ARC Review: Palace of Spies (Palace of Spies #1) by Sarah Zettel

 

A warning to all young ladies of delicate breeding who wish to embark upon lives of adventure: Don't.

Sixteen-year-old Peggy is a well-bred orphan who is coerced into posing as a lady in waiting at the palace of King George I. Life is grand, until Peggy starts to suspect that the girl she's impersonating might have been murdered. Unless Peggy can discover the truth, she might be doomed to the same terrible fate. But in a court of shadows and intrigue, anyone could be a spy—perhaps even the handsome young artist with whom Peggy is falling in love...

History and mystery spark in this effervescent series debut.

Title: Palace of Spies (Palace of Spies #1)
Author: Sarah Zettel
Publisher: HMH Books For Young Readers

Publication Date: 11/5/2013

Review:

Thank you to NetGalley and HMH Books for Young Readers for providing me with an egalley of this book to read and give an honest review. The opinions expressed her are my own.

What could be more fun than espionage, intrigue, and royalty? Not much. Which is why this book was so much fun. Peggy is an orphan and she goes to court impersonating someone else. But there are twists she was not expecting and now she needs to find out the truth or life might be on the line.

This book definitely incorporates historical fiction, which is not usually my thing, but it worked for this story. And of course what better plot than there being someone who is wanting to steal the throne (isn't that what always happened at that time anyway?). And of course our heroine can trust no one because everyone is out for themselves.

I ilke Peggy, she's witty and sassy but also very smart. At times she is inconsistent but I feel like this is because she's more worried about making sure she stays alive than anything else. Of course being an orphan she does not have the etiquette of ladies who have been bread at court. The entire story is told from her POV so we meet all the characters that way, as well. And we see them through her eyes. 

The pacing of this story was fast and it made it fun. Action, tense times, and times when we are just learning about Peggy are scattered throughout the book allowing it to move and flow easily. And the author adequately built the world so as not to info dump on the reader but also provided key descriptions of life at court, dress, and the things people did to keep busy.

Overall this was fun, though I'm not sure I'll move on to the next book.

Sarah Zettel is the critically acclaimed author of more than twenty novels, spanning the full range of genre fiction. Her debut novel, Reclamation, won the Locus Award for Best First Novel. Her second release, Fool’s War, was a 1997 New York Times Notable Book, and the American Library Association named Playing God one of the Best Books for Young Adults of 1999. Her novel Bitter Angels won the Philip K. Dick Award for best science fiction paperback in 2009. Her latest novel, Dust Girl, was named as one of the best young adult books of the year by both Kirkus Reviews and the American Library Association. Zettel lives in Michigan with her husband, her rapidly growing son, and her cat, Buffy the Vermin Slayer.