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A review by andipants
A Princess in Theory by Alyssa Cole
3.0
I liked the premise of this a bit more than the execution. A series of apparent scam emails that turn out to be true? That's exactly the kind of far-fetched what-if scenario a modern royal fairytale romance should start out with. I also liked Naledi's backstory and character — former foster kid, smart and independent but with some believable baggage from her tough childhood, that's a good mix for an interesting and layered character. The setup with Portia was a good basis for a side-plot: the best friend who means well but is a mess and it's putting a strain on their friendship. And the early interactions between "Jamal" and Naledi were great; I loved the flirty banter and the chemistry.
The second half of the book kind of lost steam for me though. Once the ruse is revealed and especially once they go to Thesolo, new conflicts pop up, particularly with Thabiso's family, that seem random and disconnected from anything that's been previously set up. The resolution of the "mystery illness" plot in particular is sudden and weak, as is the reunion with Portia. Moreover, the romantic conflict gets awfully muddled here. She's pretending to be betrothed to him, but she actually likes him, but she doesn't want to like him, because...reasons? This is dragged out much longer than is interesting.
That's not to say the entire thing was worthless. There were definitely elements I liked, and I'll probably check out the next book in the series to see if it can improve on the weak points here. Overall, I'd give it a solid "meh".
The second half of the book kind of lost steam for me though. Once the ruse is revealed and especially once they go to Thesolo, new conflicts pop up, particularly with Thabiso's family, that seem random and disconnected from anything that's been previously set up. The resolution of the "mystery illness" plot in particular is sudden and weak, as is the reunion with Portia. Moreover, the romantic conflict gets awfully muddled here. She's pretending to be betrothed to him, but she actually likes him, but she doesn't want to like him, because...reasons? This is dragged out much longer than is interesting.
That's not to say the entire thing was worthless. There were definitely elements I liked, and I'll probably check out the next book in the series to see if it can improve on the weak points here. Overall, I'd give it a solid "meh".