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YA, Fantasy, 323 pages, Bloomsbury USA
- Series: sequel to Princess Academy
- Pub date: August 21st 2012
- Disclosure: Received a review copy from the publisher via NetGalley. Thanks!
Judged by its cover: This girl looks nothing like our tough, scrappy heroine to me, and the tilted face thing drives me crazy. All in all this is a pretty terrible cover, especially when you compare it to the adorable design of my edition of the first book.
Spoiler alert! Mild spoilers for Princess Academy ahead.
Spoiler alert! Mild spoilers for Princess Academy ahead.
Goodreads blurb:
Coming down from the mountain to a new life in the city seems a thrill beyond imagining. When Miri and her friends from Mount Eskel set off to help the future princess Britta prepare for her royal wedding, she is happy about her chance to attend school in the capital city. There, Miri befriends students who seem so sophisticated and exciting... until she learns that they have some frightening plans. They think that Miri will help them, that she "should "help them. Soon Miri finds herself torn between loyalty to the princess and her new friends' ideas, between an old love and a new crush, and between her small mountain home and the bustling city. Picking up where "Princess Academy "left off, this incredible stand-alone story celebrates the joys of friendship, the delight of romance, and the fate of a beloved fairy tale kingdom.
The Long...
Five years ago, when I read Princess Academy for the first time, I was deep in a late princess phase at twelve years old. It was a good year, and a year of many dreams of pretty dresses and jousts and a prince that just happened to look like my twelve-year-old crush. In short, Hale's sweet, adorable princess story, about a group of girls from a remote mountain who just happen to receive princess training and save the day, was perfectly timed to become an old favorite.
When I heard that there was going to be a sequel, therefore, I knew I'd have to get my hands on it one way or another, even if I wasn't a wannabe princess anymore. In fact, I'm more of a wannabe revolutionary these days--and much to my surprise, Princess Academy: Palace of Stone not only anticipated this change in its fan base, but catered to readers both old and new so brilliantly I was just as engrossed in this book as I was in its predecessor.
Hale succeeds in recapturing the pluck and sweetness of Princess Academy, while also keeping the in-jokes and intrigue to a minimum so that Palace of Stone could function equally well as a stand-alone. Miri is a bright and engaging heroine, and her struggles between her loyalties to Princess Britta and her new revolutionary friends mimic the universal struggles of growing up. This book, as with Princess Academy, would be a perfect parent-child read-aloud story that would be sure to inspire discussion.
In the end, I felt things resolved just a little neater than I would have liked, but that's probably because I'm used to YA, where things are messier and problems rarely have easy solutions. Palace of Stone falls into the gray area between middle grade and YA, making it a great stepping stone between the two for kids. The book also features a sweet love triangle that is sure to inspire swoons in the middle grade set.
Five years ago, when I read Princess Academy for the first time, I was deep in a late princess phase at twelve years old. It was a good year, and a year of many dreams of pretty dresses and jousts and a prince that just happened to look like my twelve-year-old crush. In short, Hale's sweet, adorable princess story, about a group of girls from a remote mountain who just happen to receive princess training and save the day, was perfectly timed to become an old favorite.
When I heard that there was going to be a sequel, therefore, I knew I'd have to get my hands on it one way or another, even if I wasn't a wannabe princess anymore. In fact, I'm more of a wannabe revolutionary these days--and much to my surprise, Princess Academy: Palace of Stone not only anticipated this change in its fan base, but catered to readers both old and new so brilliantly I was just as engrossed in this book as I was in its predecessor.
Hale succeeds in recapturing the pluck and sweetness of Princess Academy, while also keeping the in-jokes and intrigue to a minimum so that Palace of Stone could function equally well as a stand-alone. Miri is a bright and engaging heroine, and her struggles between her loyalties to Princess Britta and her new revolutionary friends mimic the universal struggles of growing up. This book, as with Princess Academy, would be a perfect parent-child read-aloud story that would be sure to inspire discussion.
In the end, I felt things resolved just a little neater than I would have liked, but that's probably because I'm used to YA, where things are messier and problems rarely have easy solutions. Palace of Stone falls into the gray area between middle grade and YA, making it a great stepping stone between the two for kids. The book also features a sweet love triangle that is sure to inspire swoons in the middle grade set.
...and the Short:
A great, empowering, enjoyable story for all ages that appeals to old fans as well as new. What's not to love?
A great, empowering, enjoyable story for all ages that appeals to old fans as well as new. What's not to love?
The Final Word: Loved it.
2 comments:
I can't wait to read this!! I am number 20 at the library so I have a little wait.... Angie
Angela's Anxious Life
You're in for a treat! Hope the library wait goes by speedily.
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