Palace of Stone, by Shannon Hale (Princess Academy #2)

Coming down from the mountain to a new life in the city seems a thrill beyond imagining. When Miri and her friends from Mount Eskel set off to help the future princess Britta prepare for her royal wedding, she is happy about her chance to attend school in the capital city. There, Miri befriends students who seem so sophisticated and exciting... until she learns that they have some frightening plans. They think that Miri will help them, that she "should "help them. Soon Miri finds herself torn between loyalty to the princess and her new friends' ideas, between an old love and a new crush, and between her small mountain home and the bustling city. Picking up where "Princess Academy "left off, this incredible stand-alone story celebrates the joys of friendship, the delight of romance, and the fate of a beloved fairy tale kingdom.

Miri and her gang of would-be princesses, along with her sort-of boyfriend Peder, are going to Asland! More specifically, they're going to the palace to be ladies to the princess, their friend Britta, at her wedding to Prince Steffan. Miri and her crew will be leaving Mount Eskel for the year and are expecting to find a land full of riches and happy people. Miri is thrilled to spend her time in her nation's capital in university and is surprised to learn that there is plenty of unrest in Asland besides for what just happened at Mount Eskel as the "shoeless", the destitute peasants, are banding together to rise up against the king and his family. Miri is torn between the rebellion, complete with her new friend Timon and what seems to be right, and her loyalty to her friend Britta and a future with Peder.

The plot of Palace of Stone sounds a lot more serious than it actually is because the entire book has a cotton-candy coating that makes it kid-friendly and adorable. Miri is a big personality in a tiny cute package and a respectable role model for young girls as she teaches readers to never be afraid to speak up. Her romance with Peder is perfect. Princess Academy left off with potential for Miri and Peder and Palace of Stone continued it perfectly. The romance wasn't at a complete standstill, just moving at the same slow pace it was used to which made it seem more realistic. Princess Academy didn't make any promises, but Palace of Stone delivered anyway.

As sequels go, this is one of the best I've read in a while. I say this because unlike many other sequels, this one has the ability to stand on its own. It doesn't completely rely on its readers knowing everything from the first book but it doesn't either repeat everything that had happened over again in a condensed few pages that seem redundant and annoying to anyone who knows the story. Palace flowed in a totally un-sequelly by introducing a whole new plot while retaining many elements from the first book and by referring to its events several times. All in all, this was a fantastic sequel and I urge anyone who hasn't read it or Princess Academy to do so right away.

5 stars. This is a book that girls of all ages can enjoy and I WANT ME SOME LINDER!!!