A Dream Within A Dream: The Opal Crown Blog Tour: Review + Giveaway

Welcome to my stop on the blog tour for The Opal Crown! I'll be sharing my review of the book today - and don't forget to enter the giveaway! To follow the rest of the tour, click on the banner above.

The Opal Crown (The Opal Mask #2)

Author: Jenny Lundquist

Genre: YA Fantasy

Release Date: October 28, 2014

Publisher: Running Press Kids

Formats: Paperback, ebook

Pages: 368

Description:

In the year since she was betrothed to the crown prince of Kyrenica, no one has suspected that the Masked Princess has been a decoy. That Elara, the secret twin sister, has been pretending to be Princess Wilha all along. The royal family has kept Elara’s identity hidden from the world, and for the girls, swapping lives has not been easy. Galandra is quickly declining, and the sisters continue to be a pawn in the Guardian’s ever-changing endgames.

But the stakes rise when Elara and Wilha’s younger brother, Andrei, takes the Galandrian throne after their father's death, and he reveals the girls' deception to Kyrenica’s royal family. Viewed as traitors, Elara and Wilha realize they are now fighting for their lives—and for their country. However, with only one crown and one throne to overthrow, Elara and Wilha must decide who will become queen. Or rather, the next savior for their people.

The sequel to the Princess in the Opal Mask.

The Opal Crown is a mesmerizing second book in young adult fantasy series that continues to follow the fate of two twin sisters - Elara and Wilha - as their younger brother takes the thrown of Galandra and exposes the girls' deception. Elara and Wilha have been branded as traitors and are on the run - to save their lives and their country. They must figure out which of them will make the best queen - and essentially the savior - for their country after they overthrow their brother and take the crown. Which girl will be the one to wear the crown and bring peace back to Galandra?

I was a bit nervous before starting this book due to the fact that it's the second in a series and it had a lot to live up to after the spectacular beginning to the series. I had nothing to worry about because this book was just as fantastic as the first and far exceeded my hopes and expectations for it. The story was told in alternating first person point-of-views - those of Elara and Wilha. I usually love this type of story telling because it gives the reader a much deeper insight into the characters and their personalities, along with how each of them live their lives and respond to all the different occurrences in the novel. I liked getting to know more about each girl and their relationship with each others as well as the other characters in the book. I also enjoyed watching each girl grow and mature throughout the book. Both girls continued to be realistic and I immediately identified with each of them early in the book. The setting took us back to the land of Galandria - and the description of the land and its various details made the story seem like a fairy tale to me. I continued to love reading all about the realm of kingdoms, soldiers, wars between other parts of the kingdom. All of these various concepts brought the story into a new light and an intriguing landscape for it all to take place. The plot was enchanting, and less predictable than the first book. I enjoyed watching the plot unfold and to see how each girl would handle the situations that occur and how they would overcome the obstacles in their paths. The writing was beautifully done with detailed descriptions and vivid imagery that had me easily immersed in the world that the author created. This is by far one of the best YA fantasy books I've read this year and I'm already dying for more. I can't wait to see what will happen next with Elara and Wilha along with the kingdom of Galandria. Very highly recommended for fans of YA fantasy and fairy tales!

Jenny Lundquist grew up in Huntington Beach, California, wearing glasses and wishing they had magic powers. They didn't, but they did help her earn a degree in intercultural studies at Biola University. Jenny has painted an orphanage in Mexico, taught English at a university in Russia, and hopes one day to write a book at a café in Paris. Jenny and her husband live in northern California with their two sons and Rambo, the world's whiniest cat.

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