Bound To Stay Bound

Booklist - 11/01/2014 *Starred Review* On the day that Miri is to return to her beloved Mount Eskel, she is summoned by King Bjorn of Danland, requesting her to travel to outer territorial Lesser Alva, where she is to tutor three royal sisters. If the King of Stora chooses one to marry, war will be prevented, and it’s up to Miri to succeed. Unhappy but duty-bound, Miri accepts the task, only to meet three wild girls who spend their days wrestling on the floor and hunting and fishing in the swamp. They are dirty, unkempt, and uneducated. Eventually, however, Miri—armed with only the three books she brought and no money—cleverly weaves her lessons into daily life. When war does come to Danland and approaches Lesser Alva, Miri must figure a way to keep the peace while her almost-betrothed, Peder, sneaks the four girls into the royal city of Asland. When they at last find Queen Sabet, a terrible secret is revealed that could change everything. Action-packed and well paced, the story’s depth incorporates artful negotiation, the importance of education, and citizens’ equality and rights. This final installment of the Princess Academy trilogy certainly leaves room for more books if Hale were so inclined. Won’t she reconsider? - Copyright 2014 Booklist.

Bulletin for the Center... - 06/01/2015 In this final installment of Hale’s Princess Academy series (Princess Academy, BCCB 9/05, etc.), Miri is prepping to return to her beloved mountain home and announce her betrothal to her childhood friend Peder when she is summoned by the king for an important task. In order to prevent war with a neighboring country, the king is offering up three of his distant cousins as potential brides for a political alliance, and he wants Miri to train them in the art of being princesses. The king’s cousins, however, live in the literal backwaters, and upon Miri’s arrival in the swampy area known as Lesser Alva, she finds three nearly feral sisters living on their own, a town that shuns them, and a host of secrets that could completely change the future of Danland and its rulers. Hale’s conclusion to her popular series offers a satisfying wrap-up of the previous installments’ themes of friendship, female empowerment, and citizenship, but it also offers a slightly more sophisticated and mature look at the nuances of political strategy. That’s appropriate, given that Miri herself has matured quite a bit; she has begun to recognize that good people are capable of terrible deeds and that forgiveness often comes in halting, sputtering steps. She’s still the same wonderfully outspoken nonconformist, though, and her verbal takedown of several members of the royal family is both powerful and satisfying. Hale once again manages to create a cast of female characters diverse in their qualities and distinctly individual, offering an inclusive portrait of what girlhood and womanhood look like. Readers will be sad to see Miri go but satisfied that she leaves on an ultimately happy and memorable note. KQG - Copyright 2015 The Board of Trustees of the University of Illinois.

School Library Journal - 06/01/2015 Gr 4–7—Miri is on her way back to wed Peder when the king asks her to educate three unruly sisters. As in the previous novels, Hale keeps the action taut and the young women smart and savvy. Things end happily ever after, with a satisfying twist. A decade after the Newbery Honor-winning Princess Academy was published, this third and possibly final installment in the series will please old and new fans alike. - Copyright 2015 Publishers Weekly, Library Journal and/or School Library Journal used with permission.