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A Posse of Princesses

by Sherwood Smith (Goodreads Author)

3.75 of 5 stars 3.75 · rating details · 1,735 ratings · 236 reviews

Rhis, princess of a small kingdom, is invited along with all the other princesses in her part of the world to the coming of age party of the Crown Prince of Vesarja, which is the central and most important kingdom. When Iardith, the prettiest and most perfect of all the princesses, is abducted, Rhis and her friends go to the rescue.

What happens to Rhis and her posse has un...more

ebook, 300 pages

Published September 1st 2010 by Book View Cafe (first published March 1st 2008)

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Nov 24, 2010 Anne Osterlund rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Princess Rhis never gets to go anywhere or do anything. Her only escape from dull tutoring lessons is hiding up in a tower writing ballads about--well--all the things she never gets to do. But then Prince Lios returns to Vesarja and invites “every eligible young lady” to come try her hand at winning his. And Rhis, at sixteen, is off for the adventure of a lifetime.

Mmm. This book is total self-indulgence for any reader who enjoys strong-willed princesses, heroes with great smiles, and an occasion...more

8 likes · like · see review

Jun 30, 2012 Keertana rated it 2 of 5 stars

Rating: 2.5 Stars

I believe I got about 100 pages into this book before giving up on it. This wasn't because the writing was bad or the characters were annoying, it was simply because the novel felt far too juvenile for me. Sherwood Smith's Crown Duel Series have been receiving some remarkable ratings and seems to have been marketed towards teens and adults, which is why I thought I'd give one of her other novels a chance while I could. However, A Posse of Princesses is a more middle-grade sto...more

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Sep 18, 2010 Estara rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: ebook, re-read, read-in-2010

This was as lovely as I remembered (the ebook has one or two spelling mistakes, but that's it) - I think it's a believable portrayal of a naive princess who hasn't found an outlet for her interests at home but has lots of potential and now finds herself at a house party which opens up the whole world to her.

The growth from silent and love-struck observer to mediator and confidante is believable, even though she is 16. And so the drama she gets into and her angst at having to forego seeing her lo...more

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Mar 19, 2013 TheBookSmugglers rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: notable-reads-of-2012

Originally reviewed on The Book Smugglers: http://thebooksmugglers.com/2012/03/b...

Princess Rhis of the small, craggy, but bountifully rich kingdom of Nym lives a charmed but rather boring life.

Though she’s intelligent, Rhis is not the heir to the throne and thus has little interest in learning all the subjects that make a queen (especially not when her stuffy elder sister-by-marriage insists on nitpicking the flaws in Rhis’s attention span and work ethic). Instead, the plain young princess is f...more Originally reviewed on The Book Smugglers: http://thebooksmugglers.com/2012/03/b...

Princess Rhis of the small, craggy, but bountifully rich kingdom of Nym lives a charmed but rather boring life.

Though she’s intelligent, Rhis is not the heir to the throne and thus has little interest in learning all the subjects that make a queen (especially not when her stuffy elder sister-by-marriage insists on nitpicking the flaws in Rhis’s attention span and work ethic). Instead, the plain young princess is far more interested in the things that make her happy – music, dancing, and composing ballads (to varying degrees of success). Instead of studying politics or treatises, Rhis spends her time escaping from her daily chores and sneaking away to her private tower, spying the comings and goings of the kingdom with just her music and thoughts to keep her company.

When an invitation arrives from Crown Prince Lios of Vesarja to attend the celebration of his return from adventures abroad, Rhis can barely contain her excitement. All of the eligible young princes and princesses from neighboring kingdoms will be in attendance, and rumor has it that the young Crown Prince will be looking for a future bride. When Rhis arrives at the palace, she expects a whirlwind mix of dancing, music and frivolity – she doesn’t expect the friends she will make, the sides she will choose, the incredible adventure quest she’ll find herself spearheading, or falling in love.

Dudes. DUDES. I loved this delightful throwback to old school YA fantasy, coming of age novel. I’m happy to report that my memories of Crown Duel and Court Duel did not steer me wrong, because A Posse of Princesses is everything I was hoping for and then some. Resourceful heroine with agency? Check. Believable teenage characters? Yep. Fantastically varied (ethnically and culturally!) fantasy world? You got it. A dash of compelling, non-cheesy romance? Oh hell yes. I went into A Posse of Princesses expecting a diverting fantastical romp with a dash of romance, and Sherwood Smith delivered in spades.

First and foremost, I adored the heroine of this adventure, young, sixteen year old princess Rhis of Nym. Rhis is not your typical heroine – she’s neither beautiful (she’s rather plain with her stick skinny frame and mouse brown hair and eyes), nor is she remarkably intelligent (not that she’s lacking brains, but rather lacking direction and drive to apply herself to those subjects that don’t interest her). She is what one might expect of a sixteen year old princess from a sheltered kingdom; a dreamer, naive, a little dramatic and self-absorbed (but really, when you’re sixteen, who isn’t a little dramatic and self-absorbed?!), but her heart is in the right place. Instead of being particularly brave, or a warrior princess, or with a biting, unparalleled wit, Rhis is a heroine with an incredible sense of empathy. She cares for others and puts aside social expectation as she tries to see others in new and open-minded ways – and that is an incredibly cool quality in a YA heroine. Though Rhis might not start off as a heroine or with an aptitude for studying or adventure, she grows so much over the course of the book as her experiences and interactions with others shape her character. This is similarly awesome, and I loved her character arc from sheltered, slightly-superficial princess to a possible queen with adventure and a rescue mission under her belt.

Similarly, the supporting cast of royals in this book are wonderfully drawn. I loved the passionate, fickle nature of Princess Shera, the powerful warrior-minded Princess Taniva of the plains, and the foreign Princess Yuzhyu who tries so hard to master the language and fit in with a court that is largely happy to ignore her. Of course, what would the story be without Prince Lios and his trusty, sly scribe Dandiar? I won’t say much for that way lies spoilers – but I loved, loved the romance (even if it’s a bit predictable, so what! It’s done well. Sans super cheese. YES.). Heck, I even loved the ‘perfect princess’ Iardith – the epitome of beauty in this world with her dark skin and long dark hair, but a cruel streak as broad as her ego. I love that each of these characters, Iardith included, are humanized and we see through Rhis’s eyes why they might act the way they do.

From a plotting perspective, there is a degree of familiarity to the story – secret identities, courtly intrigue, romantic misunderstanding, and a daring rescue mission all factor prominently in the book. While some of the bigger twists lean towards the predictable, the writing is done so well and the characters so engaging that it hardly matters. From a worldbuilding point of view, I loved the setting and its varied cultures, from the mountainous (and resource rich) Nym, to the wild High Plains, to the warish kingdom of Damatras, to the distant shores of Ndai (look, there’s a map too!). There are many different realms here, each with their own variations and entanglements, and as A Posse of Princesses is just one standalone novel in a universe with other books and characters, I’ll be sure to revisit it soon.

Finally, can I just say how much I *loved* that Sherwood Smith takes a more cautious look at LOVE FOREVER at sixteen years old? Instead of ending with a teenage marriage and happily ever after immediately, there is a period of wait and angst, with both Rhis and her prince exploring what they want for themselves, apart from each other, before making any lifelong decisions. This is, in a word, awesome.

If you couldn’t tell, I loved this book. A whole lot. I’ll need to find and dust off my copy of Coronets and Steel very soon (and also search out the vast, sprawling waste of my TBR for a copy of Inda. I know it’s in there. Somewhere.). Absolutely recommended. Please, for the love of all that is good, do NOT judge this book by its cover.(less)

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Dec 17, 2012 ala rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: fantasy, ya

This is a very cute YA fantasy novel about a princess who is sent to another court under semi-competition circumstances to get to know the prince who is looking for marriage prospects.

A major theme of this novel is making friends and fitting in with the popular crowd without sacrificing values (friendship,loyalty, basic niceness, etc.) and our heroine does this very well. SS also does a nice job of giving complex motivations even to her nasty characters.

The whole thing though is a bit like the...more

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Aug 30, 2012 Monica! rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: read-in-2012, how-all-stories-should-begin, you-go-girl, what-is-this-feeling, swash-swash-buckle-buckle, yippie-kay-ai-motherf-cker, hark-a-questing-beast, the-sparkles-mean-its-magic

If there was any doubt in my mind that Sherwood Smith was a bold woman, it was obliterated as soon as I realized that clearly she said, “Hell, my name is already incredibly alliterative… so I’ll make my BOOK TITLE be like that too!” But while I can totally be on board with the very plosive Posse of Princesses, I have to slam the cover.

Because… what is this?

Were the publishers on a deadline and, in at the office on a Friday evening with the final product due by midnight, decided to have one of...more

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Aug 16, 2012 Jamie rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: amazing-romance, favorites, kickass-heroine, magic, princesses-and-princes, read-repeatedly

I really like this book! It was so cute and sweet. The characters were wonderful. I loved how the romance between the prince and the princess built, and it wasn't spontaneous. I immediately liked the MC because she didn't fit in or go along with her sister's idea of being a proper Princess. Breaking the rules is so appealing to me. ;p The MC was just so likable and loving and kind. Plus, this book was so incredibly written.

*SPOILER*
The Prince was so well hidden and down to earth that I barely t...more

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Jul 17, 2012 Christina rated it 3 of 5 stars

9/10ths of this book were vastly fun. Sherwood Smith has always done good female teenagers, as far as I'm concerned, and speaking as someone who was more of the "let's go have an adventure and do stuff" type girl than the "oh god I'm in love" type girl so common in adolescent fiction (I'm looking at you, B---- S---). First runner-up in the Miss I-Couldn't-Relate Pageant: the girl burdened with terrible trauma who copes with it poorly (more common in contemporary fiction than fantasy). I had a go...more 9/10ths of this book were vastly fun. Sherwood Smith has always done good female teenagers, as far as I'm concerned, and speaking as someone who was more of the "let's go have an adventure and do stuff" type girl than the "oh god I'm in love" type girl so common in adolescent fiction (I'm looking at you, B---- S---). First runner-up in the Miss I-Couldn't-Relate Pageant: the girl burdened with terrible trauma who copes with it poorly (more common in contemporary fiction than fantasy). I had a good home life and wasn't overly burdened with secrets as a teen.
Anyway, 9/10ths of this book, while largely rehashing territory already explored in "Court Duel" and the "Wren" books and burdening the reader with some awkward fake foreign accents (why was Taniva apparently Russian?), was good fun. I actually DIDN'T see the first-act plot twist coming (or was it the second act?), although I spotted others a mile off. I got pretty far into the book prepared to give it 4 stars for all-around fun. Then...the denouement. What the hell.
(view spoiler)(less)

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Jun 10, 2012 Dorri rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: high-fantasy, young-adult, romance-young-adult

"Rhis, princess of a small kingdom, is invited along with all the other princesses in her part of the world to the coming of age party of the Crown Prince of Vesarja, which is the central and most important kingdom. When Iardith, the prettiest and most perfect of all the princesses, is abducted, Rhis and her friends go to the rescue."

The premise of this book is simple. Its execution in flawless. Yes, this tale has been told before, but the wonder (and flaws) of its characters allow this simple t...more

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Apr 13, 2012 Josephine rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: fun-books

I actually really liked this book because of all the good morals it taught. I liked the main character and the other characters were well written. It was a good long story you could really get into. In a way it was kind of silly because it was about a bunch of 16-20 year old princes and princesses getting together for a party and it felt like it could be a very modern book about high school, which is what it felt like the author was intending. For that I was a little weirded out, with how almost...more

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Mar 30, 2012 Sam rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: comfort-reads

Review from A Journey Through Pages

Something about the title and plot of this book made me not want to read it. It's really quite strange, I can't explain it, but it was one of those books that kept popping up on my goodreads.com recommendations so I finally said screw it and checked it out from the library.

I was pleasantly surprised.

There are really two parts to this book, the introduction of characters and then the growing of these characters. The plot expained up in the synopsis happens in th...more

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Jan 18, 2012 Jia Ling Pan rated it 2 of 5 stars

2.5 stars.

I would keep it at 2 stars but I've given 2 stars to books that I've enjoyed less so 2.5 stars it is. It could have been an 'I liked it' book had it not been for a few issues which I can't overlook with this.

This is a story about a privileged yet not unkind princess known as Rhis. Our protagonist comes from a good family (better than most do when coming from any royal lineage) and is in no way in line for the throne; thus she has spent a great many years having her head up in the clou...more 2.5 stars.

I would keep it at 2 stars but I've given 2 stars to books that I've enjoyed less so 2.5 stars it is. It could have been an 'I liked it' book had it not been for a few issues which I can't overlook with this.

This is a story about a privileged yet not unkind princess known as Rhis. Our protagonist comes from a good family (better than most do when coming from any royal lineage) and is in no way in line for the throne; thus she has spent a great many years having her head up in the clouds of romance. Very much a teenager for the most fronts and less a princess. This does work out in her favour though as the story moves along.

I won't go too much into the story as the summary of the book above already actually covers a very brief overview of half of the book. That being said, I find the summary very misleading. The journey to save the kidnapped princess only happens towards the later half of the book, whereas the first half dealt more with the court party Rhis and the other princesses were invited to.

Rhis was a fairly interesting character for me to encounter. I actually disliked her childishness and her lack of awareness (or want) of the world as she traveled to meet Prince Lios at the beginning of the book. However, the instant she gets to court, her generosity shines through and her naivety is more charming than annoying. It is in fact her naivete of the ways of court which keeps her manner far more appealing for the general reader as she is both friendly to servants and court people. That always wings in my book as I always love princesses who have a big heart. What is good about her character is that she indeed does grow in character and out of her childishness. Her friendship with the side characters that accompany her is quite cute. Though I must say I wished I could have read more about Taniva and Yuzhyu, the two foreign princesses who were much more interesting to me than Shera. Its perhaps only because I'm not entirely fond of the kind of character Shera turns out to be later on.

The obvious romance partner, Prince Lios, is hard to put into words without going into the realm of spoilers. His character had some nice moments even if he comes off as fairly predictable if you've read these sort of stories to death by this time. His interaction with Rhis is cute.

Unfortunately for me, what was building to a potentially fodder for the romantic in me; the instant the kidnapping happens the story begins to fall a little flat. This isn't so much due to the nature of the kidnapping itself, rather how it stunted all the characters. Politically the world had been shaping up rather interestingly despite the semi predictable cast and I thought this was a further exploration into the theme of 'opening her eyes to the nature of the world' for Rhis. While it was some of that, there wasn't enough (for me at least).

While a lot of the side characters are mentioned doing things which would have been an interesting expansion, sadly those characters also happen to be the ones whom we are introduced with having a severe language barrier with Rhis. I guess this provided an excuse for the lack of interaction and expansion but I really kept feeling left wanting. As with most kidnap-rescue missions, this one obviously does not go as planned and a turn of events leaves most of the main cast struggling to escape.

As they attempt to run, Rhis has an encounter of the magical kind. Early in the book her magical (unexplored) magical capacity was mentioned but it was never truly explored until that very moment and I couldn't help feeling that it felt a little bit like a plot device. More so to give her a reason to buck up in her studies towards the end of the book and give her the final shove she needed to become the princess she could be. The lore of magic in the world could be more clearly stated as well. I kept feeling like I would need to dig up some other book to know the details.

All this would not have been an issue for me had the relationship between Rhis and Lios panned out further after the events of the kidnapping. It had reached a stalemate point after all and though I do adore Lios' Queen mother (she is quite a character), what she placed upon the two young lovers in hopes to test their love over a span of years was what really left me wanting. What used to be charming conversation was reduced to words exchanged on paper and unfortunately most of their words were rather uninteresting. Not unrealistic, uninteresting. This could have been remedied had they expanded the epilogue or expanded upon it like how she did with Crown Duel, but writing little excerpts of the 'time lost in between'.

We don't get that unfortunately and that was a bit of a mood killer for me. The ending is happy in a sort of fairytale yet with hints of attempted realism, just that a little bit of the initial build up charm of the book was lost on me. I also really wanted to know how some characters got together because learning of their courtship would have been extremely interesting.

Despite my issues, this book has its charms. I also can't help feeling like I am judging this book based on my reaction to Smith's other book 'Crown Duel'. This book is decent for a light read but I'd recommend 'Crown Duel' over this one if people asked me to pick. The premises aren't entirely dissimilar and I found the latter far more intriguing and more satisfying.(less)

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Sep 28, 2011 Lisa rated it 2 of 5 stars

This book showed promise in the beginning but by the middle I was losing interest. It took a really long time for the characters to actually begin their quest, and up until that point all you're reading about is a bunch of privileged youths having a house party. There's alot of mean-girl drama, boy crazy princesses, and boring conversations. In other words, this book lacks substance, it lacks interesting sub-plots to keep it moving until the main plot is resolved. And speaking of the main plot,...more

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May 08, 2011 Alex Fayle rated it 4 of 5 stars

Sherwood Smith’s A Posse of Princesses does something that few female focused YA fantasies seem to do these days. She gives us a smart heroine who isn’t a passive cypher waiting for others to use her and act through her. Nor is the character operating in a depressing, dystopian world against unsurmountable odds. In fact although Rhis thinks she’s a rebellious princess, she’s actually well behaved and rather conservative.

However, despite all that, she’s probably one of the stronger feminist chara...more Sherwood Smith’s A Posse of Princesses does something that few female focused YA fantasies seem to do these days. She gives us a smart heroine who isn’t a passive cypher waiting for others to use her and act through her. Nor is the character operating in a depressing, dystopian world against unsurmountable odds. In fact although Rhis thinks she’s a rebellious princess, she’s actually well behaved and rather conservative.

However, despite all that, she’s probably one of the stronger feminist characters I’ve read in a long time. Yes, she thinks of boys a lot (what sixteen-year-old doesn't?) but she isn’t defined by them. She doesn't accept people's opinions as fact and seeks to discover the truth on her own. She also refuses to be a part of any one group, thus making herself a leader to others who also don’t fit into the popular crowd.

A Posse of Princesses could very well have been set in a modern high school as much as as fantasy realm with magic and fancy dress. This is a story about finding one’s place in the world while everyone else tries to do the same.

However this book will ever reach the bestseller level that books like Meyer's Twilight and Hocking's Switched have, which to me is a real shame. The protagonists of the latter two books are held up as examples of modern teenage girls and worshipped for their passiveness. The Twilight and Switched characters are too caught up in their own woe-is-me attitude to grow as people until they are forced to (kicking and screaming) while Rhis, when presented with unpleasant aspects of herself and her actions, first rejects the critiques as most people do, but then considers them and decides for herself what is true and what isn’t.

She's consciencious and conscious – that is she cares about other people and she moves through life awake, aware and always open to learning. Unfortunately in our apathy-adoring culture, she’s too nice, too active and has too many social skills. You only need to turn on any reality-TV program to see how little appreciated these traits are. We prefer our role models to be disconnected, lazy near-sociopaths who can't think beyond “what's in it for me?”.

As a teacher I see far too many Bellas and Wendys (both male and female), but it's the Rhis-like girls and boys that I put my faith in for the future. It's just too bad that the rest of the world doesn't see how important a role model like Rhis really is.

If you want to read a good solid story that's entertaining as well and hope-for-the-future giving then go buy Sherwood Smith’s A Posse for Princesses now.(less)

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Apr 02, 2011 Skye rated it 3 of 5 stars

Okay, so I admit this wasn’t much of a challenge for me to read, since this is the kind of stuff I lap up with a spoon. I mean c’mon, prince and princesses, castles…magic diamonds. Now, wait! Don’t run, this isn’t a cheesy version of Princess Diaries 2 (although, if you must know I liked that fluff film.) This is an adventurous take on some prince and princess clichés.

Up until now I had only read Sherwood Smith’s Crown & Court Duel, but that was enough to cement her into my list of favorite...more Okay, so I admit this wasn’t much of a challenge for me to read, since this is the kind of stuff I lap up with a spoon. I mean c’mon, prince and princesses, castles…magic diamonds. Now, wait! Don’t run, this isn’t a cheesy version of Princess Diaries 2 (although, if you must know I liked that fluff film.) This is an adventurous take on some prince and princess clichés.

Up until now I had only read Sherwood Smith’s Crown & Court Duel, but that was enough to cement her into my list of favorite authors. What I love about her, is that although I’m indulged with all my favorite elements in fiction, I’m still confronted with practical girls, who although wish for romance, know the duties they must face to protect things in life that are bigger than themselves.

Enter Rhis, princess of the small kingdom of Nym known for its mountains and gems. It’s such a small kingdom they don’t hold court or do that many social activities. She loves to spend her time in her tower playing her tiranthe and writing ballads. She feels no pressure to apply herself in her studies as she is not the heir, and will not grow up to be a royal mage like her sister. Before applying herself she wants to undergo an adventure and a bit of romance. Well lucky for her Queen Briath from a neighboring kingdom has invited all the eligible princesses to her son Lios coming of age party. So Rhis gets a chance to practice courtly behavior as well as be an ambassador for her own kingdom.

Income all the princesses who have hopes of snagging the prince and a series of parties, picnics, dances and all sorts of fun. Rhis finds herself making friends with such interesting characters. There is Taniva of the High Plains whose idea of fun is fighting with her neighboring enemy Jarvas of Damatras.Then there is Shera from Gensam who can’t help but flirt with every boy she sees. Yuzhyu of the Isle of Ndai who is sort of left out of everything despite being the princes cousin, and the mysterious and charming Dandiar the princes personal scribe. The characters are really fleshed out, and the ones we end up hating we find out the reason they became that way.

But when Iardith the most beautiful princess (albeit also the most ill-mannered princess), who the girls can’t help but dislike ends up being abducted the girls set out to bring her back. This is definitely a girl power sort of book, because although the girls all want the prince they discover more important things like friendship and self worth. That no one can really be overlooked, because everyone has value. And that falling in love isn't just about looks, but heart and mind. I know the cover is sort of cheesy, but don't let that get in the way. Sherwood Smith makes awesome characters who are practical when necessary but always fun.(less)

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Sep 13, 2010 Lydia Presley rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: 2010, fantasy, fiction, young-adult

One of my favorite things to do when I was young was go to the library. I loved the crinkle of the plastic covers over the books and the smell of the pages when I opened a book and prepared to dive into its adventures for the first time. I even loved the overly used part of the pages, the fingerprints and stains because those told stories to me in addition to the words that were printed on the page.

One of my favorite types of stories to read were stories of princesses and adventures. What little...more

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Feb 27, 2010 Kit rated it 3 of 5 stars

I don't know why, but I'm a sucker for books, like The Riddle-Master of Hed, where the royals turn out to be normal everyday joes who know how to do their own cooking and grew up playing in the creek with the kids who grew up to be their advisers. A Posse of Princesses is in the same vein, and I think that's why I liked it. The teenaged princes and princesses of various vaguely-medieval-with-magic kingdoms meet to form alliances (and marriages) and get to know each other, at which point they act...more

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Feb 13, 2011 Greymalkin rated it 5 of 5 stars Recommends it for: tokenfemalegamer

Shelves: ya-fantasy

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here.

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Apr 07, 2010 Laura rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: fantasy

The title is a little silly. The cover could be more attractive. I enjoyed reading it though, and that's the important thing, right? I have to admit that, as silly as it is, the title was part of the appeal for me. The five-year-old little girl in me wanted to read about princesses, and this book claims to contain a whole posse of them!

The plot is a bit predictable (and other reviews have summarized it quite well so I won't describe it here), but when reading about princesses and romance, one do...more The title is a little silly. The cover could be more attractive. I enjoyed reading it though, and that's the important thing, right? I have to admit that, as silly as it is, the title was part of the appeal for me. The five-year-old little girl in me wanted to read about princesses, and this book claims to contain a whole posse of them!

The plot is a bit predictable (and other reviews have summarized it quite well so I won't describe it here), but when reading about princesses and romance, one does not really need surprise plot twists so long as there is a happily ever after. Which there is. I'm sorry if that spoils it for you ;)

There are lots of princesses of all different kinds, and although the story does revolve around only one, Rhis, even the minor characters are well-drawn and believable.

My only quibble with the book is that it kind loses steam at the end. There's romantic tension and build-up and right when it seems there is going to be a resolution, the flow of the story is interrupted with a separation between the heroine and her hero during which they can only write one letter a year to each other for five years. I imagine a whole book could have been taken up with their letters to each other if there hadn't been this strange one letter a year rule that seemed very out of place.

Overall, it's a fun read if you like stories about princesses and sweet romances (as opposed to steamy romance novel romances). Technically I think it's considered a young adult fantasy, but the magic element is very minimal; it's incidental to the story. If you like your romantic fantasy to have lots of magic, this might not be the story for you.

I believe this story is set in the same world as Smith's Wren series (Wren to the Rescue (Wren Books), Wren's Quest (Wren Books), Wren's War (Wren Books)). Although set in that world, I think people who like Smith's Crown Duel (Crown Duel / Court Duel) duet, especially the second half (the Court Duel half), or Shannon Hale's Princess Academy, will really enjoy this book.(less)

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Jan 26, 2010 Treasa rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: adventure, fantasy, romance, young-adult

When Rhis, a princess of Nym, is invited to a party for the prince of a nearby kingdom, she has no expectations other than to have a good time. There she meets many princesses and princes and becomes great friends with some. She also meets the prince's scribe, who quickly becomes one of her best friends. When one of the princesses goes missing, Rhis and three of her fellow princesses set out to save her. Along the way, they all learn a lot about themselves and the world around them.

I loved this...more

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Sep 15, 2010 Laylah rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: ya, fantasy-alternate-world

I knew that I had always loved Sherwood Smith's writing. What I didn't know was why. I read crown/court duel a long time ago, and I can't remember much about the detail and how I felt while reading it. All I remember is the impression afterward that still remains in me ever since. The impression of fierce fondness for the story, for the characters. Now that I get to read another of her book, I can substantiate my feeling with solid reasons.

Sherwood Smith writes likeable hero/heroines. They're pr...more

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Jun 05, 2009 Bonnie rated it 4 of 5 stars Recommends it for: Crown Duel Fans, lovers of romantic YA

Shelves: young-adult

Let me say that this is one of the ugliest covers I've ever seen. It looks like it was done by someone with a poor gasp of photoshop.

But I've loved Sherwood Smith ever since I read Crown Duel and I wanted to give this one a try. Well, don't judge a book by its cover. The first half of this book was fantastic. I started it fairly late at night and kept reading despite the fact I had to wake up at 7am and the clock was ticking into the wee hours of the morning.

The reason this gets four stars inst...more

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Nov 30, 2008 Erin rated it 3 of 5 stars Recommends it for: Teens who like adveneture or historical fiction

Shelves: teen

If you are looking for a fantasy full of magic then choose a different book.

A Posse of Princesses is more of a coming of age book and although towards the end there is a magical aspect for the most the book is full of teens figuring out life and falling in love and in some cases in and out of love. The author did manage to find a way to make the girls strong but at the same time managed to make the boys likable and not wimpy.

The reason the book doesn't score a 4 or even a 5 with me is becuase...more

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Mar 03, 2011 Emily rated it 3 of 5 stars

I recently read Crown Duel by Sherwood Smith and it was so amazing that I just had to try out something else written by her. I was expecting amazing again. A Posse of Princesses was good, but not nearly as good as Crown Duel. That is just about all there is to it.

Continuing in comparing the two books, the romance aspect of Crown Duel is just a little sizzle that makes all of the other action more interesting and compelling but the book could stand alone without the romance and still be a good re...more

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Jun 09, 2010 Candi rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: ya, ya-supernatural

This book has a bad title and an even worse cover. Seriously, what were the publishers thinking? The cover looks like it is a bunch of rejects from an inner city production of "Les Mis," when it was actually a fun little book about one girl coming to terms with her talents. Also, at least three of the girls on the cover should not be white, once again the publishing world telling teenagers that only white girls should read.
Sherwood Smith reuses some of the same ideas from her other book Once a P ...more

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Jan 09, 2010 Darla rated it 4 of 5 stars

(Genre:Teen fiction/fairy tale) I really liked this book! It is the story of the young princess Rhis (age 16) who lives in an isolated mountainous kingdom. When she gets invited to a party/trip/vacation to meet Prince Lios (of a distant kingdom) and many other young royalty near her age, she is very excited. Rhis is of a more romantic nature and upon seeing the handsome prince Lios, she immediately falls in love. Fortunately, Rhis is not just romantic, but she has a number of more helpful traits...more

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Jul 18, 2012 Deirdre rated it 4 of 5 stars

While the cover of my edition really let the book down, this is an excellent story. Several princesses and princes gather at an event for the Crown Prince of Vesarja, the central and most important kingdom in the area, a chance for him to possibly find a wife. Rhis is one of these princesses and a pivotal character. She finds herself attracted to a scribe, Dandiar, a relationship she's pretty sure won't be encouraged by her family.

Things change when one of the princesses is kidnapped and Rhis an...more

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Mar 05, 2012 Sarah Searle rated it 4 of 5 stars

One of the reasons I really liked this book is that the main heroine is a strong female lead without being the cliche tomboy princess, or the prettiest in the land, or the smartest or most talented, or even the most heroic. She's worlds more relatable than most of my favorite leads of this genre, and I think it's a greater story for that. I loved how the other characters picked up those more typical princess roles, but in a tasteful and fun manner. Such a great cast of characters!

My only disappo...more

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Jan 28, 2009 Marissa rated it 4 of 5 stars

Ok this book is about a princess who is invited to the coming of age party for prince Lois. There are lots of princesses invited but only one will the prince choose. She learns a lot about love and friendship.
The story has a neat twist to it that I really enjoyed. (even though I find it out almost right a way) it was still fun to read.
I did not like the ending as well( like the letter trying to speed up five years) but I liked how they had to wait the five years so they would be more mature. It...more

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Jul 26, 2012 waltzy rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: fantasy, young-adult, light, comfort-read

I really enjoyed this! Rhis starts out as a little silly, swept up in dreams of romance, but she comes into her own as a genuinely kind person. I love how she reaches out to people. I also quite enjoyed the romantic plot, and how it developed over mutual interests and such rather than instant attraction.

Ending spoiler: (view spoiler)...more

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About Sherwood Smith

I am a writer, but I'm here on Goodreads to talk about books, as I've been a passionate reader as long as I've been a writer--since early childhood.

I'm not going to rate books--there are too many variables. I'd rather talk about the reading experience. My 'reviews' of my books are confined to the writing process.

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