Summary: Miri is a mountain girl who lives with her family on the rocky slopes of Mount Eskel. Her simple life changes forever though, when a messenger from the king comes to town. The villagers are told that in exactly one year the prince of the land will choose his princess from among the village girls. Until then, every eligible candidate from the ages of 13-17 is required to attend a newly-formed princess academy to prepare for the prince's arrival. Miri finds herself torn between her desire to remain where she is in her mountain home or to try to win the crown... to for the first time, be good enough for something...
Violence/Disturbing Images: Mild. Characters are treated roughly and one is injured by the bandits; bandit is killed after falling over a cliff edge; accident is related where a pregnant woman falls down a slope, resulting in her giving birth prematurely, though the birthing is not described.
Sensuality/Nudity: Moderate. As the book is centered around the idea of a contest to decide which girl will be chosen as princess, several of the characters talk about the possibility of their marrying the prince and are urged to do their best to impress him; a boy kisses a girl on the cheek; mention of the village girls and boys flirting during a festival; the matter of whether or not one character is in love with another is discussed
Profanity: None. Mention of character cursing under his breath, but no language articulated.
Morality: Being a fantasy story, characters in this world have their own religion with their own "god" and priests. This religion is only mentioned once in the story when the priests "divine" that the future princess will be a girl from the region of Mount Eskel.
A delightful story with typical fairytale elements that make it enjoyable for any fan of the "happily ever after" ending. Miri was a wonderfully clever, lovable main character that I could easily relate to within minutes after starting the book. Excellent read, though be warned there is romance involved.
Overall Recommendation: 12+
God bless!
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