Desmia and her twelve sister-princesses are finally ruling Suala together, as a united front. All seems to finally be well, and Suala seems to have gotten its happily ever after at last. But Desmia, trained by a lifetime of palace intrigue, is not so sure. She desperately wants to believe everything will be fine, but she can’t help but see danger around every corner.
And then the unthinkable happens, and Desmia’s worst fears are confirmed. Now without the support of the sister-princesses she’s grown to rely on or the trappings of royalty that she’s always taken for granted, Desmia must find the courage to seek out the truth on her own terms—and determine the course of two kingdoms.
“Readers enchanted with princesses and palace life will enjoy a hearty dish of royal conspiracy with a healthy side of sibling loyalty that should keep them satisfied until the next installment. Haddix is no stranger to best-seller lists, and she has another hit on her hands with the Palace Chronicles.”
—Booklist
“Haddix keeps the plot suspenseful even as she delves into Desmia’s new insights, providing plenty of entertainment along with some advice for life. Readers who enjoyed the earlier books will find plenty to like here…. A welcome return to the Just Ella universe.”
—Kirkus Reviews
For as long as Cecilia can remember, she has known that she is not just another peasant girl. Instead, she is the true princess of her kingdom, in hiding, waiting until the evil forces who killed her parents are vanquished. To make sure that no enemy finds her—or even looks–the knights who are protecting her have placed an impostor on the throne, the so-called Princess Desmia.
But as she gets older, Cecilia finds it harder and harder to study statesmanship and palace protocol at night, in secret, by candlelight, and then pretend by day that she has nothing more on her mind than figuring out how to scrub the gruel stains out of her best apron. When danger threatens in her own village, Cecilia grabs the chance to take matters into her own hands. With her best friend, Harper, she flees to the capital city, planning to take the throne now, and protect the other girl. But when Cecilia and Harper reach the famed Palace of Mirrors, they discover that Princess Desmia has been told an entirely different version of her kingdom’s history…
“Plenty of fun here from a superior author.”
—Kirkus Reviews
“Middle-grade aficionados of Gail Carson Levine and Shannon Hale will find much to like in this welcome addition to the ever-growing canon of smart-princess stories.”
—Booklist
In this continuation of the Cinderella story, fifteen-year-old Ella finds that accepting Prince Charming’s proposal ensnares her in a suffocating tangle of palace rules and royal etiquette, so she plots to escape.
“This cleverly done book would make a good read-aloud for younger children, an addition to units on myth and fairy tales at the middle-school level, and will also entertain high school students and lead them to Haddix’s other, more contemporary works.”
—Kirkus Reviews
“A provocative and entertaining novel.”
—Booklist
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