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A review by veronicachp
Princess Academy by Shannon Hale
adventurous
lighthearted
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
5.0
This one turned out to be a surprise favorite! I read it when I was much younger, maybe 10 or 11, and remember not being able to get interested enough to finish it. This copy made its way to me a few years ago, and honestly was in my donate pile before I decided to give it one more shot. I'm so glad I did!
I found it very well written, and not bland in the way that a lot of books obviously aimed at children can be for adult readers. I was genuinely very invested, and on the edge of my seat at some parts. I think the main thing I loved about this book is how tangible Miri's growth is throughout the novel, you can really feel her growing up and developing as a character, and as an official twentysomething it brought back a surprising amount of nostalgia for my own early teens, my first crush, my first big social event, etc. Even characters who are only mentioned occasionally through the book feel like real, fully fleshed out people, and the worldbuilding and sense of community in the story are wonderful. Needless to say, this one's going back on my bookshelf, not to the donate pile.
I found it very well written, and not bland in the way that a lot of books obviously aimed at children can be for adult readers. I was genuinely very invested, and on the edge of my seat at some parts. I think the main thing I loved about this book is how tangible Miri's growth is throughout the novel, you can really feel her growing up and developing as a character, and as an official twentysomething it brought back a surprising amount of nostalgia for my own early teens, my first crush, my first big social event, etc. Even characters who are only mentioned occasionally through the book feel like real, fully fleshed out people, and the worldbuilding and sense of community in the story are wonderful. Needless to say, this one's going back on my bookshelf, not to the donate pile.
Minor: Violence and Kidnapping