To be famous and be admired by total strangers can be very dangerous.
Her little girl has always been her princess. In fact, she was so lovely, Melissa entered her toddler into child beauty pageants, making her a star from an early age. But her dreams and hopes are shattered one October morning, when Melissa watches a breaking news story on television. A young girl has been filmed by bystanders, committing a brutal assault in broad daylight in a downtown Vancouver Starbucks…and it looks like the girl is her daughter.
From this moment on, a story unfolds, so shocking, that it will hold you captive and you will find yourself reading faster and faster into the night.
I fell in love with Zeiner's writing when I read her first book, Section 123. So, I knew I was in for a treat when I picked up Birthdays of a Princess.
The story opens with Tiara 'Tia' stabbing a random woman in a coffee shop and her mom seeing it on the news. What would bring such a young woman to do such a violent and volatile act?
As the investigation begins, the reader is given a glimpse into Tia and her mom's past, along with Tia's Aunt Gracie. Tia was pushed into the beauty pageant scene at a very young age and stayed in it until she was too old to compete. The change in her psych is dramatic at that point when she is expected to return to a normal childhood.
Her mother can't seem to associate the rebellious and extremely troubled teen with her sweet little girl. She takes no responsibility for her daughter's actions and feel that what she did for Tia was to her benefit. The psychologist in charge of Tia's case urges her to journal her life up to that point and Tia uses her birthdays as pivotal times in her life. But there are deeper and darker secrets yet to be revealed that will hold you captive.
Page-turning, steeped in suspense and cleverly constructed characters that will grab you from the first page and not let go until the shocking end. This book kept me riveted and I read it in two sittings, so abhorrent to putting it down. It really brought forth a myriad of emotions, from humor, horror, shock, anger and more. If you enjoy a well written thriller, I'd highly recommend Birthdays of a Princess.
Born and educated in Germany, Helga left her home country when she was 18 to travel the world and experience the magic of life she was passionately reading about.
She spent the next 15 years in exotic places like India, Thailand, Australia and Hong Kong, where she worked her way up into excellent managerial positions in large international companies. To achieve this she had to further her education and enrolled at night classes at the 'Chinese University of Hong Kong' for her Diploma in Management Studies.
Love eluded her for many years. She was nearly 40 when she finally met her dream man and settled in Canada, where she now lives, neatly tucked away in the wilderness. She has previously written several suspense novels which have been published in Germany.
Her first novel written and published in English is called. ‘Section 132”. A thrilling fact-based page-turner about a young girl forced into a polygamous marriage that has received countless 5-star reviews.
*I received a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.
GIVEAWAY
One lucky reader will win an ebook of Birthdays of a Princess by Helda Zeiner
*Fill out the rafflecopter to enter
*Open WW
a Rafflecopter giveaway
Awesome review! I also read this book in 2 days because I could not put it down. I am anxiously awaiting her next novel!. Thank you for sharing your thoughts on this title.
ReplyDeleteAs an author I can't express often enough my gratitude to all reviewers for taking the time to read this novel. Your work is so important because it connects writers and readers in an honest way and gives my novel a platform to grow and expand my audience.
ReplyDeleteThank you again with all my heart.
Helga Zeiner, author