A Posse of Princesses

While the cover of my edition really let the book down, this is an excellent story. Several princesses and princes gather at an event for the Crown Prince of Vesarja, the central and most important kingdom in the area, a chance for him to possibly find a wife. Rhis is one of these princesses and a pivotal character. She finds herself attracted to a scribe, Dandiar, a relationship she's pretty sure won't be encouraged by her family.

Things change when one of the princesses is kidnapped and Rhis and her new friends go to the rescue, learning a lot about themselves and life in the process.

I really did like the story and the characters, I felt it was a little let down at the end, the letters were very scrappy, but overall it was a read I'd show more recommend and a nice antidote to stories where the girls have no agency. show less

I’ve been meaning to read this for ages. Sixteen year old Rhis is one of many princesses invited to attend festivities held in honour of a crown prince. My first impression -- of a nice-but-unremarkable story with an irritating audiobook narrator -- quickly changed. I got used to the narrator’s voice. I really appreciate Smith’s portrayal of social interactions and of group dynamics from the perspective of someone who is trying to understand why others are competing for attention. And once the plot took off, I was hooked. There’s a very Sherwood-Smith-ish twist that I didn’t anticipate, and I enjoyed that a lot.

I have mixed feelings about the ending. I agree that sixteen is generally too young for seriously committing to a show more relationship (and being a princess in a fantasy doesn’t change that), but I didn’t completely agree with the decisions made by an adult in response to that and I devoted quite a bit of time to brainstorming solutions I’d have found more satisfactory. But this is a minor quibble, because it didn’t actually change how much I liked the rest of the story. show less

Interesting - I like Rhis, though she's a little too determined not to be what she's expected to be. The scene with the Perfect Princess when she accuses Rhis of being Princess Perfect (for her ability to appear calm and possessed through everything, among other things) is the most amusing part - having been in Rhis's head throughout, we know how far she feels from being calm and in control! The party never quite gets dull, because the story focuses on people and their relationships. The secret was - well, not a good idea, though it's a standard fairy tale one (and romances). The quest is...rather silly; the aim of avoiding war is good but the idea that only the princesses can manage the task is...well, it fits the "grownups can't do it show more right" notion (another fairy tale notion). And of course they succeed, through a great deal of luck and magically (sometimes literally) having exactly what's needed to get in/escape/defeat the current opponent... I liked the letters at the end, and the way the party did everything it was supposed to and then some. And it makes me want to read the bit in Wren again where the legend (as opposed to what actually happened) of this story is told to Wren - how Rhis affected Wren's entire world and restructured things. Enjoyable, possibly rereadable but not for a while. show less

Okay, so I admit this wasn’t much of a challenge for me to read, since this is the kind of stuff I lap up with a spoon. I mean c’mon, prince and princesses, castles…magic diamonds. Now, wait! Don’t run, this isn’t a cheesy version of Princess Diaries 2 (although, if you must know I liked that fluff film.) This is an adventurous take on some prince and princess clichés.

Up until now I had only read Sherwood Smith’s Crown & Court Duel, but that was enough to cement her into my list of favorite authors. What I love about her, is that although I’m indulged with all my favorite elements in fiction, I’m still confronted with practical girls, who although wish for romance, know the duties they must face to protect things in show more life that are bigger than themselves.

Enter Rhis, princess of the small kingdom of Nym known for its mountains and gems. It’s such a small kingdom they don’t hold court or do that many social activities. She loves to spend her time in her tower playing her tiranthe and writing ballads. She feels no pressure to apply herself in her studies as she is not the heir, and will not grow up to be a royal mage like her sister. Before applying herself she wants to undergo an adventure and a bit of romance. Well lucky for her Queen Briath from a neighboring kingdom has invited all the eligible princesses to her son Lios coming of age party. So Rhis gets a chance to practice courtly behavior as well as be an ambassador for her own kingdom.

Income all the princesses who have hopes of snagging the prince and a series of parties, picnics, dances and all sorts of fun. Rhis finds herself making friends with such interesting characters. There is Taniva of the High Plains whose idea of fun is fighting with her neighboring enemy Jarvas of Damatras.Then there is Shera from Gensam who can’t help but flirt with every boy she sees. Yuzhyu of the Isle of Ndai who is sort of left out of everything despite being the princes cousin, and the mysterious and charming Dandiar the princes personal scribe. The characters are really fleshed out, and the ones we end up hating we find out the reason they became that way.

But when Iardith the most beautiful princess (albeit also the most ill-mannered princess), who the girls can’t help but dislike ends up being abducted the girls set out to bring her back. This is definitely a girl power sort of book, because although the girls all want the prince they discover more important things like friendship and self worth. That no one can really be overlooked, because everyone has value. And that falling in love isn't just about looks, but heart and mind. I know the cover is sort of cheesy, but don't let that get in the way. Sherwood Smith makes awesome characters who are practical when necessary but always fun. show less

Princess Rhis is invited on a trip to a neighboring kingdom, where the prince will meet all eligible girls and hopefully pick a bride. While there, the mean-but-gorgeous Princess Iardith is abducted, so Rhis and her friends go off to save her. It's a bit predictable, and one part was a rather obvious knock off of Lord of the Rings. Still, knowing how the book would end didn't diminish any of the enjoyment I got out of reading it. Rhis was likable, and the secondary characters were quite good as well (even if the author did have the poor judgment to name one of them 'Shera', which made me completely incapable of taking her seriously).

This is a Sherwood Smith book that I’ve had to read for quite some time. Previous to this I read Crown Duel and loved it, so I was excited to read another Sherwood Smith book! It starts a bit slow but ends up being a fun read. This is one of those “princess” type books; about princesses who are finding themselves and finding more purpose in their lives.

I listened to this on audiobook and the narration was okay. The narrator could have done a better job differentiating between character voices (many characters sounded the same). The narrator also could have done a better job with emotion; most of the time her reading is very flat sounding. This is one that I would have been better off reading in paper format.

The book starts very show more slow with us learning about Rhis and Rhis getting packed up to travel to Vesarja. Once at Vesarja there is a lot of “mean girl” backstabbing; that is until a princess goes missing and Rhis and some of her new found friends decide to rescue her. This happens about 50% through the book and at this point things get more interesting.

I did like that Rhis and her love interest didn’t really have insta-love….they developed their relationship over a number of years and made sure to take time to become their own people before becoming a couple. I also liked all the friendships between Rhis and some of the other girls. Additionally it was fun how all the friendships of these young princes and princesses shaped the kingdom of the future into a better place.

Overall this was a cute story and a fun read. It starts out pretty slow but picked up pace about halfway through. I would recommend to those who like YA princess stories with some adventure and a bit of romance. I didn’t like this as much as Crown Duel, but it was a decent read. show less

By no means as vapid as the title suggests, but not as intricate in world-building as Inda. Great for young teens -- fans of Shannon Hale or Gail Carson Levine, or even Tamora Pierce.