Title: Maelyn
Series: The Nine Princesses Novellas
Year: 2012
Author: Anita Valle
Summary: Maelyn was not born a princess. The king found her as a child, the lone survivor of a poor village slaughtered by the Red Fever. Suddenly she became a princess of Runa Realm, the first of nine orphans adopted by the king.
By her eighteenth year, Maelyn rules over Runa and a family of nine sisters. But some call the princesses frauds and imposters, a handful of urchins raised into royalty. Even Uncle Jarrod, the High King of Grunwold, seems determined to prove that Maelyn no longer deserves to be a princess. With a family losing faith in her, and a kingdom growing dangerously hostile, even Maelyn begins to wonder if she is truly a real princess. And if her riches will turn to rags once again... (from Goodreads)
By her eighteenth year, Maelyn rules over Runa and a family of nine sisters. But some call the princesses frauds and imposters, a handful of urchins raised into royalty. Even Uncle Jarrod, the High King of Grunwold, seems determined to prove that Maelyn no longer deserves to be a princess. With a family losing faith in her, and a kingdom growing dangerously hostile, even Maelyn begins to wonder if she is truly a real princess. And if her riches will turn to rags once again... (from Goodreads)
Main Characters:
~ Maelyn
~ Coralina
~ Uncle Jarrod
~ Willow
~ Maelyn
~ Coralina
~ Uncle Jarrod
~ Willow
Review: I found this book for free on the Kindle one dull day, and not thinking a whole lot about it, I got it and stowed it away on the giant list of to-read books. I didn't think of it again until weeks later (yes, I left it alone for that long; I'm so ashamed) when I was having a bad asthma attack and was looking for something light to read on my Kindle. Maelyn caught my attention, and since I enjoy fairy tales/princess tales, I decided to give it a whirl.
I really liked it. Sure, it was short, but it was sweet, and it's the start of a nine novella series (at least, I'm assuming there are nine books as Maelyn is the first of nine princesses)! Maelyn loves reading, and at the beginning of the novella, her biggest problem is running out of books to read. And I can totally relate. Her relationship with her eight sisters is very nice, but I was a little disappointed that you didn't get to see more of them. For that, I'm really looking forward to the next books! I'm actually wishing I could get my hands on a paperback copy to share with my eleven-year-old sister. I know she'd love Maelyn as much as I.
While it was a light princess tale, Anita Valle wove enough suspense and mystery into the plot to keep me hooked. I found myself asking, "What really happened?" "Okay, is someone lying there?" While Maelyn gave us a satisfactory ending, it opened the door for so much as far as the story and characters were concerned. I'm glad that the second novella in the Nine Princesses series (Coralina) is out already, because I really need to read it and find out what happens! For those of you who love stories penned by Gail Carson Levine and Jessica Day George (and similar authors), you'll want to get your hands on Anita Valle's Nine Princesses Novellas!
Please note: I looked up the author's bio pages on Amazon and Goodreads to see what other books she'd written, and discovered that she and I had a lot in common! Anita Valle was homeschooled, loves Charles Dickens and other literary novels, and IS ALLERGIC TO CHOCOLATE! My inspiration for a review of Maelyn may or may not have bounded from that discovery. *ahem* You can choose there.
I really liked it. Sure, it was short, but it was sweet, and it's the start of a nine novella series (at least, I'm assuming there are nine books as Maelyn is the first of nine princesses)! Maelyn loves reading, and at the beginning of the novella, her biggest problem is running out of books to read. And I can totally relate. Her relationship with her eight sisters is very nice, but I was a little disappointed that you didn't get to see more of them. For that, I'm really looking forward to the next books! I'm actually wishing I could get my hands on a paperback copy to share with my eleven-year-old sister. I know she'd love Maelyn as much as I.
While it was a light princess tale, Anita Valle wove enough suspense and mystery into the plot to keep me hooked. I found myself asking, "What really happened?" "Okay, is someone lying there?" While Maelyn gave us a satisfactory ending, it opened the door for so much as far as the story and characters were concerned. I'm glad that the second novella in the Nine Princesses series (Coralina) is out already, because I really need to read it and find out what happens! For those of you who love stories penned by Gail Carson Levine and Jessica Day George (and similar authors), you'll want to get your hands on Anita Valle's Nine Princesses Novellas!
Please note: I looked up the author's bio pages on Amazon and Goodreads to see what other books she'd written, and discovered that she and I had a lot in common! Anita Valle was homeschooled, loves Charles Dickens and other literary novels, and IS ALLERGIC TO CHOCOLATE! My inspiration for a review of Maelyn may or may not have bounded from that discovery. *ahem* You can choose there.
Advisory: Some light romance leading to a kiss, but it's handled sweetly. A few characters are mentioned getting the Red Fever, but it's never graphic.
Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
Ooo, this book sounds interesting! I'll have to look into it:) I like medieval books!
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