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4.05 AVERAGE
4.05 AVERAGE
If Hale could only imagine a world not completely and tediously built on heterosexuality (lazy world building) this would have been an excellent book.
100% loved this story and the end of this series.
Yes I cried and am exceptionally proud of fictional characters.
I am willing to bet real money right now it will be on my favorite books of the year.
Yes I cried and am exceptionally proud of fictional characters.
I am willing to bet real money right now it will be on my favorite books of the year.
A sweet conclusion to a lovely series. As ever, Shannon Hale imbues her characters with complexity and empathy--and places them in horribly dangerous situations, where they must rely on magic (which is more like magical realism to represent their powers of empathy) and intelligence (specifically the education to be found from formal education and remembering what you read in books) to navigate a politically volatile world. The only disappointment, really, was the cover...but I'm just not a fan of covers with people on them.
3.75
I still really liked it, but this one was the weakest of the series. There were moments where it compared to the other books, and I could have seen giving it 4 stars, but most of the time it was just sort of average. I had expected a bit better from Shannon Hale. Some of the twists I didn’t see coming or I discounted them because I didn’t think that was what was going on. This one definitely took a darker turn than the previous books, and it is more oriented for teens than for children. I enjoyed having more time with Miri, and I still want more from this world and these characters, but I think Miri’s story is pretty much done. Despite all of that, this series has become one of my favorites.
Spoilers!
At first I was pretty skeptical of this story because it felt sort of unrelated and unnecessary when compared with the first 2 books in the series. Miri wasn’t really that qualifies to hold a princess academy given the fact that she had only just graduated from one herself. I can understand why the queen wanted her to be the one though, after learning who the girls really are. The reason they were banished in the first place was really stupid, and Miri was right to yell at the king for it. I mean really, they were so afraid of a woman having the potential to challenge her brother for the throne that they had to hide all the girls away in a swamp?
I honestly just really want to know how everyone heard Miri quarry-speaking when she wasn’t on linder. It doesnt really make sense with what we’ve been told about linder, and thos was never addressed in the book.
I think that the last chapter and the epilogue should have been switched, so our last image of Miri is with her sitting on the hill on Mount Eskel with the sun wreathing her head like a crown. I didn’t really feel like we needed the last part of the book to be about Astrid and the prince academy. That honestly could have been included in the last chapter, just giving a mention that they were holding a prince academy for Astrid. It didn’t need to be the last thing in the book. And I honestly thought that it was going to be Miri teaching it, not Olana, though I guess that it’s interesting that she showed up again.
I thought the ending wasn’t strong as it should be, and the action ended too early. It was more of that feel-good happily ever after ending than a strong one. I could see it as the ending to a movie. I am really glad that Miri and Peder got their happily ever after and that Timon was out of the picture, because I had sort of rooted for him a bit in the second book, but then found out that he wasn’t a good person and was a sore loser.
I still really liked it, but this one was the weakest of the series. There were moments where it compared to the other books, and I could have seen giving it 4 stars, but most of the time it was just sort of average. I had expected a bit better from Shannon Hale. Some of the twists I didn’t see coming or I discounted them because I didn’t think that was what was going on. This one definitely took a darker turn than the previous books, and it is more oriented for teens than for children. I enjoyed having more time with Miri, and I still want more from this world and these characters, but I think Miri’s story is pretty much done. Despite all of that, this series has become one of my favorites.
Spoilers!
At first I was pretty skeptical of this story because it felt sort of unrelated and unnecessary when compared with the first 2 books in the series. Miri wasn’t really that qualifies to hold a princess academy given the fact that she had only just graduated from one herself. I can understand why the queen wanted her to be the one though, after learning who the girls really are. The reason they were banished in the first place was really stupid, and Miri was right to yell at the king for it. I mean really, they were so afraid of a woman having the potential to challenge her brother for the throne that they had to hide all the girls away in a swamp?
I honestly just really want to know how everyone heard Miri quarry-speaking when she wasn’t on linder. It doesnt really make sense with what we’ve been told about linder, and thos was never addressed in the book.
I think that the last chapter and the epilogue should have been switched, so our last image of Miri is with her sitting on the hill on Mount Eskel with the sun wreathing her head like a crown. I didn’t really feel like we needed the last part of the book to be about Astrid and the prince academy. That honestly could have been included in the last chapter, just giving a mention that they were holding a prince academy for Astrid. It didn’t need to be the last thing in the book. And I honestly thought that it was going to be Miri teaching it, not Olana, though I guess that it’s interesting that she showed up again.
I thought the ending wasn’t strong as it should be, and the action ended too early. It was more of that feel-good happily ever after ending than a strong one. I could see it as the ending to a movie. I am really glad that Miri and Peder got their happily ever after and that Timon was out of the picture, because I had sort of rooted for him a bit in the second book, but then found out that he wasn’t a good person and was a sore loser.
I don't know how, but this book is somehow better than the two amazing books before it. I can't even think of a more satisfying ending to lovely tale.
Looking back at my review of the second book, I wasn't a huge fan and was glad to see it finished at that time. But as soon as I started this (actual) last book of the Princess Academy books, I fell right in. I love how Shannon Hale makes her characters badass in the way of brains--beat the bad guys with economics and historical texts! In that way the girls are more Hermione style rather than Katniss, which I think is important because there are too many Katniss role models out there right now. Here young readers are reminded that using you words and intellect is just as important as using a sword, to win the war.
(4.5) Shoutout to the characters in this series, they're so well written and 3 dimensional (even the minor characters!) and I love them a lot. Oh and no spoilers but I'm a big fan of the epilogue.
Nowhere near as good as the first two, I still can't bring myself to rate this one at two stars...It got a bit better in the second half.
I’m officially done with both Shannon Hale Series! It feels bitter sweet. I love these worlds and I love these characters however this is gonna be the only book that I will it give a 5 too. It is so hard when a sequel is published so long after the original. And I loved Princes Acadmey and LOVED palace of stone, however I felt in my first and now my second reread it still did not live up to the other book in the series. Since it’s a Hale book it’s excellent and still a worth wild read. But all the other books speak to me more. I also felt sad I did not get to see more of the side characters I so dearly loved more in this book like Esa and Frid. But I felt like this was an interesting ending and showed how women in power are feared, and how it important to speak up and not let history repeat itself.
A good conclusion to the Princess Academy series. I appreciate mid-grade novels with fantasy elements that focus on female friendship, sister bonds, and using the expectations of society as a weapon. Lesser Alva felt hot, swampy, and well-crafted.