3 Stars - I recommend if you liked Just Ella, or if you like middle grade fiction. Keep in mind you don't need to read Just Ella to read this one. It could be stand alone for sure.

This book follows Cecilia, a princess in hiding in a small village. She's being hidden as a commoner so that's she's not killed the the assassins who killed her parents. All along there is a fake princess in the castle, Desmia. When her location is compromised, she heads off with her best friend Harper, to her rightful home, in hopes of resuming her family's reign at the palace of mirrors.

From the start this book felt more juvenile than Just Ella. I'm not sure if it is because it was written later, or if Cecelia is especially childish... either way, I didn't like it quite so much right off the bat. I liked Harper and I liked their interactions... but overall I felt like Cecelia was whiny. "Didn't they know who I was?" "How could they not tell that I was important?" "When I take the throne, I'll punish them...", "but I'm the true princess!" etc. In the end the book was cute, and all right. I could see a middle-grade reader enjoying the series. I would say that I enjoyed Just Ella quite a lot more.