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.
(Summary from Good Reads.)
| Title : | Palace of Stone |
| Author : | Shannon Hale |
| Series : | #2 : Princess Academy |
| ISBN : | 9781599908731 |
| Copyright : | 2012 |
| Pages : | 321 |
Strengths
- Exciting storyline. Actually it wad very timely as 2012 is an election year in the USA. Also, I wonder if any readers of this book will be more inclined to see the new movie adaptation of “Les Miserables.”
- Even though it is a sequel, it easily stands on it own. The characters were described clearly and identified without an info dump about the preceding events. And although the girls’ actions were informed by the previous book, dialogue and brief description filled the reader in on what was happening.
Weaknesses
- Secondary characters were described by what they did rather than by who they were. It seemed like the other Mount Eskel girls filled archetypical roles rather than being individuals.
- Love triangles are so overdone in YA lit ever since Twilight came out. It added some little tension to the story, but not much since so many bigger issues surrounded the characters.
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