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3.57 AVERAGE
3.57 AVERAGE
DNF. I read about 75% of Palace of Spies, but finally realized that I was just forcing myself and decided not to finish. Palace of Spies seems charming, and I'm sure plenty of young adult readers will enjoy this tale of false identities, royal intrigue, schemes and blackmail, and -- oh, yes -- even love. It's well-written and lively -- just not for me.
I was engrossed from the start. Peggy is an empowering character - she isn't perfect but she's bright, witty, and independent. Due to extenuating circumstances though, she's in a tight, possibly immoral, definitely life threatening position but it may also be her only chance at a real life - even if she has to borrow someone else's for a time.
In a story where gossip is just as dangerous as a sword and there's a murderer at large, Peggy must find out who is helping the Jacobite Rebellion - even if they're the ones who have enlisted her help.
In a story where gossip is just as dangerous as a sword and there's a murderer at large, Peggy must find out who is helping the Jacobite Rebellion - even if they're the ones who have enlisted her help.
I didn't expect to like this as much as I did-maybe I was just in the mood for it? Peggy is a cute and likable heroine. Plus who doesn't secretly want to go to court and wear fancy clothes and wait on the princess and be a spy and have adventures?
Summary: In 1716 London, an orphaned sixteen-year-old girl from a good family impersonates a lady-in-waiting only to discover that the real girl was murdered, the court harbors a nest of spies, and the handsome young artist who is helping her solve the mystery might be a spy himself.
Summary: In 1716 London, an orphaned sixteen-year-old girl from a good family impersonates a lady-in-waiting only to discover that the real girl was murdered, the court harbors a nest of spies, and the handsome young artist who is helping her solve the mystery might be a spy himself.
Peggy is thrown out by her uncle when she refuses to apologize to the man who attacked her the previous night. She has to fall back on the unknown man who rescued her and claims to have known her mother. He requests that she impersonate a maid of honor to Her Royal Highness Caroline, Princess of Wales.
Really a 3.5. The style grated on me a little, but a strong female character.
Really a 3.5. The style grated on me a little, but a strong female character.
This was *just* like period romances (like the ones by Eloisa James, with plenty of talk about the fashions, but centered on a witty, intelligent female), but it's a mystery & spy story...and - most importantly - a much better model for young women than the usual bodice-ripper romance novels. I very much enjoyed this, and it's totally appropriate for teens, or even pre-teens. When a handsome, noble, but unfamiliar man manhandles and gropes her inappropriately, she puts him in his place, and that is truly the end of his presence in the story. She moves on! It's almost unbelievable, it is so unlike every other romance novel.
Sixteen and disgraced - as much for the sins, whatever they might be, of your parents, as for any other reason. Faced with a choice between marriage to a man you don't know and being turned from the house. If your betrothed proves himself a danger, and the streets already are, maybe accepting the help of a mysterious stranger isn't the worst of the choices you have. Maybe.
In 1716 London, sixteen-year-old Peggy Fitzroy refuses to marry the arrogant and offensive gentleman her uncle has chosen for her. Cast out of her relative’s house, she remembers the mysterious Mr. Tinderflint, a gentleman who knew her deceased mother and who days ago told her of a proposition she might find interesting. When she arrives at his house to hear more, she learns that his proposal involves her taking on the role of his recently deceased charge, Lady Francesca Wallingham. Francesca was a maid of honor to Caroline, Princess of Wales, and clandestinely passed on valuable information to parties interested in the dispute between the Hanoverian King George and the Jacobites who insist that James is the rightful king. If Peggy can successfully impersonate Francesca, then this flow of information need not be cut off. Francesca’s prolonged illness kept her away from Hampton Court for several months, so when Peggy arrives, skillful makeup and her weeks of training allow her to assume her new role. All is not as it seems, though, and as Peggy gets more acclimated to palace life, she finds that Francesca’s death was not accidental, and that she may be next. Wonderfully-realized characters and witty conversations make this first installment in a new series shine; sadly, the author failed to include any notes that would point readers to further information about this fascinating period in British history.
I loved it! Clever and appealing writing with a brisk, exciting plot. I wish more young adult fiction was this smart!
I've forgotten how fun historical-fiction can be. It's rife with humor, puns, references, and crazy clothing. However, it can also be tiresome, inaccurate, and occasionally slow. This one in particular had a lot going for it, but it wasn't enough to hold 100% of my interest. It was clever and funny. The main character was definitely intelligent and managed to get herself tangled in many intrigues.
But the plot itself was a little lacking. For a mystery, it wasn't very exciting. It was all court conspiracies and order of succession stuff, but there wasn't much background and got confusing. The Jacobites, the Hanovers, King George, Queen Anne, Princess Caroline, etc. were all very unknown to me, and so I had trouble keeping up. I honestly wasn't sure who exactly the bad guys were. It was all very muddled, and so it wasn't really an attention grabbing tale. I have no idea how accurate it was either, but as a general rule these books are rarely accurate. I'm sure the dialogues, clothing, characters, or something was wrong, and I'm sure there are some angry historians out there but OH WELL. I have no idea, I just go with the flow. There's a reason it is labeled historical "fiction." It's fiction people.
I did enjoy reading about court politics and how Peggy had to fool everyone into thinking she was Francesca, but the romance was also very lacking. I felt no connection or spark. The two barely even got to know each other before she was trusting him. Maybe I'm just not attracted to guys with long hair, but I didn't even pay attention to Matthew Reade for the most part. He wasn't very necessary and was not the best aspect of this book.
The best aspect would definitely be the internal dialogue and narration. I loved how Peggy was always observing people and making quippy remarks in her running narration. She was quick to figure people out and had many hilarious views of the courtiers and ladies. She was just witty and charming, and very well written. Definitely a fan of her. The rest of it again, was eh. There was too much going on. I finished just to finish the book, and I still don't know what exactly happened. Some mysteries are justtoo mysterious, ahem, I meant vaguely written.
But the plot itself was a little lacking. For a mystery, it wasn't very exciting. It was all court conspiracies and order of succession stuff, but there wasn't much background and got confusing. The Jacobites, the Hanovers, King George, Queen Anne, Princess Caroline, etc. were all very unknown to me, and so I had trouble keeping up. I honestly wasn't sure who exactly the bad guys were. It was all very muddled, and so it wasn't really an attention grabbing tale. I have no idea how accurate it was either, but as a general rule these books are rarely accurate. I'm sure the dialogues, clothing, characters, or something was wrong, and I'm sure there are some angry historians out there but OH WELL. I have no idea, I just go with the flow. There's a reason it is labeled historical "fiction." It's fiction people.
I did enjoy reading about court politics and how Peggy had to fool everyone into thinking she was Francesca, but the romance was also very lacking. I felt no connection or spark. The two barely even got to know each other before she was trusting him. Maybe I'm just not attracted to guys with long hair, but I didn't even pay attention to Matthew Reade for the most part. He wasn't very necessary and was not the best aspect of this book.
The best aspect would definitely be the internal dialogue and narration. I loved how Peggy was always observing people and making quippy remarks in her running narration. She was quick to figure people out and had many hilarious views of the courtiers and ladies. She was just witty and charming, and very well written. Definitely a fan of her. The rest of it again, was eh. There was too much going on. I finished just to finish the book, and I still don't know what exactly happened. Some mysteries are just