Skip to main content

The Princess Plot

The Princess Plot is a YA/middlegrade contemporary novel by German author Kirsten Boie.

Fourteen year old Jenna has always felt she paled in comparison to her thinner, prettier best friend Bea. But when movie producers hand out flyers for an audition, they all seem to think that SHE is perfect for the role of a princess!

Before she knows it, the movie people have convinced her domineering Mom to let her give it a shot, and whisk her away to a small country she’s never heard of, Scandia, to start prepping for the role.

Yet, when she arrives, things start to smell fishy. The real-life princess of Scandia apparently wants to take a break from public life after the sudden death of her father the King, according to what Jenna’s told. So, they tell Jenna – who looks remarkably like the true princess after some make-up, colored contacts, and a blonde wig – to step in to her shoes for actual royal outings, as a sort of final audition.

It doesn’t take long, however, for Jenna to realize Scandia is a country in turmoil, right on the brink of a civil war – and she might be, unwittingly, part of a rebel plot!

The Princess Plot is a mixture of royalty in a foreign country and a modern city girl trying to break free of her mother’s overprotectiveness. Definitely a mix that a lot of middlegrade girls would find appealing!

Despite a tone that is difficult to gel with (possibly due to a translation from the original German into English), the mystery that weaves itself into these two girls lives is intriguing and pretty fast-paced. I was interested to know what was going on.

I had a couple problems, though. Jenna’s aversion to clues and lack of noticing the suspicious circumstances surrounding her sudden discovery as an actress is a bit hard to stomach. I tried to tell myself that she was just being naïve and blinded by her self-esteem issues, but we all know that excuse only goes so far. So this issue led to a disconnect between me and the characters, and eventually had me way ahead of Jenna, plot-wise. I was guessing plot reveals correctly before I was supposed to.

The Princess Plot was always interesting, but the way the book presents itself with switching viewpoints, often cutting away right when someone’s about to reveal some info, actually seemed to drag the action out unnecessarily.

Though I think there might be some fun in here for middlegrade girls who like a little thrill and politics with their princess fantasies, I wasn’t all that impressed unfortunately. It just didn’t have enough humor, logic, or zippy delight that really propels a book like The Princess Plot to true enjoyment, in my opinion.

Since the sequel, The Princess Trap, is already scheduled to be on its way to me, I’ll be reading it. And I certainly didn’t hate The Princess Plot – it was easy to read in many ways – so I’ll hope that The Princess Trap improves on these issues I had.

Either way, think The Princess Plot sounds like the perfect book for you? Read it for yourself and see if you agree or disagree with me! I’d love to hear your thoughts.

Comments

Popular posts from this blog

First Step: Admit You Have a Problem

Hi fellow Bibliophiles! I have been rather neglectful to this blog... instead continuing to stay buried in a book as I have during the holidays. I'm hopeful that most of you have been doing this too and can easily accept my apology. Have I been reading? Um, yeah! (Translation: duh.) Just haven't been able to pull myself away long enough to actually WRITE about what I'm reading. Lol. But that's me, a bibliophile, an addict, an addict who's fallen off the wagon and fully embraced her love of reading - especially with all this free time to do so!!! I've also been watching awesome holiday movies, eating yummy, but bad-for-me, food and hanging out with the people I love best! You too? I hope! ;) Anyway, I will return with a new book review next week, most likely on Monday or Tuesday. Thanks for your patience and keep reading!!!

Promotion Celebration for Maximum Ride!!!

Do you love the series Maximum Ride ? How about James Patterson? Are you a huge fan of action-packed books? Well, I’m thrilled to bring to you an opportunity to stock up on some awesome reading!!! ENTER TO WIN A SET OF JAMES PATTERSON PAGETURNERS! MAXIMUM RIDE – IF SHE LIVES, THE WORLD LIVES, IT’S THAT SIMPLE. Read “MAX” - the newest book in the bestselling Maximum Ride series. On sale in paperback 09/01/09! Still reeling from their most recent adventure, Maximum Ride and the rest of the flock must head out to sea to uncover the secret behind a brand new series of disasters—fish are dying off the coast of Hawaii, hundreds of ships are being destroyed. As if that weren’t enough, they’re also being tracked by a criminal mastermind with, oh yeah, an army of mercenaries. Can the flock save themselves and the ocean, and the world, from utter destruction? Now for the rules : The Maximum Ride: Max Promotion is open to legal US residents who are at least 13 years of age as of August 24, 200

Author Q & A - Jan Eldredge Stops By!

Next Wednesday y'all will be getting my oh-so-humble opinion of Evangeline of the Bayou , the Summer 2018 Kids' Indie Next List selection! (That means it was picked via booksellers at independent bookstores countrywide.) Until then, I have a Q&A with the Louisiana born and raised author herself: Jan Eldredge! (Don't forget to come back next week for my review!!) A Conversation with JAN ELDRIDGE Author of Evangeline of the Bayou 1) The glossary in the back of the book is so helpful! Where did you learn about all these creatures? Which creature from the book is your favorite? I have a small, but growing, collection of books about mythical creatures around the world. If I couldn’t find what I was looking for there, I researched library books, online websites, and the occasional documentary. Something that really surprised me as I started learning more about mythical monsters was the number of different cultures that share very similar