Princess Academy by Shannon Hale

***1/2 out of ****

       Princess Academy by Shannon Hale is a New York Times Bestseller and a winner of the Newbery Honor. Sounds princess-y, right? The typical fairy tale with princesses, princes, dragons and castles. NOT! Princess Academy is much more raw, much more direct, but still beautiful in writing. (This ain't your kiddish fairy tale book!)

       The book takes place in the time of royalty and kingdoms, the usual setting for fairy tales. But Princess Academy doesn't take place in a pretty and polished palace, but instead rocky and rugged Mount Eskel, a mere territory of the great Danland. The story focuses around 14 year old Miri, a girl from Mount Eskel. When priests from the capital of Danland foresee that the prince of Danland's bride is in Mount Eskel, a makeshift princess academy is built there, where young girls from Mount Eskel are trained to be proper princesses. When Miri attends, she become torn in becoming a princess, and the mountain that runs through her veins.  

          I'd rate Princess Academy ***and a half out of ****, because it was something different, a new plot, and it wasn't overused. It was realistic, not wispy and nice like most plots. This one was rocky and tough, like the mountain it took place on. However, it didn't get a perfect score because although the plot was amazing, the writing didn't stand out. It didn't make the reader melt into the book, like it should have.