Goodreads Rating: 3.67
Pages: 352
Format: ARC from ALA
Every Fairy-Tale Ending Has a Price. . . .I am on some sort of a fantasy kick right now. I don't usually do fantasy. I have problems with name pronunciation and feeling like I can't get my footing in this strange world. That wasn't as hard here. In this book, it was all about princesses and I can completely understand princesses. I really enjoyed getting into this book. I fell in love with this cover when I first saw it so getting it at ALA was a treat.
Orphaned as a child in the crumbling village of Tulan, Elara is determined to learn her true identity, even if it means wielding a dagger. Meanwhile, in Galandria's royal capital, Princess Wilha stands out as someone to either worship or fear. Though no one knows why the king has always made her conceal her face--including Wilha herself.
When an assassination attempt threatens the peace of neighboring kingdoms, Elara and Wilha are brought face to face . . . with a chance at claiming new identities. However, with dark revelations now surfacing, both girls will need to decide if brighter futures are worth the binding risks.
So this book...I really enjoyed the story and the Parent Trap type plot, but I was often frustrated by pausing to sound out some names. Not a big deal, but it is one of the biggest reasons that I avoid fantasy. Once I was able to get past the names, I found myself wanting to pull the book out constantly. I wanted to see what decisions that Wilha and Elara were going to make and how this was going to impact their lives.
I liked that they twins weren't too opposite, and that they had some similarities. I want to say that their main differences were that they had different upbringings and that made one of hard and indifferent and the other one a weak woman who needed to find who she was. I actually liked how they slowly discovered who they were meant to be.
As I learned about Wilha, I couldn't imagine what it would be like wearing a mask all day. I would understand why she was so submissive after having been forced to wear the mask her whole life not knowing if it was because she was cursed or just very very ugly. I think I would have had the same reaction that Elara did to it.
I really enjoyed this book and the background story of with the Opals, and I cannot wait to see what the next book holds. When I initially picked this book up at ALA13, I was intrigued by the plot and the cover, but I was under the impression that this book was simply a stand alone, but finding out that it is part of a series, at the very least, a two book series is wonderful.
Be sure to stop by later today to check out my interview with the author!
The Courts Decision:
Glad you liked this one! I've been really curious about it (and I love that cover!)
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