Why I bought it? My daughter and I were book shopping and I thought she might enjoy it. I like Haddix. I especially enjoyed her "Among the Hidden" series. This is sort of a sequel to Just Ella but not really. Ella is in it eventually. I had enjoyed that book too, so I thought it could be a fun read for me as well.
Synopsis: Cecilia is a princess in hiding. A knight comes and gives her classes in ruling and Latin, etc. Desmia, a commoner is in the palace as a decoy to keep her safe from those who killed her parents. When someone shows up in her little village to capture her she escapes with her best friend, Harper, and goes to reclaim her crown. Will Desmia be glad to just step aside and give Cecilia her crown?
What I thought? In pure Haddix style there are some major twists. I knew she liked to do this and was completely surprised anyway. It was a fun read especially because of the twists. I really enjoyed the role that Ella played when she showed up. It's not your standard Princess story. If you liked Just Ella you will like this too. (You don't have to have read it to follow the story, but it does help you enjoy Ella's role more.)
My Rating: ****1/2 out of 5
Cleanness Score: 2 out of 10, Other than her being pretty dirty most of the book, it is a clean read. Heehee! I can't remember any language and the 2 is for situational things that little kids might not get and a bit of violence. Nothing bad though. It seems more MG than YA, but I think your YAs would really enjoy it. I did.
9 comments:
How fun that you and your daughter enjoy the same books and can compare notes. My mother and I to this day share similar tastes in books and literature. I hope to pass this along to my daughter also. So far we both read Marley & Me LOL. Currently she is engrossed in the Rainbow Magic Fairies series by Daisy Meadows.
I picked up Just Ella and put it down because it looked a little too simple, too young. But this one looks great--I think I'll go back and revisit that book!
That plot sounds similar to the Decoy Princess plot. Have you read that book? Are they comparable?
Books with princess main characters are my secret indulgence :) There's one I read in 6th grade that I can remember absolutely ADORING, but I can't remember the title or anything. --Wish I could :(
Have I told you yet how much I love your reviews? Thanks for bringing yet another book to my attention! You're the best! Jenni
I enjoyed Among the Hidden. I didn't even realize she had written any princess books! Thanks for the recommendation.
Adore princess books! I'm adding this to my growing TBR pile. Thank you!
SVD, Yeah. It is fun that we read a lot of the same books. It cuts down on the number of books we have to buy except when one we both love comes out and we have to buy two because we don't want to wait and sharing and reading at the same time just doesn't work.
Beth, I really enjoyed Just Ella. It didn't seem that "young" to me.
Lei, I haven't read the Decoy Princess. This one has so many twists though that I would be surprised if they are the same.
Pen Pen, I really like them too. I love remakes, and spins, and rehashes of the fairy tales. I think its fun to see what authors do with them.
Jenni, I'm so glad you like them. I bet your girls would enjoy these books.
Sherrie, Yeah, Among the Hidden was great. They are princess twist books.
Yuna, Yeah, Princess books are fun!
I have been eyeing this book for a while. I'll have to add it to my TBP pile. O:)
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