This book is a fun adventure story for tweens along the lines of Tamora Pierce and Shannon Hale. The plot is interesting and shows some parallels to American, French and Russian revolutions. (A character borrows phrases from the Declaration of Independence). The moral of the story is woven throughout the plot and leaves the reader to draw conclusions based on the events of the novel rather than hitting them over the head with a major point. I couldn't put this book down until the end. I had a few minor problems though. The title and dust jacket description are misleading. The spy part doesn't come until the final third of the novel. Either the beginning and middle need to be condensed or the book should have been given a different title. There's a magical land that isn't explained very well and those readers having no knowledge of Sartorias-deles are left a bit confused. However, the book can be read as a stand alone. The ending was also very abrupt and the book needs a sequel. Lilah is a spirited tomboy who is eager to escape her stuffy life but isn't quite ready to accept the responsibilities of adulthood. Her personality makes her a great heroine that tweens and young teens can relate to. Lilah hates the idea of romance and marriage so that makes this book suitable for younger readers who dislike that sort of thing. However, there is a lot of violence and people are killed so more sensitive readers should not read this book. I recommend Spy Princess to fantasy fans ages 11-14. Pretty good, but not great.I found this book in the young adult section of my library, but I think it better suits younger readers. To me, the four main kids were really annoying (especially Deon!). A revolution is breaking out in their country and all they think about is "revolution, what fun- we'll run amok and get famous!" They didn't fully think about/ realize the ramifications of revolution and the consequences of their actions. Revolution is serious business! People get killed, families are ripped apart, lots of terrible things happen! Smith wrote a little about this in her book, but, to me, for the kids to act as they did, then they just didn't get it. I would have been more interested to see the story from Peitar's point of view.On the whole, though, the story wasn't bad. There was some interesting magic and good action.
What do You think about The Spy Princess (2012)?
This wasn't a bad book, it just didn't keep my interest. I made it through though.
—mjanne
Eh. I was mostly bored and the prose left something to be desired.
—bluef
Won on Goodreads First Reads. Review to come :)
—sng
