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Princess Academy, Palace of Stone by Shannon Hale

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Brief synopsis (no spoilers)
The bride to be and some of the girls from the process academy (now ladies of the princess) live in the palace in the months preceding the wedding.
The kingdom is in a period of turmoil as a potential revolution is building. With the upcoming wedding, Miri has things to do and choices to make that affect the outcome of the kingdom.

Category
fiction, a little fantasy, YA

Why I chose this book
I loved the previous book, the princess academy

My personal opinion (the review)
Again, I loved it.  It wasn't a story of frilly dresses and balls. It was a story of love and opinion and change, of defending what's true (and figuring out what that is).
Miri's heart is torn between her choices, this time in both in love and politics, and she has to decide not only what she wants, but which is right. Ultimately, things worked out for the best. (I wouldn't recommend it if there wasn't a happy ending!)

Warnings (language, violence, "adult" situations, death, etc.)
No deaths that bothered me to remember, little or no language, a lot of politics and revolution talk, but safe for anyone who's been through a history class

Movie rating equivalent
PG

Protagonist description
Miri is educated, caring, and involved, but young and inexperienced and naive.

Point of view of story
3rd, focused on Miri (some on Peder)

Book length
a week

Story flow
constantly moving, good

Grammar and spelling issues
none

Character connection (no spoilers)
none

For series:

Independent or integral (stand-alone or back story dependent)
need the first book first

Series review as a whole
I think it was well written. The second book flowed chronologically from the first, but with a completely new/different story and conflict.

If you only have time for one, read: (which one)
The first (Princess Academy)

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