The Secret Prince by Violet Haberdasher

This second book in the Knightley Academy series had everything that made the first book fun: knights-in-training, damsels in distress, backstabbing, and plotting.

Here is the summary from Goodreads:
Knightley Academy is back in session, and Henry Grim is confident that nothing else can prevent him from earning his knighthood. But Henry and his friends quickly discover that their professors have made some troubling changes to the curriculum -- an old classroom filled with forgotten weapons. It is the discovery of this classroom that prompts Henry and Valmont to become the unlikely leaders of a secret battle society. But disaster strikes as Henry, Adam and Frankie find themselves stuck as Partisan School servants. Yet something is rotten in Partisan Keep. And when Henry is discovered by a secret society of outlaws with a sinister purpose, he must come to terms with a great sacrifice that will take him away from everything he has ever known and wanted. The stakes get higher and tension mounts in the second installment of Violet Haberdasher's fresh, fast-paced, and always surprising Knightley Academy books.

I thought that the plot was interesting, and loved that Henry, Adam and Rohan were finally accepted by the other boys.  I liked that Henry and Adam again got themselves into trouble, but like the true scrappers they are, were able to get themselves out of it.

I did think that the death (yes, there was a death, but I'm not telling you who!) was slightly glossed over.  I don't need all the gory details, but they talked about it once beforehand, and then mentioned it a few times after, there wasn't any in between.  Because of this, I felt like the ending was a little rushed.

All in all, I thought it was a good book.  I'll be honest and say that I did like the first book in the series better, but that doesn't diminish the fact that, in its own right, this was a good book.

I was lucky enough to download this book via Simon & Schuster's GalleyGrab program.  The book is scheduled for publication June 28, 2011.

Knightley Academy by Violet Haberdasher

Knights-in-training, damsels in distress, and a plot to incite a war, what more could a girl ask for?  Violet Haberdasher's Knightly Academy (Knightly Academy, book 1) has just that.

Summary (from bookjacket):
Henry Grim has never been in trouble for borrowing a sword from the headmaster's private stores.  He has never discovered a forbidden room in a foreign castle, or received a death threat over breakfast.
All Henry knows is life as an orphaned servant boy at Midsummer School, bullied by the privileged sons of aristocracy.  But all that changes when Henry is the first commoner to pas the entrance exam for the prestigious Knightley Academy, where he will be trained as a modern-day knight alongside the cleverest and bravest fourteen-year-olds in the country.
Henry and his roommates, two other students from decidedly un-Knightley backgrounds, are not exactly greeted with  open arms by their classmates.  In fact, it soon becomes apparent that someone is going to great lengths to sabotage the trio's chances at becoming knights.  But Henry soon learns that there is more at stake than his future at Knightley, and only he can sound the alarm.  Is anyone going to believe a former servant on the brink of expulsion?

I really enjoyed this story.  It was fast paced and not boring.  I liked Henry as he wasn't whiney about his situation, but did have a good head on his shoulders.  He was thoughtful and resourceful, but not a pushover.

I also enjoyed that this was set in a boarding school.  In my mind, it was a lot like Hogwarts, only not magical.  I also kept picturing Lord Haveloch as Severus Snape, and admit, I read his dialog as if it were Snape speaking. 

The bookjacket suggests that this book is for readers ages 8-12, but I wouldn't limit it to just children.  Adults would enjoy this book, too.