Pennyroyal Academy
Author: M.A. Larson
Series: Untitled #1
Genre: Middle Grade, Romance, Fantasy
Release Date: October 7, 2014
Publisher: Putnam Juvenile
Summary:
A girl from the forest arrives in a bustling kingdom with no name and no idea why she is there, only to find herself at the center of a world at war. She enlists at Pennyroyal Academy, where princesses and knights are trained to battle the two great menaces of the day: witches and dragons. There, given the name “Evie,” she must endure a harsh training regimen under the steel glare of her Fairy Drillsergeant, while also navigating an entirely new world of friends and enemies. As Evie learns what it truly means to be a princess, she realizes surprising things about herself and her family, about human compassion and inhuman cruelty. And with the witch forces moving nearer, she discovers that the war between princesses and witches is much more personal than she could ever have imagined.
Set in Grimm’s fairytale world, M.A. Larson’s Pennyroyal Academy masterfully combines adventure, humor, and magical mischief.
First Sentence: If I’m still in this forest by nightfall, I’ll never leave it again.
I received a copy of the book from the publisher in exchange for a honest review. All opinions are my own and I was not compensated for this review.
My Review:
I don’t know what called me to Pennyroyal Academy when I first saw it at BEA. Maybe it was the dragon on the cover because who doesn’t want to read a book with dragons in it? Maybe it was the premise – I want to read anything and everything that has to do with princesses in a fairytale-like world. Maybe it’s because I saw that Pennyroyal Academy was a Middle Grade novel and I want to find a Middle Grade book that I’ll actually enjoy reading. Either way, I’m glad I did end up picking up Pennyroyal Academy and didn’t leave it anywhere (I was debating what BEA books I’ve obtained to leave behind on the floor because I picked up way too many books there).
Like I’ve mentioned in the first paragraph of my review, Pennyroyal Academy is a Middle Grade novel and it has…wait for it…kissing it in. I know most Middle Grade books don’t have kissing in it because Middle Grade books are meant for middle graders to read (why, speak the obvious Kelly) and people don’t think it’s appropriate for middle graders to read about kissing, but don’t worry, Pennyroyal Academy is innocent in a princessy kind of way (am I making any sense right now?). The kissing scene in Pennyroyal Academy is between a princess and a knight (there are no princes in Pennyroyal Academy), which is kind of expected in every childhood fairytale, which is for a princess and a knight to kiss at the end of the story.
There was this twist in Pennyroyal Academy that I didn’t see coming (how did I not see it coming when it is so obvious in a way?) that just left me gaping in shock. In case you don’t know, I am very good at predicting twists – I saw the ending of We Were Liars by E. Lockhart when I was just thirty pages into the book and predicted the epic ending of Evertrue by Brodi Ashton at page ninety-nine of the ARC. I ruin books by predicting twists easily.. Pennyroyal Academy‘s twist, however, caught me completely by surprised and just, guys, read this book to feel the way I felt. That’s all I’ll say about it so I won’t spoil anything for you guys.
I do have a kind of big problem with Pennyroyal Academy, specifically, the pacing. The writing was choppy at times and sometimes, months go by in a single paragraph and you don’t realize it until a page or two later, when you blink and go wait, what just happened? Whaa? The pacing was also inconsistent, sometimes it drags for awhile and other times, things go by fairly fast.
There were also some loose ends in Pennyroyal Academy that was never explained or bought up at the end of the book. I don’t know if it will be explained or bought in the sequel, but as of now, I’m guessing probably.
Overall, I definitely recommend Pennyroyal Academy for people who love reading fairytales, but it also comes with a warning attached: Watch out for the pacing and writing. Pennyroyal Academy is definitely a really enjoyable book once you look past the pacing and the writing, which I definitely can as you can see from my rating.
P.S. If you’re wondering why I didn’t grab any quotes from the book like I usually do when I write other book reviews, it’s because I was reading Pennyroyal Academy at school and my friend who loves dragon books wanted it asap as soon as she saw I was done reading it. So yes, there are no quotes in my review this time around.
Great review. The cover with the dragon alone would pull me into reading this. ;)
Great review for a great new middle grade book! I am really looking forward to this series. I just actually found out about it today, so seeing your review was helpful!
Hi!
Great review. I’m just like you. I want to read everything that has to do with princesses, knights and dragons. I love fairytales and I really want to read this book. ;)
I have never heard of Pennyroyal Academy or M.A. Larson, but this review definitely makes me want to look into it more and see why you liked it so much. And that is so true! There’s no kissing in MG books. I think there isn’t…the only MG series I’ve read is Percy Jackson and I’m pretty sure there was no kissing…who knows? I never got to book 5 :p Thanks for sharing your wonderful thoughts for this story though! Maybe I’ll read it when it comes out. I have to think about it :D
Great review! I really enjoy your writing style :)
Hailey C recently posted…SEPTEMBER BOOK MADNESS!
I’ve never seen this one before! I’ll have to look into this more. And you’re right- the dragon draws me in too :D Lovely review, Kelly!
Jackie @ No Bent Spines recently posted…Book Look #42: Nothing Sweeter by Laura Drake
I saw this one in the Goodreads newsletter (I think) so I requested that my library order it. They did and I am pretty excited. It’s too bad about the pacing issue. I find that is the main issue I have in most middle grade novels I read. Great review! Can’t wait to read it soon.
Makaela recently posted…Review: We Were Liars by E. Lockhart
So obsessed with the book cover! Gonna try to find this on stores so I can start reading it too! x
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I am not a huge reader of middle grade books but this is definitely going to my tbr. Great review <3
Diana Grace recently posted…Re-Release Blast: BET ON US by Rachel Higginson
Oh this sounds like a fantastic read! I love the cover and will read anything that has romance — especially when there are princesses in the story!
Awesome giveaway! Also love this cover so much! :)
lol I meant awesome review :D
Sounds like an original idea for a book! I also love dragons hehehe and really like the twists I can’t predict :) maybe I’ll check it out :P
Gaby recently posted…Book Review: Two-Way Street by Lauren Barnholdt
I LOVE MG’s when they are done just right Like the Bartimaeus trilogy by Jonathan Stroud and also his Lockwood and Co. series, and Helen Stringer’s Spellbinder series. Pennyroyal Academy actually sounds really good! And it had a twist that you COULDN’T predict?! That is definitely a big time draw for me to read it and see if I might be able to catch it. I am pretty good with catching them myself, but those MG’s…. You just never know what you might get!!! Can’t wait for this one, and I really enjoyed your review!
Jaime Lester recently posted…Crystalee ponders Words and Their Meanings
I have never heard of this book before, but I have to admit, the whole dragon thing has me interested. Haven’t picked up a middle grade book in a while, so I might give this one a go. Excited to read about the plot twist you mentioned! Another great review.
wonderful review! Sounds like a delightful book!
Although there are no quotes, glad you like it!
I’m not that into Middle Grade… I don’t know why. But if ever there’s a chance, I guess I’d be willing to read this.
Great review, it’s fun to read. :) I’ll be expecting more reviews from you. :)
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“We are far too screwed-up for a goddamned…
I don’t read anything MG. But since this has fantasy and romance and dragons, I’m adding this to my TBR list. Great review, btw! <3
Anette Fabre recently posted…Wicked Review: Throne of Glass by Sarah J. Maas
this is one of the books ive heard a lot about, not sure its my cup of tea but nice to know it ticks the right boxes, and i love the front cover! lovely blog :)
What a great review! First I see the cover and I fell in love with the cover! After I read the summary I thought this is a fairy tale collection (wicthes? dragons? princesses? knights? REALLY?) with some high fantasy pieces. Well, I love reading fairy tales and now after your recommendation I know that I should read this book! I put it to my to-be-read shelf on goodreads! :)
Great review! I haven’t read any Middle Grade books yet, but I got really curious about this one! You can’t not love a story with dragons in it. And I’m also a fan ok any fairy tale related book, so this one seems like it would be a good read.
When I first saw the cover, I thought hmm…a modern adaptation of a classic fairy tale. Which is close ;). Reading the official synopsis, I was intrigued. I mean witches, knights and dragons (not much of a princess fan) really got me going. Then I read that you yourself was shocked by the plot twist the story entails. Which is a rarity. Can’t wait to pick this up in our local bookstore and delve into a whole new world. Thanks for sharing this book :)
Seems like an interesting book :) About the kissing, I was reminded of E.D. Baker’s books, where it was a middle-grade book but there was kissing in it, in all of the books actually (well the ones I read, like “The Frog Princess” series) but it wasn’t the YA kind of kissing, it was a fluffy kind of kissing, as fluffy as kissing can get. I really love fairytales or stories about princess (can never get too old for that) so I might give this one a try, that is, if I finish all the books I need to finish first (correction, START and finish first)
Any book with a dragon on the cover is going to be popular in our school library. I love fairy-tale like stories and especially like twists. Looking forward to this one :)
Sue Holmes recently posted…YA Book Review: Crash by Nicole Williams
I love anything with dragons in it just like your friend, haha. I love the cover to this book, it’s so pretty and unique. I want to add to my goodreads TBR :D
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I’m totally with you on the dragon being an attention grabber. This sounds like a fun little break from reality. Does it explain why there are no princes in the academy? Oh, or what if the prince is a knight as well? My brain latches on to weird things.
I haven’t had the chance to read a middle-grade book after finishing Blood of Olympus so I’m kinda hoping this will pull me out of my reading slump. I personally love fairytale-ish books! Dragons, princesses and knights but with no princes,? Well, that’s a mystery…
This sounds like a great read, I really enjoyed your review!