Book Review: The False Princess

TITLE: The False Princess
AUTHOR: Eilis O'Neal
PUBLISHED: 2011
CATEGORY: Young adult
GENRE: fantasy, drama, mystery, adventure
SHORT PREMISE: A princess discovers she was actually a decoy for the real princess in danger.
MY REVIEW: Nalia learns that she was never actually a princess like she's been led to believe all her life. She was actually a stand in for the real princess who had a prophecy made about her death. Now she's sent away to live in poverty with an aunt she doesn't know and then soon learns a larger plot that puts the princess back in danger.
First off, it is so nice to see a new idea out there. This author thought outside the box and it wasn't full of the typical YA tropes you see out there. The main character is likable, you root for her, there's a plot outside of romance, and even the romance was sweet (even if it was a tad obvious). The world building was also very nice and interesting. Unfortunately it dragged because of juvenile writing, slow moving plot (interesting but slow), and rather predictable ending.
For a debut book this was very good. It just wasn't fantastic. I do however look forward to seeing more from this author in the future as her writing matures because she's definitely a promising one.
WHO SHOULD READ: fantasy fans, fairy tale fans
MY RATING: Three and a half out of Five spells