thepottedplant's review
2.0
I think I would have liked this book better if I were a 15-year-old girl who was obsessed with myself. I couldn't get into it and felt no sympathy for the character. She blew everything out of proportion. If moving to a tiny European country, living in a palace, and dating a cute prince is a terrible life, then sign me up. Everything in this was the end of the world for her and I didn't like it.
spellbindingstories's review
2.0
I love stories of ordinary people falling in love with royalty so when I saw this at the store the other day, I immediately picked it up. However, I felt slightly let down while reading it. Though the main character does fall in love with the prince, its completely out of the blue, making it seem so unbelievable. And yes, any story with this plot would be unbelievable. What I mean is that I really think the author should have taken more time to develop the relationship between the two leads before making them absolutely devoted to one another. Even though I was really rooting for them, it seemed really fake.
Another thing that bugged me about this novel was how it approached homosexuality. The way the book described it made me very uncomfortable. It wasn't homophobic or anything but it was very ignorant. I made a vow to myself that I would finish every book I start this year and if I had not made this vow, I probably would've stopped this novel very early on due to this issue.
Aside from that, it was a cute story of a girl and a prince, and while this may have once intrigued enough to give it a higher rating, I just can't get over the issue described above to actually actively like it.
Another thing that bugged me about this novel was how it approached homosexuality. The way the book described it made me very uncomfortable. It wasn't homophobic or anything but it was very ignorant. I made a vow to myself that I would finish every book I start this year and if I had not made this vow, I probably would've stopped this novel very early on due to this issue.
Aside from that, it was a cute story of a girl and a prince, and while this may have once intrigued enough to give it a higher rating, I just can't get over the issue described above to actually actively like it.
mikkaybear's review
4.0
Maybe I just had low, nostalgic expectations--the first novel I ever wrote had a similar premise--or maybe some feel-good literature was exactly what I needed this week. Either way, I was very pleasantly surprised.
A lot of my strife with contemporary YA comes down to my struggle to identify with characters whose interests and grammar choices clash with mine. And while Val's voice did often seem shallow, there was a surprising depth to the ridiculousness of her situation. She reacted exactly right--selfishly, but consciously so. We got to see her process the major changes in her life, to adjust with humor and awkwardness and adolescence.
The "love triangle" section was incredibly well done, and I found myself cheering for Val and her self-awareness. The romance was fluffy, yes, and Georg had about as much personality as a squashed hat, but it was fun. It reminded me a lot of my own book and how ridiculous it was and how much I enjoyed writing it because of the ridiculousness, and the sappiness, and the way my characters interacted. I mean, I'll never say no to a dashing, sensitive prince. If your book has it, I'll read it. Royalty. Sigh.
But hands down, my absolute favorite part of this book was Val's parents. PARENTS. IN CONTEMPORARY YA. WHAT A CONCEPT. And they were wonderful. Individual and independent and human and authoritative and supportive and important and I could not get enough of either of them. The way they interacted with Val was just... fijnjienjonenhie there just aren't any words for how much I adored them. If I could pick one thing to change about this whole book, it's that I wish we could have properly met Georg's parents, too. I'd have liked to see them without Georg's filtered view.
I really enjoyed reading this omnibus. It was like popping a piece of yellow candy in your mouth, afraid it was artificial banana, only to discover it was lemon. Still a bit rough around the edges, but overall, a much more enjoyable experience than originally anticipated. :)
A lot of my strife with contemporary YA comes down to my struggle to identify with characters whose interests and grammar choices clash with mine. And while Val's voice did often seem shallow, there was a surprising depth to the ridiculousness of her situation. She reacted exactly right--selfishly, but consciously so. We got to see her process the major changes in her life, to adjust with humor and awkwardness and adolescence.
The "love triangle" section was incredibly well done, and I found myself cheering for Val and her self-awareness. The romance was fluffy, yes, and Georg had about as much personality as a squashed hat, but it was fun. It reminded me a lot of my own book and how ridiculous it was and how much I enjoyed writing it because of the ridiculousness, and the sappiness, and the way my characters interacted. I mean, I'll never say no to a dashing, sensitive prince. If your book has it, I'll read it. Royalty. Sigh.
But hands down, my absolute favorite part of this book was Val's parents. PARENTS. IN CONTEMPORARY YA. WHAT A CONCEPT. And they were wonderful. Individual and independent and human and authoritative and supportive and important and I could not get enough of either of them. The way they interacted with Val was just... fijnjienjonenhie there just aren't any words for how much I adored them. If I could pick one thing to change about this whole book, it's that I wish we could have properly met Georg's parents, too. I'd have liked to see them without Georg's filtered view.
I really enjoyed reading this omnibus. It was like popping a piece of yellow candy in your mouth, afraid it was artificial banana, only to discover it was lemon. Still a bit rough around the edges, but overall, a much more enjoyable experience than originally anticipated. :)
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