When you hear the word fairytale you usually think of princesses , princes, evil doers, and big adventures. Well the Palace of Mirrors by Margret Peterson Haddix has all of that, but with quite a big twist to it.

Cecilia, a ‘peasant girl’, isn’t all that she appears. She in fact is the true princess of her land. Orphaned as a young child when the evil forces killed the king and queen, she was entrusted to a loyal knight, Sir Stephen. Sir Stephen was instructed by the queen herself to look after Cecilia and teach her the ways of the court in secrecy, until it was safe for her to return to the throne. Cecilia was then raised in a remote village by a kind and gentle woman named Nanny Gratine who loved her and cared for as if she were her own.

So as to not raise suspicion there has been a decoy princess placed in the palace, her name is Desmia. She is a commoner who Cecilia is told awaits the day that it is safe enough for her to step in.

At age 14 Cecilia is starts to get clues to her life being threatened. She believes that she has been found out. So she and her best friend Harper set out to the capital city where they plan to have Desmia step down and let Cecilia take matters into her own hands. When they get to the capital city and sneak into the Palace of Mirrors they find out that Princess Desmia has been told an entirely different story.

Will Cecilia and Harper get out of this mess? Will they be able to prove that Cecilia is the true princess…or find out that maybe she isn’t? And will Cecilia and Harper discover feelings for each other that may be just beginning to sprout? If you want to know the outcome to this exciting tale I’m sorry to say that you will have to read the story yourself.

I would recommend this story to anyone who likes adventure that doesn’t just include a prince saving a princess. Cecilia is a very head strong girl and shows no fear. Harper is probably my all time favorite character in the entire book. With his friendly attitude and protecting nature he would make a wonderful friend to anyone. Over all I highly enjoyed this book, it showed that you shouldn’t have to sit around and wait for someone to make your future for you, but that if you take charge you can do anything.