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erynelle's review against another edition
adventurous
hopeful
lighthearted
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.0
libraryofescape's review against another edition
4.0
Loved this book when I was younger. Full of adventure.
kniznypredator's review against another edition
5.0
Áno s odstupom času vidím, že tá kniha nie je dokonalá, ale predsalen je písaná pre mladšie dievčatá. Keď som ja bola dievča, milovala som Princetu a Kapitána. Je v nej všetko. Nebezpečenstvo, dobrodružstvo aj láska. Takto spätne vnímam, ako ma ovplyvnila a že podvedome som hľadala všade Orfea. :D :D No nie je to len povrchná rozprávka s romantickou zápletkou. Nesie v sebe veľa dobrých myšlienok a posolstiev. Ukazuje deckám, že si nemôžu naivne myslieť, že každý človek je iba dobrý, že život nie je ľahký a ľudia, na ktorých sme si zvykli s nami neostanú navždy. Zároveň však nesie myšlienku, že ak má človek pri sebe verných priateľov, ľahšie prekoná prekážky a smútok. A aj to, že rojko potrebuje mať pri sebe aj niekoho praktického :) . Stále si myslím, že by túto knihu mali znovu vydať a dievčatá by ju mali automaticky dostávať ako darček k jedenástym narodeninám. :) Alebo dvanástym...alebo tak nejako :D
leigh9's review against another edition
5.0
Well, Goodreads is full of spoilers for the end of this book. I will attempt to properly note all spoilers so the story won't be ruined for you.
Malva, the Princetta, runs away from her land on the eve of her wedding and begins a quest to find the mythic Elgolia. Orpheus is one of the men sent by Malva's father to bring her back. Along the way they develop a posse of quirky adventurers all on their own quests.
As most reviewers, I felt like the first half of this book is amazing. It's like Voyage of the Dawn Treader and the Odyssey and it's exciting and Malva and Orpheus have time to develop before they meet and must work together. Sadly, the second half is disappointing. I felt like the turning point was Malva's Island, where she finds Elgolia. Her quest leads her to a place that doesn't fulfill the hype and while I think that's the point, I also feel like it's were the writer didn't know what to do once Malva had accomplished her goal. I wish that it had been a better ending but at the same time I wonder if in a few months I will feel like the ending was exactly what this book needed.
Midpoint spoilers:The Trials of Catabea were hit or miss for me. I liked Lei, Finopicio and Orpheus's trials but I felt like Babilus and Hob's was half-baked, and Malva's shouldn't have been Elgolia. I'm still upset over Zeph and Peppe's. I took half a star off this because nobody kills the dog and gets away with it. The Trials also gave me serious anime/cartoon vibes which I didn't hate. But the Trials also felt like they took away from the main plot of finding Elgolia/getting Malva back to Galnicia. I wish this book was longer so the Trials could have felt more connected to the actual story line, or had this become a series of adventure books because I would have liked to follow Malva and Orpheus having adventures across the world.
Main Villain spoilers: I also liked the Archont plot in the first half but I felt like there was never a proper explanation of why the Archont was after Malva, or evil, or why he hated Galnicia.
End spoilers: The ending felt rushed. The tone shifts to being more passive as if the author wanted to just get the story out and over with so she could move on to the other things, or maybe her publisher was pressing her to finish, who knows. Many of the plot lines feel rushed from Orpheus death to the Archont's return to Lei and Hob leaving to Balmun. Again, I wish this was a series so we could have seen Balmun. It didn't seem quite finished to me and felt unsatisfactory.
Still, despite all the flaws, I really (REALLY) liked this book.
Malva, the Princetta, runs away from her land on the eve of her wedding and begins a quest to find the mythic Elgolia. Orpheus is one of the men sent by Malva's father to bring her back. Along the way they develop a posse of quirky adventurers all on their own quests.
As most reviewers, I felt like the first half of this book is amazing. It's like Voyage of the Dawn Treader and the Odyssey and it's exciting and Malva and Orpheus have time to develop before they meet and must work together. Sadly, the second half is disappointing. I felt like the turning point was
Midpoint spoilers:
Main Villain spoilers:
End spoilers:
Still, despite all the flaws, I really (REALLY) liked this book.
annika342's review against another edition
1.0
This book is such a waste of time. Don't even bother reading it.
The worst, for me, is that it had the potential to be SO good! Who doesn't love swash buckling stories with a heroine instead of a hero!? But it was so rushed. So random. All of a sudden she needs to leave her country. Then she's on a boat with pirates. Then she's fine. Then she's in another country. Then she's a slave. Then she's not. Then she meets a guy. But not really. Suddenly a whole bunch of random characters are in an ocean filled with crazy monsters and quests...
Then suddenly he returns home but WAIT! Let's throw in time travel and random death scenes! YES!
The entire book felt so rushed. There wasn't much character development or descriptions of anything. It was like the author was thinking it could only be interesting if there was constant action and motion. Which isn't the case for a book. We WANT description. I left that book feeling dissatisfied and rather sad that such a great premise was done so haphazardly and sloppy.
The worst, for me, is that it had the potential to be SO good! Who doesn't love swash buckling stories with a heroine instead of a hero!? But it was so rushed. So random. All of a sudden she needs to leave her country. Then she's on a boat with pirates. Then she's fine. Then she's in another country. Then she's a slave. Then she's not. Then she meets a guy. But not really. Suddenly a whole bunch of random characters are in an ocean filled with crazy monsters and quests...
Then suddenly he returns home but WAIT! Let's throw in time travel and random death scenes! YES!
The entire book felt so rushed. There wasn't much character development or descriptions of anything. It was like the author was thinking it could only be interesting if there was constant action and motion. Which isn't the case for a book. We WANT description. I left that book feeling dissatisfied and rather sad that such a great premise was done so haphazardly and sloppy.
mahikamukherjee's review against another edition
5.0
Honestly don't remember a thing except that h was obsessed. May reread.
panda_the_pandit's review against another edition
4.0
I knock 2 stars off for the ending, I don't know why the let a story like that in Canada the ending was awful. I wanted to go complain to the author. Though I am mad, the author is BRILLIANT... Who would have guessed! I think in the end I finely realized fairy tales don't always happen... even in books...
ctucke03's review against another edition
5.0
This book was exactly like the movie Titanic. An amazing couple so in love,a huge exciting adventure, and loyal epic friends. The only problem,like the Titanic, one of them dies. But,I will not tell you who. You have to read it! :)
rebekkahindbo's review against another edition
DNF'ed at page 107. This just wasn't for me, not now at least. The characters felt flat, and I wasn't that intrigued by the plot.
fletcher's review against another edition
1.0
"Those are the twin stars," he explained. "Their names are Astor and Olux."
It was at this moment that I set the book down, put my head in my hands, and decided that books that use soundalike names to pretend like they're not set in the regular world are getting an immediate DNF from me.
Sinbad meets DK Children's Encyclopedia in this stunningly boring "adventure." Be warned, reader, what may seem to be a 2- or even 3-star book suddenly takes a very sharp turn away from what was advertised about a quarter of the way through and ventures down a path of cliches like you have never seen. Are you ready for the male protagonist to fall for the Princetta after she does nothing but gripe and moan about wanting to follow her dreams right after directly causing the deaths of several dozen people? Are you prepared for the more-than-borderline-racist depictions of totally-not-Asian cultures our heroes run into on their inane quest for a fantasyland they heard a drunk guy yelling about one time? Have you steeled yourself for your two-character novel to very suddenly become a story about a whole seven-person group of 2D characters trudging across a world constructed like an almanac with all the names slightly tweaked? Then go forth, poor things, and behold The Princetta.
It was at this moment that I set the book down, put my head in my hands, and decided that books that use soundalike names to pretend like they're not set in the regular world are getting an immediate DNF from me.
Sinbad meets DK Children's Encyclopedia in this stunningly boring "adventure." Be warned, reader, what may seem to be a 2- or even 3-star book suddenly takes a very sharp turn away from what was advertised about a quarter of the way through and ventures down a path of cliches like you have never seen. Are you ready for the male protagonist to fall for the Princetta after she does nothing but gripe and moan about wanting to follow her dreams right after directly causing the deaths of several dozen people? Are you prepared for the more-than-borderline-racist depictions of totally-not-Asian cultures our heroes run into on their inane quest for a fantasyland they heard a drunk guy yelling about one time? Have you steeled yourself for your two-character novel to very suddenly become a story about a whole seven-person group of 2D characters trudging across a world constructed like an almanac with all the names slightly tweaked? Then go forth, poor things, and behold The Princetta.