Three mini middle grade reviews: The Graveyard Book, The House of Hades and Skulduggery Pleasant

The Graveyard Book by Neil Gaiman 
Release date: 20th October 200
Publisher: Bloomsbury

Goodreads synopsis:

Nobody Owens, know to his friends as Bod, is a perfectly normal boy. Well, he would be perfectly normal if he didn't live in a graveyard, being raised and educated by ghosts, with a solitary guardian who belongs to neither the world of the living nor the world of the dead.

There are danger and adventures for Bod in the graveyard: The strange and terrible menace of The Sleer; a gravestone entrance to a desert that leads to the city of ghouls; friendship with a witch, and so much more.

But it is in the land of the living that real danger lurks, for it is there that the man Jack lives and he has already killed Bod's family.

A fascinating story of love and friendship realized in the most unlikely of place. 

My thoughts:

I never expected to love The Graveyard Book as much as I did. I bought it when it was the Kindle Daily Deal and then read it, probably about a year later, completely on a whim. I love how whimsical and unusual it is; how Bod growing up in a graveyard has made him both so unlike yet so like other kids his age. The whole cast of ghostly (and otherwise) characters were really brought to life (ha) by Gaiman’s writing: the characterisation was perfect and different enough that it was easy to distinguish. I loved the little asides of what was written on each of their gravestones.  The plot was clever; revealing enough of itself to allow you an idea what was going on and keeping enough back to retain your interest. Gaiman’s writing is completely different to anything I’ve experienced before and while it took a little getting used to I found myself really enjoying his unique way with words. I got a little choked up when reading the ending which, embarrassingly, was while I was on the tube. 

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The House of Hades (Heroes of Olympus #5) by Rick Riordan

Release date: 8th October 2013

Publisher: Puffin

Goodreads synopsis:

The stakes have never been higher. If Percy Jackson and Annabeth fail in their quest, there'll be hell on Earth. Literally.

Wandering the deadly realm of Tartarus, every step leads them further into danger. And, if by some miracle they do make it to the Doors of Death, there's a legion of bloodthirsty monsters waiting for them.

Meanwhile, Hazel and the crew of the Argo II have a choice: to stop a war or save their friends. Whichever road they take one thing is certain - in the Underworld, evil is inescapable.

My thoughts:

It took me a little while to get into House of Hades; partly because there were a lot of initial Leo chapters and he is my least favourite character and partly because I was reading it in dribs and drabs which is not how this book deserves to be read. Once I finally got into it, I loved it. I enjoyed the contrast between those still on the ship and Percy and Annabeth in Tartarus. It was so interesting to see more of Tartarus and how it and those in it operate. I loved seeing Bob. Whilst not my favourite book of the Heroes of Olympus series, House of Hades builds on already strong characters with an equally strong plotline that was extremely well paced. One of my favourite things about Rick Riordan’s writing is how inclusive it is: he is always keen to show that everyone, no matter what they think of themselves, has something to offer and is a valuable person to those around them. Anyone can be a hero. As far as messages in stories go, it’s a pretty good one. The main thing that came out  of this book for me was my love, my empathy, and my desire to see a happy ending, for Nico.

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Skulduggery Pleasant (Skulduggery Pleasant #1) by Derek Landy

Publisher: HarperCollins Children's Books

Release date: 30th September 2007

Goodreads synopsis:

Meet Skulduggery Pleasant - ace detective, snappy dresser, razor–tongued wit, crackerjack sorcerer and walking, talking, fire-throwing skeleton — as well as ally, protector, and mentor of Stephanie Edgley, a very unusual and darkly talented twelve-year-old.

These two alone must defeat an all-consuming ancient evil.

The end of the world?

Over his dead body.

My thoughts:

Skulduggery Pleasant is a book I have been aware of for a long time, but never had the particular desire to pick up and read. Since becoming a blogger and hearing more about it, I've wanted to read it more and just never gotten around to it until now. I was pleasantly surprised by Skulduggery Pleasant. Skulduggery and Valkyrie are both strong characters full of personality. I especially liked Valkyrie, who took everything that happened around her in her stride and is resilient, independent and yet very, very human. A fantastic role model. The dialogue is that snappy, humorous time that, while slightly unrealistic, is always enjoyable to read and I loved the clever and unusual names everyone gave themselves. There wasn't an overabundance of world-building or focus on details and the plot was engaging and well-paced, with a surprising amount of violence for a middle grade book. I enjoyed Skulduggery Pleasant enough to want to read the second one. 

Review: Fearsome Dreamer by Laure Eve

Fearsome Dreamer by Laure Eve

Release date: 03/10/13

Publisher: Hot Key Books

Reason for reading: It sounded freaking awesome and I love the cover and it sounded freaking awesome

Goodreads
Buy: Waterstones | Hive | Hot Key Books

Goodreads synopsis:

There is a world where gods you’ve never heard of have wound themselves into hearts, and choice has led its history down a different path.

This is a world where France made a small, downtrodden island called England part of its vast and bloated empire.

There are people here who can cross a thousand miles with their minds. There are rarer people still who can move between continents in the blink of an eye.

These people are dangerous.

And wanted. Desperately wanted.

Apprentice hedgewitch Vela Rue knows that she is destined for more. She knows being whisked off from a dull country life to a city full of mystery and intrigue is meant to be. She knows she has something her government wants, a talent so rare and precious and new that they will do anything to train her in it.

But she doesn’t know that she is being lied to. She doesn’t know that the man teaching her about her talent is becoming obsessed by her, and considered by some to be the most dangerous man alive ...

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My thoughts:

Fearsome Dreamer is the sort of book that desires to seduce you slowly. There’s no quick pay off, no one night stand, the story reels you in, gently, gently, until you’re completely enraptured, immersed in the world Laure Eve has created. It’s clear that Laure Eve has been inspired by a great many things; paying them homage whilst still crafting a novel that is entirely unique and entirely her own.

You may feel that fantasy, alternate history, sci-fi, a slight dystopian slant and hints of horror would not a fantastic book make. You would be wrong. Laure Eve seamlessly weaves together snippets from multiple genres to create a story that almost defies categorisation and makes it one of the most unique and interesting books I have ever read. The World and world Laure Eve has created is both intriguing and developed. An interesting mix of future technological globalisation and old-England-come-fantasy-setting, information about the state of our planet and its inhabitants is drip-fed, avoiding a confusion-inducing info-dump and succeeding in holding the interest of the reader; curious to learn more.

The characters are real, with personality traits that are not always desirable but in no way affect the likability of those possessing them. Rue is fanciful and almost silly; with that innocent narcissistic touch that many teenagers exhibit, making her easy to relate to. She believes she is destined for great things, in that self-involved way many of us view ourselves in our teen years, and, in her case, she is right. Transported from her home in the countryside of Angle Tar, to one of the majestic cities, she meets White. The young and severely introverted instructor is quickly irritated by Rue’s thoughtless, unfiltered way of speaking; leading to a strained relationship, until an episode reminiscent of one of my favourite moments in Buffy the Vampire Slayer forces them to re-evaluate how they feel about each other. This new tension, this awareness, is heightened during my favourite scene of the book, which is clearly inspired by one of the great scenes of literature and is absolute perfection. White’s almost desperate attempts to forge the sort of connection he wants but struggles to make are endearingly heartbreaking, as is the almost complete social shutdown he forces upon himself, and the flashes of what happened to him before Rue came along are even more so. 

White and Rue are both ‘headhunted’ by Frith; a complex and complicated character that I found myself both respecting and fearing. It is through Frith that we discover the end game of the story:  the mysterious Castle; the horrors it contains; the need for the Talented, and the tense relationship between Angle Tar and World: a relationship that fuels some of the most important elements of this book.

Fearsome Dreamer is very literary in the sense that there’s a certain emphasis placed on the language and the characters; specifically their interactions and relationships with each other. The book reminds me of The Scorpio Races by Maggie Stiefvater in this aspect, and its ending certainly packs a similar emotional punch to the climax of that novel.

TL;DR: Fiercely compelling, Fearsome Dreamer is an accomplished, captivating and thoughtful debut novel. There are some fantastic female writers really making waves in the fantasy genre lately; Leigh Bardugo, Samantha Shannon, Sarah J. Maas, and Laure Eve should count herself among them. 

Review: Shadow and Bone by Leigh Bardugo

Shadow and Bone  (Grisha #1) by Leigh Bardugo
Release date: 6 June 2013 (New UK edition)
Publisher: Indigo
Source: Received for review
Reason for reading: Everyone has raved about it

Goodreads description:

The Shadow Fold, a swathe of impenetrable darkness, crawling with monsters that feast on human flesh, is slowly destroying the once-great nation of Ravka.

Alina, a pale, lonely orphan, discovers a unique power that thrusts her into the lavish world of the kingdom’s magical elite—the Grisha. Could she be the key to unravelling the dark fabric of the Shadow Fold and setting Ravka free?

The Darkling, a creature of seductive charm and terrifying power, leader of the Grisha. If Alina is to fulfil her destiny, she must discover how to unlock her gift and face up to her dangerous attraction to him.

But what of Mal, Alina’s childhood best friend? As Alina contemplates her dazzling new future, why can’t she ever quite forget him?

Glorious. Epic. Irresistible. Romance.

My thoughts:

I watched the reviews of this book roll in when it was released as The Gathering Dark and thought it sounded really good, but I wasn't a huge fan of fantasy. Then once I got back into fantasy, I really wanted to read it but I figured I should wait until the re-release with the US cover/name. From that moment on I have been impatiently waiting, fighting the temptation to just buy it, so when Nina offered it to me for review slightly early, I couldn't help myself. 

Shadow and Bone was everything I hoped it would be. The world Leigh Bardugo has crafted is rich and interesting and detailed. I loved how it was clearly influenced by Russian culture; the names and words and the outfits and food, everything was inspired in a really interesting way. I love Russian culture so that element of the book was really appealing to me. I wanted to learn as much as possible about the world, the Grisha  ranks and the different types of powers, I was just so fascinated by it all. 

Alina was a really interesting character. She grew a lot in this book but still retained her personality. She maintained a healthy scepticism throughout part of this novel, but she accepted her position once it was clear she was Grisha. She struggled at first, but once she mastered her power she really grew in confidence. She clearly was a little insecure in herself, never being special or standing out and being, and feeling, overshadowed by those around her. But she was smart-mouthed in a way I found very entertaining and whilst not the strongest, most resourceful main character, she used her intuition and made the right judgements when necessary.

I can't talk about this book without mentioning the Darkling. I might be in love with the Darkling. Mysterious, funny, bit moody, possibly evil, he's ideal really. Thee scariest thing about the Darkling was that I totally got what he was doing, even if he did go about it in a rather controversial manner. He reminded me a little of Lenin leading the Bolsheviks against the Russian aristocracy (only, you know, more attractive). 

I always love books with journeys and this one has a literal journey that is mirrored by Alina's emotional and mental journey. She grew and discovered so much, both about herself and the world that she lived in. I was tearing through the pages, on tenterhooks through the latter part of the pages and my only criticism is that I wish there had been more: more detail, more story (more Darkling). 

TL;DR: Leigh Bardugo has created a richly imaginative world that I cannot get enough of. I cannot wait for the sequel and am literally counting down the days until its release. 

Shadow and Bone previously released as The Gathering Dark in the UK will be re-released with this new cover, alongside its sequel Siege and Storm, on the 6th June. Thank you to Nina at Indigo for my copy, which was received for an honest review. 

Review: Graceling by Kristen Cashore

Graceling by Kristin Cashore 
Released: 22nd January 2009 (UK)
Publisher: Gollancz (UK)
Source: Library book
Reason for reading: Recommended by everyone
Rating: 5/5

Goodreads synopsis:

In a world where people born with an exceptional skill, known as a Grace, are both feared and exploited, Katsa carries the burden of a skill even she despises: the Grace of killing.

Feared by the court and shunned by those her own age, the darkness of her Grace casts a heavy shadow over Katsa’s life. Yet she remains defiant: when the King of Lienid’s father is kidnapped she investigates, and stumbles across a mystery. Who would want to kidnap the old man, and why? And who was the extraordinary Graced man whose fighting abilities rivalled her own?

The only thing Katsa is sure of is that she no longer wants to kill. The intrigue around this kidnapping offers her a way out – but little does she realise, when she takes it, that something insidious and dark lurks behind the mystery. Something spreading from the shadowy figure of a one-eyed king...

My thoughts:

I was really pleasantly surprised by Graceling. I wasn't expecting much which is why I took it out of the library instead of buying it for myself. I quite like it when you go into a book sceptical and end up devouring it, completely absorbed by the story and the characters. I loved Katsa, she was the epitome of an independent female; physically strong and skilled, intelligent and resourceful and of course, a little prickly. Po, at first I was obsessed with how stupid his name was, but I quickly got over that. He was so patient with Katsa which I liked. Most people seemed to view her as either an amusement, a pest or someone to avoid in terror, but Po really liked her for who she is and I liked that.

 I was really intrigued by the plot, I thought it was going one way and then it changed and evolved several times in a really interesting way. I loved the whole journey aspect of it. It was really interesting to see so much of the country they lived in in such an organic way. I enjoyed watching the developing relationship between Katsa and Po; the roller coaster of emotions that were faced by them...well, mostly by Katsa. It was interesting to watch her process her own emotional journey, she learnt so much about herself and her interactions with others and I like those sorts of journeys. 

What I liked the most about the story, I think, was watching Katsa's relationship with Bitterblue. They went on a literal and a metaphorical journey; travelling such a long and treacherous distance and learning so much about themselves and each other. It was a great way to see how much Katsa had developed as a person; old Katsa would probably have left Bitterblue and saved herself; new Katsa put Bitterblue before herself in every situation. 

I really liked the big build up of the story, I all of a sudden thought "I know what will happen here" and it did and I was just so...dismayed. Like I could feel my heart sinking into my stomach, which then dropped down to my knees. How could this have happened after such a journey? It just wasn't fair! And then, for the whole thing to be over so quickly....I was shocked. But in a good way like, I couldn't believe it was over so quickly and simply. I liked that though; normally I would have been disappointed but I just loved the characters so much and wanted it to go well for them. 

It helped that the real challenge came later. What happened towards the end was so tragic, but the way it was handled was so wonderful. There needs to be sacrifice in stories sometimes in order to be realistic. It was a little bit of a bittersweet ending, but I'm happy with it. 

TL;DR: Graceling was a surprising novel for me and it really kickstarted my enjoyment of fantasy. A richly detailed world surrounding a wonderful story and realistic and likeable characters. I enjoyed it so much I bought my own copy. 

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Review: The Assassin's Curse by Cassandra Rose Clarke

The Assassin's Curse by Cassandra Rose Clarke
Release date: 2nd October 2012
Publisher: Strange Chemistry
Source: Gift
Reason for reading: Liz told me to
Rating: 4/5

Goodreads description:

Ananna of the Tanarau abandons ship when her parents try to marry her off to an allying pirate clan: she wants to captain her own boat, not serve as second-in-command to her handsome yet clueless fiance. But her escape has dire consequences when she learns the scorned clan has sent an assassin after her.

And when the assassin, Naji, finally catches up with her, things get even worse. Ananna inadvertently triggers a nasty curse — with a life-altering result. Now Ananna and Naji are forced to become uneasy allies as they work together to break the curse and return their lives back to normal. Or at least as normal as the lives of a pirate and an assassin can be.

My thoughts:

So, Asher reviewed this many months ago and I thought “well, it does sound really great and Asher really raved about it buuuut is it really my thing?” And I dismissed it. And then I kept seeing it everywhere and got really into fantasy again and thought “yeah okay, I’mma give it a go, maybe” and THEN Liz who is *clearly* some kind of mind reader bought it for me for Christmas and I thought “well, I have to read it NOW” don’t I? (Because every book Liz has ever recommended to me and I have read I have ended up adoring) And you know what? I adored it. So yes, you were right guys, well done. 

What I loved most about this book, was Ananna and Naji. Specifically, their faults. They weren’t perfect characters by any stretch. Both could get sulky and kinda moody, taking their moods out on each other and snapping. The flaws made them seem more real, more normal. I much preferred it to them being perfectly poised and always in control. They frustrated the hell out of each other at times and it was so entertaining. Naji was so…enigmatic. Hired to kill Ananna because she offended another pirate family by refusing to marry their son, the curse she activates means he’s got no choice but to protect her. He was so secretive, partly cause you know, he’s an assassin and they can’t share their assassiny secrets, but also cause that’s just the way he is. He never gave anything way, half the things he said were totally ambiguous and I loved it. How does he feel? I honestly don’t know. I know how the conventions of YA says he should feel, how I WANT him to feel, but does he *actually* feel that way? I do not know. He is so OPAQUE. Ananna was kinda the same, in that she didn’t give much a way, but she was less prickly about it. It was more of a ‘raised as a pirate, don’t trust anybody’ vibe really. She kept her cards close to her chest, all the way through the book, both in terms of what she admits to Naji and to herself. They had such a reciprocal relationship, each of them bringing skills and experiences to their journey, each of them saving the other at different points. In fact, Ananna probably ended up helping Naji more, the combination of the magic and the curse left him weak and sick at a lot of points and she often had to resort to literally dragging him places. I liked this reversal, it was very refreshing. 

This book is a superb lesson in ‘show, don’t tell’. Ananna never voices her feelings until right at the very very end. But you infer how she feels from her reactions, from how she acts, from throwaway comments and I loved that. Too often characters in books talk of how much they love each other, without ever showing any reason for such feelings.

I really enjoyed the plot, it had a good mix of journey and action, meaning it was fast-paced but left enough slow-time for character development and humorous moments. I have a couple of tiny nags, the first is, this book felt kinda unfinished. It’s fairly short, which coupled with the unfinished feel and the fact it’s (as far as I know) book 1 of 2, made me feel as though only half the book was written when the book was acquired and maybe the other half wasn’t finished in time for publication. My other minor issue was I felt the language was sometimes a little simplistic and repetitive, and it got a bit repetitive with all the stealing Ananna did. Ananna’s colloquialisms annoyed me, but that’s totally a personal thing, I have always found that irritating. 

TL;DR: Cassandra Rose Clarke has created an imaginative fantasy world, rich in detail but not too bogged down in specifics. If you’re looking for a tale of adventure with some kickass leads who aren’t afraid to be themselves, this is the book for you.

 

Series Review: The Black Magician Trilogy by Trudi Canavan

The Magicians' Guild (The Black Magician Trilogy #1)
Released: 2001
The Novice (The Black Magician Trilogy #2)
Released: 2002
The High Lord (The Black Magician Trilogy #3)
Released: 2003
Publisher: Orbit
Source: Borrowed from friend
Reason for reading: Friend recommendation + trying to read more fantasy
Series Rating: 4/5

**As this is a series review, there may be spoilers, though I have tried to avoid them** 

Goodreads Synopsis for The Magicians' Guild:

"We should expect this young woman to be more powerful than our average novice, possibly even more powerful than the average magician."

This year, like every other, the magicians of Imardin gather to purge the city of undesirables. Cloaked in the protection of their sorcery, they move with no fear of the vagrants and miscreants who despise them and their work—until one enraged girl, barely more than a child, hurls a stone at the hated invaders . . . and effortlessly penetrates their magical shield.

What the Magicians' Guild has long dreaded has finally come to pass. There is someone outside their ranks who possesses a raw power beyond imagining, an untrained mage who must be found and schooled before she destroys herself and her city with a force she cannot yet control.

My thoughts:

No, I can't believe I didn't read this series before now, either. It was all over the library when I was a pre-teen/teen, but I wasn't into fantasy at that age (aside from CS Lewis/Garth Nix...) so they completely passed me by. But my good friend Laura lent them to me and I've been trying to read more fantasy (I'm finally reading Game of Thrones) so I decided to give them a go.

I'm really glad I did. You know when you go into a book/series with no expectations and it ends up like, completely ruling your life for however long it takes you to read them?  That was the case here. I wasn't a huge fan of The Magician's Guild at first, all the books are split into 2 parts and after the initial event of the first part, I found the rest of it pretty dull. I kept hoping Sonea would get captured so something interesting would happen, and I found myself getting annoyed by her thought processes. As an individual book I only gave TMG 3/5, because of this first part. However, once we got into part 2 things got a lot more interesting. I loved all the detail about how the magician's guild worked, and meeting all the magicians and learning about the history and the magic they do.

The Novice was on the whole a lot more interesting, we moved outside of the magician's guild with Dannyl's ambassadorial duties and whilst I did find it really interesting to read about his research and his journey, I sometimes wished we'd be back in the guild with Sonea. I had definitely warmed to her by this point, she was strong and intelligent and hardworking, but I did sometimes wish she would stick up for herself a little bit more. I also really liked Rothen, her guardian and father figure, but Akkarin was definitely my favourite character. Dark, mysterious, sexy, possibly evil, he's my perfect character. I love how other character's assumptions and speculations about him drive your perceptions of this guy. The end to The Novice was like "gaaahhh!" but if I thought that was bad...

The High Lord. Oh there's so many emotions for The High Lord. The Akkarin situation was fully explained, and was along the lines of what I had guessed from hints in the previous books, though it is always nice to get the full story on something you're dying to know more about. The developments in terms of his character and the characters around him weren't much of a shock either, and I did really like them. I did feel some aspects were a little rushed, but then given the circumstances this can be expected. The rest of the magicians acted like absolute idiots in this book, and if they weren't all being murdered I'd've been screaming "SEE?! SEE YOU RIDICULOUS PEOPLE?!". Their responses and prejudices were SO infuriating but it really helped engage me in the story and really feel for the characters I supported I loved how all the strings of the various storylines throughout the books came together, how all the characters had their parts to play and their moments. The inevitable battle scene was good, though I admit I was a little confused about the power distribution, I felt Sonea should have had enough without yep...that thing that happened. That thing that happened that I knew would happen and dreaded happening for like, most of the book. How do I feel about that? It was brave. Necessary as well, I think. I don't think post-battle life would have worked if it hadn't happened. What I didn't like was the WAY it happened, it was kinda harsh, really. And the actual end of the book felt a little rushed, which I didn't appreciate. 

I am so glad I finally read this trilogy. I experienced so many emotions from it, so many ups and downs, from the little things like the anger felt over Sonea being bullied, the exasperation of her not fighting back, the elation of her final victory over her bullies, to the big things, the shock at the revelations, the fluttery stomach at the romances, the suspicion of like, everyone, the anticipatory dread for the finale and the heart-pounding, stomach-clenching fear at the climax.  

If you haven't read this series yet, I urge you to give it a go. 

Review: The False Prince by Jennifer A. Nielsen

The False Prince (The Ascedance Triology #1) by Jennifer A. Nielsen
Released: 7th June 2012
Publisher: Scholastic UK
Source: Bought for Kindle
Reason for reading: Liz (Planet Print) kept going on about it and it was part of the Kindle summer promotion
Rating: 4/5

Goodreads Description:

In a discontented kingdom, civil war is brewing. To unify the divided people, Conner, a nobleman of the court, devises a cunning plan. He will 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 as Sage moves from a rundown orphanage to the king’s sumptuous palace, layer upon layer of treachery and deceit unfold. Until, finally, a truth is revealed that may prove more dangerous than all of the lies taken together…

My thoughts:

The False Prince is aimed at a slightly younger audience than the books I usually opt for, but I found it had the same charm and addictive feel of the Harry Potter and Percy Jackson books, both of which I LOVE. Sage is smart-mouthed, quick-witted and all together too big for his boots, all of which makes him very easy to love. I found the cast of characters to be an interesting bunch, it was fantastic how not that many of them were actually that likeable, they all had flaws and weaknesses which added to the realism of them. From the other two boys 'competing' to Conner's servants to Conner himself, each had a well-rounded personality and story that helped bring the book to life. I liked how each of the boys reacted to each new stage or test or development as was fitting with their character, the consistency of this again added depth to the book.

I loved the plot concept, training up a boy to look, act and think like a long lost prince in order to 'save' the kingdom in the aftermath of a royal murder. I loved the political aspects to the plot as I think they made the whole story more interesting and more realistic and definitely more gripping. 
 The writing was masterful in the way aspects of the story were revealed and also witheld from the reader without it seeming odd. It was told in first person, but Sage's character fitted really well with the concealments as he was particularly tricky so it didn't seem strange at all. Sage was a hilarious narrator, always there with a quip or a funny comeback which made the book extremely entertaining to read. The writing was a little simplistic for my tastes, but as mentioned earlier it is aimed at more of a middle grade audience than a YA  one, so that explains that really. I did find it well written and gripping and I flew through it pretty quickly.   The world-building was detailed enough to be interesting, but not too bogged down in detail that it felt boring or confusing. 

My only niggles are that the plot was a little predictable; it wasn't easy to guess from the writing at all, but just because you could just see how it was all going to work out. I found that a little disappointing, but it couldn't really have gone any other way, and I didn't mind too much. The other issue I had was that I thought the ending was a little rushed and I definitely think this book could have benefitted from being a couple of pages longer. I also felt Sage had a pretty drastic character change which whilst necessary, was a little sudden. 

The False Prince is a gripping, interesting read full of perfectly crafted characters and plenty of personality. I will definitely be reading the sequel.