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Lilah's Adventures #1
The Spy Princess
Just right for fans of Tamora Pierce and Patricia C. Wrede!
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 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!
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 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!
400 pages, Kindle Edition
First published August 1, 2012
44 people are currently reading
2065 people want to read
About the author
Sherwood Smith
168 books37.5k followersI am a writer,( Patreon here) but I'm on Goodreads to talk about books, as I've been a passionate reader as long as I've been a writer--since early childhood.
I'm not going to rate books--there are too many variables. I'd rather talk about the reading experience. My 'reviews' of my books are confined to the writing process.
I'm not going to rate books--there are too many variables. I'd rather talk about the reading experience. My 'reviews' of my books are confined to the writing process.
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September 1, 2020Since this is a completely revised edition, it gets a new entry.
The first edition, published by Viking as The Spy Princess, was one of those lightning-strike stories that wrote itself. I didn’t think it would ever sell, in part because the hero was disabled and never touches a weapon, and pretty much all fantasy adventures at the time featured guys who had all the agency, and used their weapons as much as the villains. It’s a kid’s eye view of revolution, mostly in the swashbuckler mode (less dwelling on graphic violence, though violence is there, more focus on character), written at a time when the world was on fire.
The book was 120k words when I handed it in. Viking’s marketing department demanded that it be no longer than 80k because price point wins over authorial puppy-dog eyes when you’re a mere mid-lister like me. The editor heroically gave it three line-edits, cutting out crappy scaffolding and sloppy prepositional phrases meant to shore up weak verbs, and suchlike. Then when that still didn’t hit the 80k mark (nearly half of the book!) started cutting worldbuilding bits, references to other stories, and then little character moments in order to squeeze it into that 80k box.
Well, the world is on fire again. And I have the rights back, so I wanted to restore the stuff that I felt hurt the overall story when cut. I’ve learned a lot since that edit job nearly ten years ago. I went through and found a lot more scaffolding and flaccid text to cut as I added back those little moments I felt strongly about. Result, it’s not that much longer, but I think it’s much more vivid—though I realize the author is the last one to trust.
Anyway, here is the final version, with reluctance published under a truncated version of the old title. (My own title, Slam Justice, which I much prefer, unfortunately would only make sense when you reach the end of the book—to every single person I tried it on who hadn’t read the book, I got wrinkled noses and skeptical eye rolls . . . “It sounds like a sports novel.” “It sounds like some high school problem novel from the eighties.” “It sounds weird/stupid/boring.” Yeah, that’s not quite the purpose of a title!)
The first edition, published by Viking as The Spy Princess, was one of those lightning-strike stories that wrote itself. I didn’t think it would ever sell, in part because the hero was disabled and never touches a weapon, and pretty much all fantasy adventures at the time featured guys who had all the agency, and used their weapons as much as the villains. It’s a kid’s eye view of revolution, mostly in the swashbuckler mode (less dwelling on graphic violence, though violence is there, more focus on character), written at a time when the world was on fire.
The book was 120k words when I handed it in. Viking’s marketing department demanded that it be no longer than 80k because price point wins over authorial puppy-dog eyes when you’re a mere mid-lister like me. The editor heroically gave it three line-edits, cutting out crappy scaffolding and sloppy prepositional phrases meant to shore up weak verbs, and suchlike. Then when that still didn’t hit the 80k mark (nearly half of the book!) started cutting worldbuilding bits, references to other stories, and then little character moments in order to squeeze it into that 80k box.
Well, the world is on fire again. And I have the rights back, so I wanted to restore the stuff that I felt hurt the overall story when cut. I’ve learned a lot since that edit job nearly ten years ago. I went through and found a lot more scaffolding and flaccid text to cut as I added back those little moments I felt strongly about. Result, it’s not that much longer, but I think it’s much more vivid—though I realize the author is the last one to trust.
Anyway, here is the final version, with reluctance published under a truncated version of the old title. (My own title, Slam Justice, which I much prefer, unfortunately would only make sense when you reach the end of the book—to every single person I tried it on who hadn’t read the book, I got wrinkled noses and skeptical eye rolls . . . “It sounds like a sports novel.” “It sounds like some high school problem novel from the eighties.” “It sounds weird/stupid/boring.” Yeah, that’s not quite the purpose of a title!)
June 20, 2018
4,25 stars - English hardcover - I have dyslexia -
Note about this read : 4 unexpected heroes, even for themselves. Reads like a speedtrain. 🌺🦋🌹🌸
Note about this read : 4 unexpected heroes, even for themselves. Reads like a speedtrain. 🌺🦋🌹🌸
September 11, 2012
I didn't get very far in the book before I was questioning whether this book was really written by the Sherwood Smith of Crown/Court Duel. When I did a little research, I found that she had written this book as a teen and then it became obvious why I was struggling to get through this book (sorry Ms. Smith), there is a big difference in the maturity of her writing and story building skills with Spy Princess compared to her later works. That being said, it is a clever story, just not well told. After the first 50 pages or so, I skipped to the middle and then to the end. It was in the final chapters that I finally get a glimmmer of the Sherwood Smith that I came to know in Crown Duel. My advice is that if you are going to publish a book 30 years after you have written it, you might want to spiff it up a bit.
did-not-finish
March 11, 2020DNFing this one after a few chapters. This is a middle reader book written when Sherwood Smith was a teen. And...it shows. The first few chapters alone felt too simplistic, even for middle readers. It's definitely possible for books about 12 year olds to be enjoyable for adults (see: The Giver, The True Meaning Of Smekday, Here When You Reach Me), but unfortunately I could tell this wasn't going to be the case here. Oh well. Now I kind if want to reread Crown Duel to reassure myself that Smith DOES eventually grow as a writer.
January 23, 2018
Well that was quite a ride!
The Spy Princess is a book about government, leadership, and what makes a bad king. I enjoyed it very much, the only reason I gave it four stars was because even though it talked about such adult topics in the book, it was narrated by twelve year old (At least I think she's twelve) Lilah Selenna. Lilah is somewhat aware of what's going on and that it's bad, but I felt like the whole reality of it--the deeper meaning--was just beyond her grasp. After all she still didn't see what Peitar and Lizana saw in Uncle Darian, and why he was so invested in the army and overtaxing the people. However her awareness does increase significantly. My Favorite characters were Peitar, and King Darian. I would have really liked to have had Peitar, and Darian's POVs in the books, but I see why Sherwood didn't do that. Having only Lilah's perpective made her brother and uncle seem... so adult-like, and their imposing affects probably would have been diminished if we'd been able to see inside their heads.
I thought the scene when they were in the valley was a little slow, but I liked the part when Lilah read her mother's diary.
Peitar's defense in front of the court was...deep, I highlighted some of what he said so I could use it in my Civil War DBQ, lol.
I found my self very emotional at some parts. My favorite part was at the end when Lilah that really was, as Lilah said, "Slam Justice."
I think one of the reasons I liked this book is because I'm already really invested in the Sartorias-Deles world, and the whole overlying concept. Other wise I may have given it three stars since I may not have understood some parts, and why they were included, or how they were important, and would've probably thought the whole story pointless, and most parts childlike--but I do know what's going on so I don't think any of these things (even though it was childlike at some parts, it was also heavily adult-like at other times if you knew what was going on). The part when Peitar tells Darian that even though Darian is trying to build a strong army against Norsunder, overtaxing the people, and only focusing on the army is not going to work because, when the Norsundrian commander Detlev does come, he will find it easy to take over Sarendan since many of the people are already angry and dissatisfied, shocked me back to the problems outside of Sarendan--once again Norsunder is lurking just out of reach the real threat in this world, and the worlds around it.
To someone who wants to start reading about the Sartorias-Deles world, I wouldn't recommend them to start here, but maybe at Crown Duel, and then a Stranger to Command, and then Inda...
The Spy Princess is a book about government, leadership, and what makes a bad king. I enjoyed it very much, the only reason I gave it four stars was because even though it talked about such adult topics in the book, it was narrated by twelve year old (At least I think she's twelve) Lilah Selenna. Lilah is somewhat aware of what's going on and that it's bad, but I felt like the whole reality of it--the deeper meaning--was just beyond her grasp. After all she still didn't see what Peitar and Lizana saw in Uncle Darian, and why he was so invested in the army and overtaxing the people. However her awareness does increase significantly. My Favorite characters were Peitar, and King Darian. I would have really liked to have had Peitar, and Darian's POVs in the books, but I see why Sherwood didn't do that. Having only Lilah's perpective made her brother and uncle seem... so adult-like, and their imposing affects probably would have been diminished if we'd been able to see inside their heads.
I thought the scene when they were in the valley was a little slow, but I liked the part when Lilah read her mother's diary.
Peitar's defense in front of the court was...deep, I highlighted some of what he said so I could use it in my Civil War DBQ, lol.
I found my self very emotional at some parts. My favorite part was at the end when Lilah that really was, as Lilah said, "Slam Justice."
I think one of the reasons I liked this book is because I'm already really invested in the Sartorias-Deles world, and the whole overlying concept. Other wise I may have given it three stars since I may not have understood some parts, and why they were included, or how they were important, and would've probably thought the whole story pointless, and most parts childlike--but I do know what's going on so I don't think any of these things (even though it was childlike at some parts, it was also heavily adult-like at other times if you knew what was going on). The part when Peitar tells Darian that even though Darian is trying to build a strong army against Norsunder, overtaxing the people, and only focusing on the army is not going to work because, when the Norsundrian commander Detlev does come, he will find it easy to take over Sarendan since many of the people are already angry and dissatisfied, shocked me back to the problems outside of Sarendan--once again Norsunder is lurking just out of reach the real threat in this world, and the worlds around it.
To someone who wants to start reading about the Sartorias-Deles world, I wouldn't recommend them to start here, but maybe at Crown Duel, and then a Stranger to Command, and then Inda...
September 1, 2020
ETA: There's a new ebook edition (w/new cover) out through Book View Cafe (available also via Amazon, etc.), called simply Spy Princess (no "The") which reinstates portions that Sherwood was forced to cut and also reflects new edits and improvements she's made, so if you haven't read the book, that's worth a look--.
Lilah, the young niece of tyrannical King Darian, slips away from her stately home to play with the ragged children she's only ever seen from her carriage, and in short order gets involved in the revolution that's brewing--one in which her principled brother plays a key role. But revolutions are messy affairs, and what started as a lark and adventure turns out to have grave personal consequences.
What's wonderful about this story is how it lets a reader really feel what it would be like to be on the streets, right at the scene, for something as tumultuous-exciting-horrific-scary as a revolution, what it would be like to live through not only the storming of palaces, but the chaos afterward. Sherwood Smith has done a remarkable job in making the scene real and yet not so desperately grim that a reader won't enjoy it. There are complicated questions here: how do you win loyalty? How can you hold a nation together? They're gracefully handled in a tale that keeps up a high level of excitement the whole way through.
I think the book can appeal to a wide age range, and I can really imagine siblings reading it together and enjoying it. If my own kids were younger, I can well imagine reading it to them.
Lilah, the young niece of tyrannical King Darian, slips away from her stately home to play with the ragged children she's only ever seen from her carriage, and in short order gets involved in the revolution that's brewing--one in which her principled brother plays a key role. But revolutions are messy affairs, and what started as a lark and adventure turns out to have grave personal consequences.
What's wonderful about this story is how it lets a reader really feel what it would be like to be on the streets, right at the scene, for something as tumultuous-exciting-horrific-scary as a revolution, what it would be like to live through not only the storming of palaces, but the chaos afterward. Sherwood Smith has done a remarkable job in making the scene real and yet not so desperately grim that a reader won't enjoy it. There are complicated questions here: how do you win loyalty? How can you hold a nation together? They're gracefully handled in a tale that keeps up a high level of excitement the whole way through.
I think the book can appeal to a wide age range, and I can really imagine siblings reading it together and enjoying it. If my own kids were younger, I can well imagine reading it to them.
June 13, 2019
1.5
Her dad is the Highness Oscarbidal Selenna, Prince of Selenna. She’s princess and her brother Peitar has a lame leg.
It's cool that there's a character named Lasthavais Dei the Wanderer who wrote that the best disguise is to assume a role no one would expect. Like man to woman, woman to man, or change status. Which is hard because the clothes, manners, and mode of speech are different.
I was irritated that her dad was bringing her to court for her betrothal and she didn’t even try to fight it. She's 12 and the marriage thing is really tired.
Her very first time out, before she can even scale the wall, Bren assumed her class and role and everything about her down to where she lived, making it oh so easy for her to take on the role of a guy named Larei. No idea how to pronounce that.
Derek assigned her to spy at the estate, and Peitar said it's to get her in and out in case one of the others sees her there. That was cool.
When Lilah followed Peitar and found his secret underground meeting with Derek, she heard Derek call her "fox-faced" and a kid. That sucked! But I loved when Derek showed up and her dad had him locked up and Peitar said she'd have to be the one to let Derek out and take him to her room and Lizana, the maid, would let him out.
But it was childish and embarrassing that he called their dad Prince Gobble. Lizana dressed him in a dress so he could pretend to be a maid and leave. She gave him 2 wads to act as breasts, and he sashayed around, pretended to hold a fan and waggled his hips. He asked if he made a handsome lady. Ew. That's so stupid.
When Bren mentioned Derek I thought he would be the hero, but before that Bren was my pick. There were 2 contenders and it's been so long since I've read a book where the summary doesn't give away his name and it's a surprise. But then Lilah was in her room starting to unlace her tunic and a voice said "Ulp! Lady Lilah! No!" I hoped it was Derek but it was Bren who'd climbed the tree to spy. He realized they’d called her and her family all those names. Lilah told him to take back what he'd said about Peitar and the crooked thing he does with his fingers. Bren said Peitar will never be a leader. He can't fight or lead an army.
Bren wanted to go to Miraleste so Lizana got him on as Peitar's page. When he saw Lilah in her gown he said she sure looked different.
Her second day out she saw a drawing of her family. She was a "fat, fox-faced girl" with her nose turned up and her mouth down. Since when is she fat? Her dad is fatter. And Peitar was shown as crooked. It happened when he was a kid and his uncle said he was spoiled, so his dad put him on a horse and he was bucked off and broke his legs. Their uncle had sent all the healing mages away and believed men healed on their own. In the ride to Miraleste, Peitar saw it and said there was an artist in Riveredge. Bren turned red and I felt so bad when Peitar smiled and said it was okay and his mirror already told him what he looks like. Bren said it was mean like Lilah said and Peitar said he'll live and Bren should study at the arts guild. Suggesting a job for their cruel drawing of you..not ok. Peitar deserved better.
Innon had his nose in the air, until the men left them alone in the room and Lilah looked mad at the king for making Peitar burn his crutch. Then he dropped all pretense and they had a heart to heart about not being court dolls, disliking love poems, and having more in their heads than frivolous things. It was so cheesy and it would have been better had he been a snob so she could dump him and get him out of the way. I had no patience for this new male character when we already had 2 and Derek was my pick.
I was so irritated when Lilah shared the revolution with Innon. What a big mouth. There are lives at stake and the first time someone turns out to be different than she expected, she blurts out the secret.
Lilah irritated the crap out of me. Always asking ?s, having to know everything, not accepting there were things she couldn't be told. Peitar told her about a secret passage that led to Darian's quarters, and Idk why he would because she can't be trusted. So she goes back to her room and decides that she has to do it, imagining eavesdropping on an important meeting and being the one to tell Derek. She barged through and opened a door in her uncle's bedroom where he was dressing. Way to go, moron. I couldn't stand her childishness.
Then when Derek came in her room dressed as a servant, he wanted Peitar, clearly mad, and stupid Lilah mentioned the pretty room and view. That set him off and he said one item could feed a family for a year. He said he could torch the city with one word. Whoa! Not cool. She went to find Peitar and kept saying his name aloud in the garden. She's a dumbass.
No sooner had Derek told them the king had Bernal then Lilah was being summoned by Darian and questioned about Bernal Diamagan, and Peitar showed up through a secret door. Darian accused them of being traitors. It happened way too soon, as soon as they got to court and she was getting used to the idea of being a spy, their cover is blown. I hated it.
Their mom fell in love with Derek's dad but they couldn't be together because he was a groom. So when she was betrothed to their dad, Derek's dad started a family too and had Derek and Bernal. When Lilah's mom died, he killed himself to join her. Derek had heard about them from his dad and went to find them. This story has been done a million times. I was so disappointed with the tired plot.
Derek let them out of prison and they found wounded and dead ppl. "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."
So naïve. How am I going to like a character who didn’t realize how bad war is and wanted to avoid getting her hair curled?
Peitar told Derek to heal the wounded on both sides and he said the nobles could do it themselves, and told his people to care for their wounded. He wanted to draw out Darian's hanging to last 2 days. That's when he was irredeemable to me.
They went to their home and the revolutionaries came attacking. Her dad told her to hide while he fended them off and he ended up dying. Darian escaped and I found the whole thing miserable. Derek sucked as a leader, people were stealing things out of nobles’ homes and being stupid and wasting food and not listening to orders. It sucked.
When they were accosted by adult bandits in Diannah Wood and they found Lilah’s book detailing everything that had happened and made her read it aloud, I was cursing her for a stupid fool again. But he asked if Peitar knew what to do, and I got chills as he said "When you see Lord Peitar Selenna again, you tell him if he has need, he can send a message here to Diannah Wood, to Deveral, and there will be what help we can muster."
Bren put on some of Peitar's old clothes and he said he didn't know what Derek would say about it and she told him he looked fine and his ears turned red. I like moments like this.
Peitar had been sticking up for the uncle in his way, saying he wasn't an evil man. Their great-grandpa was abusive to him and Lizana told her that he would threaten to flog their mom in front of him as a way of controlling Darian. I didn’t like where that was going, like they’d end up working with Darian or something.
She had vowed to go south like Peitar asked her, but to come back as soon as she came up with a plan to help him. So when they get to Delfina Valley, Lilah, Bren and Innon are having a grand time flying around, having their house chores done instantaneously through no effort on their part, and swimming. "I hadn't yet worked out a way to help Peitar. Until I did, I wanted to have fun."
Nice! During a revolution I like for kids to go around having fun. How selfish.
Another perfect outcome was that when she told Tsauderei that rebels had burned the library down, he told her that most of the books were copies and her mom had given him a detailed catalogue. Of course.
Stupid Lilah said all she did was cause problems and maybe she shouldn't return. Tsauderei said it would leave Peitar all alone to cope. She said "What can I do, except make mistakes?" Wtf, she sucks!
Through her mom's diary she learned that she married their dad to save her brother Darian’s life, because their grandpa was going to kill him. It’s surprising that authors think this stuff is surprising. It was so convoluted and such a big deal was made from their parent’s and grandparent’s lives which I felt shouldn’t have so much of an impact, more so than the main characters.
Tsauderei is an old mage, squirreled away in the valley ever since he was banished by Darian. He's like every old, wise teacher you've ever read before except not half as interesting. Then there's the family who was frozen in time at the age they were a century ago. Atan is the last surviving member of her family, a Landise which the Norsunders believe all died. She has to go out in the world and use her powers to help. You can't even speak her name or Norsunder spies will hear. Gehlie is her nurse, an old woman. It was all SO boring. I didn't care because it was so unoriginal. It literally felt like so many other books I've read. Lilah introduced Peitar to Atan and I saw where that was going right then. Of course they hit it off immediately because they're both into debate and talking about this issue and that issue.
And when she asked if he liked Atan, Peitar said very much, though he would usually say more. I wonder what's going to happen there...
Lilah acted like she hadn't a care in the world. But then she started reading in between swimming and visiting with people to get ideas of what to do...The author made that seem proactive, except I didn't find it so.
Lilah was thinking about ways to help, but hadn't figured anything out. Innon wanted to do something like the Esalan brothers, the thieves in the stories he was reading about, wit over strength. Lilah said she would keep on thinking. Exciting stuff. But when Peitar and Derek left in the night, Lilah finally had an idea. On pg. 231. That's how long it took for something to happen. She wanted to become the Esalan brothers and be spies collecting info on the enemy, but hidden from both sides. Innon had the idea to use the Lure flowers on their enemy, the ones that knock you into a deep sleep. As he flew over the pond each day he built up an immunity...Why is this book so stupid and easy?
The kids started practicing spying around the house like it was a game. Deon showed up and I resented that she was there because I don't like her. They all snickered over a love letter she found and she said Yuck! in regards to Darian asking her if it was hers. They stalked each other around the village but if an adult questioned them the game was over. They practiced lock picking and sword fighting. You never forget for one second that they're kids, and juvenile ones at that.
They needed spy tools so Tsauderei just made them. One of which were glass-cutting tools and a spell that repaired the glass so Bren could practice at his house. She couldn't have made things any easier for them.
"The days became weeks and settled into a routine, and although we worked hard, our goal in mind, each of us made sure to save time for what we liked best." She visited Atan; Deon sang songs; Bren drew, and Innon swam and flew and gathered Lure. Like wtf? I don't give a crap about you having fun. Did she really think we wanted the characters to have fun?? Hello, where is the plot?!
Only when Bren had finished reading the book did they decide they were ready. Waiting to read a book...I was shaking my head and rolling my eyes.
Before they left Tsauderei presented them with a magical bag that would always produce nutbread. Why is it always bread? He gave them a glowglobe as well because nothing must be left for them to do themselves. His last gift was a ring on a chain for Lilah and I thought it was LOTR all over again. It's a summons ring that she holds a certain way and says a spell and it will alert him and give him a destination to focus on. He can transport her alone or them all if they're holding hands. It was mind-numbingly boring. Anything else you want to hand them?
Lilah cut her braid off to look like a Sharadan brother disguise. I hate when authors do that.
When they got to town it was as disappointing as the rest of the book. Did I think there would be action when they finally left the woods? Silly me! Lilah did one mission of spying on a meeting. Deon went around getting people to sing her stupid, immature songs. Bren made doodles of King Dirtyhands crushing people with his boot. Bren decided that he wanted more chalk. Lilah needed more paper to write in her book. Innon wanted good food. I don't give a F$&@ about your f$?@#+% free time. They shouldn't even be having free time!
When they realized they needed a code word for the enemy, and Deon had the idea to call them Buckets, and they all snickered, I was done for the night. Why is this so stupid? When you have a characters giggling over breaking in and stealing, and say "We bucketed the Buckets!" and chortling about it, you know you're in for it. It was almost torture to read.
I was so confused as to what was going on. So many names were thrown out and secret plots and plans I didn't understand. But the kids decided to spread fake info so it turned into another laugh fest as they came up with fake names like Assassin Twisted Nose, Sharp Fangs, Dead-Aim and Skunk Stench. They were having fun which was the single driving force for the author.
I guess the author wanted us to despise Lilah, and mission accomplished. For the second time this dumb child screwed up. When she eavesdropped on the meeting she forgot that her uncle had someone spy on Flendar, so all the while they were playing tricks on Flendar's "Buckets," the real spy, Therian, had captured Derek and Peitar. She was in the crowd and when Peitar saw her she made the crooked leg sign so he wouldn’t recognize her. What was wrong with letting her brother know she was there? Why would you do a sign you knew hurt him?? She's a dumbass.
Peitar and Derek would face trial and Lilah used Tsauderei's ring which brought her to his house. He refused to get them out even though he could. He told her he offered to heal Peitar's leg but he refused because he didn't want Darian to see him whole and realize mages were still here. He wanted them to face trial so Peitar and Darian could talk. But the worst part was when he said Lilah was doing an excellent job and she's learned from her mistakes. How did she learn from her mistakes when she screwed up a second time? She should've learned the first time. Oh, and he thinks Peitar has too much passion and vision and needs her practicality. I was pissed!
It was so upsetting that during the trial she realized Peitar doesn't dislike their uncle. They respect each other and only get mad when they disagree and won't budge. People wanted her to be her mom and have a positive influence on Darian. "What might have changed if I'd managed to take her place in his heart?" How could she even think that, like it’s her fault he’s the way he is. WTF?!
It's pretty bad when Darian said "Your little sister, whose single goal in life appears to be the escape of her social duties in order to climb trees" and you agree.
Darian sentenced them to death--so much for that great talk he and Peitar were supposed to have--and Deveral showed up with his ppl and shot the guards.
Derek and Peitar were set free somewhere and Lilah decided to go home. Of course her uncle was waiting, and he locked her up and read her incriminating book of all their deeds. He made her run and try to evade them in a fox and hound game. So ridiculous.
She escaped through the secret passage but then went back and put Lure in the room, putting them all to sleep. Derek and Peitar and everyone came and tied Darian up and he agreed to an exile. What a stupid ending!
Peitar is king and she's princess. He said Lilah and Innon can break the betrothal if they want. I couldn’t believe it left off like that. A betrothal was treated so casually.
The only good thing was that Tsauderei started working on Peitar’s leg and it was getting better. He deserved that much.
There's this rabble bunch of poor losers who want to overthrow the nobles but who have no idea how politics work, have not the brain power to come up with an alternative idea. They have this philosophy of "slam justice," which is as stupid as it sounds. They go around writing stupid things like overthrow tyranny and drawing offensive doodles of her family. All they do is kill and burn and not listen.
She just suddenly turned on her dad and family with no prior will to do so. She knew the poor people were mad at them, and wanted to find out. So one night she sneaks out and the first second she meets the band of thugs, she's in. Turns on her dad and uncle, who she's always hated, and never looks back, I never understood her motives. She had no ambition or care for peasants, no goals or anything. It seemed like she just wanted something to do. At one point she wanted the revolution so she wouldn't have to comb her hair.
She recruited Innon as easily and she had been recruited. I kept wondering why he was here when he showed no loyalty whatsoever in the rebellion. All he had, like Lilah, was a disdain for shallow court life...so naturally that led to a desire to make nobles suffer and overthrow the king...
The magic is such that the rich have cleaning frames to get the dirt off clothes, glowglobes and fire sticks, spells for buckets and barrels to make water pure. All you do is walk through a cleaning frame and the dirt falls off. Washing dishes is as simple as dipping the dish in water and pulling it out. A place where you fly around. Baths have hot water that never spills over. There's a frame for vegetables that transfers peelings to the compost. When you want to dry the dishes you just snap a towel twice and they're dry. It’s sickening. I hate when characters don’t have to do anything.
The names and speech are bizarre.
Lilah Selenna. Peitar. Lizana. Larei. Bren whose real name is Sharadan. Deon his female cousin. Then there's Tam short for Tameos and Tim short for Timrei. Innon Tasenja, her betrothed. Thiannah Ferrad, the girl his parents wanted him to court before his betrothal with Lilah. Her mom Sharannah Irad, Rana for short. Seriah Evris, who lived in the hidden dimension. Tsauderei. Kepreos, her mom's love. I didn’t even know how to pronounce them.
I didn’t know where she got these expressions, but they were off the wall and grating.
Innon said she isn't a court doll. "Fheg!"
He asked how she felt about romance. She said "Phoogh!”
After he said he thought girls just talked about romance and fashion, she said she thought guys talked about sword-fighting and who's stronger "and hoola loola loo." What??
They say "Hoo" and "Fheg!" and "Pheg!" and "Foogh" and “Faugh!”
Wth?
She thinks water chuckles and people "mince" around. Mincing walks. I've never heard those expressions, and with good reason.
Out of nowhere, at the end, she started attaching professions to ppl’s names. Mirah-cook and Jonah-baker. Where is that from?
I was so disappointed bcuz Crown&Court Duel are one of my favorite books and I expected better.
Her dad is the Highness Oscarbidal Selenna, Prince of Selenna. She’s princess and her brother Peitar has a lame leg.
It's cool that there's a character named Lasthavais Dei the Wanderer who wrote that the best disguise is to assume a role no one would expect. Like man to woman, woman to man, or change status. Which is hard because the clothes, manners, and mode of speech are different.
I was irritated that her dad was bringing her to court for her betrothal and she didn’t even try to fight it. She's 12 and the marriage thing is really tired.
Her very first time out, before she can even scale the wall, Bren assumed her class and role and everything about her down to where she lived, making it oh so easy for her to take on the role of a guy named Larei. No idea how to pronounce that.
Derek assigned her to spy at the estate, and Peitar said it's to get her in and out in case one of the others sees her there. That was cool.
When Lilah followed Peitar and found his secret underground meeting with Derek, she heard Derek call her "fox-faced" and a kid. That sucked! But I loved when Derek showed up and her dad had him locked up and Peitar said she'd have to be the one to let Derek out and take him to her room and Lizana, the maid, would let him out.
But it was childish and embarrassing that he called their dad Prince Gobble. Lizana dressed him in a dress so he could pretend to be a maid and leave. She gave him 2 wads to act as breasts, and he sashayed around, pretended to hold a fan and waggled his hips. He asked if he made a handsome lady. Ew. That's so stupid.
When Bren mentioned Derek I thought he would be the hero, but before that Bren was my pick. There were 2 contenders and it's been so long since I've read a book where the summary doesn't give away his name and it's a surprise. But then Lilah was in her room starting to unlace her tunic and a voice said "Ulp! Lady Lilah! No!" I hoped it was Derek but it was Bren who'd climbed the tree to spy. He realized they’d called her and her family all those names. Lilah told him to take back what he'd said about Peitar and the crooked thing he does with his fingers. Bren said Peitar will never be a leader. He can't fight or lead an army.
Bren wanted to go to Miraleste so Lizana got him on as Peitar's page. When he saw Lilah in her gown he said she sure looked different.
Her second day out she saw a drawing of her family. She was a "fat, fox-faced girl" with her nose turned up and her mouth down. Since when is she fat? Her dad is fatter. And Peitar was shown as crooked. It happened when he was a kid and his uncle said he was spoiled, so his dad put him on a horse and he was bucked off and broke his legs. Their uncle had sent all the healing mages away and believed men healed on their own. In the ride to Miraleste, Peitar saw it and said there was an artist in Riveredge. Bren turned red and I felt so bad when Peitar smiled and said it was okay and his mirror already told him what he looks like. Bren said it was mean like Lilah said and Peitar said he'll live and Bren should study at the arts guild. Suggesting a job for their cruel drawing of you..not ok. Peitar deserved better.
Innon had his nose in the air, until the men left them alone in the room and Lilah looked mad at the king for making Peitar burn his crutch. Then he dropped all pretense and they had a heart to heart about not being court dolls, disliking love poems, and having more in their heads than frivolous things. It was so cheesy and it would have been better had he been a snob so she could dump him and get him out of the way. I had no patience for this new male character when we already had 2 and Derek was my pick.
I was so irritated when Lilah shared the revolution with Innon. What a big mouth. There are lives at stake and the first time someone turns out to be different than she expected, she blurts out the secret.
Lilah irritated the crap out of me. Always asking ?s, having to know everything, not accepting there were things she couldn't be told. Peitar told her about a secret passage that led to Darian's quarters, and Idk why he would because she can't be trusted. So she goes back to her room and decides that she has to do it, imagining eavesdropping on an important meeting and being the one to tell Derek. She barged through and opened a door in her uncle's bedroom where he was dressing. Way to go, moron. I couldn't stand her childishness.
Then when Derek came in her room dressed as a servant, he wanted Peitar, clearly mad, and stupid Lilah mentioned the pretty room and view. That set him off and he said one item could feed a family for a year. He said he could torch the city with one word. Whoa! Not cool. She went to find Peitar and kept saying his name aloud in the garden. She's a dumbass.
No sooner had Derek told them the king had Bernal then Lilah was being summoned by Darian and questioned about Bernal Diamagan, and Peitar showed up through a secret door. Darian accused them of being traitors. It happened way too soon, as soon as they got to court and she was getting used to the idea of being a spy, their cover is blown. I hated it.
Their mom fell in love with Derek's dad but they couldn't be together because he was a groom. So when she was betrothed to their dad, Derek's dad started a family too and had Derek and Bernal. When Lilah's mom died, he killed himself to join her. Derek had heard about them from his dad and went to find them. This story has been done a million times. I was so disappointed with the tired plot.
Derek let them out of prison and they found wounded and dead ppl. "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."
So naïve. How am I going to like a character who didn’t realize how bad war is and wanted to avoid getting her hair curled?
Peitar told Derek to heal the wounded on both sides and he said the nobles could do it themselves, and told his people to care for their wounded. He wanted to draw out Darian's hanging to last 2 days. That's when he was irredeemable to me.
They went to their home and the revolutionaries came attacking. Her dad told her to hide while he fended them off and he ended up dying. Darian escaped and I found the whole thing miserable. Derek sucked as a leader, people were stealing things out of nobles’ homes and being stupid and wasting food and not listening to orders. It sucked.
When they were accosted by adult bandits in Diannah Wood and they found Lilah’s book detailing everything that had happened and made her read it aloud, I was cursing her for a stupid fool again. But he asked if Peitar knew what to do, and I got chills as he said "When you see Lord Peitar Selenna again, you tell him if he has need, he can send a message here to Diannah Wood, to Deveral, and there will be what help we can muster."
Bren put on some of Peitar's old clothes and he said he didn't know what Derek would say about it and she told him he looked fine and his ears turned red. I like moments like this.
Peitar had been sticking up for the uncle in his way, saying he wasn't an evil man. Their great-grandpa was abusive to him and Lizana told her that he would threaten to flog their mom in front of him as a way of controlling Darian. I didn’t like where that was going, like they’d end up working with Darian or something.
She had vowed to go south like Peitar asked her, but to come back as soon as she came up with a plan to help him. So when they get to Delfina Valley, Lilah, Bren and Innon are having a grand time flying around, having their house chores done instantaneously through no effort on their part, and swimming. "I hadn't yet worked out a way to help Peitar. Until I did, I wanted to have fun."
Nice! During a revolution I like for kids to go around having fun. How selfish.
Another perfect outcome was that when she told Tsauderei that rebels had burned the library down, he told her that most of the books were copies and her mom had given him a detailed catalogue. Of course.
Stupid Lilah said all she did was cause problems and maybe she shouldn't return. Tsauderei said it would leave Peitar all alone to cope. She said "What can I do, except make mistakes?" Wtf, she sucks!
Through her mom's diary she learned that she married their dad to save her brother Darian’s life, because their grandpa was going to kill him. It’s surprising that authors think this stuff is surprising. It was so convoluted and such a big deal was made from their parent’s and grandparent’s lives which I felt shouldn’t have so much of an impact, more so than the main characters.
Tsauderei is an old mage, squirreled away in the valley ever since he was banished by Darian. He's like every old, wise teacher you've ever read before except not half as interesting. Then there's the family who was frozen in time at the age they were a century ago. Atan is the last surviving member of her family, a Landise which the Norsunders believe all died. She has to go out in the world and use her powers to help. You can't even speak her name or Norsunder spies will hear. Gehlie is her nurse, an old woman. It was all SO boring. I didn't care because it was so unoriginal. It literally felt like so many other books I've read. Lilah introduced Peitar to Atan and I saw where that was going right then. Of course they hit it off immediately because they're both into debate and talking about this issue and that issue.
And when she asked if he liked Atan, Peitar said very much, though he would usually say more. I wonder what's going to happen there...
Lilah acted like she hadn't a care in the world. But then she started reading in between swimming and visiting with people to get ideas of what to do...The author made that seem proactive, except I didn't find it so.
Lilah was thinking about ways to help, but hadn't figured anything out. Innon wanted to do something like the Esalan brothers, the thieves in the stories he was reading about, wit over strength. Lilah said she would keep on thinking. Exciting stuff. But when Peitar and Derek left in the night, Lilah finally had an idea. On pg. 231. That's how long it took for something to happen. She wanted to become the Esalan brothers and be spies collecting info on the enemy, but hidden from both sides. Innon had the idea to use the Lure flowers on their enemy, the ones that knock you into a deep sleep. As he flew over the pond each day he built up an immunity...Why is this book so stupid and easy?
The kids started practicing spying around the house like it was a game. Deon showed up and I resented that she was there because I don't like her. They all snickered over a love letter she found and she said Yuck! in regards to Darian asking her if it was hers. They stalked each other around the village but if an adult questioned them the game was over. They practiced lock picking and sword fighting. You never forget for one second that they're kids, and juvenile ones at that.
They needed spy tools so Tsauderei just made them. One of which were glass-cutting tools and a spell that repaired the glass so Bren could practice at his house. She couldn't have made things any easier for them.
"The days became weeks and settled into a routine, and although we worked hard, our goal in mind, each of us made sure to save time for what we liked best." She visited Atan; Deon sang songs; Bren drew, and Innon swam and flew and gathered Lure. Like wtf? I don't give a crap about you having fun. Did she really think we wanted the characters to have fun?? Hello, where is the plot?!
Only when Bren had finished reading the book did they decide they were ready. Waiting to read a book...I was shaking my head and rolling my eyes.
Before they left Tsauderei presented them with a magical bag that would always produce nutbread. Why is it always bread? He gave them a glowglobe as well because nothing must be left for them to do themselves. His last gift was a ring on a chain for Lilah and I thought it was LOTR all over again. It's a summons ring that she holds a certain way and says a spell and it will alert him and give him a destination to focus on. He can transport her alone or them all if they're holding hands. It was mind-numbingly boring. Anything else you want to hand them?
Lilah cut her braid off to look like a Sharadan brother disguise. I hate when authors do that.
When they got to town it was as disappointing as the rest of the book. Did I think there would be action when they finally left the woods? Silly me! Lilah did one mission of spying on a meeting. Deon went around getting people to sing her stupid, immature songs. Bren made doodles of King Dirtyhands crushing people with his boot. Bren decided that he wanted more chalk. Lilah needed more paper to write in her book. Innon wanted good food. I don't give a F$&@ about your f$?@#+% free time. They shouldn't even be having free time!
When they realized they needed a code word for the enemy, and Deon had the idea to call them Buckets, and they all snickered, I was done for the night. Why is this so stupid? When you have a characters giggling over breaking in and stealing, and say "We bucketed the Buckets!" and chortling about it, you know you're in for it. It was almost torture to read.
I was so confused as to what was going on. So many names were thrown out and secret plots and plans I didn't understand. But the kids decided to spread fake info so it turned into another laugh fest as they came up with fake names like Assassin Twisted Nose, Sharp Fangs, Dead-Aim and Skunk Stench. They were having fun which was the single driving force for the author.
I guess the author wanted us to despise Lilah, and mission accomplished. For the second time this dumb child screwed up. When she eavesdropped on the meeting she forgot that her uncle had someone spy on Flendar, so all the while they were playing tricks on Flendar's "Buckets," the real spy, Therian, had captured Derek and Peitar. She was in the crowd and when Peitar saw her she made the crooked leg sign so he wouldn’t recognize her. What was wrong with letting her brother know she was there? Why would you do a sign you knew hurt him?? She's a dumbass.
Peitar and Derek would face trial and Lilah used Tsauderei's ring which brought her to his house. He refused to get them out even though he could. He told her he offered to heal Peitar's leg but he refused because he didn't want Darian to see him whole and realize mages were still here. He wanted them to face trial so Peitar and Darian could talk. But the worst part was when he said Lilah was doing an excellent job and she's learned from her mistakes. How did she learn from her mistakes when she screwed up a second time? She should've learned the first time. Oh, and he thinks Peitar has too much passion and vision and needs her practicality. I was pissed!
It was so upsetting that during the trial she realized Peitar doesn't dislike their uncle. They respect each other and only get mad when they disagree and won't budge. People wanted her to be her mom and have a positive influence on Darian. "What might have changed if I'd managed to take her place in his heart?" How could she even think that, like it’s her fault he’s the way he is. WTF?!
It's pretty bad when Darian said "Your little sister, whose single goal in life appears to be the escape of her social duties in order to climb trees" and you agree.
Darian sentenced them to death--so much for that great talk he and Peitar were supposed to have--and Deveral showed up with his ppl and shot the guards.
Derek and Peitar were set free somewhere and Lilah decided to go home. Of course her uncle was waiting, and he locked her up and read her incriminating book of all their deeds. He made her run and try to evade them in a fox and hound game. So ridiculous.
She escaped through the secret passage but then went back and put Lure in the room, putting them all to sleep. Derek and Peitar and everyone came and tied Darian up and he agreed to an exile. What a stupid ending!
Peitar is king and she's princess. He said Lilah and Innon can break the betrothal if they want. I couldn’t believe it left off like that. A betrothal was treated so casually.
The only good thing was that Tsauderei started working on Peitar’s leg and it was getting better. He deserved that much.
There's this rabble bunch of poor losers who want to overthrow the nobles but who have no idea how politics work, have not the brain power to come up with an alternative idea. They have this philosophy of "slam justice," which is as stupid as it sounds. They go around writing stupid things like overthrow tyranny and drawing offensive doodles of her family. All they do is kill and burn and not listen.
She just suddenly turned on her dad and family with no prior will to do so. She knew the poor people were mad at them, and wanted to find out. So one night she sneaks out and the first second she meets the band of thugs, she's in. Turns on her dad and uncle, who she's always hated, and never looks back, I never understood her motives. She had no ambition or care for peasants, no goals or anything. It seemed like she just wanted something to do. At one point she wanted the revolution so she wouldn't have to comb her hair.
She recruited Innon as easily and she had been recruited. I kept wondering why he was here when he showed no loyalty whatsoever in the rebellion. All he had, like Lilah, was a disdain for shallow court life...so naturally that led to a desire to make nobles suffer and overthrow the king...
The magic is such that the rich have cleaning frames to get the dirt off clothes, glowglobes and fire sticks, spells for buckets and barrels to make water pure. All you do is walk through a cleaning frame and the dirt falls off. Washing dishes is as simple as dipping the dish in water and pulling it out. A place where you fly around. Baths have hot water that never spills over. There's a frame for vegetables that transfers peelings to the compost. When you want to dry the dishes you just snap a towel twice and they're dry. It’s sickening. I hate when characters don’t have to do anything.
The names and speech are bizarre.
Lilah Selenna. Peitar. Lizana. Larei. Bren whose real name is Sharadan. Deon his female cousin. Then there's Tam short for Tameos and Tim short for Timrei. Innon Tasenja, her betrothed. Thiannah Ferrad, the girl his parents wanted him to court before his betrothal with Lilah. Her mom Sharannah Irad, Rana for short. Seriah Evris, who lived in the hidden dimension. Tsauderei. Kepreos, her mom's love. I didn’t even know how to pronounce them.
I didn’t know where she got these expressions, but they were off the wall and grating.
Innon said she isn't a court doll. "Fheg!"
He asked how she felt about romance. She said "Phoogh!”
After he said he thought girls just talked about romance and fashion, she said she thought guys talked about sword-fighting and who's stronger "and hoola loola loo." What??
They say "Hoo" and "Fheg!" and "Pheg!" and "Foogh" and “Faugh!”
Wth?
She thinks water chuckles and people "mince" around. Mincing walks. I've never heard those expressions, and with good reason.
Out of nowhere, at the end, she started attaching professions to ppl’s names. Mirah-cook and Jonah-baker. Where is that from?
I was so disappointed bcuz Crown&Court Duel are one of my favorite books and I expected better.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
February 15, 2024
Kids book. Great fun.
On to the next one.
On to the next one.
April 13, 2017
This book has everything you'd want in a middle grade fantasy, from spies and secret tunnels to sibling relationships, from court politics to a hint of magic.
July 16, 2013
3.5 stars
I really, really wanted to give this four stars, but it was lacking a depth and sophistication (really, just a more well-rounded understanding and background on Darian, his family and the political situation as a whole that would have added so much to this story - fine, and possibly getting to see just a bit of where Lilah and Peitar went from here) that would have placed it there. But, as usual, Sherwood Smith has crafted a tale that rings true and that is alive. It makes you consider things again, things that you may take for granted. It is not her finest, but it is a good introduction and one I am happy to recommend.
This is one of Sherwood Smith's stories that feels like it may have been redacted for a younger audience and I wish so dearly that I could see what it looked like originally. I have this hope that some of the depth I am looking for was there.
Peitar Selenna's speech here is really wonderful to see in a MG novel. The civil war, its presentation and the ideas and ideals explored are all thoughtful and mature. So much more so than in most recent books I have read, Smith lets these ideas speak and allows her readers to journey through complicated times.
War is not glory. Few situations are as simple as we think. There are rarely "true" villains in her work, though evil deeds abide. The fact that she distinguishes is another factor that I appreciate.
I wish that we had heard more about Darian and his sister. Everything that occurred to create this situation.
More of Lizana's tale. A loyal servant of Darian but fierce protector of Peitar and Lilah. Her perspective would have been insightful and added a new dimension.
I liked the importance of family and Peitar and Lilah's relationship.
I do hope that Lilah and Peitar and company show up again somewhere in the annals of Sartorias-Deles.
Edit: I just saw in Sherwood's own review that a lot of worldbuilding details and such were indeed cut out. Alas.
I really, really wanted to give this four stars, but it was lacking a depth and sophistication (really, just a more well-rounded understanding and background on Darian, his family and the political situation as a whole that would have added so much to this story - fine, and possibly getting to see just a bit of where Lilah and Peitar went from here) that would have placed it there. But, as usual, Sherwood Smith has crafted a tale that rings true and that is alive. It makes you consider things again, things that you may take for granted. It is not her finest, but it is a good introduction and one I am happy to recommend.
This is one of Sherwood Smith's stories that feels like it may have been redacted for a younger audience and I wish so dearly that I could see what it looked like originally. I have this hope that some of the depth I am looking for was there.
"I admit freely to having committed treason. That is," he said, "if you define treason as the attempt to overthrow the government. If you define treason as I do - the attempted overthrow of our ancient laws - then I don't believe I've committed treason."
Peitar Selenna's speech here is really wonderful to see in a MG novel. The civil war, its presentation and the ideas and ideals explored are all thoughtful and mature. So much more so than in most recent books I have read, Smith lets these ideas speak and allows her readers to journey through complicated times.
War is not glory. Few situations are as simple as we think. There are rarely "true" villains in her work, though evil deeds abide. The fact that she distinguishes is another factor that I appreciate.
I wish that we had heard more about Darian and his sister. Everything that occurred to create this situation.
Was that why my relatives had tried to make me into a semblance of my mother? Some might have wanted a king's pet so they could get me to ask for favors, but other people, like Tsauderei, and Lizana, had hinted that Uncle Darian's own life might have been better if there had been a person like my mother in it. But I'd pushed him away. What might have changed if I'd managed to take her place in his heart?
More of Lizana's tale. A loyal servant of Darian but fierce protector of Peitar and Lilah. Her perspective would have been insightful and added a new dimension.
I liked the importance of family and Peitar and Lilah's relationship.
And before he returned to Delfina, Tsauderei had told me, "Remember what I said. He needs you."
"How?" I asked. "I can't govern."
"Be yourself. It's the best gift you can give him."
I do hope that Lilah and Peitar and company show up again somewhere in the annals of Sartorias-Deles.
Peitar's and my lives were forever changed. Father was dead, and here we were, king and princess. We'd known one another's true selves for so short a time, and now he belonged to the kingdom, whereas I ... I belong to myself.
Edit: I just saw in Sherwood's own review that a lot of worldbuilding details and such were indeed cut out. Alas.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
May 21, 2013
2.5
In a kingdom where the king spends all his money on defense against a nebulous threat while his people go hungry, a revolt rises up - including Lilah and Pietar, niece and nephew to the king - but things go awry, as violence will, and, while Pietar works to try and right some of the wrongs, Lilah and a group of kids turn into Robin Hood like characters.
This isn't a bad little story, but the writing leaves a lot to be desired. The characters never felt really fleshed out, a lot of the dialogue was awkward and unnatural, and, especially in the first half of the story, the narration felt choppy and haphazard.
Also, since everything is told in first person perspective by Lilah, a lot of important stuff happens off-screen, and we find out later in exposition dumps/summaries, which aren't nearly as interesting as actually seeing things happen.
The author states that she wrote is "just after [she] turned fifteen" - and I think it shows. She also says that, "this version was cut down to fit middle grade marketing requirements--a lot of stuff connecting it to other stories was cut, and many of the "funny bits" that were so humorous for a teen writer" - and perhaps that owes to some of the choppy narrative bits, where we'd go from one scene to another without any markers or tell-tale signs.
I'm thinking she should've kept the idea of the story, and reworked it instead of keeping it mostly as it was.
That said - it had enough going for it that younger kids would probably like it, and not notice the foibles so much.
In a kingdom where the king spends all his money on defense against a nebulous threat while his people go hungry, a revolt rises up - including Lilah and Pietar, niece and nephew to the king - but things go awry, as violence will, and, while Pietar works to try and right some of the wrongs, Lilah and a group of kids turn into Robin Hood like characters.
This isn't a bad little story, but the writing leaves a lot to be desired. The characters never felt really fleshed out, a lot of the dialogue was awkward and unnatural, and, especially in the first half of the story, the narration felt choppy and haphazard.
Also, since everything is told in first person perspective by Lilah, a lot of important stuff happens off-screen, and we find out later in exposition dumps/summaries, which aren't nearly as interesting as actually seeing things happen.
The author states that she wrote is "just after [she] turned fifteen" - and I think it shows. She also says that, "this version was cut down to fit middle grade marketing requirements--a lot of stuff connecting it to other stories was cut, and many of the "funny bits" that were so humorous for a teen writer" - and perhaps that owes to some of the choppy narrative bits, where we'd go from one scene to another without any markers or tell-tale signs.
I'm thinking she should've kept the idea of the story, and reworked it instead of keeping it mostly as it was.
That said - it had enough going for it that younger kids would probably like it, and not notice the foibles so much.
August 27, 2012
A cute story about a brother and sister who participate in a revolution against their evil uncle the king. It contains hints of the political wisdom found in Smith's more complex young adult stories - in this case what drives a revolution and what are its likely consequences - and the characters also seem simpler versions of their adventuresome and endearing young adult counterparts, nurturing noble ideals and courageously carrying them through.
While the action is fun and the characters likeable, Smith has said that much from the original manuscript was cut down for the middle grade market. Perhaps it is this, or the fact that there is no romance in this story, that leave it feeling a little weaker. However, for young readers who appreciate adventure and good characters it could be a stepping stone to the wonderful worlds of A Posse of Princesses and Crown Duel, and a stimulant for the discussion of history, rulers and revolutions. www.GoodReadingGuide.com
January 14, 2024
Keeping in mind that I am not the target audience of this book, it was quite awful. I don't think I'd have liked it even if I were younger. I wouldn't have finished reading, but I committed. The writing itself does not flow well and vocabulary seems chosen from a book of synonyms to avoid being main-stream. Main-stream is good, it means not drawing attention to unnecessarily complex word-choice. Why use "bleated" when you can just use "said"? People don't bleat, goats bleat. And if there are many uncommon words I didn't know, surely a child isn't going to know them either. On to plot, it was somewhat cohesive, but poorly executed. Each scene was totally different, magic thrown in haphazardly, and new ideas and people introduced but left unexplained. It was a prolonged mash-up of every single dream an 8 year old might have about spying, magic, sneaking around, dressing in disguise, flying, finding hidden passages, and saving the day. It didn't work well. The characters were so unrealistic and annoying. The children hardly flinched when their father died. Quite annoyed I own this.
January 15, 2013
Lady Lilah is only twelve years old, but she is lonely, discontented, and curious: why do the village children shout and throw things when her carriage goes by? Lilah disguises herself as an urchin boy and stumbles into becoming part of the revolution. Various shenanigans ensue.
This book just made me feel tired. I love the world (shared with the Wren, Inda, Court Duel serieses) but everything else felt two degrees removed from reality. I didn't feel anything for any of the characters, and they didn't seem believable, either. Maybe this book was just too simplistic for me to enjoy--certainly it's aimed at a *young* young adult audience.
This book just made me feel tired. I love the world (shared with the Wren, Inda, Court Duel serieses) but everything else felt two degrees removed from reality. I didn't feel anything for any of the characters, and they didn't seem believable, either. Maybe this book was just too simplistic for me to enjoy--certainly it's aimed at a *young* young adult audience.
August 10, 2012
I'm always looking for middle-grade and YA titles that can make real historical concepts available to kids in a framework they can understand, explore, and enjoy (!). I think The Spy Princess works extremely well as a first look at revolution. Sympathetic characters all around, lots of room for mistakes, but no flinching on the scale of destruction or the need to face consequences. A great read!
August 12, 2012
OK, I didn't get very far into this one, but thought the writing was pretty poor and wasn't interested in wasting any more time. I get that books for the lower-end of the YA spectrum need to be simplified a bit, but ya still gotta write. I've really liked the author's Crown & Court and Inda series and was excited to see a new one, but this had no redeeming qualities.
October 2, 2017
This was referred to my by my granddaughter S. who had read this 7 (yes, SEVEN) times and was beginning it for an eighth reading. She is 10. It has all the ingredients of a winner: kids saving the kingdom; magic spells that let you fly; secret passages in castles and a super fast paced ending that leaves you out of breath. Very fun. Thanks S.
September 9, 2020
A very enjoyable younger YA offering that pushes the "spunky young heroine dresses as a boy" trope and is interestingly nuanced in its exploration of the forces that propel revolution. Recommended, though if you are not familiar with the author's Sartorian world you might miss the complex "historical" references.
December 28, 2014
fun, unexpected, and quite psychologically sophisticated -- the wrong/right and good/bad are explored rather surprisingly well for a J/YA adventure novel
i love sherwood smith. 4.5 stars
pg for peril, war/revolution violence
i love sherwood smith. 4.5 stars
pg for peril, war/revolution violence
January 9, 2019
This book could not have been put down, someone had to take it away in order for me to not read anymore. I’d rate this book a 4.5, the thesis in this book was very clear. The title of the book is The Spy Princess by Sherwood Smith, genre states that it is a fantasy fiction. The book is about a girl around her early teens, the princess of Selena whose world turns out they way she didn’t expect. She will face things no one in their life will face, as she states. She will have to become a spy in order to save her royal family into getting in a horrible mess.
Lilah, her brother Peitar, and her father Prince of Selenna are the only ones left of their royal throne. The king who is Lilah’s uncle is hated by all of the villagers. He has risen taxes on them and they don’t like that. So one day Lilah decides to leave the royal palace to go into the village to see what the rumor is. She becomes someone else, someone no one will recognize because she's dressed as a boy. When the time came where she found out what the rumor was, she wonders if life was how she expected. Whatever Lilah has to do so the world doesn’t go wild, will cause many destruction that Lilah won’t like, which means she will have to come up with a plan and fast.
This book has everything you'd want in a middle grade fantasy, from spies and secret tunnels to sibling relationships, from court politics to a hint of magic. Lilah and Peitar are the only ones left to their throne, their father was killed while the palace was attacked. Magic will have to work throughout their investigation. If something goes wrong, something bad will happen that will cause the death of both Lilah and Peitar. Their is a secret that only Lilah and Peitar can know, and if anyone other than them find out, then the whole world will be become a wreck. The author, Sherwood Smith, did a unique job with the book, she stated every detail which made the book more realistic. Even though at times, I didn't get things like how Peitar talked, it was like he came from French or Russia. That wasn't the problem here, what matters is that I knew what was going on at the beginning and what turned out be the end.
I believe the book The Spy Princess by Sherwood Smith is a fascinating book that only young adult will understand. The reason that I gave it 4.5 rate because there are some highly complicated words that will be confusing to young kids. At the same, it's really interesting learning how royalty people talk. If someone loves adventures possibility then this book can be highly recommended. Weather or not the book ends at a good part, is not important but what the characters accomplish through their adventure.
Lilah, her brother Peitar, and her father Prince of Selenna are the only ones left of their royal throne. The king who is Lilah’s uncle is hated by all of the villagers. He has risen taxes on them and they don’t like that. So one day Lilah decides to leave the royal palace to go into the village to see what the rumor is. She becomes someone else, someone no one will recognize because she's dressed as a boy. When the time came where she found out what the rumor was, she wonders if life was how she expected. Whatever Lilah has to do so the world doesn’t go wild, will cause many destruction that Lilah won’t like, which means she will have to come up with a plan and fast.
This book has everything you'd want in a middle grade fantasy, from spies and secret tunnels to sibling relationships, from court politics to a hint of magic. Lilah and Peitar are the only ones left to their throne, their father was killed while the palace was attacked. Magic will have to work throughout their investigation. If something goes wrong, something bad will happen that will cause the death of both Lilah and Peitar. Their is a secret that only Lilah and Peitar can know, and if anyone other than them find out, then the whole world will be become a wreck. The author, Sherwood Smith, did a unique job with the book, she stated every detail which made the book more realistic. Even though at times, I didn't get things like how Peitar talked, it was like he came from French or Russia. That wasn't the problem here, what matters is that I knew what was going on at the beginning and what turned out be the end.
I believe the book The Spy Princess by Sherwood Smith is a fascinating book that only young adult will understand. The reason that I gave it 4.5 rate because there are some highly complicated words that will be confusing to young kids. At the same, it's really interesting learning how royalty people talk. If someone loves adventures possibility then this book can be highly recommended. Weather or not the book ends at a good part, is not important but what the characters accomplish through their adventure.
January 10, 2019
Lilah, the main character, is the mostly intrepid (and sometimes self-doubting) spy princess in this story. I really enjoyed how she grows into awareness and then into action. The first carriage ride shows her not understanding the people of the city at all, but the first twist comes almost immediately when she sneaks out to find out what's going on.
The relationship between the harsh king and the crown prince isn't black and white--both sides get to have their say--and that leads to an ending that surprises Lilah too.
At the end of the book, there's a note from Sherwood Smith that she started imagining this story when she was 8 years old! That explains the richness and detail of the story world, including the legend of the Sharadan brothers that the children take as their model. The places that mean the most to Lilah are so vivid, as if the palaces were characters too.
It pays to keep track of the characters a bit better than I did in the beginning--Larei, Lilah, Lasva Dei, and Lizana were a little similar and the action is pretty fast so I didn't pay as close attention as I should have. I think I confused the father and the uncle for a bit until I got it sorted out. I really enjoyed the older brother, Peitar, and the band of revolutionaries, and Innon, the visiting prince from another kingdom who is supposed to be betrothed to Lilah.
Readers of Jessica Day George's Tuesdays at the Castle series will also enjoy this story.
The relationship between the harsh king and the crown prince isn't black and white--both sides get to have their say--and that leads to an ending that surprises Lilah too.
At the end of the book, there's a note from Sherwood Smith that she started imagining this story when she was 8 years old! That explains the richness and detail of the story world, including the legend of the Sharadan brothers that the children take as their model. The places that mean the most to Lilah are so vivid, as if the palaces were characters too.
It pays to keep track of the characters a bit better than I did in the beginning--Larei, Lilah, Lasva Dei, and Lizana were a little similar and the action is pretty fast so I didn't pay as close attention as I should have. I think I confused the father and the uncle for a bit until I got it sorted out. I really enjoyed the older brother, Peitar, and the band of revolutionaries, and Innon, the visiting prince from another kingdom who is supposed to be betrothed to Lilah.
Readers of Jessica Day George's Tuesdays at the Castle series will also enjoy this story.
October 8, 2018
The beginning part was fine, if aimed at a younger age bracket than I can currently claim.
The middle part was an odd mix of childishness and what felt like something out of the French Revolution. Real death and suffering. I wasn't prepared for it and couldn't make it mix in my mind with the kids.
The third part was the "spy princess" part of the story, and my favorite. I enjoy that Sherwood Smith has her stories delve into deeper issues like the ability to state one's opinion without fear of reprisals (even if it's an unpopular or flat-out wrong opinion), the economic repercussions of political decisions, and the advisability of having new leadership ready to step up before overthrowing the old leadership.
As with many of her books, I enjoy that her characters love reading, and take advantage of every opportunity they have to improve their minds!
I guess the reason this wasn't a four or five star read for me was that I'm too old for it, but also that I didn't love the main characters. They were interesting, but I don't think I would be friends with any of them.
The middle part was an odd mix of childishness and what felt like something out of the French Revolution. Real death and suffering. I wasn't prepared for it and couldn't make it mix in my mind with the kids.
The third part was the "spy princess" part of the story, and my favorite. I enjoy that Sherwood Smith has her stories delve into deeper issues like the ability to state one's opinion without fear of reprisals (even if it's an unpopular or flat-out wrong opinion), the economic repercussions of political decisions, and the advisability of having new leadership ready to step up before overthrowing the old leadership.
As with many of her books, I enjoy that her characters love reading, and take advantage of every opportunity they have to improve their minds!
I guess the reason this wasn't a four or five star read for me was that I'm too old for it, but also that I didn't love the main characters. They were interesting, but I don't think I would be friends with any of them.
March 13, 2019
This was a cute story, juvenile fiction, that reads as both spy caper and an ethics primer. The king and his nobility live large, the peasants are unhappy, the nephew-prince is at the head of a planned revolution: only to learn that you do need some sort of order or everyone will think only of themselves. It's the law vs idealism, presented in a way to get children to think about what's right/wrong, and also what part children have in a revolution because none of them are bloodless.
There's also magic, mystery and girl-disguised-as-boy which is one of my favorite tropes ever. I don't see the need for a sequel, though I have learned one exists.
There's also magic, mystery and girl-disguised-as-boy which is one of my favorite tropes ever. I don't see the need for a sequel, though I have learned one exists.
July 29, 2019
I enjoyed this book, but would not recommend it to everyone. It's plot is centered around some fairly complex political systems, and the story has a lull in the middle that I think could have been handled more simply. The author was a teen when she wrote this, and it shows... though the ideas were good you can tell there is room for improvement with regards to the writing. On the other hand I would still give any sequels that come my way a chance.
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August 19, 2020I believe this book is worth literary merit because it is a very creative book that tells the story of a young girl toppling the patriarchy with her friends. She uses her connection to her evil uncle the king to spy for the rebellion that her brother helped organize. She disguises her self as a servant boy to gain the trust of villager kids that later become her friends, that assist in the revolution. She and her friends spy and gather information that helps aid her brother.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
October 8, 2022
This is a rather weak entry from Sherwood Smith. If you're going for fun espionage and intrigue- well Trickster's Choice/Queen by Tamora Pierce has a bit more of that while also being young adult. Don't get me wrong though- this is still a good book, it's just not by Sherwood Smith standards (Inda, Time of Daughters, Banner of the Damned, and Crown Dual are all horribly underread. They should be held in the same regard as Song of Ice and Fire, The Way of Kings, or The King Killer Chronicles).
June 3, 2025
This was a solid middle grade book. I wasn't in the mood for middle grade when I read it, so it felt slow to me, but twenty years ago I'd have eaten this up. The Princess learns a lot of good lessons about revolutions and saving the kingdom, there's a good bit of magic and adventure, and I enjoyed the climax.
July 19, 2018
This is intended as a middle reader. The main characters are all preteens. There was more violence (not graphic) than I would have expected. It takes place early on in the Sartorias-deles world. I was afraid that it would be like the CJ notebooks which I did not like, but I found that I enjoyed this book quite a lot. I look forward to reading Sartor which is a companion to this book.
October 14, 2018
Written by Ms. Smith as a teenager, the book has been streamlined a bit for publishing in today's market. It's a story about revolution from a teenager's perspective, and I thought it was enjoyable.
December 1, 2022
A fun read that didn't have just a happily ever after ending - things go wrong and people make mistakes. There's discussion of what makes a good leader and the right of the governed. Can be a little slow at times, but overall pretty good.
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