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A review by hilaryistired
Geekerella by Ashley Poston
5.0
I received a copy of this book for review from Penguin Random House Canada.
Fairy tale rewrites are a dime a dozen these days. It seems like every single book that’s been released in the last few years at some point in it’s creation was based off a fairy tale, so when this book was mentioned to me, I didn’t think a whole lot of it. What caught my attention was the promise of fan-girl feels and a book all about fandoms. Now that’s something you don’t hear every day.
And it totally worked. This is a fun, easy read that everyone who has ever been part of a fandom is going to have no trouble relating to. It a great twist on the Cinderella story that’s so overdone, without all the instalove and cliched romance that tends to go along with it.
The Good Points of Geekerella:
Cinderella is traditionally instalove. She and Prince Charming meet at the ball, fall in love, done. But Poston decides to give the characters a chance to actually know each other before falling in love. I won’t say too much so as not to give the plot away, but I promise that there is some real relationship building in this one.
I thought the characters were fantastic. The two main characters are well rounded, with strengths, weaknesses, and struggles, and their supporting cast really do help to make them shine. I also loved how Poston handled the antagonists in this story, and how they changed and grew along with the protagonists.
I loved how the differences between the characters were handled. Darien is described as having brown skin, there are lesbian characters, and a few other mentions of differences here and there, but it actually doesn’t matter. Not once do any of the characters make a big deal out of any of it, which, unless these sorts of differences are important to a book’s plot (and it really isn’t here), is how I think it should be done. I loved that the differences were just there, as they tend to be in real life.
Poston’s got the fandom experience down pat. Or, at least, the way I experience fandoms. There are so many great references, and the Starfield fandom is well developed in the book. I really want to see the Starfield movie they’re making in this book, because I want in on that fandom.
The Downsides of Geekerella:
Okay, I totally get why this name was chosen. But I am not a fan of the name. It just sounds dumb to me.
Poston stuck very, very close with the story of Cinderella. There was lots of originality in the Starfield aspect, and the characters, and every other part of the book, but not so much in adapting the traditional story. Don’t get me wrong, it worked really well, and the way that various elements were incorporated was great. But so much more could have been done with it too.
All in all, I really enjoyed this book, and will definitely reread it. It’s a great contemporary story that plays on a classic tale, and incorporates all the things we love about fandoms. It’s a fun, easy read that will leave you feeling all warm and fuzzy inside, and keep you hooked right through to the very end. Definitely one you need to check out!
Fairy tale rewrites are a dime a dozen these days. It seems like every single book that’s been released in the last few years at some point in it’s creation was based off a fairy tale, so when this book was mentioned to me, I didn’t think a whole lot of it. What caught my attention was the promise of fan-girl feels and a book all about fandoms. Now that’s something you don’t hear every day.
And it totally worked. This is a fun, easy read that everyone who has ever been part of a fandom is going to have no trouble relating to. It a great twist on the Cinderella story that’s so overdone, without all the instalove and cliched romance that tends to go along with it.
The Good Points of Geekerella:
Cinderella is traditionally instalove. She and Prince Charming meet at the ball, fall in love, done. But Poston decides to give the characters a chance to actually know each other before falling in love. I won’t say too much so as not to give the plot away, but I promise that there is some real relationship building in this one.
I thought the characters were fantastic. The two main characters are well rounded, with strengths, weaknesses, and struggles, and their supporting cast really do help to make them shine. I also loved how Poston handled the antagonists in this story, and how they changed and grew along with the protagonists.
I loved how the differences between the characters were handled. Darien is described as having brown skin, there are lesbian characters, and a few other mentions of differences here and there, but it actually doesn’t matter. Not once do any of the characters make a big deal out of any of it, which, unless these sorts of differences are important to a book’s plot (and it really isn’t here), is how I think it should be done. I loved that the differences were just there, as they tend to be in real life.
Poston’s got the fandom experience down pat. Or, at least, the way I experience fandoms. There are so many great references, and the Starfield fandom is well developed in the book. I really want to see the Starfield movie they’re making in this book, because I want in on that fandom.
The Downsides of Geekerella:
Okay, I totally get why this name was chosen. But I am not a fan of the name. It just sounds dumb to me.
Poston stuck very, very close with the story of Cinderella. There was lots of originality in the Starfield aspect, and the characters, and every other part of the book, but not so much in adapting the traditional story. Don’t get me wrong, it worked really well, and the way that various elements were incorporated was great. But so much more could have been done with it too.
All in all, I really enjoyed this book, and will definitely reread it. It’s a great contemporary story that plays on a classic tale, and incorporates all the things we love about fandoms. It’s a fun, easy read that will leave you feeling all warm and fuzzy inside, and keep you hooked right through to the very end. Definitely one you need to check out!