I fell in love with Princess Academy when I first read it in elementary school, so naturally I was excited but apprehensive to discover the sequel. Fortunately, it lives up to the original — expanding the world through Miri’s eyes, holding true to the same themes and introducing new, more complex ones at the same time. The character development is incredible, the cast still memorable and lovely, and while I probably won’t read this one over and over it was a satisfying follow-up.

Minor annoyances: the overt foreshadowing (“Miri saw this, but dismissed it, thinking it was nothing”) and the love triangle.