Scan barcode
kim_j_dare's review against another edition
4.0
In 1716 London, sixteen-year-old Peggy Fitzroy refuses to marry the arrogant and offensive gentleman her uncle has chosen for her. Cast out of her relative’s house, she remembers the mysterious Mr. Tinderflint, a gentleman who knew her deceased mother and who days ago told her of a proposition she might find interesting. When she arrives at his house to hear more, she learns that his proposal involves her taking on the role of his recently deceased charge, Lady Francesca Wallingham. Francesca was a maid of honor to Caroline, Princess of Wales, and clandestinely passed on valuable information to parties interested in the dispute between the Hanoverian King George and the Jacobites who insist that James is the rightful king. If Peggy can successfully impersonate Francesca, then this flow of information need not be cut off. Francesca’s prolonged illness kept her away from Hampton Court for several months, so when Peggy arrives, skillful makeup and her weeks of training allow her to assume her new role. All is not as it seems, though, and as Peggy gets more acclimated to palace life, she finds that Francesca’s death was not accidental, and that she may be next. Wonderfully-realized characters and witty conversations make this first installment in a new series shine; sadly, the author failed to include any notes that would point readers to further information about this fascinating period in British history.
nanlikesbooks14's review against another edition
4.0
I loved it! Clever and appealing writing with a brisk, exciting plot. I wish more young adult fiction was this smart!
renuked's review against another edition
3.0
I've forgotten how fun historical-fiction can be. It's rife with humor, puns, references, and crazy clothing. However, it can also be tiresome, inaccurate, and occasionally slow. This one in particular had a lot going for it, but it wasn't enough to hold 100% of my interest. It was clever and funny. The main character was definitely intelligent and managed to get herself tangled in many intrigues.
But the plot itself was a little lacking. For a mystery, it wasn't very exciting. It was all court conspiracies and order of succession stuff, but there wasn't much background and got confusing. The Jacobites, the Hanovers, King George, Queen Anne, Princess Caroline, etc. were all very unknown to me, and so I had trouble keeping up. I honestly wasn't sure who exactly the bad guys were. It was all very muddled, and so it wasn't really an attention grabbing tale. I have no idea how accurate it was either, but as a general rule these books are rarely accurate. I'm sure the dialogues, clothing, characters, or something was wrong, and I'm sure there are some angry historians out there but OH WELL. I have no idea, I just go with the flow. There's a reason it is labeled historical "fiction." It's fiction people.
I did enjoy reading about court politics and how Peggy had to fool everyone into thinking she was Francesca, but the romance was also very lacking. I felt no connection or spark. The two barely even got to know each other before she was trusting him. Maybe I'm just not attracted to guys with long hair, but I didn't even pay attention to Matthew Reade for the most part. He wasn't very necessary and was not the best aspect of this book.
The best aspect would definitely be the internal dialogue and narration. I loved how Peggy was always observing people and making quippy remarks in her running narration. She was quick to figure people out and had many hilarious views of the courtiers and ladies. She was just witty and charming, and very well written. Definitely a fan of her. The rest of it again, was eh. There was too much going on. I finished just to finish the book, and I still don't know what exactly happened. Some mysteries are justtoo mysterious, ahem, I meant vaguely written.
But the plot itself was a little lacking. For a mystery, it wasn't very exciting. It was all court conspiracies and order of succession stuff, but there wasn't much background and got confusing. The Jacobites, the Hanovers, King George, Queen Anne, Princess Caroline, etc. were all very unknown to me, and so I had trouble keeping up. I honestly wasn't sure who exactly the bad guys were. It was all very muddled, and so it wasn't really an attention grabbing tale. I have no idea how accurate it was either, but as a general rule these books are rarely accurate. I'm sure the dialogues, clothing, characters, or something was wrong, and I'm sure there are some angry historians out there but OH WELL. I have no idea, I just go with the flow. There's a reason it is labeled historical "fiction." It's fiction people.
I did enjoy reading about court politics and how Peggy had to fool everyone into thinking she was Francesca, but the romance was also very lacking. I felt no connection or spark. The two barely even got to know each other before she was trusting him. Maybe I'm just not attracted to guys with long hair, but I didn't even pay attention to Matthew Reade for the most part. He wasn't very necessary and was not the best aspect of this book.
The best aspect would definitely be the internal dialogue and narration. I loved how Peggy was always observing people and making quippy remarks in her running narration. She was quick to figure people out and had many hilarious views of the courtiers and ladies. She was just witty and charming, and very well written. Definitely a fan of her. The rest of it again, was eh. There was too much going on. I finished just to finish the book, and I still don't know what exactly happened. Some mysteries are just
jbrueck's review against another edition
4.0
I LOVED this book. If you love the time period piece with a little bit of intrigue, then this is an awesome book. It was well written, and I didn't completely see everything coming in the end.
mjoyced's review against another edition
3.0
A spy novel set in the early 1700s? With a young girl as a legitimate spy? Yes, please!
Peggy is an orphan who is kicked out by her uncle after she refuses to marry a man who assaults her at their first meeting. With no one to turn to, she shows up at the house of her rescuer the night before, an older gentleman who wears a lot of jewelry. This could have turned into a very different book at this point, but he turns out to be a spy recruiter who gives her a crash course in court life and sends her off to be a lady in waiting to the Princess.
The rest of the book features Peggy trying to figure out what in the world is going on with limited information, no one to trust, and a wardrobe she can't get in and out of on her own as she impersonates a courtier.
3 stars because the second half of the book got too murky and a bit slow, but I loved the premise and will read the sequels!
Peggy is an orphan who is kicked out by her uncle after she refuses to marry a man who assaults her at their first meeting. With no one to turn to, she shows up at the house of her rescuer the night before, an older gentleman who wears a lot of jewelry. This could have turned into a very different book at this point, but he turns out to be a spy recruiter who gives her a crash course in court life and sends her off to be a lady in waiting to the Princess.
The rest of the book features Peggy trying to figure out what in the world is going on with limited information, no one to trust, and a wardrobe she can't get in and out of on her own as she impersonates a courtier.
3 stars because the second half of the book got too murky and a bit slow, but I loved the premise and will read the sequels!
eyreguide's review against another edition
4.0
The voice of the main character, Peggy, is very candid and sincere and her open personality lifted this story from the myriad of deceptions and hidden motives that sometimes bogged the story down. The first few chapters were excellent though in setting up Peggy's character and the situation that led to her needing to pretend to be someone else. The author adds realism to her heroine's plight with all the little details of the dress and habits of 18th century lords and ladies and I think these points made it so easy to immerse myself into this story of adventure and intrigue.
The plot does get a little convoluted at times - with the many different scenarios that are presented as Peggy tries to uncover what happened to the real Lady Francesca. And there were so many possibilities that when the conclusion is finally revealed, it all felt a bit overwhelming and it was difficult to concentrate on the action while trying to order all the events in my mind. I think this is a minor quibble though because the mystery aspect of this story was very difficult to decipher and the fact that there were so many red herrings helped that.
The romance that develops in this story between Peggy and the handsome young artist is very incidental I felt to the whole narrative - it's nice for Peggy after a pretty horrid experience with a gentlemen earlier, and the author weaves in Peggy's gradual trust for Matthew very well into the narrative. Matthew was unfortunately not very clearly portrayed, and I had a difficult time connecting to him as a character. But it was easy to like him because he was so kind and charming, and there's room for further development in this series.
The history of King George and the Jacobite rebellion supporting the Pretender James rounds out the "history and mystery" that makes this such an engaging read. I loved getting such an interesting look at the court politics during this time through such an entertaining story, and the author really worked in all those details so well. I would highly recommend this book to readers who want a light, entertaining read filled with intrigue and mystery and historical drama.
(I received this book from the publisher or author for a fair and honest review. I was not compensated for this review.)
The plot does get a little convoluted at times - with the many different scenarios that are presented as Peggy tries to uncover what happened to the real Lady Francesca. And there were so many possibilities that when the conclusion is finally revealed, it all felt a bit overwhelming and it was difficult to concentrate on the action while trying to order all the events in my mind. I think this is a minor quibble though because the mystery aspect of this story was very difficult to decipher and the fact that there were so many red herrings helped that.
The romance that develops in this story between Peggy and the handsome young artist is very incidental I felt to the whole narrative - it's nice for Peggy after a pretty horrid experience with a gentlemen earlier, and the author weaves in Peggy's gradual trust for Matthew very well into the narrative. Matthew was unfortunately not very clearly portrayed, and I had a difficult time connecting to him as a character. But it was easy to like him because he was so kind and charming, and there's room for further development in this series.
The history of King George and the Jacobite rebellion supporting the Pretender James rounds out the "history and mystery" that makes this such an engaging read. I loved getting such an interesting look at the court politics during this time through such an entertaining story, and the author really worked in all those details so well. I would highly recommend this book to readers who want a light, entertaining read filled with intrigue and mystery and historical drama.
(I received this book from the publisher or author for a fair and honest review. I was not compensated for this review.)
algae429's review against another edition
4.0
A cute spy story. I enjoyed this. It's not accurate or believable, but still a lot of fun!
lisawreading's review against another edition
DNF. I read about 75% of Palace of Spies, but finally realized that I was just forcing myself and decided not to finish. Palace of Spies seems charming, and I'm sure plenty of young adult readers will enjoy this tale of false identities, royal intrigue, schemes and blackmail, and -- oh, yes -- even love. It's well-written and lively -- just not for me.
bushrasbookbabbles's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
mysterious
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.5
I wish there wasn’t any of the sex and cursing in it 😭 but it was a good read, I love historical romances. A little confusing lowkey, the plot and the deceptions at least