2 Reviews : The Musician’s Daughter and Two Moon Princess
Two short reviews today, of two books I enjoyed 🙂
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Two Moon Princess by Carmen Ferreiro-Esteban
Pages : 323
Genre : YA, Fantasy
My Rating : 
What it’s about :
As a princess, Andrea grew up in a castle with her sisters. Even though she has always dreamed of being a warrior, her family has more “ladylike” plans for her. When she steps through a portal and accidentally lands in modern California, her life is forever changed. Now torn between two worlds, she must face the consequences of her actions – and the war she may very well have started.
My Thoughts :
Fantasy can be really good or really bad for me; books rarely fall in between and I tend to prefer those that aren’t too inspired by the medieval times. I also really enjoy books with characters randomly landing into a different world, whether it’s time-travel, parallel universe or some other magical mechanic. I was really curious to see where this novel would fall and I am glad to say I enjoyed it.
I have read more stories of characters from “our world” traveling to magical places than the opposite, so I found it interesting to have Andrea land here from a medieval-like world. Her observation of our world was one of my favorite parts, and I liked how the author depicted both places with their strengths and weaknesses; it gave weight to Andrea’s difficult decisions and to their impact.
I only wish I could have connected to Andrea more. I read how she felt, but I can’t say I “felt” it too. However, she was a strong young woman with a lot of determination, and I admired that. She also had a sense of humor, which is always good for someone in her situation (I would think it’s a good defense mechanism when landing into a weird place like ours)! She balanced other less likable characters, mostly people of her family, and it was enough for me to carry through the novel.
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The Musician’s Daughter by Susanne Dunlap
Pages : 323
Genre : YA, Historical Fiction, Mystery
Stand Alone
My Rating : 
What it’s about :
In 18th century Vienna, Theresa is facing the most difficult time of her life; her father has been found dead on Christmas Eve, and all points out to the cause being murder. With her pregnant mom in shock and a younger brother to worry for, Theresa takes on the mission of finding the truth, and it all begins with a missing violin and a mysterious gold pendant…
My Thoughts :
I liked this one. I really wish there was more YA historical fiction (maybe when the trend of dystopia calms down?) and I am always on the lookout for more. This one combined many things I like; the historical part of course, but also the mystery. Romance can be good, but a great mystery will always have my preference.
I had two problems with The Musician’s Daughter that kept me from completely loving it; the predictability of the story, and the disconnect I had with Theresa. Through her tragedy and her adventure, I didn’t really get a sense of who she was. I wanted to know her and root for her, and I did to a certain extent, but not enough to deeply care for her.
It was still a good book I would not hesitate to recommend for readers wanting to read some historical fiction. The setting was great and I could feel the author had put time into her research, something I will always appreciate!
I agree with you re: Musician’s Daughter. It had such a charm with the historical fiction and romance elements that weren’t weighed down by END OF THE WORLD and EVERYONE IS DYING type shiz going down.
However, I also agreed with you and the predictability of the reading. The details really sold it for me and the fact that it’s a stand alone – another rarity these days in YA lit!
Two Moon Princess sounds really intriguing to me, and though I do really enjoy historical fiction from the medieval times, I think I would also enjoy this reversal as well. I like that Andrea uses humor to combat her new surroundings and that the book is well rounded. I am off to see if I can find this one right now! It sounds excellent! Fantastic reviews today!
The Musician’s Daughter sounds good. I wonder if teens will find it as predictable.
I may have to check out Two Moon Princess even if the main character might be hard to connect with. Your point about time travel usually going from our world to the past is spot on…I love the idea of moving in the other direction (and now I’m trying to think of books that do this, and none are coming to mind…) Thanks for the reviews!
The Musician’s Daughter sounds really good. Does it have a whole lot to do with the “musician” part of the title? Also, I do wish that there was more YA historical fiction, and I do think that it has to do with the huge dystopian phase we’re going through. I mean, don’t get me wrong, I love me some twisted future worlds, but there’s just SO much of it right now.
I would say that music is part of the novel, but it’s not a novel about music. Does that help? I’m sorry, I’m not sure how to put it in words exactly. :-/