Review: The Opal Crown, by Jenny Lundquist

Title: The Opal Crown (The Opal Mask #2)
Author: Jenny Lundquist
Publication Date: October 28, 2014
Genre: Fantasy

Action, romance, sibling rivalry and court intrigue combine for a page-turning read in this sequel to The Princess in the Opal Mask, which VOYA called “engaging and action-packed.”

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. -Goodreads

3.5 Stars

This sequel to the exciting The Princess in the Opal Mask and conclusion to the duology did not disappoint, nor cease to keep my interest. Albeit a bit immature and watered down in terms of the political aspect, The Opal Crown was cute and fluffy and huggable after an influx of darker books.

Yes, there were inconsistencies and yes, there were plot holes.  But if you're a book reviewer like me and tire of analyzing every book you read and just want something to take your mind off of things, then this is the book you should be gravitating towards. It's almost like a Disney movie; you know some aspects of it are a bit ridiculous but you still find yourself gobbling every word of it.

That's not to say that this book's value should be undermined, though. The main characters are pretty well-developed and go through interesting character arcs, specifically Wilha. Their growth and development over the course of the two books is realistic and gradual; something you won't find in a lot of other books of the genre.

I feel like a lot of unnecessary drama was very superficially created. They were easy to see through, and could have easily been solved if not for the characters' aversion to acting before thinking. Hey, I'm not a particularly rational human being, but even I noticed the intentional drama created for the sake of speeding things up.    

Like the first book, the plot relied too heavily on cliches. There were some instances where I felt things were solved too easily that in the end I didn't feel any sense of urgency or fear that the characters will not survive.

If it were another book, these issues would have compelled me to set--no, throw--the book aside. But it's The Opal Freaking Crown, and I loved every second of reading it. If you're in the mood for a simple, lovable fantasy story, then I'd definitely recommend The Opal Mask duology. It doesn't set out to be either complex or innovative; but it is memorable in its right.