One Prince, Two Kingdoms

by Jana Grissom

My forehead’s throbbing. One minute this girl is yelling at me for giving up and the next, she’s laughing. Whiplash.

I squint my eyes at Danielle and whisper with my lips firmly in place, “I will never give up.”

Her voice is high and cheerful, “So what’s your plan?”

Johnny Boggs is a teen with trouble to spare who has learned one thing in life - trust no one. Paranoia befriends him as he moves into his fifth foster home and discovers no one appears as they are, his dreams are not just dreams, and he is supposedly the Prince of Shamayim.

On Johnny’s sixteenth birthday, fate requires him to leave the protection of this world but allows for him to choose to reign over the light or turn to the darkness. A vicious competition begins as two kingdoms fight for his loyalty while two beautiful girls, Danielle and Shay, fight for his attention. Time is running out; a decision must be made. Johnny finds it impossible to resist the beauty of his dreams, nor can he turn away from the one who has his heart.

Genres: Fantasy, Young Adult, Fiction

324 pages, Paperback

First published May 12, 2015

About the author

Imagine a magical world where anything is possible; that is where I want to be! My debut novel, One Prince, Two Kingdoms, releases on May 12! Preorder your copy at http://www.janagrissom.com/ or on Amazon.
I am a mom of two amazing teens, married to Roy, my high school sweetheart (Yes ladies, fairy tales do come true!), a middle school teacher, an advocate for foster children and at-risk teens, and a never-ending student!
I hold a Master of Education in Administration and Policy Studies and I'm chasing my doctorate in Special Education. Currently, I offer professional development in bullying identification, prevention, and intervention and I am available to speak to students at secondary schools about the writing process or bring a message that challenges them to S.T.O.P. bullying and suicide. Oh, and one more very important detail: I love CHOCOLATE!

Reviews

[Ben Alderson · Rating 4 out of 5]

"Really enjoyed this fantasy novel as well! Just finished! Extremely show stopping and I am gagging for the next book!"

REVIEW TIME.
I. LITERALLY. LOVED. THIS. BOOK
If you haven't seen I made a video about my pre thoughts of the book as the blurb got me really excited..
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bp9cV...

So without spoiling this epic book I will describe what you can expect.
MAGIC
STRONG FAMILY
DIMENSION TRAVEL
BEASTS
FREINDSHIP
FOSTER CARE
BATTLES
THE ULTIMATE CHOICE.

AND MANY MORE.
This book is defiantly a book for fantasy lovers. It is a nice sized book which you will be able to fly though! I highly recommend you check this book out!

[Misty · Rating 3 out of 5]

The first time I saw this book, it was a prize in a contest, (which of course I did not win). However, I never forgot the premise or that beautiful cover, so when Amazon had a sell on books months later, I still remembered it and just had to get.

Like I said, I loved the premise. A teenage foster kid discovers he's a Prince and has to chose which kingdom to reign over, The Kingdom of Light or The Kingdom of Darkness, while the two kingdoms and two girls compete for him and his loyalty. That sounds AMAZING to me! I had high expectations, but the final product was very different than what I was envisioning.

The writing is first person in present tense. This is what's happening to him and what he's thinking right now. It was all about Johnny's present; there was no communication or connection with the reader. So, there was no explaining anything; there was no world building, no background information on anything, no explaining! The reader just jumps into his present where he's already fighting monsters and making portals. I just found a lot of the elements in this book to be really random.

I'll admit the ending surprised me. I'm curious to see if she'll write a sequel because I have no idea how that would even work. I was in no way expecting the book to become interactive with the reader, and I think that was my mistake going into this book. In preparation of buying this book and reading it, I read some about the author. Jana Grissom is a middle school teacher who has foster children and offers help in bullying, intervention, prevention, identification, and a bunch of other amazing things. Basically, she's an amazing person who loves, knows, and works with children/teenagers.

With that in mind, this book totally makes sense. She wrote something for her kids - offspring, foster, and student. She wrote in the voice that they could relate to - being in the mind/present of an almost 16 year old guy. At the end, she wanted the reader/her kids to get to decide how the story ends and what would happen if they were in Johnny's shoes. This book is literally for all of her kids, and that is pretty amazing... but you might want to keep that in mind if you want to buy it.

[Floryie · Rating 4 out of 5]

I received a copy of the e-book as a part of the blog tour. This in no way impacts my review and rating. I will always write an honest and unbiased book review. Now that the formalities are over, I would like to move on to my thoughts on the book.

If someone asks me what attracted me to the book, I would say the book cover. I know I sound shallow but the darkish atmosphere created by the image matches the story perfectly. After the picture sucked me in, the blurb added the final nail in my coffin. Who could resist a tug of war between Light and Darkness? Definitely not me!

The author has portrayed Light - Heaven and Darkness - Hell in a quite different light. The setting and world building was very good. I have never seen shops, malls, pubs and other worldly attractions being depicted as a part of Hell in any book. That alone put a smile on my face a couple of times while reading the book. It goes well with the lesson between the lines conveyed by the author.

The play of scenes between the normal world and the spirit realm added an unique dimension to the story. It was one of the highlights of the book. It was a bit confusing at the start, trying to figure out which was which but it got sorted as the book progressed.

The story was well paced and the characters imbue the pages with colour and life. It was an emotional roller coaster ride. The story had highs and lows simultaneously and I was literally dragged through the pages. The protagonist, Johnny irritated me and at the same time, made me like him with his struggle between his good and bad sides. In truth, it's the story of him overcoming or succumbing to his darker side. The supporting cast of Caylee and Canyon had me entertained with their warrior skills and their banter. Shay made me roll my eyes at her effect on Johnny while Danielle made me like her with her sweet and stubborn nature. This was one conflicting read for me.

I was quite surprised with the ending and I am sure I have let my preference know with my comments. I loved the last chapter and I want to know more about the characters introduced in it. I don't want to spoil it for you so I am leaving it at that. I would like to conclude saying that this book won't be everyone's cup of tea. And lovers of darkish fantasy, take a peek at this book.

My one line review : A roller coaster ride of Johnny's struggle to pick his choice between Light and Darkness.

My rating : 4/5

My reread factor : 3/5

Floryie @ http://thebookdrealms.blogspot.com

[Diane Rapp · Rating 5 out of 5]

This dark fantasy is a heart-throbbing coming-of-age tale. Johnny loses his parents (his mom is in a coma and the other has gone into the spirit world to rescue her), but they never had time to explain why he's been training to fight all his life.

He's the Prince, turning sixteen soon, and must make a decision that will change the balance between the light and the dark. It doesn't help that he has the raging hormones of a teenage boy, is trying to survive in a series of foster homes, and must attend high school. He's attracted to two very different and beautiful girls, which makes his decision more difficult. He was raised by guardians of the light but the temptations of the dark draw him with equal intensity. Why must he choose?

I enjoyed reading this fast-paced book and recommend it to readers who enjoy dark fantasy.

[Vickey · Rating 3 out of 5]

I won this book through Goodreads.

This book is a quick and fun read with a very interesting concept.
My issue with the story is that the kingdoms needed further development. We barely learn about either and it is difficult to see Johnny pick a side by the end. The two love interests also needed to be explored further. It seems that the girl he should go for isn't from the kingdom he should choose.
There was some great basic set up but we need more.
This had so much potential and should have been a much longer read.

[Chrissy Dyer · Rating 5 out of 5]

I thought this book was an interesting, thrilling fantasy book. I hope there is another one!!

[Miranda A. Uyeh · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book started off nicely, drawing me in with its first words—I applaud that. With each page, I found it more engaging and intriguing, and grew to appreciate the plot.

While the idea of the story is a good one, I don’t agree it was well executed. Some of the sequences of events were too convenient, as though they were put in place to simply carry the plot forward, but without having them agree with other plotlines in the story. As a rule, I don’t engage spoilers, but in this case, I’ll mention a few things: There were guardians that supposedly watched the prince’s—Johnny’s—every move so that he was never out of their sight. Yet, after this was revealed in the second half of the book, Johnny managed to get into trouble at almost every turn with no one there to help. The teacher of theatre class, who was also a guardian, was never there, even though the theatre was where two major attacks happened. Also, right after Johnny was saved from a particular attack by his foster parents who were also guardians, knowing the danger that lurked around, they left him on his own to go home after school, and so within hours, he was nearly abducted again in a school bus. His foster mother apparently had to rush off to attend to some errands (and didn’t think to take him along). That doesn’t make any sense. It’s either the guardians were just plain careless, or like I said, the sequence of scenes were conveniently arranged to carry the desired plot forward.

Something else in the story stood out to me and also didn’t make any sense—the idea that Johnny needed to remain ignorant of who he was so he could stay protected. Here’s a teenager who will be turning sixteen in a VERY short while. At sixteen, he’ll be able to wield the greatest power ever known to exist in either kingdoms, and he’ll have to choose which kingdom to rule because he can’t have both. Yet, the guardians never once thought it was important to not only tell him his true identity, but to also prepare him in a way that he could defend himself against spiritual attack. The only training he ever got was that of physical combat, which in the second half of the book, was clearly useless to him when he encountered the agents of darkness. For some reason, the guardians believed all they needed do was watch him until the “right” time. What that right time was, I’m not sure. Because Johnny did turn sixteen, and when he did, he was still confused about a lot of things because no one ever took the time to explain anything. What he came to know, he only did because he was stubborn and determined not to continue hiding. I don’t see any sense in that. Like I said, it seemed the scenes were put together to follow through with a desired plotline even though it wasn’t plausible. In the end, they contradicted earlier mentions.

While the world-building was very good, there were some parts of the story where descriptions fell short. It left me confused about what was happening, until later in the story when I had it figured out. Sometimes I didn’t. A simple instance was when Johnny noticed Danielle, his love interest, smiling at him. According to Johnny, Danielle smiled because she liked his “new look”. What look?—a light-glowing look? Increase in height/stature/muscles?—we were never told or showed. This particular instance happened twice. There are other non-descript instances.

Also, from the start, it was clear Johnny had a crush on Danielle. Somewhere down the story, it was also obvious Danielle felt the same way about Johnny. They became close friends within weeks, and that’s all we were told. So when somewhere towards the end of the story, it was mentioned that they were in love with each other as though there was a romantic relationship between them, I couldn’t accept it, even as fiction truth, because throughout the course of the story, I didn’t perceive their relationship develop toward that direction. I felt like it was sprung on me—another convenient addition to carry the story forward.

From a moral point of view, I had issue with Johnny being able to channel his powers ONLY through anger. I don’t understand that.

Finally, the dual end made me uneasy. Honestly, I don’t fancy the idea of a reader choosing one of two ends of a story. I love it when an author steps outside traditional boundaries to make a great story. But I also believe an author should take full responsibility for the beginning, middle, and end of a story. Not the reader. This is why readers have great respect for authors. An author takes words, wielding them into a beautiful and unique tale, leading the reader on a journey with the promise to fully deliver literary satisfaction, so that when the reader is done, they can say, “Wow! That was awesome!” But some of that magic is lost when as a reader you know there’s another end spun by the author—one that you prefer less. This leaves you with a bittersweet sensation. You can’t shake off that other “end”, and there’s a reason why—the author put it there. Not you the reader, and so you can’t take it out. You can only choose one. This is why stories have the power to inspire—partly because no part of it is the reader’s making. That being said, since this is book #1, and so we don’t know the “ends” yet, it might be that both tales will lead to the same end with Johnny ending up on top. I really hope so. No reader wants to see a protagonist go under.

[Hooked On Books · Rating 5 out of 5]

Johnny is about to turn 16, he has been in and out of foster homes and is being bullied where he is ... then he arrives at his latest home and everyone is quite different even the new school is different. Johnny soon learns that rather than being the ordinary boy he thought he was, he is the Prince and he will need to make the biggest choice of his life - between the kingdom of light or the kingdom of darkness. The fate of the world lies on his shoulders, can he save everyone and make the right choices ?

I loved this story it is so different from anything I have read before, I was transported right into this strange world which one minute is a normal school in our world as we know it and the next we are sent into the realms of spirit world. A really great journey and what an intriguing ending whilst I won't spoil anything ...it does leave you with a very strange and unusual cliffhanger - very different from anything else I have read, leaving me in wonder of how the next book will pan out!

[Derek · Rating 5 out of 5]

I first learned about this book when the author came to my middle school a few years ago and introduced us to the book. I was very excited to read this and was not disappointed. I loved this book and all of the action and deception packed inside. Overall great book.

[Erica · Rating 3 out of 5]

I received this book for free through the Goodreads' First Reads program. I wanted so badly to like this book, but I just didn't. However, I was pleased that I received a signed copy with a letter from the author, sticker, and business card! It's not bad, per se, it's just not my type of book. I didn't know that the book had a "choose your own ending" until after I had won it. That kind of ending doesn't thrill me, and my opinion didn't change as I continued to read. While reading the book I found myself confused about what was taking place. The story kept jumping from one location to another and I just got lost. Also, I wondered why Johnny wasn't with Susan and Ray from the beginning since his social worker was one of his "people" that was supposed to protect him. Another thing that bothered me was Johnny himself. I know he is a 15 year old boy at the beginning of the book. Still the lusting after of hot women gets annoying. And he doesn't really act 15 except for having sexual thoughts all of the time. He just seems young to me...as do the other characters that are his age. I feel like the author added all the lustful fantasies just to make him not seem like a middle-schooler (which is what he acts like). I just don't know of many males that age that are so close to their parents (or any adults). I guess it makes the book more realistic in a way though because he is a foster kid and might crave more connection from parents because they aren't there. I don't know...maybe I am the only one that feels this way. But I don't plan on reading the sequel.

[Jane · Rating 4 out of 5]

One Prince, Two kingdoms by Jana Grissom

4 Stars

Johnny’s life is a series of confusion, his mother is laying in a coma, his father has gone and he is left in foster care. He believes he is alone and different until the Hollow man starts to visit him and he learns the truth. He is the prince and on his sixteenth birthday he has to choose to reign over the light or turn to darkness, but prince or not, Johnny is a teenager so adding hormones into the mix creates even more havoc into his already chaotic life.

One Prince, Two Kingdoms is a fantasy story and quite unusual. We switch between worlds in an instant and it is vital that the reader stays focused to keep on top of the plot. In general this reads as a YA but there are some scenes I felt were a little adult for the age of the characters, nothing graphic just more mature than I would expect from them.

The ending was unusual, a cliffhanger of sorts and I’m not sure what to make of it, or if I liked it, but without doubt this book gets a big tick for unique from me because I haven’t read anything like it before.

Copy supplied for review as part of a tour

[Corrine Pickering · Rating 4 out of 5]

Reviewed for Hooked on Books

One Prince, Two Kingdoms - Jana Grissom 4.5 stars

Johnny is about to turn 16, he has been in and out of foster homes and is being bullied where he is ... then he arrives at his latest home and everyone is quite different even the new school is different. Johnny soon learns that rather than being the ordinary boy he thought he was, he is the Prince and he will need to make the biggest choice of his life - between the kingdom of light or the kingdom of darkness. The fate of the world lies on his shoulders, can he save everyone and make the right choices ?

I loved this story it is so different from anything I have read before, I was transported right into this strange world which one minute is a normal school in our world as we know it and the next we are sent into the realms of spirit world. A really great journey and what an intriguing ending whilst I won't spoil anything ...it does leave you with a very strange and unusual cliffhanger - very different from anything else I have read, leaving me in wonder of how the next book will pan out!

[~My Book Obsession~ · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book is very different from other YA PNR I have read. Now, this doesn’t mean it was a bad story, just different. It took me a while to get into the groove of this book. But once I did the story flowed of the pages.
Johnny ,the main character, life has been turned upside down. He goes from having a mother and father to one in a coma and the other disappears, thus, leaving him a ward of the state. Thinking he only has himself to depend on and a not so bright future. However, this changes when he is made aware he is a Prince…Great, right? Johnny has to decide whether to rule the light or the dark. But with each choice comes a teen boy’s most amazing dream, two beautiful girls wanting his attention. Young male hormones… Which will he choose?
One Prince, Two Kingdoms is a fantasy for YA but had scenes that conflicted with their ages. However, it was a good read. I give this book 3.5 star.
***I was given this book for an honest review. This in no way hinders my thoughts on this book. ***

[LaGina · Rating 3 out of 5]

I give this book a 3.5 stars. It could have been a 4 but I was having a hard time getting into the book. I was looking for a different read and I got it with this. If you are a YA PRN reader then this book would be right up your alley.

[Pj · Rating 4 out of 5]

A very good supernatural story. Engaging characters. Lots of action. Plus a double ending.

[Donna]

Amazing story. Can't wait for the next one.