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3.57 AVERAGE
3.57 AVERAGE
I am rating this one 3.5 stars. Why? Well it was a little hard for me to get into. I enjoyed that it was set in the past and has a load of history but at times I had trouble keeping interested and got lost just a few times but I do think it was the fact that it did not grab me in the start. The setting taking place in the King George time was pretty cool as well you got a little bit of a glimpse into what happens in the role’s of the elite.
I was not a huge fan of any one character so I can’t talk about that but I did like the whole spies aspect. Peggy who you will follow though out the book has one crazy job to fill and one truth to unravel. Murder, mystery and more will leady Peggy on a journey to her own death or to a truth some might not want told. Being a spy in the court of King George was crazy and that’s one of the few things that keep me reading till the end, well that and the love triangle in this one even though I think I had a favorite all along just like Peggy.
Even though I gave this one a 3.5 I have to say it was still written well and for ME it was just not my type of book BUT that does not mean others will like it more. If you love history with a little mystery and more this one will be a great read for you! I do have to say I love the cover and thought I liked the old title a little better for this one, but after reading and thinking on this one I am liking the new cover and title fits this one just right!
I was not a huge fan of any one character so I can’t talk about that but I did like the whole spies aspect. Peggy who you will follow though out the book has one crazy job to fill and one truth to unravel. Murder, mystery and more will leady Peggy on a journey to her own death or to a truth some might not want told. Being a spy in the court of King George was crazy and that’s one of the few things that keep me reading till the end, well that and the love triangle in this one even though I think I had a favorite all along just like Peggy.
Even though I gave this one a 3.5 I have to say it was still written well and for ME it was just not my type of book BUT that does not mean others will like it more. If you love history with a little mystery and more this one will be a great read for you! I do have to say I love the cover and thought I liked the old title a little better for this one, but after reading and thinking on this one I am liking the new cover and title fits this one just right!
Overall a fun book, with lots of smart, ambitious, and strong female characters. There was enough interesting period detail (mostly about fashion, cosmetics, art, and politics) to sketch in the 18th-century setting, but otherwise I wouldn't say the author was too constrained by the time period.
The book has some faults, which detracted a little, but not too much to spoil the overall enjoyment. For me, they were having to suspend quite a bit of disbelief for how few people realized Peggy was an imposter,, several rather cliche characters, sometimes not being quite clear about Peggy's motivations, and the over-tendency for the narrator to provide commentary to her reader, which sometimes felt like forced humor.
The book has some faults, which detracted a little, but not too much to spoil the overall enjoyment. For me, they were having to suspend quite a bit of disbelief for how few people realized Peggy was an imposter,
Spoiler
including wondering at the end how she was supposed to return to court under her real name and not be suspected as a spy, or at least viewed suspiciously, but still be a spy
3.5 stars, actually.
Peggy Fitzroy, a teen of uncertain parentage, lives with her cousin and uncle until one day she is betrothed to the most eligible bachelor in town.
Who then assaults her before the wedding, so she calls it off, naturally, and runs to a mysterious friend of her mother.
This friend decides to send her to court to be a maid of honor to the Princess (Hanoverian German wife of Prince George after recently deposed Stuarts)to replace another maid recently passed away who was passing aforementioned friend political information.
So Peggy becomes Francesca and enters life at the court, only becoming Francesca means Peggy is now embroiled in both political and romantic entanglements that will be her undoing.
So.....it was okay. Peggy was cool. The political intrigue and court details of interminably long hours of standing around being ornamental or playing game and after game of cards with Lords it would be dangerous to annoy were cool.
Some intense suspension of disbelief is necessary, though. Okay, so back then they wore tons of make up and powdered wigs, but as Peggy wasn't Francesca's twin, I'm not sure how they truly thought they would fool Francesca's lover or the other maids of honor who supposedly spent scads of time with the real maid of honor...so that was weird.
Also, the romance level bings from attempted sexual assault, to finding a footman and a lady together in the stables, to very chaste hand touching and quick kiss...so while the romantic in me wasn't quite satisfied, I'm not sure I'd give this to the younger YA crowd to read.
Might learn a bit of history regarding the Jacobite uprising and British royal families, and there's skulking around and hidden caches of letters, but otherwise a fairly straight forward story whose premise takes a bit of swallowing to get down.
Peggy Fitzroy, a teen of uncertain parentage, lives with her cousin and uncle until one day she is betrothed to the most eligible bachelor in town.
Who then assaults her before the wedding, so she calls it off, naturally, and runs to a mysterious friend of her mother.
This friend decides to send her to court to be a maid of honor to the Princess (Hanoverian German wife of Prince George after recently deposed Stuarts)to replace another maid recently passed away who was passing aforementioned friend political information.
So Peggy becomes Francesca and enters life at the court, only becoming Francesca means Peggy is now embroiled in both political and romantic entanglements that will be her undoing.
So.....it was okay. Peggy was cool. The political intrigue and court details of interminably long hours of standing around being ornamental or playing game and after game of cards with Lords it would be dangerous to annoy were cool.
Some intense suspension of disbelief is necessary, though. Okay, so back then they wore tons of make up and powdered wigs, but as Peggy wasn't Francesca's twin, I'm not sure how they truly thought they would fool Francesca's lover or the other maids of honor who supposedly spent scads of time with the real maid of honor...so that was weird.
Also, the romance level bings from attempted sexual assault, to finding a footman and a lady together in the stables, to very chaste hand touching and quick kiss...so while the romantic in me wasn't quite satisfied, I'm not sure I'd give this to the younger YA crowd to read.
Might learn a bit of history regarding the Jacobite uprising and British royal families, and there's skulking around and hidden caches of letters, but otherwise a fairly straight forward story whose premise takes a bit of swallowing to get down.
Palace Of Spies was a fun and interesting read. Peggy is an interesting character, and I liked how her story was connected to her mother's story, and how Peggy discovered what was going on with Francesca, who she was impersonating.
There's a lot of intrigue and mystery, and I was definitely kept guessing throughout the book. The mystery itself wan't surprising, but I did like how we got there. I liked the historical setting of the book, and I thought Zettel did a great job at showing how you have to be careful of who you can trust, because mysteries are everywhere. And anyone could be a spy, and just when you think you know what's going on, you're taken by surprise.
I like that you get a pretty good idea of what's going on without getting lost in the details, but I do wish that Palace Of Spies had a further reading section or something about Zettel's inspiration for the book, because at some point, I'd like to read more about this period.
Even though we spend a lot of time with Peggy, and she's pretty interesting, I also feel like we don't get to know her very well. It could be that we'll get to know her better in the rest of the series. I was also a little surprised that she didn't seem to know much about Francesca's life before impersonating her. She seemed pretty well-versed in court etiquette but it also seemed like no one took the time to tell her who Francesca was, and what she was like as a person.
I'm not completely sure about Peggy as a spy, but I'm hoping she grows into her duties as spy throughout the series.
Final Thoughts: I liked Palace Of Spies, and I think there's a bit of adventure, with mystery and intrigue. I was actually reminded of Gail Carriger's books, so if you like her. I think you'd like Palace Of Spies. Palace Of Spies gets 3 stars.
*Palace Of Spies is an ARC from netgalley.com, which hasn't influenced my review in any way.
There's a lot of intrigue and mystery, and I was definitely kept guessing throughout the book. The mystery itself wan't surprising, but I did like how we got there. I liked the historical setting of the book, and I thought Zettel did a great job at showing how you have to be careful of who you can trust, because mysteries are everywhere. And anyone could be a spy, and just when you think you know what's going on, you're taken by surprise.
I like that you get a pretty good idea of what's going on without getting lost in the details, but I do wish that Palace Of Spies had a further reading section or something about Zettel's inspiration for the book, because at some point, I'd like to read more about this period.
Even though we spend a lot of time with Peggy, and she's pretty interesting, I also feel like we don't get to know her very well. It could be that we'll get to know her better in the rest of the series. I was also a little surprised that she didn't seem to know much about Francesca's life before impersonating her. She seemed pretty well-versed in court etiquette but it also seemed like no one took the time to tell her who Francesca was, and what she was like as a person.
I'm not completely sure about Peggy as a spy, but I'm hoping she grows into her duties as spy throughout the series.
Final Thoughts: I liked Palace Of Spies, and I think there's a bit of adventure, with mystery and intrigue. I was actually reminded of Gail Carriger's books, so if you like her. I think you'd like Palace Of Spies. Palace Of Spies gets 3 stars.
*Palace Of Spies is an ARC from netgalley.com, which hasn't influenced my review in any way.
Intrigue in the court of King George I - worth a read if a little implausible at times
3.5 STARS
Palace of Spies is another one of the books that I picked up at ALA this past summer. It is a fast-paced historical YA novel with a full cast of colorful side characters and a heroine who is full of pluck. I am not a scholar of the English nation at the time of King George I, so I cannot speak to its historical accuracy or plausibility, but I do know that it was a very entertaining novel.
Zettel did a great job describing the world of Peggy Fitzroy, I could really picture the fancy dresses, outrageous wigs, and intensive makeup that was commonplace at the time. I liked that the story is told in the first person of Peggy, who is very practical and witty, it added a lot of personality to the narration.
The reason I gave Palace of Spies 3.5 turtles and not higher is because, for whatever reason, I never really connected with the characters. Yes, the story is fun, witty, and action-packed, but the emotional investment never clicked in for me, the suspense that could have built due to Peggy and the other character’s constant danger was not there. This might have had something to do with the fact that the narration was past tense, so I was fairly sure that Peggy at least was in no mortal danger. It also may have been because the commentary was so witty that, while I knew the situation was dangerous, it never really registered.
While my socks were not knocked off, it was still very entertaining, with an adventurous plot and memorable characters. I was very happy with the ending because it tied up nicely, and there is definitely an opening for a sequel. I will be waiting to see what is next in store for Peggy Fitzroy.
Palace of Spies is another one of the books that I picked up at ALA this past summer. It is a fast-paced historical YA novel with a full cast of colorful side characters and a heroine who is full of pluck. I am not a scholar of the English nation at the time of King George I, so I cannot speak to its historical accuracy or plausibility, but I do know that it was a very entertaining novel.
Zettel did a great job describing the world of Peggy Fitzroy, I could really picture the fancy dresses, outrageous wigs, and intensive makeup that was commonplace at the time. I liked that the story is told in the first person of Peggy, who is very practical and witty, it added a lot of personality to the narration.
The reason I gave Palace of Spies 3.5 turtles and not higher is because, for whatever reason, I never really connected with the characters. Yes, the story is fun, witty, and action-packed, but the emotional investment never clicked in for me, the suspense that could have built due to Peggy and the other character’s constant danger was not there. This might have had something to do with the fact that the narration was past tense, so I was fairly sure that Peggy at least was in no mortal danger. It also may have been because the commentary was so witty that, while I knew the situation was dangerous, it never really registered.
While my socks were not knocked off, it was still very entertaining, with an adventurous plot and memorable characters. I was very happy with the ending because it tied up nicely, and there is definitely an opening for a sequel. I will be waiting to see what is next in store for Peggy Fitzroy.
The cover is really terrible, but this is pretty good! It picked up about halfway through.
I enjoyed this book for the most part. It was a well written fast paced spy book. I felt like the characters were well-developed and I really liked Matthew and Mr. Tinderflint. I would recommend this book to people who enjoy historical fiction and adventure. If you liked Ruined by Amy Tintera then you will most likely like this book.