Vivian Vande Velde is an Edgar Award-winning author of fiction for young adults. Heir Apparent, a Junior Library Guild Selection and winner of the Anne Spencer Lindbergh Prize for Best Children's Fantasy Novel, has been called "consistently entertaining" by Publishers Weekly. This clever and imaginative fantasy, featuring a marvelous reading from narrator Carine Montbertrand, will lure curious listeners into the virtual reality world of a medieval-styled arcade game that might just be deadly.
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"This was an awesome book to read! It started out like an other book would (letting you know what's going on), but quickly turned into a hilarious adventure that never seemed to want to turn out how the main character wants. I would definitely recommend this book to anyone who enjoys a good laugh."
— Melinda (5 out of 5 stars)
“Murder, magic, salacious secrets, and sparkling wit immediately pull the reader into this engrossing medieval whodunit.”
— Kirkus Reviews" I read this because I found it at the thrift and it was 50 cents and about computer games. I thought, hey, ok, it might be YA lit, but maybe if I put it in our miscellaneous fiction, some game art major might find it and read it and get something out of it. Unfortunately, it was not good enough to do even that, and I'm embarrassed to put it on here that even I read it. But I'm doing an experiment in total book-reading transparency, which is why I copped to reading Angels & Demons. Because I do read a lot of crap, sometimes. May be decent for early middle school collections circa 5 years ago but that's about it. "
— Erin, 2/17/2014" This was okay. Interesting concept. "
— Laura, 2/6/2014" i love this book. its an easy read but a good one. your interested all the way threw wondering what path she'll choose. "
— Let, 2/5/2014" middle school, great for boys but I like VVV's other genre's better. "
— Aimee, 2/1/2014" I hated how it just ended!!! "
— Neptune, 1/22/2014" The book was a fun adventure but a little trite. It is good and appropriate for the young adult reader. "
— Abby, 1/18/2014" Took a while to get through this book. Some slow parts. "
— Wendi, 1/13/2014" I liked it, it was different from the typical fantasy book. "
— Mandy, 12/18/2013" This book was pretty boring i wouldn't read it again the girls leg gets amputated. And she has a miniature self inside her head. "
— Laurel, 12/5/2013" I am a sucker for a good sci-fi book and this one held my attention throughout. The end was abrupt and a let down, but I love the concept and great storytelling. "
— Karilyn, 11/7/2013" I loved this book! It is modern fantasy, set a little ways into the future where virtual reality games have been taken one step further. There is romance, strategy, magic, humor, and much more. I would say this is a 5th grade reading level, maybe 4th. "
— Gen, 10/26/2013" The book is still funny as I remembered! "
— Dancing, 10/23/2013" This book is based on a futuristic computer game which uses the player's senses to put the player into the game as realistic as possible. When something goes wrong with the computer, the heroine must find a way to win the game in order exit and save her life. "
— Keri, 9/1/2013" I don't remember the swearing. I liked this book so much that I read it aloud to my kids while we drove a couple of years ago. Some of them have read it again on their own. I thought it was worth buying, and then buying again when it was destroyed. "
— Jerianna, 3/16/2013" A fun book about a virtual reality game. It is a little preachy at times, and slow moving in some parts. "
— RaeLene, 3/10/2013" This book was amazing with a lot of tricks and turns my only complaint was that there should of been more romance. "
— Krissy, 12/26/2012" very sci-fi and fantasy. could not put down!!!!! "
— Sadie, 12/12/2012" if you like science fiction, then this is the book for you. (ok that sounds cheesy) "
— Salma, 11/4/2012" I Stayed up untill around 2 in the morning to finish it. Its fast moving. But the detail is really good. "
— Kylie, 10/28/2012" My son bought this book at a school book fair. He was in fourth or fifth grade and loved it. He told me it was one I'd really like, so I read it too. He was right. Fun book, great female character. "
— Barb, 7/28/2012" I read this years ago, and I don't remember exact details, but I do remember really liking it! :D It's such an interesting story idea, and a fantastic story! :D I definitely need to reread it sometime in the future. :) "
— Ambur, 5/25/2012" This was a really fun book--just like playing a game!! "
— Kendra, 3/19/2012" I loved it! Full of suspense! I kept wondering what was going to happen next! "
— Valen, 3/18/2012" I gave this book a 4 because it has many obstacles that she has to go through to win the game. It has a futuristic feel to it. "
— Tarin, 2/23/2012" This was a great read. An original page turner:0) "
— Rozelle, 1/19/2012" Really good book about a girl who is trapped in a virtual reality video game. The author does a good job of not boring the reader, even though Giannine has to continue to start the game over and over again. "
— Austin, 6/4/2011" It was a little confusing but still good "
— Arti, 5/16/2011" Oh my word! The main character reminded me so much of my friend and the way she talks! Such sarcasm! Such hilarious comparisons! She's a treasure! I laughed through most of the book and smiled through the rest. It's a very enjoyable read! "
— Victoria, 5/9/2011" This book is the best of its kind. The dialogue is hilarious, the events are tautly strung, and the heroine is the very definition of kick-assery. I definitely read this in the last month and it was just as great as I remember it. "
— Jennifer, 4/27/2011" oh man. one of the only books i can read again, brilliant. "
— Leah, 4/24/2011" Funny and a bit quirky. An entertaining read. "
— Kathryn, 4/19/2011" My son bought this book at a school book fair. He was in fourth or fifth grade and loved it. He told me it was one I'd really like, so I read it too. He was right. Fun book, great female character. "
— Barb, 3/28/2011" Great Book<br/><br/>So good, so funny! I want to read it again "
— Alex, 3/27/2011" This book was pretty boring i wouldn't read it again the girls leg gets amputated. And she has a miniature self inside her head. "
— Laurel, 3/23/2011" I could read this book a million times and still be grinning and wiping tears of mirth from my eyes every time. It's hilarious and charming, and will keep you entertained from cover to cover. "
— GGNS, 3/20/2011" It was good for a light read and time consumption. Strange ending though. "
— Paige, 3/16/2011" A wonderfully funny fantasy novel that I can read again and again. "
— Meherin, 3/6/2011" sarcastic narrator, virtual video games, i'm in! =) "
— Ashley, 2/25/2011" this was one of the best books i've ever read! it was a little hard to red because of the diolog. I loved it and recomend it to boys and girls 9 and up. I recomend it to people who like fantacy. If you don't like fantacy, than don't read this book. "
— Britt, 2/22/2011" Kind of pointless but was interesting. If you're into books about video games and the like, you would probably enjoy this book. "
— Elizabeth, 2/22/2011" I gave this book a 4 because it has many obstacles that she has to go through to win the game. It has a futuristic feel to it. "
— Tarin, 2/7/2011Vivian Vande Velde is an American writer of fiction for children and young adults. She was born in Rochester, New York. She began writing at age twenty-eight, the year her daughter was born, and has been publishing relatively consistently since. She currently resides in Rochester, where she is involved in multiple circles/groups of young writers in the Rochester area.
Carine Montbertrand is an award-winning narrator of dozens of audiobooks. When she first started working in the 1990s, she sounded younger than her years and specialized in children’s and young adult titles. Since then she has expanded to fiction for adults and has recorded everything from murder mysteries to fantasy and inspirational titles. She is adept with dialects and accents, voicing characters from countries around the world. She also specializes in English language titles with a French flavor, as she is half French. With her audiobooks, she has the opportunity to tell wonderful stories while finding voices for men, women, children, and sometimes ghosts and extraterrestrials.