Palace of Stone (Princess Academy, #2)

by Shannon Hale

Coming down from the mountain to a new life in the city is a thrill to Miri. She and her princess academy friends have been brought to Asland to help the future princess Britta prepare for her wedding.There, Miri also has a chance to attend school-at the Queen's Castle. But as Miri befriends students who seem sophisticated and exciting she also learns that they have some frightening plans. 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, Miri looks to find her own way in this new place.
Picking up where Princess Academy left off, and celebrating the joys of friendship, romance and the fate of fairy tale kingdoms, this new book delivers the completely delightful new story that fans have been waiting for.

• ISBN10: 1599908735
• ISBN13: 9781599908731
• Publish Date: 21 August 2012
• Publish Status: Active
• Publish Country: US
• Publisher: Bloomsbury Publishing Plc
• Imprint: Bloomsbury Childrens Books
• Format: Hardcover
• Pages: 336
• Language: English

Reviews

[ladygrey]

I was hesitant whether I should put this on my young adult or middle grade shelf. But a part of the theme of this story is about Miri moving out of a isolated, uneducated childhood and learning not just about her world but about larger concepts like justice and ethics and intangible complexities. This process of discovery gives Miri the voice of a much younger character than she maybe is and therefore casts the entire story into the realm of a younger girl learning that the world is not as simple as it's seemed all her life.

[a:Shannon Hale|49177|Shannon Hale|http://photo.goodreads.com/authors/1299093233p2/49177.jpg] is great a placing metaphors into very straightforward writing, giving her story the combined sense of something very simple and yet evocative. Sometimes Miri and the other characters drove me a little crazy with their naivete but for the most part it was a pleasant book to read.

I liked the progression of the story; that it gradually extended beyond the initial small group of characters. I liked how well developed all the characters were because they're fun to know.

Mostly I liked that one small girl could grow and learn and stumble and affect so much change in her world and in the people around her.

[Briana @ Pages Unbound]

Palace of Stone begins unremarkably. It is a story about a revolution and it has the potential to be “just another one.” Shannon Hale, of course, works her magic and turns it into a beautiful, wise, and outstanding story about a revolution, with all the charm that made readers fall in love with Princess Academy.

Although this story takes place in the capital, Miri and Mount Eskel are at the heart of it, and they are what makes it great. Because the king’s wing of the palace is made of linder, Miri knows there is always something of home about, and she uses it to her advantage. Mount Eskel might have no official history in the records of the kingdom, but it has played a strong and important part. A lot of secrets are unveiled that are truly surprising and which reaffirm Miri’s belief that Eskel deserves respect and love.

In addition to the princess academy girls, whom it is delightful to encounter again, and whose characters shine all the more clearly now that they are thrust into new and unfamiliar situations, some fantastic new characters are introduced. For one, there is the scholarly yet zealous Timon (a potential rival for Miri’s hand!), but a few others will have some surprisingly great moments. There is more than one scene in this book that would inspire some dramatic and uplifting background music if they ever make their way into a movie.

Palace of Stone is at times thoughtful, exciting, and heartwarming. It is an immensely worthy sequel to Princess Academy, which had before seemed perfect as a standalone.

This review was also posted at Pages Unbound Book Reviews.