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4.05 AVERAGE
4.05 AVERAGE
After a year in Danland, Miri should be happily return to her hometown-mount Eskel, the going back to Danland to learn more (as she and Peder were planned). Instead, she was suddenly assigned to be a tutor of the royal families (three sisters) in a faraway swamp.
In the first book Miri and her friends was educated, transformed from a mountain girl to be a decent princess candidate. In the second book, they left mount Eskel for the first time and experience the outside world, which is the capital city and palace of Danland. I am not ready for a shift to a swamp, so I was skeptical if this third book would be good.
It turned out that it is more rich and exciting. How Miri struggle to survive the swamp life, to fit in her new role as tutor, to success in her assignment, and to take the sisters run away from the swamp for saving their lives is thrilling. I like the old and new characters and the adventurous side of this sequel. A great closure for this trilogy.
In the first book Miri and her friends was educated, transformed from a mountain girl to be a decent princess candidate. In the second book, they left mount Eskel for the first time and experience the outside world, which is the capital city and palace of Danland. I am not ready for a shift to a swamp, so I was skeptical if this third book would be good.
It turned out that it is more rich and exciting. How Miri struggle to survive the swamp life, to fit in her new role as tutor, to success in her assignment, and to take the sisters run away from the swamp for saving their lives is thrilling. I like the old and new characters and the adventurous side of this sequel. A great closure for this trilogy.
adventurous
lighthearted
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
N/A
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
My 12 year old and I listened to the first two Princess Academy books on audio but as the third is available on Audible only, I read it aloud. Overall, this is a series I recommend as there are so many moments to pause and discuss, but this book on its own was slightly better than okay. We’re glad to have completed the trilogy though.
adventurous
dark
emotional
hopeful
mysterious
reflective
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
This book was lovely. Darker than the first two, but excellently written. And a great feminist message with strong female characters who are strong in a variety of ways.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Sexism, Violence, Grief, Abandonment, War
Moderate: Animal death, Gun violence, Xenophobia, Gaslighting, Colonisation
Minor: Adult/minor relationship, Confinement, Death, Domestic abuse, Pedophilia, Suicidal thoughts, Toxic relationship, Blood, Death of parent
I wasn't sure how to tag it, but the princesses are offered to a 72 year old to be betrothed at some point, and the youngest of them is ten. So I tagged pedophilia and adult/minor relationship to be safe, in case it could be triggering to people.
Also, I would say the big plot twist that causes the queen to experience grief/suicidal ideation counts as her being gaslit and being in a toxic marriage.
Enjoyable, clean book for middle grade readers. I am against labeling books as "girl" books and "boy" books, but I don't think my boys would like this one - not enough adventure. There is a slight girl-power vibe, if you like that.
The twist at the end is so amazing, it was a beautiful journey of young women becoming princesses which gave me a bit of Alina's shadow and bone aesthetic.
Hale's prose is beautiful as always, but more than that I like how this book relates back to the previous two in the trilogy and complicates them and notions of monarchy and family and home.
I prefer the other books in the series to this one but it's still a good and satisfying read.
This review is for all three Princess Academy books.
Being the father of three girls, I appreciate a book series like Princess Academy which really emphasizes how women can be smart, resourceful, and assertive without losing their femininity. The protagonist, Miri, never had to try to be “one of the guys” in order to demonstrate great influence and power when resolving conflicts.
For the most part, even though I don’t think it was supposed to be a main theme of the books, I thought the feminist messages were very valuable and effective- with a couple glaring exceptions. Much of the third book’s conflict come from men fearing that women may take over the kingdom. Then, at the end of the third book, the kingdom has been saved by Miri and three princesses, while all the king has done is hide away (with all the other male characters) and been manipulated by his (male) advisors.
Once the dust settles, the queen, the princesses, and Miri collectively chastise the King and give him an Honorific title of “The One Who Listens” on the condition that he spend the rest of his life listening to the women who know better. It was a cheap and obvious jab at men, which I didn’t appreciate because, well, I’m a man. Not to mention that stereotype of a lousy king and his manipulative advisors has been beat to death by this point.
Sorry for the rant.
This series dabbles in fantasy. When I say dabble, I mean the magic system is so subtle here that it is almost nonexistent. Granted, it was used a few times as a crucial plot point, but the story never felt dependent on the magic. You learn a bit more about it in each book and it’s very interesting how the author develops it. Needless to say, as with most magic, I wish it were real and that my house was made of Linder.
For a children’s book, it was surprisingly political. Sophisticated enough for me to enjoy, and simple enough for my kids to understand. Though in the second book, if I were Miri, I would have joined the revolution rather than preserve the monarchy. After all, I’m an American.
Overall, I think these were well written and fun reads. I would recommend them for dads to read to daughters 7-14 years old.
Being the father of three girls, I appreciate a book series like Princess Academy which really emphasizes how women can be smart, resourceful, and assertive without losing their femininity. The protagonist, Miri, never had to try to be “one of the guys” in order to demonstrate great influence and power when resolving conflicts.
For the most part, even though I don’t think it was supposed to be a main theme of the books, I thought the feminist messages were very valuable and effective- with a couple glaring exceptions. Much of the third book’s conflict come from men fearing that women may take over the kingdom. Then, at the end of the third book, the kingdom has been saved by Miri and three princesses, while all the king has done is hide away (with all the other male characters) and been manipulated by his (male) advisors.
Once the dust settles, the queen, the princesses, and Miri collectively chastise the King and give him an Honorific title of “The One Who Listens” on the condition that he spend the rest of his life listening to the women who know better. It was a cheap and obvious jab at men, which I didn’t appreciate because, well, I’m a man. Not to mention that stereotype of a lousy king and his manipulative advisors has been beat to death by this point.
Sorry for the rant.
This series dabbles in fantasy. When I say dabble, I mean the magic system is so subtle here that it is almost nonexistent. Granted, it was used a few times as a crucial plot point, but the story never felt dependent on the magic. You learn a bit more about it in each book and it’s very interesting how the author develops it. Needless to say, as with most magic, I wish it were real and that my house was made of Linder.
For a children’s book, it was surprisingly political. Sophisticated enough for me to enjoy, and simple enough for my kids to understand. Though in the second book, if I were Miri, I would have joined the revolution rather than preserve the monarchy. After all, I’m an American.
Overall, I think these were well written and fun reads. I would recommend them for dads to read to daughters 7-14 years old.