The Princess in the Opal Mask

by Jenny Lundquist

Overview

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.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780762451098
Publisher:	Running Press Book Publishers
Publication date:	10/22/2013
Pages:	352
Sales rank:	660,139
Product dimensions:	5.40(w) x 8.10(h) x 1.00(d)
Lexile:	790L (what's this?)
Age Range:	13 - 17 Years

About the Author

Jenny Lundquist was born and raised in Huntington Beach, CA. She earned a Bachelor of Arts degree in Intercultural Studies with a minor in TESOL at Biola University. Lundquist is the author of The Princess in Opal Mask and two middle-grade novels, Seeing Cinderella and Plastic Polly. She lives in Rancho Cordova, California, with her husband and two sons. Visit her online at jennylundquist.com and Twitter @Jenny_Lundquist.

Editorial Reviews

“Light romance and strong female characters make it an ideal choice for tween girls, and the dual viewpoint narration aids the plot's momentum. This delightfully fanciful tale will find a captive audience among fans of Gail Carson Levine.”
—School Library Journal

“Lundquist's debut YA novel combines elements of Cinderella with The Man in the Iron Mask. . . . With its swift pace, charismatic heroines, and all kinds of intrigue, Lundquist sets up a compelling and detailed history for her kingdoms, with legends of strong women rulers. Fantasy readers will eagerly await the promised second title."
—Booklist

“A novel of royal intrigue.”
—Kirkus Reviews

This fairy tale, told from the alternating perspectives of Wilha and Elara, is engaging and action-packed...plenty of intriguing twists to keep the pages turning. Fans of romantic fantasy will be left begging for a sequel.
—VOYA

From the Publisher

11/01/2013
Gr 6–9—Galandria is on the brink of war, threatened by neighboring Kyrenica and unrest among its own citizenry. Caught in the middle are Elara and Wilha, twin daughters of Galandria's monarchs. Prompted by an ancient prophecy regarding disaster brought upon the kingdom by royal twins, the king orders the sisters be separated shortly after birth. Elara is secreted away to a distant village to live in ignorant anonymity while Wilha is cursed to always hide her face behind a bejeweled mask. The sisters are unaware of the other's existence until their 16th birthday. Reunited and forced to be pawns in a dangerous political game that began centuries earlier, they have some important choices to make. Their actions will determine not only the fate of their kingdom, but also their own destinies. This fairy tale based on "Cinderella" and Alexandre Dumas's The Man in the Iron Mask is the first in a planned two-book series, and a departure from the author's earlier works. Despite sometimes stilted dialogue, the story shines with potential. Light romance and strong female characters make it an ideal choice for tween girls, and the dual viewpoint narration aids the plot's momentum. This delightfully fanciful tale will find a captive audience among fans of Gail Carson Levine.—Alissa J. Bach, Oxford Public Library, MI

School Library Journal

2013-09-15
Inspired by The Man in the Iron Mask, The Prince and the Pauper and the eerie magic of twins, a novel of royal intrigue. The chapters alternate the voices of the two 16-year-old protagonists: the orphan Elara, kept like an ill-treated servant for the money paid for her keep; and Wilha, the Masked Princess, fated to wear a mask all the days of her life. Wilha doesn't know why: Does the populace of Galandria fear that she is hideous? Cursed? Blessed? Wilha is reserved; Elara is bold and canny. When Wilha is betrothed to Stefan, the prince of Kyrenica, as a gesture of peace between the uneasy kingdoms, Elara is captured and brought to the palace. She is actually Wilha's birth twin, needed as a pawn for the dangerous journey to Kyrenica. The girls circle warily around each other in this overwritten plot that includes hidden passages, secret letters, a lost book, a lot of political machinations and a tiny bit of romance. Nobles, peasants and objects pop up, do their thing, and fade away. The story ends with each girl poised for the sequel; they've found their strengths but left a lot unresolved plotwise. As this first of two volumes ends just when things are getting interesting, it's possible that readers who have made it to the end will stick it out for Book 2. (Fantasy. 11-14)

Kirkus Reviews