Palace of Stone (Princess Academy #2)

I  have to admit, I still love a good princess story!  Overall, I really enjoyed Palace of Stone by Shannon Hale the follow-up story to The Princess Academy.  Miri travels to Asland to attend the Queen’s College and becomes a lady of the court to her friend, Britta.  But after having grow up on Mount Eskel, Miri is in for a surprise because everything in Asland is not as it seems and soon Miri is involved in something bigger than herself – and is confused about what to do.  Hale is a powerful storyteller and although I felt a few parts dragged on a little, I really enjoyed the story.  It had adventure, suspense, magic, and of course a love triangle that will have you choosing one of the guys’ sides.  After finishing the story, I learned that Shannon Hale used a book called The Days of the French Revolution as part of her research and as I reflected on the story, I realized the parallels between the story of the Princess and that of the French Revolution.

This is a great story for girls in the middle grades who still love princess stories with happily ever after endings and stories that have a little more to them.

For more information about Shannon Hale, check out her website!

Title: Palace of Stone
Author: Shannon Hale
Publisher: Bloomsbury USA Childrens
Publication Date: 2012
Page Number: 321 pgs.