>The False Princess by Eilis O’Neal

My rating: 3 of 5 stars

I have to say, I enjoyed reading this book more than I originally thought I would. It has some strong characters and a good story line with some twists that may or may not be predictable. It is geared to teens/YA, which I liked. There is a bit of romance and some allusion to “sex”, though definitely not enough to bring down the iron fist of the Fundamentalists. I enjoyed the fantasy and magic element, but I didn’t feel as though it was too “princess-y” or “fairytale-ish.”

Sinda is a fairly well-written character. She isn’t perfect, which is good – she’s not completely self-less and has pride issues. Though she does have the Bella Swan “accident-prone” disability, it isn’t overly done and is only sometimes predictable. I would have liked to understand a little more about where the magic comes from, though O’Neal does a good job of making it seem like a completely normal phenomenon. I think the story was good and I never felt bored at all while reading it. There were a few things I would have liked to have explained a bit more, but other than that, I really did enjoy the book and the whole concept.