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4.05 AVERAGE
4.05 AVERAGE
adventurous
emotional
hopeful
lighthearted
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
I loved the first book in the series; found the second one an enjoyable but lesser story; found the third wildly improbable. Miri is as valiant and clever as ever, and the three sisters are nicely drawn. I loved the details of life in the swamp, and the poetry of linder-speaking is as fascinating as ever.
However, we're supposed to believe BOTH that the king has some buried nice qualities,
Presumably, from the mention that the girls are the king's "cousins" in the first chapter, there is some kind of invented lineage. If they were ever to be of any value to the court, why was a proper household not established for them? The girls had no money, no protection. They could have died. The oldest girl was already of marriageable age. Had she married a local fisherman, that would have spoiled her "value" in the political game her father needed to play.
So Miri gets ten stars; the plot gets a minus four; and the happy ending gets a three. That's an average of three, so I'm going with that.
However, we're supposed to believe BOTH that the king has some buried nice qualities,
Spoiler
and that he has agreed to the abandonment of three of his children and that he intends to go back on his promises to the Mount Eskel people if Miri does not agree to his plans. We're meant to believe BOTH that the swamp girls are going to be presented as actual princesses of Danland AND that their origins have been completely hidden, from the girls themselves and from the court. How were those pregnancies hidden? Did they pretend to the court that the other babies died? Had they been born boys, what then? How would that have been any better? Real world history is full of younger brothers who foment trouble. I sort of get hiding away the older female twin, because there was a legendarily awful precedent there. But why condemn the younger girls? Females are self-evidently useful for political leverage--that's the premise of the series!--and for the production of grandsons if something ever happened to Steffan. And...practical thinking here...why not just kill the female twin? When the queen went off to the swamp for some of her visits, what reason did the court give for her absence?Presumably, from the mention that the girls are the king's "cousins" in the first chapter, there is some kind of invented lineage. If they were ever to be of any value to the court, why was a proper household not established for them? The girls had no money, no protection. They could have died. The oldest girl was already of marriageable age. Had she married a local fisherman, that would have spoiled her "value" in the political game her father needed to play.
So Miri gets ten stars; the plot gets a minus four; and the happy ending gets a three. That's an average of three, so I'm going with that.
absolutely wonderful. makes me long for a prince academy series. why cant there be more?!?!?!?
Another fantastic addition to the Princess Academy series.
lighthearted
relaxing
tense
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
This was definitely my least favorite book of the series. I disliked the premise of the book from the beginning- young girl gets her trip home interrupted to go teach swamp royalty how to be princesses. Stakes were super high and shouldn’t have been Miri’s load to bear. That bothered me, especially because she was very much left high and dry in the swamp to complete this impossible task. The writing style is one I really enjoyed though. But I had no idea what was happening next the entire book! So many twists and turns, so I had a little bit of a hard time following the plot’s direction. The story was much better after the first third, and overall the story was interesting and engaging, but I felt like too many things wrapped up too well considering how impossible any solution was. It is a middle grade novel though, so I have to give it some grace because of the lack of nuance.
Content Warnings
Minor: Animal death, Confinement, Gun violence, Misogyny, Death of parent, Murder, Abandonment, War
adventurous
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
A perfect end to a perfect series ! ( I hope with all my heart that there will be a spin off . Maybe with Sus?!)
I think I liked the second book better, but I still loved this one. Shannon Hale is a fantastic author with rich characters. This series is probably my favorite of hers, but I have loved them all.
I loved it! It took a while to get into it but I loved getting to know the sisters. I felt the war was too easily resolved. I loved the epilogue and I hope there is a spin off prince academy because I HAVE to know what kind of guy Astrid will pick!
I don't love the central twist of the novel, but the swamp aesthetic + Miri as the scholar instead of the hearty rural girl were enjoyable.