Skip to main content

The Spy Princess

Sherwood Smith is an author I can always count on for a good tale of magic, suspense, and intrigue so was I excited when my library so quickly obtained a copy of The Spy Princess.

Synopsis (from Goodreads):
When twelve-year-old Lady Lilah decides to disguise herself and sneak out of the palace one night, she has more of an adventure than she expected--for she learns very quickly that the country is on the edge of revolution. When she sneaks back in, she learns something even more surprising: her older brother Peitar is one of the forces behind it all. The revolution happens before all of his plans are in place, and brings unexpected chaos and violence. Lilah and her friends, leaving their old lives behind, are determined to help however they can. But what can four kids do? Become spies, of course!

I was immediately sucked into Lilah's story, and for the first half of the book completely engaged. Lilah is a great young heroine. Resourceful, brave, headstrong, loyal, and questioning she is easy to like. She makes plenty of mistakes. Mistakes based on not having enough information and experience. Mistakes based on thinking she knows best or is impervious to harm. She learns from them and moves on. I loved the relationship between her and Peitar. Great sibling interaction like this is always a favorite element in any sort of book. 

I admired the way Smith presented the theme of revolution and does it in a way that is realistic and perfect for the intended audience. She did this by showing it through the eyes of the young and naive, those who would be ignorant of the price of revolution and be caught up in the giddy excitement of it, and letting them watch the truth of it unfold.:
So this was revolution. I remembered how impatient I'd been for it to happen-just so I wouldn't have to curl my hair. But in my idea of revolution, people gathered to make stirring speeches about how we could better our lives, followed by cheers and exciting trumpet blasts as...things somehow changed. Not this horror.
And horror it is. Awful things are witnessed by Lilah and her friends and they are pushed to some desperate measures as the revolution explodes and there is chaos and death. I loved how this was presented and the first section of the novel is a gripping tale of covert operations and revolt. The last section of the book picked this thread back up and was again action filled and fast paced, but also dealt with the harder questions. I liked how the King is shown as being a complex human being, and not just an evil tyrant.

There is a problem, I feel, in the pacing of the middle of the book. I think a little too much time and detail were spent on scenes and with people who were unnecessary to the overall plot. Still that is a only a minor complaint in the midst of a book that was overall an enjoyable reading experience. 

Comments

Charlotte said…
I think that Sherwood Smith runs into that problem of too much time and detail in many of her books! But still I enjoy them (have you ever read Stranger to Command? It's my favorite), and I shall continue to look forward to this one!
Brandy said…
I haven't read that one yet. I need to. (I confess I snicker every time I look at the cover and that's partly why I haven't.)

And yes, the detail thing is a common issue with her books, but I love them anyway.
KateCoombs said…
I disliked the cover of Stranger to Command so much I got rid of it.

I liked The Spy Princess in some ways, but it didn't carry me away like Crown Duel did.
Brandy said…
Nice to know I'm not the only one with the cover problem. ;)

Popular posts from this blog

Favorite Kissing Scenes

When thinking of a favorite things post I could do for February I decided it would have to be kissing. I've already done couples and I was feeling in the mood to do something fluffy and Valentine's related. So kisses it is. I read more MG than YA, and the YA I read tends to not focus on romance so this was actually harder than I expected it to be though a few jumped into my head right away. (And one of my choices does actually come from a MG book. One is adult. Gasp!) The actual scene from the book is quoted followed by my thoughts. The king lifted a hand to her cheek and kissed her. It was not a kiss between strangers, not even a kiss between a bride and a groom. It was a kiss between a man and his wife, and when it was over, the king closed his eyes and rested his forehead against the hollow of the queen's shoulder, like a man seeking respite, like a man reaching home at the end of the day . - The King of Attolia by Megan Whalen Turner Turner doesn't write the

TTT: Most Recent Additions to My TBR List

Top Ten Tuesday is a weekly themed blog hop created by  The Broke and the Bookish  and now hosted at  That Artsy Reader Girl . This Week's Topic: Most Recent Additions to My TBR List From Most Recent to Least: What books have recently caught your eye?

This Side of Home

What attracted me to This Side of Home by Renee Watson was the cover. The story hooked my interest. The characters made me fall in love. Maya has lived her entire life in the same neighborhood in Portland hanging out with the same group of friends: her twin sister Nikki, their best friend Essence, and Ronnie, Malachi, and Devin-three boys her father mentors. They have plans for the future that involve each other: prom, college, life. But things in their neighborhood are changing. People are moving in and starting new businesses. Property values are going up as a result. In addition to change, this is also causing trouble. Essence has to move out of her  house when the owner decides he can make more money selling it than renting it. The racial demographics of the school, which has been mostly African American, is shifting. This presents new challenges and choices for Maya and her friends. It brings new people into their lives at the same time. Maya has to figure out how-and if-she wa

Serafina and the Black Cloak

Serafina and the Black Cloak  by Robert Beatty is a thrilling tale of mystery and adventure set at the Biltmore Estate in Asheville, NC in 1899. Having lived in Asheville and visited the house several times, there was no way I was going to pass up a chance to read this. (Also it's MG fantasy, always a bonus for me.) Serafina lives in secret in the basement of the Vanderbilt's spacious vacation home. She has lived there most of her life. Her father worked on the house as it was being built and is the mechanic who runs the massive generator and keeps the electricity going. Serafina is the chief rat catcher, slipping through the halls of her massive home secretly and quietly. She is light on her feet, sees well in the dark, and is quick enough to catch the vermin and keep them out. Serafina knows she if different and strange. Her father insists she stay hidden. But all that changes when one night Serafina witnesses a horrible crime. A little girl, a guest in the house, is fleein

Shorter Musings MG Fantasy

Here are some shorter musings on recent MG fantasy reads. Anya and the Dragon   by Sofiya Pasternack This book is fun. It is a book full of adventure, an obvious bad guy, some more complicated morally gray area characters, and a strong, brave heroine. It is also a book about friendships, community, and fighting for what is right. All things that usually work for me really well. While I enjoyed this, I did feel it was a little overlong and there were certain plot points at the end I didn't love. However, there were things I thought were done really well, such as Anya's Jewish faith and the idea that power needs to be challenged. In the end it was a middle of the road read for me, but it is one I will certainly be recommending to dragon and fantasy adventure lovers I know! R is for Rebel   by J. Anderson Coats This is tough because I usually really like Coats's books. I had such a hard time with this one though on so many levels. It's difficult to get into because t