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Palace of Mirrors | 
 enlarge | Author: Margaret Peterson Haddix
Publisher: Simon & Schuster Children's Publishing
Category: Book
List Price: $16.99
Buy New: $12.40
You Save: $4.59 (27%)
New (23) Used (10) from $5.99
Rating:  32 reviews
Sales Rank: 26430
Media: Hardcover
Reading Level: Young Adult
Number Of Items: 1
Pages: 304
Shipping Weight (lbs): 0.9
Dimensions (in): 8.4 x 5.5 x 1.1
ISBN: 1416939156
EAN: 9781416939153
ASIN: 1416939156
Publication Date: September 30, 2008
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Product Description
"Somewhere in the world I have a tiara in a little box. It is not safe for me to wear it...It is not safe for me even to tell anyone who I really am. But I know -- I have always known."Cecilia knows that she is not just another peasant girl; she is actually the true princess, in hiding until the evil forces that killed her parents are vanquished. A commoner named Desmia is on the throne as a decoy. As she gets older, Cecilia finds it harder to study statesmanship and palace protocol secretly at night and then pretend that she has nothing on her mind other than scrubbing the gruel stains out of her best apron by day. Cecilia knows that it is time to take charge. Along with her best friend, Harper, she flees to the capital city, determined to reclaim her throne and face the danger head on. When Harper and Cecilia reach the famed Palace of Mirrors, they discover complications: Princess Desmia believes an entirely different version of the story. Acclaimed author Margaret Peterson Haddix returns to the charmed world of Just Ella, where a princess-in-hiding and a pretender to the throne discover that nothing is as it appears.
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| Customer Reviews: Read 27 more reviews...
 (Too) sweet princess tale December 26, 2008
Although Cecilia grows up in a hut outside a small village with her nanny, she knows her lifestyle is a ruse - as the true princess of Suala whose parents were murdered, Cecilia knows that her life is in danger. She is tutored in the royal arts by her knight, Sir Stephen, and when it becomes clear that her enemies are aware of her location she and a friend (Harper) journey to the capital to switch places with Desmia, the decoy princess who has been in place for fourteen years. However, things do not progress quite as smoothly as Cecilia plans.
Quote: "Who can know their own fate? Who can do anything except make the best choices they can and hope it all works out?"
I tried to read this book with the mindset of a young girl instead of an adult, hoping that would make things better, but I am not sure I could have really liked this book years ago. It is just too sweet, not enough meat, even for a fairy tale princess story. For the first portion of the book the characters are all a little pathetic, if well-intentioned, and the ending is so over-nice that it would make a Disney princess cringe. It's not a bad book, but I maintain that girls can do better.
Very good read for young adults December 19, 2008
This was a very good read for young adults, mainly young girls who are interested in strong female characters, fantasy adventures and or course in princesses. This was the first time I've read this author's work and I liked this book enough to try to read other titles by this author.
Interesting version of the Prince and the Pauper November 20, 2008
This novel is very much an updated version of the Prince and the Pauper, wherein the Princess is really living the life of the Pauper. As fairy tales go the author is very clever in adapting her style and the flow of her writing to be very modern. I have always like the modernization of fairy tales like the Once Upon a Time Series and this novel fits in well with this genre of novels.
Solid but unremarkable November 19, 2008
While the book is definitely charming, with the cheek of a fractured fairytale and the congeniality of an Enid Blyton fable, it is a mostly forgettable read.
The book has a sweet, Disney-esque message, one unexpected plot twist, and a lovable heroine. However, this novel lacks the charisma and wit of Just Ella, Haddix's previous novel. At times the the plot twists seem forced, and the characters seem one-dimensional and lacking in depth.
A large part of the reason I wanted to read this book was because of its setting in the fascinating world of Just Ella. However, this aspect of the story did not shine through in the plot, nor did Ella's cameo.
An amusing through occasionally lackluster read.
 A Princess Mystery November 19, 2008
This was a cute, quick read. The story progresses at a great pace. There are plenty of details, but things still progress fast enough so that you don't get board. It was a mystery novel, but not scarey at all. It left me excited to see what would happen next, but I was never worried or dreaded the next events.
Cecilia is the main character. Nanny and Sir Steven raise her in a small village. Harper is her best friend, a charming character himself. They tell Cecilia she is the true princess. They also tell 12 other girls they are the true princess. One of them is acting as the true princess (Desmia), and the others were raised like Cecilia in a small village. We read through several plot twists and discover along with Cecilia who really is the true princess.
This would be a great read for a girl teenager. The vocabulary and sentence structure is simple enough to make it readable for young minds.
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