Official Review: Portrait of a Princess by Sam Baker

[Chigo Nwagboso]

[Following is an official OnlineBookClub.org review of "Portrait of a Princess" by Sam Baker.]

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4 out of 4 stars

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Portrait of a Princess: The Arbour Archives by Sam Baker is a mystery book full of action and adventure. This story follows a fourteen-year-old girl, the protagonist, through her mysterious journey into a magical world.

Amelia and her family embarked on a journey to a new house in another country. She and her younger brother, William, loved their new home and referred to it as 'Heaven.' They rushed in to pick their rooms, and Amelia chose a room upstairs with a beautiful mirror. She discovers that this mirror is magical and serves as a portal into a magical world inside a magic tree. Amelia makes her first entrance into the other world known as the Arbour and is captured and presented to their late queen, Ashlyn, as a gift at her funeral. And something strange happens! Perhaps Amelia is destined to find herself in the Arbour at that particular time, but to what end?

This young adult book of 313 pages is a thrilling and fascinating read. This exciting book keeps the pace up with so much suspense. I admired Amelia for being a brave adventurer who squarely faced her challenges regardless of her age. Sometimes, I feared for her and wished I could communicate with her through her rigorous adventures. I also fell in love with little William, an innocent and adorable boy who refers to Amelia as Mealy. I liked that the author did not have too many characters. Meanwhile, they are unique, relatable, and lovable. I followed these characters all through my reading, and I never lost track of them.

Interestingly, the language of this book is simple and easy to assimilate without any difficulties. The writing style will be appealing to young readers without stressing them. They will learn a lot from the protagonists in this book. They can learn about creativity, how to be daring, and how not to trade love and family for anything. The story was written from a first-person perspective, which gave me a better understanding of the storyline.

This book is fast-paced and intriguing, and I was enthralled by it. The author painted beautiful and clear pictures in my imagination through his descriptions. His narration of the plot made the story so believable and captivating. I saw myself on a journey with Amelia, witnessing all the events she faced.

What I loved the most were the twists and turns surrounding the plot, which kept me glued to the pages. I was so invested in the entire story and can't wait to explore book 2 of the Portrait of a Princess series.

Overall, I thoroughly enjoyed reading this story. Readers who love strong female protagonists will naturally fall in love with Amelia. She is a talented artist and highly optimistic. I believe that teens and adults who enjoy mystery, family ties, true friendship, and adventurous books will find this book fascinating. This book was well-written and exceptionally edited. There was nothing I disliked about this book. Therefore, I am happy to give this book a perfect score of 4 out of 4 stars.

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Portrait of a Princess
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[Raluca_Mihaila]

You have piqued my interest with this intriguing review. Thank you for your recommendation, and I can't wait to read it for myself. Great job!

[Damian Keyes]

I'm a fan of The Chronicles of Narnia books where characters are transported to another world. This plot sounds like the type of book that intrigued me the most. Thanks for constructing this well-written review.

[riyosha]

Seems like a lovely novel, thanks for the review!

[kiki2881]

The book reminds me of Alice in Wonderland, or other adventure books like the Chronicles of Narnia or The Bridge to Terabithia as you described it. I liked your comprehensive review. The way you wrote it was coherent.

[oluwalonimi29]

Not a fan of magical stories.But from the review I am sure lovers of magics and adventures will enjoy the story .

[Excel 2021]

Its fun, exciting, adventurous and educative. Teens would love to grt their hands on this book. Great review too

[Bookishkrish24]

I am a fan of books of this genre. Your review is making me read it. Thanks for the thorough review.

[Ayomide1221]

What can I say it's just My type of novel I will like to get my hands on so I'm going to check it out

[Senseye]

Visiting a realm of magic sounds like the perfect way to spend a few quite afternoons. I may join Amelia on her adventure. Thank you a great review.

[Vivian Jabeya]

I would love to read this book to find out why Amelia is destined to find herself in Arbour.

[Kirsi Cultrera]

My first thoughts were that this book sounds a bit like Alice in Wonderland. Well, that was a great story, and sounds like this one is a great story too. I might bee too old and complicated to read a young adult book, but I’d imagine this is a great read to the right alter group.

Thanks for your detailed review!

[MsH2k]

Amelia is “ captured and presented to their late queen, Ashlyn, as a gift at her funeral.” That doesn’t sound like a good start, but it sounds like Amelia got out of that pickle.
Thank you for a great review!

[Yvonne Monique]

Such a thorough review, well done! I love fantasy books, and even pick up a young adult one once in a while (although I suppose I don't qualify for 'young adult' anymore ), so I'll keep this one in mind.

[SamaylaM]

I love that not only is this book exceptionally well-written but also presents Amelia as a strong female protagonist. Sounds like it would be a great read. Thank you for your elaborate and lovely review!