I love this author so I can't wait to try it!

I LOVE this book.
Hilariously, I didn't want to read it when my mom suggested it. I'm like, "A princess book? Nah, I don't want to read that." My mom was awesome, she just said that I was missing out and walked away. Later, I asked my brother about it (who is not huge on princesses, by the way) and he said it was a great book and I should definitely read it. Well, curiosity got the better of me and I read it.
I am SO glad I read it!!
Readers, please read this. You will not be sorry.

Awesome book!!!

this was a great book! I cant wait to read The Palace Of Stone!

I enjoyed reading this book. There were some weird things in it, like the "quarry-speech" and the thing about Mount Eskel not being a province so lowlanders look down on the villagers as if they are not real Danlanders, and some of the names were funny (Katar??) Otherwise I really enjoyed it. It was a fun read!
(NEXT PARAGRAPH MIGHT SPOIL) I was surprised but very happy with the prince's choice. I was just disappointed at the very end because I thought Peder was going to ask Miri to marry him! Now I'll have to read "Palace of Stone". Olana's confession at the end made me dislike her just more.
I was a little doubtful at first but now I'm so glad I read it!! 4 stars out of 5!

With an astonishing sense of place and a really charming cast of characters (and with a very logical and realistic magic system!), this one's a keeper. Sometimes you can have your fairy tale cake and eat it, too: it's the sweetest ending I've read in a while.

Characters: 10/10
Plot: 10/10
Writing: 10/10
This was long one of my favorite books in elementary and into middle school. The setting in itself makes for a very different fairy tale story, and the plot doesn't follow stereotypical archetypes.

This is the best book in the Princess Academy trilogy by Shannon Hale. You just have to keep reading it till the end. One of the best books especially if you are into stuff like princesses.

I found the subject of this book to be rather interesting, and once I begun it was hard to stop turning pages. With the rich writing style, powerful imagery and complex emotional states, this book brings you into the pages in such a way that it seems as though you are experiencing it from the front lines. Though the characters can be bland at times, they are made much more realistic by the relationships they have with each other and the complicated thoughts and emotions they have. The plot contains an enticing mixture of action, human imperfection, self-doubt, determination, and ultimately, perseverance, with even a sprinkling of romance and vaguely magic-like wonderment to keep you coming back for more.

In this delightful tale, a bunch of rustics from atop a mountain are taught the ways of lowlanders by the most unlikely of heroes…or rather heroines. Miri is small but she has a large heart, a keen intellect and a curious mind. Having been despised by lowlanders and despising them in turn, an astonishing series of events shows her that the two people actually have something to learn from and give to each other.

The book is a page turner, with the girls slowly learning to bond together, to assert their rights and, surprisingly, to give advice to the mountain adults who have been insular and know nothing about how truly valuable is their one asset—the linder stone.

Miri also learns her place in the world. Having been selected along with other girls to marry a prince, she wonders whether she has it in her to be a princess or whether her destiny lies elsewhere. For much of the book, the outcome is uncertain as she has some very powerful contenders for the role. It lends a delicious tension to many of the scenes set solely among the girls.

Of course, with change comes unexpected danger. Having learned to trade their stone for gold and silver, bandits realize that this poor mountain area suddenly has something valuable to offer. The danger they present makes for one of the most dramatic passages I’ve ever read in a YA novel.

What I truly liked about this novel is the interaction among the girls. There is a love story here but it’s the feminine camaraderie that is so splendid and makes this book a joy to read. I believe that girls and women alike will find this novel enchanting.

Ms. Hale has crafted a terrific story here, one that gleams as brightly as a well-polished stone.