Tag: Princess Juniper series

REVIEW: Princess Juniper of Torr by Ammi-Joan Paquette

REVIEW: Princess Juniper of Torr by Ammi-Joan Paquette

Posted on by Jaymie

Summary

Princess Juniper has enjoyed quite an adventure. She requested a small country to practice ruling, and her father gave her Queen’s Basin. Her band of kid-citizens has created a cooperative community there, and Juniper has learned a lot about leadership. She even made contact with her mother’s people, the Anju.

But it’s time to leave Queen’s Basin and return to Torr. The Monsians have invaded, and Juniper’s father, King Regis has been captured. So Juniper and her friends have a plan to return to Torr and set things right. Can a group of kids have any hope of saving a kingdom? Did Cyril leave to warn his father, the one who let the Monsians into Torr? Or could he still be on Juniper’s side? Will the Anju help Juniper save the day? Or is she be completely on her own to rescue her father and save her people from war?

Review

Great conclusion to the Princess Juniper trilogy! Juniper has grown up a lot in the weeks that she has been on her own. She’s built confidence in herself and in her team.

There are some nice twists still to come in this story as people vie for power in Torr. Things move faster than Juniper expects and not everyone is who she thought they were. And that increases the tension and pacing of the story nicely.

Everything’s wrapped up neatly for fans of the series with this book. A satisfying conclusion for Juniper and the people of both Queen’s Basin and Torr.

Rating: ♥♥♥♥

REVIEW: Princess Juniper of the Anju by Ammi-Joan Paquette

REVIEW: Princess Juniper of the Anju by Ammi-Joan Paquette

Posted on by Jaymie

Summary

Princess Juniper is torn. She knows her home kingdom of Torr has been attacked and her father, the king, has probably been taken prisoner. She would love to head home and save the day – if only she knew how!

But more than half of their horses have been stolen. Maybe, if they can recover the horses, they would be in better shape to mount a rescue. And maybe by then she’ll have a plan.

The search for the horses will lead Juniper to her mother’s people, the Anju. Once she finds them, she’ll have to decide where her place is – in Queen’s Basin with her small group of subjects; in Torr, rescuing her father; or with the Anju, the family she has never known.

 

Review

This is such a fun series! The characters from book one are back, but we get to see Juniper and Cyril the most in this story – and that’s awesome. The new Anju characters are a fantastic addition.

I loved seeing Juniper wrestling with her place and her role with the Anju. This is an identity story but it is also a story about leadership and power and how to use both responsibly.

In some ways, this is an interlude. The story ends up only dealing with the big crisis in Torr in only small ways – they find a spy ring, they wrestle with the role of the Anju in a possible retaliatory strike, and Juniper wonders from afar what is happening in her kingdom. But all those pieces set up the third book – Princess Juniper of Torr – nicely. And the Anju pieces made for a terrific story on their own.

This is a satisfying sequel to Princess Juniper of the Hourglass. I am looking forward to book three!

Rating:♥♥♥♥

REVIEW: Princess Juniper of the Hourglass by Ammi-Joan Paquette

Posted on by Jaymie

Summary

Princess Juniper of Torr makes a small request for her 13th birthday – a kingdom of her own. She longs for a place where she can be with kids her own age without having to follow the endless rules of her Comportment Master. A place where she can put all of her lessons into practice. Surprisingly, her father says yes.

Soon, Juniper and her “country men and women” are loaded up and ready to head to their new kingdom. Two things keep this from feeling as awesome as it should. One is Cyril, Juniper’s arrogant older cousin  who is sent along with two of his friends; they  have no intention of following Juniper as queen. The other is the “minor skirmish” Torr seems to be having with a neighboring kingdom. Juniper worries about her father, the king, and her people, but she sticks with the plan and heads to the Hourglass Mountains. Little does she know what awaits them in her new kingdom.

Review

This was fantastic! I loved Juniper right from the start. The kids who go with her to the Basin are an interesting mix. The kids are supposed to be 13 or younger, except for Cyril’s crew, which is a little bit of a stretch to me because in some ways they act older, but I chose not to focus on it. I enjoyed the story completely when I put that aside.

Juniper is a great leader, but she is only 13. She has a lot to learn about dealing with difficult subjects, balancing work and play for her people, and deciding what to share and what to keep to herself. Parts of this reminded me of the book The False Prince – the kingdoms, the swordplay and the treachery. It also reminded me of books like The Maze Runner in that it had kids making up their own society (although this is more light-hearted than The Maze Runner).

This book sets up the rest of the series nicely. There’s closure for many of the plot points in this story, but a larger conflict looms that Juniper and her friends will need to deal with. I’m looking forward to reading the rest of the series!

Rating: ♥♥♥♥½