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This title was provided by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Children’s Book Group for review purposes. 

Of all the things I learned reading Palace of Spies, one thing stood out the most–never underestimate a girl with a fireplace poker.

Palace of Spies captured my attention from the start with its rich history, clever girls, and promise of mystery.

Peggy is a compelling heroine with a fun personality. I enjoyed her wit and following along as she unraveled the mysteries at court, making mistakes along the way, but never losing sight of what she thought was morally right. I loved the cast of supporting characters (especially Mrs. Abbott, Lord Tierney/Mr. Tinderflint, and Matthew) and the way their own stories unfolded around Peggy.

Something that did bother me, however, was that Robert wouldn’t immediately realize that his paramour was an entirely different person than the last time she had been at court! I understand that Francesca had (supposedly) been ill and that no one had any reason to suspect she had been replaced by someone else entirely, but I found it very odd that he couldn’t recognize that this wasn’t the girl he had fallen in love with, even if they did bear similarities.

While the ending resolved many questions, it also left a fair few unanswered–and that’s exactly the way it should be with a book like this. I was pleased to discover that some of my own revelations had been right all along–and just as pleased to discover that some had been completely wrong! I look forward to reading future installments in Peggy’s story to find out the answers to these lingering questions.

Overall, this book was a fast-paced, fun read full of clever quips and period-appropriate characterization, and I thoroughly enjoyed it!

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