Shamelessness Unplugged

Okay, I’m going to say it up front – yes, I know. This post is going to be wildly self-serving. So if you’re not up for that, then click here for a much humbler post.

But I do have some good reasons for today’s post. One is that a lot of wonderful people have taken the trouble to write some very kind things about THE FALSE PRINCE, and I wish to acknowledge their efforts on this book’s behalf. The second is that I want fans of the book to have a more complete picture of what is happening with the book. And the third is if you’re reading this, and you are on the fence about whether you want to buy this book, that maybe about halfway through you’ll throw up your hands and say, “Fine, I’ll buy the book. Enough already!”

So here goes:

Official Reviews

* THE FALSE PRINCE received a starred review from Publisher's Weekly, who called it "an impressive, promising story with some expertly executed twists."

* Describing it as "a twisted, dangerous, and all-consuming journey," the American Booksellers Association named THE FALSE PRINCE as #5 on their Indie Next Top Ten Books for spring,

* The very well-respected BookPage publication has chosen THE FALSE PRINCE as its Children's Top Pick for April. They call it "a terrific story that carries readers along to the very (surprising) end and will leave them clamoring for the next book in her trilogy."

* Kirkus states, "Ruthless ambition, fierce action and plotting, complex characters, and lots of sword play and hidden passages keep pages flipping."

* The Trades e-zine gives THE FALSE PRINCE an A rating and says it is a "fast-paced, thrill-packed YA novel filled with believable characters, and layers upon layers of intrigue."

* Booklist states, "Sage is a likable hero full of smart-alecky snakiness. Especially appealing are the friendships he forges..."

* The Horn Book writes, "This book should appeal to fans of Megan Whalen Turner and Suzanne Collins as well as to readers not quite ready for those authors yet."

Blogger Reviews That Made My Day

*One of the most influential librarians, Betsy Bird, wrote in her Fuse #8 blog, that "With enough twists and turns to keep a well-oiled brain humming, Nielsen trusts in the intelligence of her readers to follow along her delightfully complicated path. Their reward is a truly enjoyable book, start to finish."

* The lovely PJ Hoover blogged here about 5 reasons you should read THE FALSE PRINCE, saying, "As far as middle grade goes, it doesn't get much better than this!"

* David Levithan, the editor of HUNGER GAMES and amazing author of a number of books, says in this interview that when THE FALSE PRINCE came to Scholastic, "we were blown away to a degree that hadn't been seen in these halls since The Hunger Games had first appeared - and I don't say that lightly."

* The Bring on the Books blog said THE FALSE PRINCE "could easily be my 'best book of 2012.' It will be a hard one to beat."

* Pages Unbound wrote that "Nielsen has created a very real suspense that is infrequently found in most YA literature...At the end, readers will find themselves rethinking the book, watching events unfold in a completely new light as all the tiny pieces fall together."

* A teen reviewer for Arlington Public Library described THE FALSE PRINCE as "complete awesomeness. Once I finished reading it, I immediately started reading it again."

* Alamosa Bookstore wrote, "Fantasy lovers, if you crave a good adventure, it just doesn't get any better."

* A reviewer on Wattpad says "it's a book that you can't get enough of."

* Another young reviewer on Reading Tween calls the book "probably my favorite book ever...If you like fantasy and adventure and excitement, or if you have a kid, or know a kid, or like kids, or don't like kids and wish they'd shut up and read, you should buy this book!!"

Other Goodies

* Jonathan Hunt from School Library Journal listed THE FALSE PRINCE as one of several promising candidates for the 2013 Newberry medal.

* Scholastic Entertainment has optioned movie rights to the series.

* So far, THE FALSE PRINCE has been picked up for foreign rights translations in the following areas/languages: United Kingdom (Scholastic UK), Polish (Egmont), French (Bayard), Catalan (La Galera), Russian (AST Astrel), Spanish (Santillana).

* And if you want to see the book trailer created by the amazing folks at Scholastic, you can watch it here.

Now, if you made it all the way to the end and you are just dripping with enthusiasm to buy the book, please support your indie first, but you should be able to find it most places where books are sold.