“Whenever you were around, he looked at you like you were pure magic.”
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4.5 ⭐️ this book has been kindly sent to me by the author in exchange for an honest review and it has been a great read!
Princess Piper lives in a kingdom where there’s no space for love, creativity and art; only facts, science and resources are considered valuable things to be pursed. Everything is schematic and even when she looses her parents she is not allowed to show her grief. Her sister inherits the throne and she tries to make Piper follow the rules, but the princess is so sure her mother is not dead and that she has been taken prisoner by the kingdom of Mondaria that she decides to escape and infiltrate the court as one of the king’s 100. They are selected singers, magicians and drummers, accurately selected to entertain the king’s guests during parties and ceremonies. Piper, under fake identity, becomes one of the singers and this is absolutely ironic because in her kingdom she was not allowed to sing, even if she had always loved it and her mother had always encouraged her. Actually Piper slowly realizes that her mother had never been devoted only to math and science, but she had always showed love to her family and to art, even though secretly. Piper finds herself in a world were romantic affairs and friendships are considered above everything else and in her search for her mother she undestands that even if Mondarians are very different, they have shown her more love and affection than she has ever received in her own life. Piper is a very strong girl who has struggled to find a place in her own kingdom because she has always felt that something was missing; when she meets Ari and Layla and Darden she feels accepted and brave and even a bit foolish. Of course she realizes that her world is more advanced and focused, but if this is obtained at the expense of her feelings then it is not worth! Her relationship with Ari develops slowly but they are perfect together; indeed she makes him realize he has to think more about his future and less to people that have treated him badly and he shows her that life can be beautiful if you are loved and you love in your turn.

Thanks to NetGalley and Immortal Works publishing co for letting me read and review this fun and entertaining story.
This story is very similar to The Selection series by Kiera Cass. It was a quick, light-hearted and enjoyable read about Piper, the Princess from Capalon looking to try to find her mother cause someone left her a note saying that her mother was still alive.
Piper tries to be the good princess and do her duty like her older sister, who's the Queen, wants her to do, but then she gets the note about her mother being alive and Piper decides she has to go try to find her mother. So, Piper goes off to the neighboring kingdom of Mondaria hoping to find her mother and bring her back home with her to their kingdom of Capalon so things can go back to normal with her mom being the Queen again.
After Piper goes to Mondaria, she realizes she has no money and has to find a way to get into the King's Palace to try to find her mother and decides to become a part of the King's court as a singer, where she finds and becomes friends with the others in the court as she tries to find her mother.
Piper has a great adventure with her new friends and finds love, of course, but then her true identity of being the Princess of Capalon, which she's had hidden threatens to ruin everything and cause problems and then she has to decide what to do and how she feels about revealing her true identity to her friends and what she wants to do after finding some answers and info about things.
It's definitely worth having on your list and reading this enjoyable read especially if you've read and also like The Selection Series by Kiera Cass.

A cool premise and decent characters, but it was pretty illogical. If I forgive the unbelievability of Piper's behavior and that of her friends, I could enjoy the romance. But of was just too impractical. I just couldn't buy Piper's behavior.

I read this book in two days. I could not put it down. It is a light-hearted romance with elements of the selection, Romeo and Juliet, Germany’s next Topmodel, the voice and a lot of romance!

The Capalon Princess Piper searches for her mother, the queen in Mondaria. She risks death to proof that her mother is still alive. For that goal she has to become one of the Kind’s 100. But Mondaria is the opposite of the science based Capalon. In Mondaria Piper discovered emotions, friendships, joy and true love.

The plot didn’t turned out how I thought it would but it was refreshing and interesting. The characters were well done and you have to like them all. The world building is very good and all is introduced within the story.

The ending was amazing. On the one hand the story has a good end but on the other hand there is the possibility for more. So I am hoping for a sequel with Piper’s sister and the prince.

Thanks Netgalley for the digital copy in exchange for an honest review.

I received an ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.

What an interesting and delightful detour from the conventional paranormal worlds. The Kingdom of the Lands, holds many kingdoms, but none as stringent as Capalon. How novel is it to have an entire kingdom based on the basic fundamentals of STEM? Each individual specializing in a different field striving towards their motto of Innovation First!

As with all royalty there must be drama! Cue Piper the Problem Princess (nicknamed P3) I love that despite being forced to stifle her emotions as is customary, Piper still feels everything. Her emotions are so raw and powerful through the pages that the further down the rabbit hole I go the more I feel her defeat, resentment, anger, wounded pride and longing. As she matures, the hole in her chest expands, searching for something to fill the void. There is a very dejaVu “Little Mermaid” moment where she pulls out a box of treasures that includes unconventional items that just like Ariel, make her desire the unknown

A secret correspondence changes everything and she forsakes the only life she has ever known to follow her heart to enemy territory in Mondarian. The stark contrast of Capalon to Mondarian where people wear jeans, consume healthy amounts of sugar, have domestic animals as pets, read naughty books and magazine articles about what his “kiss style means” is so novel to Piper.

Mondarian is the forbidden fruit to Piper and she runs the risk of eating too deeply. Each new experience from learning how to interact like a teenager, to developing your first crush and having your first kiss, Piper has been denied so long and she revels in the excess of this new world.

As Piper slowly becomes more engrossed in the Mondarian lifestyle, she finds that her priorities are changing. Can her only mission in life be derailed by the simple kindness of friendship and a chance at love? Can she break the chains of Capalon, forsaking her sister and people for a chance at freedom? Will she be brave enough to risk her carefully built illusion for something real beyond her reach?

The complexity and detail of all the secondary characters help to strengthen the current plot while leaving me wanting more! While I love all the interactions with Piper and Arik, I yearn for the love triangle of Queen Evelyn, and the King’s 100 posse. I definitely recommend this novel and cannot wait for more from this author!

Such a captivating, page turner this book is! It has all the familiar tropes we know and love, but written so originally and uniquely that nothing feels boring or overdone. The world building is very good, as is the character growth of every character we interact with. Just the right amount of character naivety, romance, and plot filler. The concept and plot are super interesting and well written, and the highly unexpected plot twist at the end sets up nicely for a sequel, which I really hope will be written. I found a minor spelling error, but that is a super easy fix. Well done to the author on a lovely book, this is sure to be a hit!

I liked the premise of this book and get what it was trying to do, and while it certainly improved as the story went on, I found the beginning and foundation to be a bit shakey and therefore had a difficult time fully committing to the story. In this future in which so much has changed that people refer to Paris as an 'ancient city" that no longer exists, there are two countries in The Lands that are sworn enemies. One has embraced STEM totally and completely - it is run by logic and rationality, sort of Hunger Games District 13 meets The Giver. Its neighbor is the opposite - people still wear flannel and blue jeans and drink hot chocolate and the monarchy still supports the arts. The story at its core is simple - a princess from the land of STEM keeps getting messages leading her to believe her dead mother is still alive and being held prisoner in the land of arts and hot chocolate. She manages to sneak into the other country and manages to land an exclusive job in the palace in the King's 100, a group of 100 performers he sponsors for royal events (the 100 performers are either singers, drummers, or magicians - why this combo? No idea. Is he really into drumline?) I get what this book was trying to do and the writing was good, I just don't think it got there. It was a fine way to spend a few days, but I can't see my students being able to look past the plot holes.

I think this was a fun book with an overall fun concept. I enjoyed many moments and I think it certainly needs a sequel.

Um, this was the perfect book?? 5/5, would recommend to anyone! It's the perfect balance of efficient worldbuilding, beautiful storytelling, and character creation that rings so beautifully true. I am BEGGING for a sequel!