Stuff people say about Palace of Stone
Princess Academy: Palace of Stone is now live, people! It's been a crazy busy week for me and next week promises the same. Keep sending in entries for the contest--loving the photos. You can enter more than once and pose the pix if you want, I'm not making any rules. Also check here to see my tour schedule. Having a great week in the southwest. The first couple of weeks are often critical for a book's success. (If there's an immedite demand for a book, a book store will often order more copies, and having copies in store makes it much more likely people will buy a book.) Thank you SO MUCH to the bloggers, readers, journalists, book sellers, and reviewers who have been talking about the book.
I have a Palace of Stone section on my site and will post the stuff here as well. Today, some reviews. I'm just filled with so much gratitude. Thank you!
"Absolutely incredible ... this is the book we have all been waiting for."
--Jennifer L. Holm, three-time Newbery Honoree and NYTimes-bestselling author of Turtle in Paradise
"Shannon Hale is a master of fantasy. In Palace of Stone, she raises her own stakes with a gorgeously-written sequel about the heartbreaking complications of revolution, friendship, romance, and returning home."
--Stephanie Perkins, NYTimes-bestselling author of Anna and the French Kiss
"[P]owerful and deeply engaging...Miri's clear voice keeps the story hers and her people's. There's lovely...descriptions and vivid warmth to Miri's friendships, her longing for home and her thirst to learn more and more. Miri's story comes to a satisfying end; readers who have been waiting since 2005 will find their patience well rewarded."
--Kirkus Reviews
"Hale's skill as a storyteller will charm her audience...nobody else has quite the same knack for seamlessly segueing between the folksy, intimate charm of an extended fairy tale and the larger canvas and more epic scope of high fantasy."
--Horn Book
"Miri may be just a young woman from Mt. Eskel, but in Palace of Stone she proves once again that with quick wit and brave words, one person really can change the world."
--School Library Journal
"Miri's appealing blend of innocence, bravery, and good sense will draw fans...[A] lively, provocative tale about political change and justice...Princess Academy rode a Newbery Honor onto the New York Times Bestseller list, and Hale's only gotten more popular ever since.
--Booklist
"Readers of Hale's Newbery Honor-winning Princess Academy (2005) will welcome this reunion with Miri and her schoolmates...this is a fine follow-up"
Publisher's Weekly
"It was lovely to be reunited with the girls of Mount Eskel. Where in Princess Academy she found her strengths, now Miri has to find the best way to use them -- and quickly. Politically challenging, thought-provoking, and genuinely heartwarming, Hale's newest is one I can't wait to handsell."
Jenn Northington, WORD, Brooklyn, NY
"What a treasure! Shannon always puts her whole soul into what she writes and I think this time she has outdone herself. I didn't even know I wanted a sequel and now I am not sure how we went so many years without one!"
Heather Herbert, Children's Book World, Haverford, PA
"We loved Palace of Stone! This was classic Shannon Hale. Even though I haven't read Princess Academy in five years, I instantly identified with all the characters. Shannon Hale is so reachable!"
Becky Lee, Blue Willow Bookshop, Houston, TX
"Again Hale has spun a tale of adventure and friendship where good over evil can get complicated."
Valerie Lewis, Hicklebee's, San Jose, CA
"For me, Palace of Stone bears two hallmarks of a great book--a story that I found myself daydreaming about and characters that I miss now that I have finished the novel."
Cynthia Richards, Northshire Bookstore, VT
"I loved this beautifully written coming-of-age story. A very worthy sequel to the wonderful Princess Academy."
Carol Moyer, Quail Ridge Books & Music, Raleigh, NC
"Yay! Highly enjoyable, this is sure to please fans of Princess Academy, Shannon Hale, or fantasy."
Adrienne's Book Blog
"Five full and enthusiastic stars."
Calliope's Reviews
"I LOVED this book. Shannon Hale is one of my favorite authors."
Raving Reader
"I had not read the first Princess Academy book, which was a Newbery honor book. I know it's always been very popular with the middle school girls at my school, as have almost all of Shannon Hale's books. I didn't find it an issue reading this one without reading the first...I thoroughly enjoyed this and highly recommend it."
Wandering Librarians
"This is a worthy sequel to Princess Academy. The book is sweet, even while dealing with the threats of revolution and assassination, it maintains the fairytale like quality that we've come to expect from Shannon Hale books."
Galavanting Girl Books
"This is one of the very few books that both educates and entertains -- and doesn't short-change either side! It is an absolute must-read!"
Alamosa Books
"It's sort of... Princess Academy meets Catching Fire. In other words, thought-provoking and multi-layered while somehow cozy and, of course, beautifully written. As usual with a Shannon Hale book, I just wanted the story to go on and on; I wanted to live in it. Gorgeous."
Reading Everywhere
"The writing is like snuggling down into a huge pile of feathers and getting lost in the softness until you don't know which way's up."
Colorimetry
"This book is going to be memorable. Very memorable."
Books Are Better Thank Ice Cream
"Palace of Stone doesn't have quite the same magic to it as its predecessor. But there's nothing wrong with that. It's got a different kind of magic to it that's all its own."
Cracking the Cover