her true depth as a person and see her struggles because of her perceived and sometimes deserved superficiality.  

As with all Rallison's books the romance is sweet, fun and completely and utterly imperfect.  Janette Rallison is LDS but saves all her religious fiction for her pseudonym Sierra St. James.  She also writes fantasy under the pseudonym CJ Hill.  When you pick up a Rallison book you know you are going to get a story that will be fun and enjoyable for a large range of people. 

So if you are looking for an afternoon of good and funny reading go pick up this book and don't forget to grab My Unfair Godmother while you are at it!

Book Review: Pivot Point

Title: Pivot Point
Author: Kasie West
Genre: YA/Paranormal/Romance
Goodreads rating: 4.13
My rating: 4.25

Knowing the outcome doesn’t always make a choice easier . . .

Addison Coleman’s life is one big “What if?” As a Searcher, whenever Addie is faced with a choice, she can look into the future and see both outcomes. It’s the ultimate insurance plan against disaster. Or so she thought. When Addie’s parents ambush her with the news of their divorce, she has to pick who she wants to live with—her father, who is leaving the paranormal compound to live among the “Norms,” or her mother, who is staying in the life Addie has always known. Addie loves her life just as it is, so her answer should be easy. One Search six weeks into the future proves it’s not.

In one potential future, Addie is adjusting to life outside the Compound as the new girl in a Norm high school where she meets Trevor, a cute, sensitive artist who understands her. In the other path, Addie is being pursued by the hottest guy in school—but she never wanted to be a quarterback’s girlfriend. When Addie’s father is asked to consult on a murder in the Compound, she’s unwittingly drawn into a dangerous game that threatens everything she holds dear. With love and loss in both lives, it all comes down to which reality she’s willing to live through . . . and who she can’t live without.

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For me this was such a unique read.  The author, Kasie West, is pretty new to the scene but I have found her stories and writing to be very impressive.  I love her style and I enjoy her ability to tell a great story.  

Addie is a great main character.  Her power is unique which made for a very unique story line.  Seeing her life going  two different ways was fascinating.  The way events of her one life would coincide with events in her other life was very cool to read.  You learned along with Addie, you loved along with Addie and you felt betrayed along with Addie.  

Trevor vs. Duke?  Well you'll just have to find that out for yourself.  I will say though that the romance in here is decently clean.  It pulls you in but never makes you uncomfortable.  It evokes all the emotions of a romantic relationship without becoming too explicit or inappropriate.  The language is clean and the violence is minimal.  This was one of my favorite reads of last year.  I read so many books last year and this one stuck with me.  It's sequel, Split Second, came out this month and it was one of my more anticipated books of this year.  

I would recommend this book for anyone who enjoys an engaging story line, a sweet romance and a touch of the fantasy/paranormal.  

Love to Read

I love to read.  From my experience all it takes is one good book or series to sell a person on the joys of reading.  All through elementary school I hated reading.  I wasn't very good at it and nothing ever interested me.  My reading and comprehension scores were always my lowest.  This may be embarrassing or silly to some but for me this was the pivotal point in my reading experience, which was nearly none.  The books that really got me loving reading were The Work and the Glory.  I'll always be glad for these books for showing me that reading can be enjoyable, it can be fun and interesting and you don't have to read the kind of stuff they make you read in school to be a book lover.

I love reading all kinds of books but I'll be honest now when I say I am really not a fan of the so called "classics."  I don't mean that to offend anyone by saying that but I don't like bad/sad/stupid endings.  I love me some good Jane Austen but beyond that you wont find me reading anything like what we all had to read in school.

In keeping with my previous honesty I will also say I haven't always been well read.  I didn't know much beyond Harry Potter and the next fad in reading.  I've been doing a lot more reading lately and I've seen so many options out there and I'll be frank in saying that the popular books and series are usually not my favorite books.  So I guess my goal here is to open eyes to all the good books out there.  There are many and most of them aren't the ones the all the sudden everyone is reading.

I think my first real genre love was fantasy.  For a while I couldn't get enough of it.  Then I started adding mystery and romance and humor.  I kind of squeeze sci-fi and paranormal in with fantasy though they are respectfully their own genres.  I don't do horror...ever.  I don't do erotica.  I don't do non-fiction but very, very rarely and if I know there is a bad ending I don't do that either.

I am a very big supporter of Utah authors.  If I have read a book from a Utah author and I loved it then I will buy every subsequent book they make.  I also enjoy some Indie authors.  There are many talented people out there and not all of them come with big names.

I'm not the most eloquent person in the world but I am going to do my best to provide options outside of the newest craze in reading.  I will rate them by how much I liked them and try to give well rounded comments to help decide if it is a book for you or your kids.