Prisoners in the Palace
Michaela MacColl
Publisher: Chronicle Books
Release Date: September 1, 2010
Pages: 304

Rating: 4 stars

Prisoners in the Palace — London, 1838. Sixteen-year-old Liza’s dreams of her society debut are dashed when her parents are killed in an accident. Penniless, she accepts the position of lady’s maid to young Princess Victoria and steps unwittingly into the gossipy intrigue of the servant’s world below-stairs as well as the trickery above. Is it possible that her changing circumstances may offer Liza the chance to determine her own fate, find true love, and secure the throne for her future queen?

I love historical fiction. Nearly every one I pick up, I simply lose myself in. I love history and find it fascinating and love see the twists and periods that authors choose to put their characters in. Prisoners in the Palace was a fascinating read, set in my favorite time period of them all.

I loved the story. It was absolutely fascinating. I was glued to the book. It was really interesting, how Michaela MacColl chose to set it up. There was the actually story, but also letters, journal entries from both Princess Victoria and Liza’s journal, and more to break it up. I found these wonderful, and a nice break from just the story.

Liza annoyed me a bit. I just didn’t like her true self. She was so blatant in her desire to be rewarded for helping Victoria. Nothing she did seemed genuine, and while it did lessen as the course of the story went by, it just drove me insane. Will on the other hand was a character I really liked. I loved his character. I fell for him right away. I simply hated Sir John – Michaela MacColl made this simple with her way with words.

This was a really great story. I did have a few issues with it, but everything else definitely outwayed any negatives. I am very excited to see what Michaela MacColl will whip up next, and whatever it is, I know I will be one of the first in line to buy it.