Princess Academy: Place of Stone

Princess Academy: Palace of Stone

Synopsis from Goodreads:

Coming down from the mountain to a new life in the city seems a thrill beyond imagining. When Miri and her friends from Mount Eskel set off to help the future princess Britta prepare for her royal wedding, she is happy about her chance to attend school in the capital city. There, Miri befriends students who seem so sophisticated and exciting... until she learns that they have some frightening plans. They think that Miri will help them, that she "should "help them. Soon Miri finds herself torn between loyalty to the princess and her new friends' ideas, between an old love and a new crush, and between her small mountain home and the bustling city. Picking up where "Princess Academy" left off, this incredible stand-alone story celebrates the joys of friendship, the delight of romance, and the fate of a beloved fairy tale kingdom.

Read September 2012
5 Stars

My Review:
I love this book.  

It has action, political intrigue, romance.  The politics in this book pick right up from the politics in the first Princess Academy.  Then the political battles become more intense.  If you liked the action of the first book, then you will like this one as well.  Miri and her friends don't sit around while things are happening around them.

My favorite part of this book is the relationship development between Miri and Peder and her new interest, Timon.  She is a young girl who is growing up and experiencing new things and gaining new opinions.  It is fascinating to see how these changes in her affect her relationships.  

One of my favorite quotes from the book: "Kisses were like words, she thought.  They meant many things, their meanings fickle, dangerous even.  Kisses could be lies, or they could be promises."

This is a must read in my opinion.  Of course, if you haven't read Princess Academy, then read it first, then this one.  

Warnings: None

I would let my 14 year old read this.  She can't wait and is glad that I am now done with it!

ps: Do you ever have a little emotional let down when you finish a book? 
When I started this book, I knew I was going to devour it.  I tried to take it slow, I really did. I put it down several times the first night I started reading it.  But then on I spent the entire next day reading it until it was done.  I had to read it, I had to know what was going to happen.  Of course, then when I was done, I was done.  The fictional world ended.  My "friends" were gone.  I hope that Shannon Hale writes another Princess Academy so I can see my "friends" again. 

THANK YOU Bookshop Talk!  I won this lovely book from their blog.