Palace of Stone (2012)

I find it difficult to make a clear judgment about Palace of Stone. Taking it as a story at face value, I feel that the plot is too grand for itself and doesn't really live up to what it could be, that the solutions are all far too easy and the protagonist is too involved with every little element. However, it is a book in the Middle Grade demographic, and often with MG books, too-big plots with convenient, too easy solutions are more permissible, and it's much more common for the protagonists to be the ones to solve all the problems, whether directly or not.

So I liked the book, and I appreciate the way it continues many of the themes of Princess Academy about finding one's place in the world and the comfort of home and a small village vs. education and knowing the world and the big city. But I feel like Palace of Stone departs a little too much from those, I guess simpler?, themes and goes headlong into a "French revolution" style plot - one which Miri gets plopped into the middle of and ultimately saves the day (and her royal friends).

I've read other MG books recently where the protagonist isn't the one to solve everything, and I think I missed that here, where it is through Miri's actions that the revolution gets sparked rather than simmering along, and also through her actions that it gets suppressed and shifted into something less dangerous and scary.

I think some of the warmth and depth to the secondary characters is also lost. One of the things I liked about Princess Academy is the way it takes the very common story of a girl being unhappy in her small town and feeling unappreciated and tied down and puts Miri into that position - except that she loves her small town and wants to do more for it. The traditional character arc is given to secondary characters instead. But with Palace of Stone, we're back to the usual style, complete with a love triangle. (And, boy, am I tired of love triangles!)

So on the whole, Palace of Stone isn't a bad book, especially if you're reading it from an MG perspective. But it could be a lot better, and it has lost a lot of the elements that made Princess Academy so special. ( )

Shannon Hale always shows such wonderful nuance in her books. Both sides of every coin. ( )

Originally posted on A Reader of Fictions.

Last week, I reread Princess Academy in preparation for finally getting to the long-awaited sequel. Since Princess Academy ranks amongst my favorite books and since I always thought Princess Academy was a standalone, I embarked on Palace of Stone with trepidation. Often, much-belated, perhaps unintended, sequels disappoint, coming nowhere near the power of the original book, which would have been much better off left as a single, complete unit. Admittedly, Palace of Stone does not rise to the heights of its predecessor, I am still glad to have it and am excited that at least one more book of Miri's adventures will be coming.

As ever, Shannon Hale's writing is a treat. Writing style, of course, is such a subjective qualification. Hale's writing has a sort of weighted simplicity that I really admire. I can sort of sense how much thought she put into her word choices, into the compositions of the snatches of song, to make them just right. While most of the sentences are not especially complex, they are not at all haphazardly thrown together.

Shannon said that this book can be read independently of Princess Academy. That's true, I suppose, but I really would recommend that course of action. For one thing, Princess Academy is amazing, and why would you read the slightly less awesome second book in the series and not the book that started it at all. That would be silly, and not just because reading books out of series order offends my sensibilities.

Based on this statement that Palace of Stone can stand alone, I really expected this book to follow a different Mount Eskel girl, though I didn't really have a plan in mind as to which of them it would be (obviously, I didn't read the description at all). However, that is not the case at all. Miri is again our intrepid heroine. She remains clever, determined and full of good humor, and the best choice for a heroine. She spends more time in Palace of Stone downhearted, though, less sure of herself than she was in Princess Academy.

In this book, Shannon introduces a love triangle, which serves as a metaphor for Miri's concerns about her future. Peder represents Mount Eskel, solid, reliable and comfortable; Timon, a fellow student, represents a possible future in Asland, studying and adventuring. I saw the love triangle less as being about the boys themselves than about her indecision about what she wants her life to be. Does she want to stay in the city or to return to Mount Eskel? Hale handled this rather deftly, although I thought the final conclusion of it a bit oversimplified and too black and white.

What I found frustrating about Palace of Stone that lowered my rating was that I felt that Hale got a bit too lecture-y. As she mentions in the book, rhetoric dictates that it is better to tell a story to teach than to lecture. That, obviously, is what she's trying to do, but the lesson underneath is too apparent. The plot of Palace of Stone deals with the impending revolution. As such, there are many discussions of ethics and monarchy and such. They all just seemed a bit over the top and forced. They could have been worked in more naturally, shown more rather than told.

Part of that stems from the fact that the driving force of the plot is Katar's request that Miri help her figure out which side Mount Eskel should back in this political minefield. Should they side with King Bjorn and the nobles or with the 'shoeless,' the commoners? Katar presents this as something crucial that needs to be resolved immediately. Miri duly agrees to go sniff around and learn what she can, and gets involved with a revolutionary group. Through all of this, she never reports back with anything at all substantial to Katar. Thought it was imperative that Mount Eskel choose a side posthaste, Miri doesn't give Katar a plan until almost a year later. Hale's attempt to establish a sense of urgency and Miri's reaction made me seriously frustrated, and that diminished my liking for Miri a bit.

I realize that got a bit ranty. I still quite enjoyed Palace of Stone, but I just didn't feel like it lived up to Princess Academy. If you enjoyed PA, though, I recommend reading this one anyway. If you haven't read PA, go do that. ( )

Unfortunately I have only read one other book by Shannon Hale, and it wasn’t the original Princess Academy novel. (Book of a Thousand Days, actually.) And if I hadn’t been under a deadline, I would have probably gone out and gotten the first novel before reading this one. Having said that, I was so completely charmed by this book that I have to go get the first novel the next time I’m out at a bookstore *despite* being spoiled for some of the plot twists. I want more of this story; I want to find out what happened before and what’s going to happen next.

I do really like Miri, she’s exactly the kind of heroine I want in all of m books—headstrong, intelligent, kind but will stand up and show her backbone. I love that she tries to find solutions that will not only support her friend Britta, but will also help the poor of Asland and revolutionize the social structure. Even though the majority of students at Queen’s College and the Aslandian nobles are quick to dismiss Miri as a naïve mountain girl, she very quickly proves them wrong. Also, I adore her relationship with Peder—I guessed that they would end up betrothed by the end, but they’re just too adorable and I love their whole relationship.

But I really adored Miri’s friendships the most. (This is the big reason why I need the first book now.) Even though her interactions with the other girls from Mount Eskel are limited, the moments we got in this book were fantastic and really highlighted how close these girls are. And even though we didn’t get to see everyone interact (to the point where I was confused about who was who; again, see above), it felt natural that these girls wouldn’t have as much time for one another if they’re off working on their skills. But when things begin to escalate, they’re all willing to put their lives on the line for each other.

I also really liked Miri’s uneasiness and being swept up by the sophistication of being at Queen’s College. She’s very naïve to the place of nobility in the lowlands, and I can see why she’s swept up in the idea of revolution—but she also realizes that Britta, despite being a noble, hasn’t had it as easy as people think. This is why Timon really works for me—I hate him, as he refuses to acknowledge the reality of the situation even after Miri explains everything to him and doesn’t consider that “Hey this is a person I want to see dead.” I can see why Miri would be caught up in Timon’s ideals and then ultimately reject him.

The revolution is the strongest part of the whole book. Hale isn’t afraid to address the change, politics and complexities of both and she does so without talking down to her audience or making her points in clear black and white sentiments. Even near after the resolution of having the king listen to his subjects and not the money-grubbing officials, Hale doesn’t have the situation all wrapped neatly in a bow, and it’s hinted that there’s a long way to go before true changes are implanted. But there’s a start, and I loved the very hopeful tone at the end of the book. The only real complaint I have about the revolution are Lady Sisela’s and Liana’s roles in supporting it, which essentially boil down to “Well, the king/prince didn’t choose me, so the queen/Britta should die!” I felt the revolutionaries like Timon—the newly rich members of the middle class—were more genuine and realistic.

Despite going into this completely blind and very limited exposure to Hale’s work (which is going to be rectified, trust me), I was enchanted right from the beginning and desperately need to read more now. (If there’s a book three, make about Frid! I loved her.) It’s a very intelligent read that manages to be absolutely delightful and doesn’t stoop to stereotypes or expectations of the intended audience. (And y’know, go read the first book if you haven’t already.)
( )

Note: This review contains unavoidable spoilers for Book One in the Princess Academy series, but no spoilers for this second book.

Despite the perhaps misleading reference to princesses in the title, the girls in the “Princess Academy” series, while fictional, still present some of the best role models for young girls you can find in children’s books. These are girls who are determined to made a difference with their lives, and do so!

I loved the first book in this series, Princess Academy. You don’t need to read it to enjoy fully this continuation of the story of the heroine Miri, but the two books are so enjoyable and inspirational you might as well read them both!

Miri comes from Mount Eskel, a village known for its mining of linder, a silvery marble-like stone. This fictional substance conveys a kind of extra-sensory perceptiveness to those who work in the quarries, breathe in its dust, and drink the water from streams that run through the linder mountain. “Lowlanders” in the kingdom of Danland look down upon those from up on Mount Eskel; nevertheless, traders from the Lowlands come three times a year to haul the valuable stone down the mountain, and bring food and other provisions in return.

This time, when the traders come, some of the girls from Mount Eskel will be going back with them to Asland, where the King and Queen live. The year before, royal priests had divined that Mount Eskel was the home of the future Princess. So all eligible girls were required to attend a “Princess Academy” to learn about the subjects they might need to know if selected by Prince Steffan. Although Miri was the top student, the Prince picked Miri’s friend Britta to be his bride. Now Britta has invited Miri to come, along with five other Academy girls, to attend her wedding. Also, she told Miri there was an opening for her at the Queen’s Castle, a university in Asland at which Miri could continue the studies she had grown to love. Britta even arranged for Miri’s crush Peder to get an apprenticeship with a stone carver in the capital. They could all go down to Asland together.

There were some dark notes to this bright opportunity, however. Miri would miss her father and her older sister Marda terribly. Additionally, Katar - one of the girls from the Academy who went to Asland to be a delegate to the royal court – wrote Miri that there was some kind of trouble brewing there.

Miri joins the trader wagons for the trip with mixed feelings, but soon she is caught up in the excitement of a big city and in the wonder of the new subjects she is learning. At first history is a disappointment – there are no books about Mount Eskel! But the whole idea of history suggests something new to her: does it have to be a "dead" subject about static names on a page, or can memories come alive and change the world? What she learns in ethics also stymies her: how do you decide between two equally unpleasant choices? Is there any time when ends justify the means, no matter how repugnant? Does the greater good ever outweigh individual values?

These aren’t just academic questions. The threat of revolution is roiling Asland. Too many people go hungry, and the Nobles and the King take too much in tributes. Miri knows about poverty and injustice from her background on Mount Eskel, and wants to side with the "shoeless." But one of her dearest friends is about to become Princess of the hated establishment! How can she choose between them? How much credence should she give to her head, and how much to her heart?

She even faces choices on the romantic front. Her crush Peder doesn’t pay all that much attention to her, not like Timon, a worldly fellow scholar….

Discussion: Is this book in the category of Middle Grade or Young Adult? It certainly has nothing in it that would be objectionable for younger readers, but neither does it have anything in it that won’t appeal to older readers, including this WAY older reader.

Evaluation: Don’t be put off by the word “princess” in the titles! These books are totally not related to the whole girls-just-want-to-be-princesses trope. On the contrary, Miri and her friends want to make their marks in the world, and they do so with pluck, aplomb, intelligence, and humor. Miri and the other girls are terrific role models, and wonderful characters.

When Shannon Hale is on her game, she is one charming and engaging story teller! ( )