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A review by burningupasun
Princess Academy by Shannon Hale
4.0
Setting/World Building: 4/5
Main Character: 5/5
Other Characters: 3/5
Plot: 4/5
Writing: 4/5
Triggering/Issues: 5/5 (None)
AVERAGED TOTAL: 4.1 out of 5, rounded to 4.
Even though I really love Shannon Hale, I was a bit hesitant to read this book... mostly because the premise sounded like something that would drive me nuts. Basically, whenever the Prince of this country is ready to marry, the priests divine the location of his future wife. Then all the girls from that region are sent to "Princess Academy", and at the end of their lessons he chooses one of them. When I read the premise, it unfortunately reminded me of The Selection, and I was fully dreading it.
This was a pleasant surprise, though. It was everything the premise should be, frankly. Sure, there was some cattiness among the girls, and there were some moments when I was a bit annoyed by it. But the real story ended up being about the main character, Miri, finding herself and growing confident, and the "Prince finding a wife" plot was really very much in the background. It was a bit of a young read, but it was written to be so that was alright. I saw a lot of the "twists" coming, but the writing was good enough that I didn't care. Frankly, it was just refreshing seeing the girls all working together and none of them being bashed unnecessarily or the competition ramping up more than would be normal, etc.
It took a bit to get into, but in the end I really enjoyed it, and I loved the main character, Miri. She was a delight and it was brilliant to watch her grow.
Main Character: 5/5
Other Characters: 3/5
Plot: 4/5
Writing: 4/5
Triggering/Issues: 5/5 (None)
AVERAGED TOTAL: 4.1 out of 5, rounded to 4.
Even though I really love Shannon Hale, I was a bit hesitant to read this book... mostly because the premise sounded like something that would drive me nuts. Basically, whenever the Prince of this country is ready to marry, the priests divine the location of his future wife. Then all the girls from that region are sent to "Princess Academy", and at the end of their lessons he chooses one of them. When I read the premise, it unfortunately reminded me of The Selection, and I was fully dreading it.
This was a pleasant surprise, though. It was everything the premise should be, frankly. Sure, there was some cattiness among the girls, and there were some moments when I was a bit annoyed by it. But the real story ended up being about the main character, Miri, finding herself and growing confident, and the "Prince finding a wife" plot was really very much in the background. It was a bit of a young read, but it was written to be so that was alright. I saw a lot of the "twists" coming, but the writing was good enough that I didn't care. Frankly, it was just refreshing seeing the girls all working together and none of them being bashed unnecessarily or the competition ramping up more than would be normal, etc.
It took a bit to get into, but in the end I really enjoyed it, and I loved the main character, Miri. She was a delight and it was brilliant to watch her grow.