Rating: ****
Pages: 321
Genre: Fantasy with a hint of mystery, plus the obvious romance you find in every teen novel
Nalia has never felt quite comfortable as princess and heir to the throne of Thorvaldor. She's shy, bookish, klutzy, and prefers the company of her best friend, an earl named Kiernan, to other ladies. When she learns she's really Sinda Azaway, a stand-in to protect the real Nalia from a deathly prophecy, fitting in becomes even harder. She struggles with the daily tasks of commoners, like cooking, cleaning, and understanding boys. Her newfound magical powers aren't exactly helping.
But when Sinda discovers a conspiracy that threatens both her and Nalia, she's forced to push her powers to the limit, break into tombs, and admit her true feelings for Kiernan.
Mistaken identity and princess stories are two of my bigger pet peeves. Is there anything more improbable and inconvenient than a poor average girl being swept off into a life of luxury that was hers all along? O'Neal takes the other end of the story. Despite a protagonist I suspect to be partly based on herself and the obvious romance, O'Neal's red herrings, midstory twist, and shocker ending create a princess story unlike any other.
